Our life on the highways and byways of America.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
MAY 22-24: Shepherdsville, Ky
On Monday, May 22, we left the Green County Fairgrounds in Xenia, OH for the 3 hour drive to Shepherdsville, KY and Grandma's RV Park. We've stayed at Grandma's many times.....nothing fancy, level gravel sites, full hookups.....but convenient access to our family members. Monday and Tuesday nights we visited with Selene's brother and sister-in-law (Joel & Jan), Selene's sister and niece (Mary Kay and Colleen), another niece and her daughter ( Carolyn and Sophie), Hank's cousin (Sister Marilyn) and Joel's neighbors (Ehret family). For Tuesday's lunch, we met up with a childhood friend and schoolmate of Selene's (Rosie). We always enjoy catching up on family and friend news in person when we're coming through the Louisville area.
Friday, May 26, 2017
MAY 17-21: Dayton Hamvention
Hamvention setup was in full swing when we arrived midday on Wednesday, and we were quickly led to our site to get settled in for the next 5 nights. The campsites are close together on grass, but the advantage of being just a short walk from the hamfest activities is huge. There were several of our friends who parked nearby.
Thursday night, we went to El Meson Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in nearby West Carrollton, Oh, with a group of ham/RV friends. The restaurant is owned by a couple from Columbia who are also hams and RVers.
Hamvention officially started on Friday and lasted until Sunday afternoon. This event was moved from Hara Arena in Dayton (which closed) to the Green County Fairgrounds in Xenia, OH. Moving an event that draws over 25,000 people from all over the world is not an easy task, but the 600+ volunteers did a great job overall. Unfortunately, it rained at least once everyday, so the flea market in the racetrack infield was muddy with so many people walking through. But Hamvention proved its value once again with the opportunities to learn about, look at, and purchase anything to do with the amateur radio hobby as well as other items. For us, its mostly a social event as we meet old friends, and make a few new ones.
Saturday evening, we had dinner at Rob's Restaurant in Brookville, OH with another group who have been going there for many years.
Our camping area (one of two) was in the upper left corner. Public parking was out of the picture at the bottom along with 4 remote parking lots that had bus transportation to the gate.
Click and drag to look around
Sunday, May 21, 2017
MAY15-16: Mercer County Fairgrounds, Celina, OH
Monday, May 15 was a short travel day from Decatur, IN to Celina, OH. The Mercer County Fairgrounds offers discount camping rates through Passport America. Over this past winter, they added sewer connections to all of their sites. However, the water was off to most of the camping area as they were finishing up the project in preparation for a large event during the next weekend. They let us stay next to one of the buildings, and after getting the power connection turned on, bringing extra hose to us to get to the nearest water connection, and removing a stuck sewer cap, we were ready for our two-day stay.
Celina is also the location for Cruising America RV Service. Last fall, we purchased some LED tubes from Kevin, and two of them had failed, so we exchanged those for new ones.
Celina is also the location for Cruising America RV Service. Last fall, we purchased some LED tubes from Kevin, and two of them had failed, so we exchanged those for new ones.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
DECATUR, IN: May 11-14 Dash Air Problem Diagnosis & A Nice Surprise
On Thursday, May 11, we left the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN and drove the short distance to the REV Technical Center (fancy name for manufacturer repair facility) to have our dash A/C looked at once again. We were a drop-in customer hoping they would get us in before we had to move on. The techs start working at 6 A.M., and Friday morning we got the call to be ready for the move to the work bays near their lunchtime. All agreed to move Little House after lunch (11:35 A.M.) so we had plenty of time to get things ready.
The assigned tech reported that he found a couple of minuscule leaks in fittings, but nothing major. Any attempt at tightening might end up causing more problems. An actual fix could involve replacing the tubing that goes from the back of the coach to the front - a 10-12 hour job involving expensive parts. We decided on recharging the system again and moving on since we have places to be over the next 6 weeks and REV didn't have manpower available to do the job now. Little House was back in its parking place by 2:30 P.M. and we were given permission to spend the weekend on site.
A few hours later, we found out that 3 couples we've met through the American Coach Assn. - Ray & Pauline, Jim & Carmen and Johnny & Ken - had come in for service. Over the weekend, we enjoyed sharing dinners and conversation with these friends.
