Month: May 2024

                        Unfortunately, I don’t have that much to report to you.

                        (Or any pretty photos to share, as this is a Boring Post)

As of the last post from Michigan, we decided to just high tail it back to Jersey and start are “Visitation Schedule” as the summer here will be just a little shorter in time than what we normally spend. As reported earlier, we will be vacating the East Coast by the beginning of August (rather than the beginning of September) so that we can get to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the mountains of Montana before the onset of their winter which seems like it starts in early September! Plus we’re pushing on to Oregon which takes us about as far west as we can go until the Optional Pontoons arrive from Amazon so we can take this thing to Hawaii!

We did not get to visit the scheduled stops on our Proposed Itinerary that lay between Michigan and New Jersey. That was a conscious decision to just get us back “Home” and see everyone, plus we need to have some Scheduled Maintenance done on Miss Biggie at our favorite Freightliner Service Center which (luckily) is about ten minutes from our parking spot at Yetter’s Diner.

This round of “Fixings” turned out to be a little more involved (read: expensive) than what we expected, but necessary it all was, so gotten it did get! Several oldish issues that we’ve had for awhile were finally figured out (like the big ‘CLUNK’ when the brakes were applied) so now we stop nicely and without that annoying sensation. That’s a good thing because at 28,000 pounds or so, stopping is mandatory. Add in a leaky crankcase gasket (not too bad at $48.00, but it takes two-plus hours to change it…. Ca-Ching!!! ) a gigantic air filter, ($150.00) and you can get an idea how this normal, scheduled maintenance of an oil change (usually about $650.00) turned into an over $2000.00 repair bill.

But we are not complaining!

To persectiveize our situation, we do not have the expenses of property taxes, utility bills, rent or mortgage, property maintenance, etc. I will admit that our Traveling Fuel tab is larger than most, but we get to have our home with us wherever we go! Just imagine if you wanted to take your home with you when you traveled….. just cutting all of your wires and getting the house jacked up and on a trailer would take forever! (Never mind the DOT permits needed to close the roads that you need to travel on!) So, we are definitely not complaining!

While we are here we will take advantage of one of the only spots in the country that specializes in RV exterior repair and bodywork. No, we do not need any dents fixed (we did that last year!) What we need done is strictly cosmetic in nature.

The Backstory:

Most of the Motorhomes that we pass are just gorgeously shiny things that whiz by in all of their glory. Only a small (very!) handful of these are lived in, or driven, Full Time. That means that they stay in the garage (yes, some, especially the really expensive ones are fitted into a giant indoor storage!) or safely in the driveway where chips and dents from rock-throwing roadway incidents cannot do any damage.

Hence the Motorhome Queen status of looking resplendent!

Ours, try as I might, gets it face blasted every time that we venture out. And we are now at the ten-year old mark which is the cut-off point for some campgrounds and our eligibility for entrance. This is an attempt to not have the Beverly Hillbillies chug their way into that respectable RV Resort and squat until the Law catches up with them. This “age requirement” can be exceptioned by pleading with the Resort Operators, usually with a photo proving that your ride is ‘worthy’ of admittance, albeit a tad older than the rules allow.

That’s just one part.

For me, it’s the embarrassment of not having that pristine, shiny, looking-like-new, gorgeous motorhome that everyone else seems to have!

The work that needs to be accomplished is something of a quandary because the initial intent of what we’re having done was to alleviate the need for the work that we’re having done!

Confused? Yup, me too!

If someone had done their homework they would have realized that the “Clear Protective Vinyl Applied Covering” on the front of the motorhome would eventually deteriorate.

And that it did!

Along with the fact that mold grows under this “clear” vinyl protection which makes it impossible to alleviate as you cannot get to it unless you remove it! So we’ve got these ugly blemishes all in the front that there isn’t a blessed thing I can do except take that vinyl covering off. This is where this RV specialist comes in. When I regaled them with my tale of woe, their quick response was, “Yea… we do that job all the time.”  That is reassuring on one level, but quite disturbing on another as apparently we are not the only ones experiencing this issue!

Just to put this into your perspective, this is the front of our house. Just imagine how you would feel if the front of your house had stains, peeling paint, and other unsightly blemishes on it!

Ok, I take back what I said before about property maintenance, I guess that this does fall under that category under these circumstances!

And…. I lied 😊

Here are a few representative photos of today’s dilemma!

