September 11, 2013 – “Is Winnebago a Good Company?”

Our time in Montrose, CO with Carl and Carla, this third day of September, is over. They will continue westward, while we travel eastward to Forest City, IA. This day we journey I-70 over Vail and Loveland passes, with an overnight stop at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, CO.

On the outskirts of Denver and on the road shortly past 9 am, to hopefully avoid rush hour, we’re back on I-70 for a short distance. Now I-76 becomes the wind beneath our sails, as we lumber towards Nebraska. I use the term, with tongue in cheek, as I-76 JUST HAS to be one of the roughest roads we have ever been on…..EVER!!!!! At times we could only travel at 45 mph to maintain the structural integrity of Elly. Finally we cross the state line, and merge with I-80; now we’re flying at 65 mph, the maximum speed we travel due to the speed restriction on the toad. We arrive in Ogallala, and overnight at the Country View Campground.

Travel day 3, back on I-80 towards Kearney, NE, where we planned to stay at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. We stopped here overnight 3 years ago for $10; electric only. When we discovered they had raised their rate to $15, coupled with the fact they are only a few hundred yards from the railroad tracks, where trains run constantly, all night long, we hit our favorite campground finder, www.rvparkreviews.com where CC found Hall County Campground ($20) in nearby Grand Island.

The park is located about 3 miles south of town, and is very quiet, which made for a good night’s sleep; well worth the additional $5.

Day 4, once again I-80 is our pathway eastward where we will return to Walnut Creek in Papillion, NE, for yet another overnight stay. CC contacted her friend, Dixie, and made plans to have dinner with her and her husband, Ken. This is an unusual year, travelwise, and this marks the third time in 30 days we have seen Ken and Dixie. It is always a treat for us to meet up with old friends, especially when a good meal is involved.

On the Friday morning of travel day 5, CC and I both woke up feeling the effects of not have traveled this fast for quite some time, and realize we are both creatures of habit, and this pace is not our normal. But press on we must, as our appointment in Forest City is Monday. Once again, we jumped on I-80 towards Des Moines, IA, to Prairie Flower State Park for another overnight sleep.

We both can see light at the end of the tunnel on our last travel day up I-35. Today was the shortest travel day, about 140 miles, but it seemed to take forever. We pulled into Forest City, after stopping in Clear Lake to wash Elly and her toad. All of the good camping spots at the Winnebago Service Center were already taken by 2:30 pm, so we overnighted across the street at the Welcome Center.

Monday morning 5:30 am, September 6, we awoke and started the arduous task of prepping Elly for her orthopedic doctor appointment, to have her slide removed and roller(s) replaced. We ahd her in the waiting room at promptly 7 am. By noon, we were notified of the diagnosis, and that surgery would take place Tuesday morning, an overnight stay, replace rollers and broken tile, another overnight, and grout and re-install slide on Thursday.

The Knights Inn Lodge is now our home for 2 nights. In 1969 it was originally a 17 acre estate of the daughter of John K. Hanson, founder of Winnebago Industries. In 1987 Winnebago purchased the property, and together with Wyndam Properties, added 10 “Embassy Suites”, converted the main residence to a lodge, and converted the stables to 5 guest rooms. It opened it’s doors to the public in 1988. In 2008, the property was purchased by a retired Methodist Minister, who operates the lodge to this day. The view from the back deck overlooks Bear Creek Golf Course and the banks of the Winnebago River.

Will we be departing Forest City tomorrow? If past performance is any indication of future performance, probably not. Three years ago we were here originally for 2-3 days, and ended up almost two weeks. I spoke with a gentleman that purchased a new 2014 Meridian, on August 6, and of the 65 days of ownership he has spent the past three weeks at the service center. Hold on; my phone is ringing………………………(to be continued)

Just back from the service center, as Al, our advisor had called to tell us they were having problems matching the tile. Could we come over and decide what we would like to do. It seems the 18” tile that “matched” was the wrong color. They’re alternative solution, replace the 18” tile with a 12” tile of the same color, and piece together leaving 2 more grout joints than the original. CC decided the 12” solution was “less obtrusive” than the different color. Not perfect, but under the circumstances, tolerable. While inside our rig, inside the service center, I asked if I could take a picture of the repair work, as the slide was only partially in. “Absolutely not”, was their reply. “We have a strict no pictures policy”. “But we’re on the inside of MY rig(?)”, I responded. Again, “Absolutely NOT”. As we left I asked CC, why the hell did I buy another Winnebago product?

To be continued………………………………

August 28, 2013 – “Exploring Montrose, CO and Beyond”

We’re all settled in here at Cedar Creek RV Park, and decided to extend our stay due to 1) Labor Day Weekend approaching, and not wanting to worry about finding a campsite, and 2) There is so much to see and do in the area.

Montrose is an excellent spot to see some of the most scenic parts of Colorado. The vistas are all around, everywhere you look. No visit to the area would be complete without stopping at Black Canyon National Park.

