We had an easy day getting home today even though true to form we had major delays getting around Chicago. Seems as if every time I drive around Chicago there are delays. We were on route 80 since just outside of Salt Lake City and didn't pay a toll until we hit Chicago. What's wrong with this picture? We paid tolls in Chicago and also were met with the longest delays of our trip. Apparently the tolls aren't going to improve the roads and traffic flow. We stopped in Valparaiso for lunch and still made it home in the early afternoon. When we got home we decided to take everything out instead of trying to figure out what clothes and other things we would need in the next few weeks and what we wouldn't need. I think it actually works a little better to take everything out then you know when it's time to pack what you need.
Tomorrow Huli is going to clean the inside while I do the outside then we will take it back to the storage unit.
We hope you have enjoyed following our travels over the last several weeks. We will start the blog again when we get the motorhome out of storage unless something else comes up before then.
Over the next few weeks I plan on learning how to golf again.
Huli plans on visiting her family and getting the house in order for the winter.
A journal written about life, retirement and our journey throughout the United States in a 5th wheel, along with our two Shih Tzus, Tanner and Syndey. Written not for notoriety but for our sons, family and friends, so they know where we are at any given time. And particularly for ourselves. Finally, we get to slow down and smell the roses and we don't want to forget any of it. You are welcome to join us as we go 'Down the Road a Piece'.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
We are in Utica, Illinois about three hours from home
We traveled about 537 miles today which is a record for us. We generally don't drive this far in a day but it was an easy drive across the heartland of the country. We should be home tomorrow after about 3.5 hour drive. We have a lot to do since we will unload a lot of stuff and then I will spend a day cleaning it up before we take it over to the storage condo. We probably won't get it out again until we take it up to Newmar on October 7th. Although I am open to any trip suggestions Huli may have.
Sorry, but I don't have any pictures of our travels today so I posted some miscellaneous old ones.
Our trip has been very good in several ways.
We got to see many new sights that we have never seen before and will never forget and met many new people many of whom we will remember the rest of our lives.
We discovered some problems with the motorhome that we will have repaired (this was one of our primary goals of the trip). We learned a lot about the motorhome. One thing we learned is if you were going to travel in constantly changing elevations like we have been over the last three weeks then a Sleep Number Bed wouldn't be our first choice. When you go from lower elevations to high elevation the bed gets to be hard as a rock and vice versa when coming back down. You are constantly pumping it up or letting air out.
The biggest factor on mileage isn't how fast you go but more how much wind there is and the direction of the wind.
The 380 horse power engine on our 43 foot motorhome is adequate to get us up some very steep mountains and also cruise down the highway at over 70 mph for hours on end with the transmission never reaching 200 degrees or the engine temperature ever going past the mid way point on the gauge. That diesel exhaust fluid is no big deal that you rarely add since it is only used 1-2% compared to diesel (something I was concerned about before actually driving and having first hand experience).
Our Chevy Equinox is an awesome car to tow and has exceeded both of our expectations. It will be really nice in Florida this coming winter. It has adequate power and room and gets fantastic mileage and so far has been trouble free.
Oh I forgot to tell you that North Trail RV called a couple of days ago and said they couldn't tell whether our surge protector was defective or the installation was the issue. They said they needed the surge protector sent to them which I said would happen as soon as I received a check for the amount I requested. They said they will start the paper work now to get the check issued. I didn't tell them at the time that once I get that check I was also going to request they pay for two maintenance intervals that should have been done prior to us driving the motorhome off the lot. I learned from my Freightliner school that service on a motorhome chassis starts when the chassis was built and is time and mileage sensitive. In other words since the unit was a year old when we bought it they should have performed the first two maintenance checks. I am going to address that request to both Newmar and North Trail. We have an appointment at Newmar on October 7th to take the motorhome back in to address some issues. I thought I would address the maintenance at that time.
Sorry, but I don't have any pictures of our travels today so I posted some miscellaneous old ones.
Our trip has been very good in several ways.
We got to see many new sights that we have never seen before and will never forget and met many new people many of whom we will remember the rest of our lives.
We discovered some problems with the motorhome that we will have repaired (this was one of our primary goals of the trip). We learned a lot about the motorhome. One thing we learned is if you were going to travel in constantly changing elevations like we have been over the last three weeks then a Sleep Number Bed wouldn't be our first choice. When you go from lower elevations to high elevation the bed gets to be hard as a rock and vice versa when coming back down. You are constantly pumping it up or letting air out.
The biggest factor on mileage isn't how fast you go but more how much wind there is and the direction of the wind.
The 380 horse power engine on our 43 foot motorhome is adequate to get us up some very steep mountains and also cruise down the highway at over 70 mph for hours on end with the transmission never reaching 200 degrees or the engine temperature ever going past the mid way point on the gauge. That diesel exhaust fluid is no big deal that you rarely add since it is only used 1-2% compared to diesel (something I was concerned about before actually driving and having first hand experience).