The assigned tech reported that he found a couple of minuscule leaks in fittings, but nothing major. Any attempt at tightening might end up causing more problems. An actual fix could involve replacing the tubing that goes from the back of the coach to the front - a 10-12 hour job involving expensive parts. We decided on recharging the system again and moving on since we have places to be over the next 6 weeks and REV didn't have manpower available to do the job now. Little House was back in its parking place by 2:30 P.M. and we were given permission to spend the weekend on site.
A few hours later, we found out that 3 couples we've met through the American Coach Assn. - Ray & Pauline, Jim & Carmen and Johnny & Ken - had come in for service. Over the weekend, we enjoyed sharing dinners and conversation with these friends.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
GOSHEN, IN: MAY 2 -MAY 10 Ramblin' Pushers Maintenance Session
The Maintenance Session is a large RV gathering at the Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds in Goshen, IN. Originally, it was limited to Holiday Rambler diesel pusher motor homes, but now also includes Monaco, Beaver, Safari, Fleetwood, and American Coach diesel units, all brands manufactured by REV. This event draws over 200 units for 6 days full of educational seminars about the systems and options in these coaches, as well as providing food events, tours, service appointments, new and used motor homes for sale, and social opportunities, in one location. We attended this event for the first time last year, and were impressed at all that goes on for such a reasonable cost. Here's the registration form with a lot of details -
http://www.ramblinpushers.org/images/stories/ms-2017/hrrvc-2017-ms-registration.pdf . It takes over 200 volunteers to organize and run the event.There were over 200 units attending.
The MS has so many things going on that it can be overwhelming for a first-time attendee. This year, a new program - First Timer Guides - was formed and we were asked to be guides for two of the new couples. We were invited to move to our assigned site on May 2 to get ready for the check ins on May 3 & 4. One of our assigned couples was in Decatur, IN at the REV Technical Center getting issues fixed on their new coach, and unfortunately, they were unable to come. The second couple, Dean and Sue from Texas, also had repair issues and didn't arrive until May 6, but we were able to help get them acclimated to all that was happening, and met with them several times during the event.
Besides the educational opportunities available in over 100 seminars, many of the motor home components can be serviced on site by the reps of the various companies involved, including the Fleetwood Parts and Technical Support trailer technicians, and Cummins Engines. There was a tire retailer doing checks and installs on site as well. Labor is often done at no cost and any needed parts may be discounted. There were well over 600 service calls completed during this event, again without moving RV's to other locations. Many vendors also have booths inside to sell items or give information. We took advantage of the service opportunities by having our Blue OX towing system suggested maintenance ($35 including needed parts), had our propane system checked for leaks (Propane Sniffer volunteer at no cost), and made arrangements to have our slide toppers replaced in June in Florida. There was no one on site that could check out the problem in our dash air. We purchased two more LED fluorescent replacements.
A big part of any RV gathering is food, and the MS does not lack in that department. Many of the vendors sponsor various food events. There were social hours, 3 free lunches, meeting refreshments, and 6 breakfasts called Hospitality. You might think Hospitality would mean pastry and coffee. Not at the MS! The Hospitality buffet started with bread items (several varieties of toast, bagels, spreads), then there were two kinds of eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, applesauce, 6 kinds of cereal and 3 kinds of milk, many types of juice, fresh fruit salad, an endless array of donuts and pastries, and coffee. Breakfast was followed by announcements and news of the day regarding seminars, weather, etc. There was also a commercial food truck with lunch options for sale everyday.
See schedule here - http://www.ramblinpushers.org/index.php/2017-schedulehttp://www.ramblinpushers.org/index.php/2017-schedule
The weather overall was quite cool and very windy with some rain. Another service offered at the MS is transportation all over the fairgrounds by golf cart, again staffed by volunteers, always riding around looking for those who wanted a lift.
The week went by quickly, and we enjoyed meeting new people and seeing some old friends, as well as learning more about the home we call Little House.
http://www.ramblinpushers.org/images/stories/ms-2017/hrrvc-2017-ms-registration.pdf . It takes over 200 volunteers to organize and run the event.There were over 200 units attending.