Understandably, Painted Wall is the most photographed location in the park; looking back in history over 2 million years of geographical formations.

Another great day trip is Ouray, CO. As most mountain towns in the area, this originated as a mining town in the late 1800’s

.

Carla and CC enjoyed the shopping in all the quaint and unique shops, and Carl and I wandered from bench to bench, just visiting and taking in the scenery.

The following day Carl went fly fishing, while Carla and CC did laundry. I sorted through the hundreds of pictures taken, and culled the unfavorable ones. Dinners are always a co-op effort, and are definitely ad lib, and if I must say, outstanding.

The next day we covered 130 miles, mostly off-road, across Owl Creek Pass, which served as a backdrop for the filming of the classic John Wayne movie, “True Grit”.

Also in the area is Chimney Rock, a unique geological formation similar to Devils Tower in Wyoming, and according to locals, is larger. Personally, having seen both, I have my doubts.

We met a couple from Florida that recommended a visit to The Double RL Ranch just south of Ridgway, CO, describing it as “the most beautiful place we’ve seen”. Well, alright then.

This 17,000 acre ranch is owned by Ralph Loren. For an in depth sneak peak at the inner workings of the ranch, click here to view a video produced by Oprah.

On yet another day trip, we traveled 60 miles south, to the mining town of Silverton. Today, this town would dry up overnight, IF the Durango to Silverton Railroad quit running. As it is now, it serves the local merchants well as it runs two trains per day during peak season, and one train per day year round.

Main Street has been saved by the National Historic Society, as well as many of the buildings in town, and except for the cars, looks the same as it did in the late 1800’s.

A local watering hole, Handlebars, came highly recommended, so being lunch time, decided to give it a try.

While the ambiance is very unique, displaying an eclectic mix of new and old, the food did not match our expectations.

And yet another day trip, we traversed back eastward toward Gunnison, and The Blue Mesa Reservoir, to Morrow Point. The National Park Service has a guided boat tour through the Black Canyon, a few miles downstream from the Blue Mesa Dam. After 236 stairs and almost a mile hike we reached our starting point, and boarded the boat.

Even this late in the season, Chipeta Falls is still flowing at a fraction of herself during the Spring thaw.

The trip lasted almost 2 hours, and the scenery was overwhelming. Steep canyon walls carved by the Gunnison River for over 2 million years; at some places the cliffs raise some 2,400 feet above the water.

That sums up a few of the things we’ve been doing to keep us amused and occupied since our arrival in Montrose. In a mere 6 days, we’ll say good-bye to Carl and Carla, and Montrose, as we journey back to Forest City, IA and our appointment at Winnebago. Thanks for stopping by, and until next time, take care and stay well…………………………………

August 19, 2013 "Hurry up and Wait"

While in Central Iowa, we made our way by Newton for a stop at Maytag Dairy, for some of their fantastic blue cheese. After sampling some white cheddar and havarti, those were also in our shopping basket.

Hurry up and wait, is what we are now doing. Making our way to Leach RV in Lincoln, NE for our August 6 appointment, we decided on a stop in Papillion, NE for a week long stay at Walnut Creek Lake RV Park. We have stayed here before, and even though they only have electric, the peace and quiet offered outweighs the absence of full hook-ups.

In keeping with our travel theme this year, CC planned a visit with her longtime friend, Dixie, who lives nearby. Plenty of laughter is always present when those two get together.

While in the area, Dixie and her family treated us to pizza at Big Fred’s, an Omaha tradition since 1965. CC and I ordered a small, and we had leftovers. The others in the party ordered larges, and also had leftovers times 10. Later in the week, Dixie invited us for a family meal with Nathan, Nicole, Elijah, Dixie, Noah, CC, Lindsay and Mackinsey.

On the morning of August 6, we traveled the short 55 miles westward to Lincoln for our 8 o’clock appointment at Leach’s. We had three items for them to repair; the passenger side front slide needed an adjustment (or so we thought), the door awning was not fully closing, and the fiberglass engine access door had separated from the steel frame, most likely on the roads of Indiana. Shortly before noon we were notified to door awning had been adjusted, and the engine access door would need to be removed. According to Leach, Winnebago did not use enough adhesive when they attached the cover to the frame, and the adhesive would need to cure overnight. OK, no problem. The slide was another matter. They diagnosed the problem as a broken slide roller, which was beyond their expertise to repair, and we would have to go to the factory in Forest City, IA if we wanted it repaired. The following day when we returned to have the engine door reattached, Leach presented me with the bill, and I was not a happy camper. It seems the Extended Platinum Warranty they sold me in 2011, would not cover any of the repairs, part of which was $165 to diagnose my slide problem, which they did not or could not fix. To say that I am not pleased with my experience at Leach would be an understatement. IMHO, they are just like most of the RV Dealers we have visited; maximize profits with minimal effort.

