CHARLOTTE, MI: A Few Bumps on the Road

Actually, since we've been in northern Indiana and now Michigan, there's been a lot of bumps on the road.  The roads and highways this far north do not offer many smooth moments of travel.  The winter weather is rough on the road surfaces, and most state and municipal DOT departments typically run low on repair budgets.  So you just try to miss as many potholes as you can.

Last weekend, Little House had unwanted visitors - ants.  Our usual sprays didn't stop the little critters, but Terra ant baits ended the invasion after about 36 hours of use.

Sunday, June 21: We went through another bout of severe weather Sunday night in Battle Creek. This one lasted about 4 hours with waves of torrential rain (probably 2-4 inches), frequent lightning,  small hail, some high winds and several tornado warnings due to radar indications.  Fortunately, we came through just fine with just some tree debris on the roof.  Monday morning brought cool and less humid weather to the area.

Tuesday, June 23:  Tuesday morning was "pack up" day as we prepared to move north to Charlotte, MI ( pronounced Char-lot - rymes - with car log)  for a chassis inspection on Wednesday.  Before we left, we went to the Battle Creek USP Customer Service center to pick up a delivery, only to find out that they now have limited daily hours in spite of what their website says, and that they  would be closed for 3 more hours. We wanted to get on the road to Charlotte to be there before their 4 P.M. deadline to get the necessary paper work completed so we decided to get that package in a day or two since we were only going to be about 45 minutes away.

We arrived at Spartan's facility in Charlotte and got set up.  Spartan has a nice paved campground for their customers' use next to the service center with free electric hookups and free WiFi. We arrived with plenty of water on board and empty gray and black tanks.  This facility builds and repairs chassis for certain brands of motor homes as well as fire engines and other commercial vehicles.

 Since we hadn't eaten lunch, we headed out to a local restaurant for an early dinner.

Unfortunately,  we were involved in an accident in downtown Charlotte.  The good news is that no one was hurt, and the big pickup involved only suffered bumper damage.  However, the HHR has severe damage to the left front tire area.

 The car was towed to a local GMC dealership and the process of a insurance claim was started with the help of the dealership.  We rented aa2015 GMC Terrain for the time being  as we wait on the insurance adjustor's report and decide whether to repair or replace the car.

 

 
Wednesday, June 24:  We  had to have Little House ready by 7 A.M for a technician to start the chassis inspection.  They ask everybody to be ready at 7 A.M., but it was about 8:30 A.M. before it was our turn.  We took some insurance information to the body shop in Charlotte, and we were called by the insurance company  to get more information about the accident and car damage.  Later, the insurance adjuster called to say she would arrive on Thursday to do her assessment.  The  motor home chassis inspection turned up several things that need to be addressed  - some are maintenance items that we will have done, and others are just things that have to be done as a coach ages.  Motor home service is never inexpensive, but our extended warranty should cover the items that are more than routine maintenance - pending an inspection  by their representative on Thursday.

Thursday, June 25:  Once again, we had to be ready by 7 A.M. in case our coach was wanted in the service bays.  After Little House was ready to be moved, we drove to Battle Creek to pick up the waiting UPS package.  We took time for shopping at Meijer's  and Dollar Tree, then lunch at Chili's while we waited to visit the Bedford, MI post office where we were expecting a mail delivery.  After stopping in Bedford, it was time to return to Charlotte and see what had been happening with Little House.  As we arrived, a technician was there to take the coach to the bays  for the warranty's inspector's visit. The body shop also called to tell us their estimate on repairs and said the insurance adjuster had been there as well, but her report will be coming later.

Friday, June 26:  We didn't have to get up early this morning as we're waiting  for the warranty inspector's report on what they will cover before any more of the motor home work is done.  We hope to hear today from the the car's insurance adjustor so we can either get that work started or find a replacement vehicle.

So we're playing the waiting game now. The weather here continues to be relatively cool and there was some rain yesterday.  Hopefully, the road of life will get a little smoother in the near future so we can once again move down the highway.