The MS has so many things going on that it can be overwhelming for a first-time attendee. This year, a new program - First Timer Guides - was formed and we were asked to be guides for two of the new couples. We were invited to move to our assigned site on May 2 to get ready for the check ins on May 3 & 4. One of our assigned couples was in Decatur, IN at the REV Technical Center getting issues fixed on their new coach, and unfortunately, they were unable to come. The second couple, Dean and Sue from Texas, also had repair issues and didn't arrive until May 6, but we were able to help get them acclimated to all that was happening, and met with them several times during the event.
Besides the educational opportunities available in over 100 seminars, many of the motor home components can be serviced on site by the reps of the various companies involved, including the Fleetwood Parts and Technical Support trailer technicians, and Cummins Engines. There was a tire retailer doing checks and installs on site as well. Labor is often done at no cost and any needed parts may be discounted. There were well over 600 service calls completed during this event, again without moving RV's to other locations. Many vendors also have booths inside to sell items or give information. We took advantage of the service opportunities by having our Blue OX towing system suggested maintenance ($35 including needed parts), had our propane system checked for leaks (Propane Sniffer volunteer at no cost), and made arrangements to have our slide toppers replaced in June in Florida. There was no one on site that could check out the problem in our dash air. We purchased two more LED fluorescent replacements.
A big part of any RV gathering is food, and the MS does not lack in that department. Many of the vendors sponsor various food events. There were social hours, 3 free lunches, meeting refreshments, and 6 breakfasts called Hospitality. You might think Hospitality would mean pastry and coffee. Not at the MS! The Hospitality buffet started with bread items (several varieties of toast, bagels, spreads), then there were two kinds of eggs, biscuits and gravy, grits, applesauce, 6 kinds of cereal and 3 kinds of milk, many types of juice, fresh fruit salad, an endless array of donuts and pastries, and coffee. Breakfast was followed by announcements and news of the day regarding seminars, weather, etc. There was also a commercial food truck with lunch options for sale everyday.
See schedule here - http://www.ramblinpushers.org/index.php/2017-schedulehttp://www.ramblinpushers.org/index.php/2017-schedule
The weather overall was quite cool and very windy with some rain. Another service offered at the MS is transportation all over the fairgrounds by golf cart, again staffed by volunteers, always riding around looking for those who wanted a lift.
The week went by quickly, and we enjoyed meeting new people and seeing some old friends, as well as learning more about the home we call Little House.
Friday, May 12, 2017
GOSHEN, IN: April 23 - May 2, 2017
When you're staying a a large multi-purpose facility like the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, you may witness events that you wouldn't have known about otherwise. Most of this time period was spent enjoying our daily routines and getting a few odd jobs done. There were a few interesting interruptions.
Being in the the middle of one of Indiana's Amish areas, we saw the occasional horse and buggy, even inside the fairgrounds.
One weekend, there was an educational program about pyrotechnics put on by a company offering their products or services. This included seminars on the safety aspects, as well as demonstrations of the products themselves. The daylight demo was just noisy and lasted off and on for about an hour. The after-dark demo also lasted about an hour, so we had the chance to see fireworks up close at no cost.
One Saturday, there was a huge auction and it was interesting to see the purchased objects that were being carried back to cars, trucks, and Amish vehicles. The same weekend, there was a goat sale, and we had the pleasure of watching some of the buyers trying to get the goats into their vehicles....well it was amusing to us but not so much to the new owners. A few of the goats had a few extra moments of freedom as they got away from handholds or out of the ropes that held them.
On another day, there was a large name-brand clearance sale of clothing and shoes, but we didn't find anything that called out to us to purchase it.
We had the pleasure of meeting our ham radio/RV friends, Lois and Herb, one day for lunch in Nappanee, IN about 30 minutes away, at an Amish style restaurant. It's always a treat to meet up with friends on the road!
The weather ranged from cool to cold and it was often windy including a couple of days with gusts around 40 MPH. There were a few days of rain, which was sometimes heavy. All things considered, it was a pleasant stay in nice surroundings
Being in the the middle of one of Indiana's Amish areas, we saw the occasional horse and buggy, even inside the fairgrounds.
One weekend, there was an educational program about pyrotechnics put on by a company offering their products or services. This included seminars on the safety aspects, as well as demonstrations of the products themselves. The daylight demo was just noisy and lasted off and on for about an hour. The after-dark demo also lasted about an hour, so we had the chance to see fireworks up close at no cost.