Our Chevy Equinox is an awesome car to tow and has exceeded both of our expectations. It will be really nice in Florida this coming winter. It has adequate power and room and gets fantastic mileage and so far has been trouble free.
Oh I forgot to tell you that North Trail RV called a couple of days ago and said they couldn't tell whether our surge protector was defective or the installation was the issue. They said they needed the surge protector sent to them which I said would happen as soon as I received a check for the amount I requested. They said they will start the paper work now to get the check issued. I didn't tell them at the time that once I get that check I was also going to request they pay for two maintenance intervals that should have been done prior to us driving the motorhome off the lot. I learned from my Freightliner school that service on a motorhome chassis starts when the chassis was built and is time and mileage sensitive. In other words since the unit was a year old when we bought it they should have performed the first two maintenance checks. I am going to address that request to both Newmar and North Trail. We have an appointment at Newmar on October 7th to take the motorhome back in to address some issues. I thought I would address the maintenance at that time.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Huli drove the motorhome for the first time today.
We left Laramie, Wyoming this morning and after about 400 miles this evening we are in Grand Island, Nebraska. The big news of the day is Huli drove the motorhome from one exit to another on route 80 as we made our way across the state. She did very well and got the hang of it right away but doesn't care to do it again anytime soon. Today's trip was probably the easiest driving you can have and we set the cruise on 71 mph for most of the trip. Other than Nebraska doing a lot of road work on route 80 it was pretty much wide open. We averaged 8.5 mpg but hit some winds or my lead foot and lowered the average to 8.2 mpg for the day.
At the rv park they have a cafe that serves dinner until 8:30 so tonight we are going to hit the swimming pool and then go get something to eat. At the rate we are going we probably have two more days of traveling before we get home.
Sorry about only two pictures but we are going across Nebraska.
Some kind of trail or historic crossing??
At the rv park they have a cafe that serves dinner until 8:30 so tonight we are going to hit the swimming pool and then go get something to eat. At the rate we are going we probably have two more days of traveling before we get home.
Sorry about only two pictures but we are going across Nebraska.
Some kind of trail or historic crossing??
Sunday, August 11, 2013
On our way home
We left Draper, Utah which is just south of Salt Lake City this morning between 10:00 and 11:00 am and pulled into the rv park in Laramie, Wyoming just before 5:00pm. We traveled about 400 miles today and got to experience some more mountain driving. The motorhome did great.
Our time spent with my brother and his family was awesome and we have had a great time on our trip but felt it's time to go home. We have been gone over a month and we have doctor and dentist appointments lined up when we get home. We will only be home about 10 weeks or so then we will be heading south to South Carolina and then on to Florida for the winter.
Here are some pictures of the today's travel and a misc. one here and there.
The rv park was called Mountain Shadow RV Park and here is the mountain that was casting the shadow behind the rv park.
There are lots of Mormons and consequently Mormon temples in Salt Lake City.
Lots of mountain driving today. Some climbs and descents probably lasted 12 or more miles
Like everywhere we go there are plenty of windmills.
As we cross Wyoming.
Our time spent with my brother and his family was awesome and we have had a great time on our trip but felt it's time to go home. We have been gone over a month and we have doctor and dentist appointments lined up when we get home. We will only be home about 10 weeks or so then we will be heading south to South Carolina and then on to Florida for the winter.
Here are some pictures of the today's travel and a misc. one here and there.
Huli celebrated her birthday again.
The rv park was called Mountain Shadow RV Park and here is the mountain that was casting the shadow behind the rv park.
.
We spent a day in Park City, Utah and here is a picture of it as we drove by on highway 80. If you look close you can see the ski slopes in the mountains in the distance.
Like everywhere we go there are plenty of windmills.
As we cross Wyoming.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Trip to Salt Lake City
Not much to report today. Drove the 250 miles to Salt Lake City and got here a little after 2:00pm. The only issue on today's travel was getting into the spot at the rv park. Ended up having to unhook the car to squeeze into the spot. I debated taking it off at the entrance but didn't then ended up having to take it off when getting into the site. It turned out ok but sometimes you can get the tow bar in a bind when you take it off when you are turning the motorhome. In this case it was fine and came off as if we were lined up straight. Probably the closest site we have had as far as proximity to neighbors but what the heck it's only for four or five days.
Tonight we are going over to see my brother and his family. It's been a while since we have seen them so we are looking forward to the visit.
Here are some pictures for today.
Lots of mountain driving but still averaged 8.5 mpg today. I kind of let it run on the down hills if there were no curves. The speed limit is so high here that I can do that. They actually have speed warning signs up posting 75 mph ahead.
It looks like they are catching us.
Here is when I almost have it pegged running down hill but I am only three miles over the speed limit and just getting ready to engage the engine brake even though we are only running around 2250 rpm.
This doesn't look too bad but when I first pulled into the spot before I unhooked the car the guy next to us had a truck sitting in front of his class c motorhome that did make it a tight squeeze.
Kind of reminds me of Florida
Tonight we are going over to see my brother and his family. It's been a while since we have seen them so we are looking forward to the visit.