Question:

What do Al Capone (the gangster) and Joe Louis (the boxer) have in common?

Answer:

There were times in their lives that they needed to be “on the lam” and recede from the public eye.

Well Don, that’s neither exciting nor unexpected, there are times when any of us would like to disappear for a while!

Yes, I know that. As a matter of fact, we have been accused recently of staying just one step ahead of the Chocolate Police as we are definitely guilty of running high-quality chocolate across state lines as of late. So we needed a quick “hideaway”, one large enough to conceal the motorhome for a few days until we cooled our heels while the Feds looked for us.

Yes Don, we’re quite sure that you are as guilty as sin, but you still haven’t answered your own question!

Ok… so we was talkin’ ta Darla and Sandra, ya know, from da World Cruise an we was lamentin’ ‘bout where we was gonna try an’ hide…. big rig an’ everythin’ when Darla says like…. “I know! My parents live in lower Michigan halfway between Detroit and Chicago an’ they got this farm ya see, real old place, big property, an’ there was a few times when Al Capone used it like a kinda halfway house cuz he was travelin ‘tween his ‘business’s’ in Detroit an’ Chicago……. and….. Joe Louis used it to stay in when he was trainin’ for some of his fights, his camp was just up the road!”

Perfect!

            So, here we are just off the State 60 which runs from Detroit to over by Chicago, on a quaint little farm, with the motorhome tucked away in the back, with Darla, Sandra, and Darla’s parent’s, Jack and Sharon.

It is typically, wonderfully, entirely, “Mid-West”.

That is about as high a complement that can be given to anyone in my opinion. The folks from the Mid-West have a beautiful lilt to their accented speaking and are probably the most genuine and friendly people on the planet.

We arrived here after two long days on the road from Durango and we don’t want to leave. Besides being welcomed with the proverbial “Open Arms” of Sharon and Jack, the area is so relaxing that staying here would be a tonic of sorts and definitely a welcome respite from the road.

Yesterday we ventured over the State Line, down into Indiana to a town named Shipshewana, a stronghold of both the Amish and Mennonite communities. We strolled from shop to shop, where items ranging from furniture to linens were on display. The one thing that you notice right away is that there is no ‘junk’ being sold here. Everything is of the highest quality and the distinct lack of “Imported” items was quite evident.

We acquired a few things including some chocolate 😊

Then we went to dinner at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, one of those gigantic “Family Style” restaurants that the Amish are so famous for. It was as wonderful as you may imagine and if you haven’t had the opportunity to experience this kind of hospitality you’ve been missing something! Here, or in Lancaster, Pennsylvania are the two locales that come to mind, so skedaddle over there and get some Fried Chicken!

                        And Pies!

                        Don’t forget the pies!

While we were making the  plans to visit Darla and Sandra, and before we arrived, we were told that we needed to be careful coming down the long driveway as a Killdeer couple had made their nest smack dab in the middle of the driveway.

Ouch!

Killdeers are mostly shore birds (there are a gazillion lakes around here) and as such, do not make nests in trees. Their eggs are brown spotty things that blend in nicely with, unfortunately, the gravel and dirt of this big, long driveway. When approached, one of them will fake a broken wing to try and draw you away from their nest with the thought that they themselves are easy prey! Bravo! Great performance!

I have no idea what they are going to do once they hatch!

We heard that the Chocolate Police had given up on finding us and turned their attention to chasing someone accused of palming off some milk chocolate for dark chocolate so now’s our chance to make a run for it!

For security purposes, we will not be disclosing our departure time or route as Al told us, “Yuz guys ‘ll be sorry!”

Now that the care of the Critters has been safely turned back over to Lorelyn and Travis it’s time to officially start our Annual Eastward Migration. Our Itinerary has been modified of late as an unexpected bit of niceness has been inserted into it.

Backstory….

Enter….. 1972 Graduation, Montville High School.

The chums had been together for years and back then it was not easy to stay connected as it is today. No emails, Face Book, Instagram, cell phones, etc.

There was only Snail Mail, and writing letters was a chore. Life and its facets got in the way; time passed…… I’m sure we all can relate.

Exit…… The Chums.

Fast Forward to numerous Re-Unions, sans the Chums. Try as she might, Paula could not locate her friend Sue. Sue had vacated the area and headed West, Colorado was rumored to be her new nesting spot, but the trail grew colder and colder as the years went by.

52 to be exact.