One Saturday, there was a huge auction and it was interesting to see the purchased objects that were being carried back to cars, trucks, and Amish vehicles. The same weekend, there was a goat sale, and we had the pleasure of watching some of the buyers trying to get the goats into their vehicles....well it was amusing to us but not so much to the new owners. A few of the goats had a few extra moments of freedom as they got away from handholds or out of the ropes that held them.
On another day, there was a large name-brand clearance sale of clothing and shoes, but we didn't find anything that called out to us to purchase it.
We had the pleasure of meeting our ham radio/RV friends, Lois and Herb, one day for lunch in Nappanee, IN about 30 minutes away, at an Amish style restaurant. It's always a treat to meet up with friends on the road!
The weather ranged from cool to cold and it was often windy including a couple of days with gusts around 40 MPH. There were a few days of rain, which was sometimes heavy. All things considered, it was a pleasant stay in nice surroundings
Sunday, April 23, 2017
GOSHEN, IN: Cooling Our Heels
This past Tuesday, we drove from Huntington, WV to Cruising America RV Services in Celina, OH. Our front rooftop A/C hasn't been working right since we had it repaired at the REV facility in Decatur back in the fall. Dependable fix-it shops are hard to come by and Cruising America RV Services -owned by Kevin Mallory, a former design engineer at American Coach - is now our favorite place to go for problems. He knows motor homes inside and out, does quality work, and his labor rate is less than most places charge. He doesn't do motor work..
Wednesday morning, Kevin determined a sensor in the A/C unit had been put in the wrong place and soon had the A/C moving cool air. He also replaced a fluorescent LED bulb that we purchased from him last year, changed another fluorescent fixture over to LED bulbs, and checked out the Sirius radio in the dash that had been giving us some issues.
With the work being done so quickly, it was time to move on. We decided to drive to Goshen, IN and the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, where we're registered for a Maintenance Session gathering beginning on May 4. This facility with its many buildings and large camping facility is used for large and small RV rallies. We were able to reserve a spot in their 50 amp/full hookup 'overflow' area until the MS begins. The sites are gravel and close together, but adequate for our needs and except for the many trains that pass by, it's peaceful.
At some point during our recent travels, an object left it's mark on our windshield. Since none of the auto glass repair services work on motor home windshields, we'll probably have to have it replaced at REV in Decatur in mid-may or early June. Luckily, our Florida insurance will cover the cost with no deductible....just have to work it into our schedule. The spot is not in Hank's line of vision, so it's not a problem as of now. We already have a claim open with the insurance company for this repair whenever we can get it done.
The weather was comfortably cool when we arrived here, but after some rainy days, we had temperatures in the 30's for two nights. Sunny skies are back today, with no more rain until mid-week and it may cool down again after that. The next 10 days will provide plenty of time for relaxation, hobbies and maybe a little exploring in the surrounding area.
Wednesday morning, Kevin determined a sensor in the A/C unit had been put in the wrong place and soon had the A/C moving cool air. He also replaced a fluorescent LED bulb that we purchased from him last year, changed another fluorescent fixture over to LED bulbs, and checked out the Sirius radio in the dash that had been giving us some issues.
With the work being done so quickly, it was time to move on. We decided to drive to Goshen, IN and the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds, where we're registered for a Maintenance Session gathering beginning on May 4. This facility with its many buildings and large camping facility is used for large and small RV rallies. We were able to reserve a spot in their 50 amp/full hookup 'overflow' area until the MS begins. The sites are gravel and close together, but adequate for our needs and except for the many trains that pass by, it's peaceful.
At some point during our recent travels, an object left it's mark on our windshield. Since none of the auto glass repair services work on motor home windshields, we'll probably have to have it replaced at REV in Decatur in mid-may or early June. Luckily, our Florida insurance will cover the cost with no deductible....just have to work it into our schedule. The spot is not in Hank's line of vision, so it's not a problem as of now. We already have a claim open with the insurance company for this repair whenever we can get it done.
The weather was comfortably cool when we arrived here, but after some rainy days, we had temperatures in the 30's for two nights. Sunny skies are back today, with no more rain until mid-week and it may cool down again after that. The next 10 days will provide plenty of time for relaxation, hobbies and maybe a little exploring in the surrounding area.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)