Here are some pictures for today.
Lots of mountain driving but still averaged 8.5 mpg today. I kind of let it run on the down hills if there were no curves. The speed limit is so high here that I can do that. They actually have speed warning signs up posting 75 mph ahead.
It looks like they are catching us.
Here is when I almost have it pegged running down hill but I am only three miles over the speed limit and just getting ready to engage the engine brake even though we are only running around 2250 rpm.
This doesn't look too bad but when I first pulled into the spot before I unhooked the car the guy next to us had a truck sitting in front of his class c motorhome that did make it a tight squeeze.
Kind of reminds me of Florida
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Tour of Utah Bike Race
It doesn't matter what I read about the Tour of Utah or maybe they were just talking about the last day's events but what we saw today was a bike race and not just a noncompetitive ride. Two riders led for most of the race by up to 10 minutes but were reeled in prior to the finish line. The race officially lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes across 111.4 miles.
We got downtown to kind of walk around and to be ready to see the three laps that were completed downtown leading up to the finish line. We checked everything out and still had a couple of hours to spare so we found a bar to watch the coverage on tv until it was time to go back out to the finish line. Finding a bar in Utah is kind of like finding a needle in a hay stack. Utah seems to allow two or more women to be married to the same man but they don't like drinking. Brigham Young was just voted the most stone sober college in the U.S. last week. In Cedar City they have two bars and the population of this town was over 29,000 people in 2011. Utah sets the price of alcohol in the state so the bars pay the exact same price for alcohol that you do at the Utah liquor stores. We got to Mike's Tavern, which was a block away, and met Janelle the bartender who happened to be one of three wives in a polygamist relationship that lasted 18 years. The man sitting next to us at the bar retired as a gold miner from Newmont Mining, a company that we owned stock in for several years. You meet the most interesting people in these little bars. We watched the race until about 20 minutes from when the race would be rolling into town then we walked back to the finish line. It was a very good time with a lot of excitement. After the race we went back to the motorhome and grilled chicken out. We also cleaned up a couple of things and got the car hooked up so we can take off when we get up tomorrow. We will be south of Salt Lake City tomorrow after a three hour and fifteen minute drive.
Here are the pictures for today. Enjoy
Here is the finish line at 1:14 a couple hours or so before the bikes will cross it.
This is a jumbo tron they had set up downtown.
My colors, but I doubt my style, and damn sure not my size.
We are chillin and watching the race on TV at Mike's Tavern a block away. At this point in the race the two leaders are about 7 minutes ahead of the pack and they are over half way through the race. This worked out great since we were watching the race live on tv.
Our bartender who happens to be a converted polygamist. Not her fault, her father was involved in the same relationship so she was brought up in this environment.
Mike's kind of typical run down little bar. Most of the bar and a couple of tables were full of people who had the same idea we did.
We are back at the finish line which is just down the street a ways.
On the first lap of three around town these two riders who have led most of the race are just now about to be caught.
Lots of photographers were here.
You need to be careful because I bet some riders were less than a foot away from people as you can see by this riders shoulder on the left.
This says 4:11 but I believe I read the official time was 4 hours and 12 minutes to go 111.4 miles or maybe this is official and the time I read was incorrect.
The best seat in town.
We got downtown to kind of walk around and to be ready to see the three laps that were completed downtown leading up to the finish line. We checked everything out and still had a couple of hours to spare so we found a bar to watch the coverage on tv until it was time to go back out to the finish line. Finding a bar in Utah is kind of like finding a needle in a hay stack. Utah seems to allow two or more women to be married to the same man but they don't like drinking. Brigham Young was just voted the most stone sober college in the U.S. last week. In Cedar City they have two bars and the population of this town was over 29,000 people in 2011. Utah sets the price of alcohol in the state so the bars pay the exact same price for alcohol that you do at the Utah liquor stores. We got to Mike's Tavern, which was a block away, and met Janelle the bartender who happened to be one of three wives in a polygamist relationship that lasted 18 years. The man sitting next to us at the bar retired as a gold miner from Newmont Mining, a company that we owned stock in for several years. You meet the most interesting people in these little bars. We watched the race until about 20 minutes from when the race would be rolling into town then we walked back to the finish line. It was a very good time with a lot of excitement. After the race we went back to the motorhome and grilled chicken out. We also cleaned up a couple of things and got the car hooked up so we can take off when we get up tomorrow. We will be south of Salt Lake City tomorrow after a three hour and fifteen minute drive.
Here are the pictures for today. Enjoy
Here is the finish line at 1:14 a couple hours or so before the bikes will cross it.
This is a jumbo tron they had set up downtown.
Our bartender who happens to be a converted polygamist. Not her fault, her father was involved in the same relationship so she was brought up in this environment.
Mike's kind of typical run down little bar. Most of the bar and a couple of tables were full of people who had the same idea we did.
We are back at the finish line which is just down the street a ways.
On the first lap of three around town these two riders who have led most of the race are just now about to be caught.
Lots of photographers were here.