Lots of Gatherings were put on hold during the Covid Crisis and that classes 50^th Re-Union was one of them, until two years had passed, and something got organized. As the emails and texts flew back and forth around the country indicating who was, and was not, attending, Sue’s name popped up and Paula was able to secure the appropriate contact info.

A deep breath and a purposeful text later, the Chums had been re-united, the next step being a joyous phone call topped off by a planned visit as guess where we were?

Yup! Only seven hours south of where Sue and Rob live, just outside of Denver, and….. practically right on our way Eastward!

So, that’s where we are for a day  😊

The trip from Durango up to Denver can be made several different ways, head due east til you hit the I-25 North (too boring) or, up through all of the San Juans and Rockies (too stressful!) or, the Goldilocks Route, up through what we call the Big Pretty Valley (just right!).

I haven’t been on this route since Lorelyn and I used to travel this way when she went to law school in Boulder, and I would fly out to Denver, and we’d drive down to the Four-Corners area for an adventure.

It’s just as pretty as I remembered it!

The rest of the trip eastward depended on one significant factor.

Hot Water.

Our water heater had been acting strangely over the past week or so until it finally gave up and croaked. This is not your everyday go down the basement and work on the water heater scenario. This has the potential for being a disaster as one of the significant components of the water heater is located on the back side of it which can only be accessed by removing the entire vanity assembly in the back bathroom.

 It is a Major Job.

We had the problem sort of diagnosed in Durango, and parts were checked on, but could not arrive in time for our scheduled departure from that area. So…. “Hey Sue! I know you don’t know me from Adam, and you haven’t seen Paula in fifty-two years, but can we have some parts shipped to your place and we get them when we visit and do you mind if I work on the motorhome in your driveway while we’re there?”

“No problem, Don!”

Parts hastily ordered, Amazon responded, and when we arrived I let the two Chums get re-united while I attempted to fix our fritzified water heater starting with the valve assembly which was the key here. it was the “easy” part to install. If the “other” part was the offending member, then we would have bee-lined it back to New Jersey for more serious work.

But…… Yes!

A few connections, a few errant flames (hastily extinguished) and Ta-Daaa! We have Hot Water!

So, (hopefully!) without any further developments, we can proceed as planned and visit the proposed stops along the way.

You will be the first to know!

Oh, and not to leave you in suspense…. yes, the Kitchen Modification was completed, not without some angst, but that was short-lived! My ‘piece of cake’ description of this project to Paula, turned out to be a giant sheet cake worth of work, but hopefully worth it!

(Eventually)

Dateline: Durango, Colorado

                        The Goats are rambunctious, the Cats are cuddly, and the Chickens are kinda chickeny.

Oh….. and the Weather is typical Southwest Colorado, Ho-Hum Gorgeous, Bluebird Skies, and White Puffy Clouds.

We are here in Durango, Colorado farm-sitting for Lorelyn and Travis’s merry band of Critter-Cohorts whose main task in life is to try and extricate additional food and snacks from the New Feeders (us!)

Travis and Lorelyn are off to Germany and Austria on vacation. So, this starts our 2024 Mid-Year-Go-West-Before Traveling-East Sojourn. It is a two-day travel from our spot in Texas up to the Four Corners Region and after one full day of that we were still not out of Texas! My Mid-Atlantic up-bringing is always fascinated by that. No driving through a few states in a few hours around here!

We are here for the better part of two weeks which gives me an opportunity to do some work on the Motorhome. Major kitchen renovations are underway, and Jonathan and Drew from Property Brothers keep dropping in and whispering things like “Open Concept” and “Vaulted Ceiling” and before we left Texas, Chip and Joanna stopped by with Joanna mentioning “shiplap” for the walls, but all of these well-intentioned folks have obviously never lived in a motorhome!

Fortunately for us, we are situated only about twelve miles from Durango, so my local supply spot, Home Depot, is not too far away and that is good because I was there three times yesterday!

Here’s what, and (why) we’re doing.

In the motorhome we have a combination microwave and convection oven, which means that it’s a compromise.

            Which also means that it really doesn’t do anything really well, especially the convection oven part. We’ve (Paula) given up on trying to bake a cake, or roast anything of consequence as the unit falls far short of any sort of normal expectations. We looked at getting other combo units and just retrofitting them in, but they are all still compromises and the reviews were sufficiently mixed as to warrant a really good reason to just hop from the frying pan (which works great as we have a propane stove!) into the fryer, so to speak. So, the tape measure came out and the graph paper was employed along with mechanical pencils, compass and protractor, add in a small ruler, and Plans were fashioned for a completely new idea in the Motorhome Kitchen Design Concept arena.

We’re going to try a Ninja Foodi Digital Air-Fry Pro (which is really just a big fancy toaster oven) and a small free-standing microwave.

The reason that we need to be in one place for a while in order to attempt this project is illuminated by the fact that yesterday I went to Home Depot three times. We’ve all heard of that old adage, Measure Twice, Cut Once, and just so I’m sure of my procedures, I’ve modified that by measuring a hundred times, but somehow still needing to cut a thousand!

Oh well, someone has to keep these stores in business!

Anyway, when retro fitting, and with no real “plans” available for this project, going from concept to reality can be a tad challenging. It’s a good thing that Paula is as patient as she is with me, because she knows that when I tell her, “Don’t worry, it’s a piece of cake!” that the cake won’t be ready for quite a while. In fact, she has mentioned to me that my “piece of cake” is rapidity turning into a full-sized sheet cake. (As long as it’s chocolate…..)

As I write this early on Saturday morning, you should know that this project started last Monday, when Travis helped me extricate the stupid old unit (which did take the two of us as it was quite heavy), so I’ve been at it for a while, not fulltime mind you, there’re critters to tend, and other life-chores to take care of, so I’m not that bad…… hopefully it will be finished today, but that was the plan for yesterday too.

Photos enclosed, and I’ll wait to post this so that the Finished Project Photo can take its rightful place in the Motorhome Hall of Fame (Renovation Category)

(Project Note: It is now Sunday morning and my plan to show you the Finished Project went kerflooey. If I showed you a current photo, it would look much the same as the previous one. This after an almost full day of “Reto-Fitting” (but just two trips to Home Depot!) There were too many “bumps” along the way yesterday to list. But there’s still today(!) to make some headway on this project. The issue du jour was moving the power from one side to the other in an attempt not to have unsightly wires running amuck on the shelves. Today’s plan involves just one (hopefully) trip to Home Depot, they open at eight and I’ll be there waiting!)

(PS Note: The wind came up; the clouds threatened a shower, so I elected to work on the electrical wiring for the appliances inside instead of finishing the cabinetry. So, a Finished Photo will be had sometime in the future.)

When that’s all finished and the critters are sufficiently spoiled, we will leave here and continue eastward on our way back to New Jersey and the rest of the Summer Travel Itinerary, which I will give you brief(?) synopsis of, just so you know where you too will be travelling this season!

 -Just outside of Denver for an old high school chum of Paula’s

– Lower Michigan for a night with Sandra and Darla from the World Cruise at Darla’s parent’s farm.

– On to (depending on time, etc.) stops at Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio, Niagara Falls, Watkins Glen, Cooperstown, and finally back in our spot in Yetter’s Diner parking lot by sometime in the week before Memorial Day where we attend the Opening Day of the Pool Club that Matt, Paula’s son and his family belong to.

– A week later, we’re up in Manchester-by-the-Sea for my son Donny and his family, then back to Jersey for my granddaughters Ballet Recital, then up to Vermont for Paula’s sister Barb’s 80th birthday, then Maine for the 4th of July with Brian her son, then back to Vermont, then the Jersey Shore for a week with my sister, her family, and my daughter Heather and her family and eventually heading Westward by the first week in August. Stops to include the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with Darla and Sandra, Minneapolis with Claire, one of Paula’s high school friends, a week in Seeley Lake, Montana with Phillis and Steve, my partners from the Chatterbox, then down to Oregon for three separate visits, two with friends from the World Cruise, Sandi and Steve, & Brian and Kristine, and one with Liz (my old friend from Sysco) and Beth. On to Salt Lake City for a drive-by visit with one of the surgeons that Paula used to work for, then dropping into Utah where we hope to visit some of the National Parks that we’ve not been to yet, Canyonlands, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Capitol Reef before we make our way back here to Durango sometime in mid-September.

Where we will collapse and work on removing the calluses from our steering wheel-hands.

I’ll reserve the rest of the year’s itinerary for a post later on this year.

We know you like to travel as much as we do just by the comments that we get from all of you, and we love having you all along with us! So, fasten your seatbelts but at the same time get ready to jump out as there will be many stops along the way for photo-ops and snacks!