OK, more hurry up and wait. Our appointment at Winnebago in Forest City is September 9. Do we hang out around Lincoln / Omaha for the next month or move to a cooler climate? We normally spend the month of September in our old home state of Colorado, so this year will be different and we’ll do August. With that decision behind us…….westward ho! As we traveled along I-80, needing fuel, we pulled into Flying J. When we were ready to pull away from the pump, I realized the two truckers on each side of me had pulled out at an angle, fencing me in. I’m sure they were having a good ol’ time knowing exactly what they were doing, so we just sat and waited them out.

We arrived in Elizabeth, CO, and pulled into our usual spot on C and D Loop at Rick and Zoe’s RV Resort. The following morning I got up early enough to capture a shot of the rising sun.

While our time in Elizabeth was short, we had an enjoyable visit and caught up on the past years events of our mutual friends and immediate families. Dinners were always memorable with lively conversation, great food and wine.

While we were in Troy, MO last month, we tentatively made plans to spend August and/or September with Carl and Carla, playing tour guide for them in our old home state. Carl and Carla arrived in Elizabeth, and Rick and Zoe were gracious enough to let them camp overnight before our departure to Buena Vista, where we spent two days sightseeing.

The drive from Buena Vista to Gunnison over Monarch Pass had CC white knuckled, as she buried her head in her Kindle as we descended the steep, winding road. After we arrived and got settled in at our campground, Carl was anxious to experience some off-roading in the National Forest around Lake City.

After a brief two day stay in Gunnison, we moved westward on US-50 to Montrose, where the Cedar Creek RV Park will be our new home for the balance of August. We have numerous sights to see and things we want to do while we are here, so I’m sure the time here will seem short. After Labor Day, CC and I will head eastward to Forest City, IA, and Carl and Carla will continue their journeys through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, take care and stay well………………….

July 19, 2013 - "Friends and Repairs"

Each year as CC and I begin our travel season, we decide on a theme. Last year it was “National Parks in the West”, and the year before it was “Coastal - Across the Gulf and up the Atlantic”. This year CC chose “Family and Friends” as our focus, and since our last posting, we have been busy doing just that.

While we stayed at Whispering Hills RV Park outside of Georgetown, KY, we got to know the park owners, Pat and Monica. They are good, hardworking people, and their personalities closely matched ours, so friendship was inevitable. They joined us for a few “Happy Hours” with water bottle in hand; understandably no adult beverages for them while on duty. We finally managed a dinner together off site, and had a wonderful time and got to know them better. If you’re ever in the Lexington area, we highly recommend their campground.

Wow, the fourth of July is already upon us; what happened to June? A longtime friend is on assignment working in West Virginia, and living in Pittsburg, PA. We made plans with him and his wife to meet for the holiday. Zanesville, OH was not our first choice, but since we were late in making plans, the Greenbriar Resort in WV was already booked. Oh well, we are more interested in getting together than we are about WHERE it is. We stayed at a cute little place, Wolfie’s Campground, while our friends took up residency at a nearby hotel. We had a great time with Terry and Janice, and thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with them.

While in Zanesville, we made plans to get together with our “Winter Texan” friends from Ranchero Village, Gary and Becky, who have lived in the area all of their lives. We had lunch at a little lakeside biker bar and then they turned their attention on playing tour guide to a couple of freeloaders. Thanks, Gary and Becky; we had a great time. See ya in Weslaco!

Now where to? CC and I really have no firm travel plans this year. So, we got on Google Maps and go through our Family and Friends list, and decide to head west. The morning we left Zanesville, the front leveling jacks on the rig were not completely retracting. They were up enough to drive, but not up enough to inflate the front air bags on the chassis, which would make driving nearly impossible; definitely NOT recommended. I crawled underneath to see if I could identify any problems, cleaned the ram shafts completely with WD-40 and wiped them almost dry, leaving a fine film on each ram, thinking this would solve the problem…..It didn’t.  Finally with a little coaxing from a make-shift pry bar, I was able to get them up and silence the “jacks down” ringing bell, which sends a signal to the front air bags to inflate.

We stopped in Richmond, IN at Grandpa’s Farm Campground the first night in route to see our friends in Troy, MO, Carl and Carla, also “Winter Texans”. The following morning, same scenario with the front jacks. Living this lifestyle, we live by the mantra, “Our plans are written in the sand”. New destination HWHCorporation in Moscow, IA via Troy, MO. HWH manufactured the leveling jacks and slides for our motor home, and going directly to the factory will ensure they are repaired correctly the first time.

After another travel day we pulled into Camp Lakewood RV Park in Effingham, IN. As we move westward, the temps are definitely increasing. After we got set up, I asked CC if she wanted to go to the pool and cool off, she replied, “They have no pool; only a lake”. OK…….turn down the AC. As we prepared to depart the following morning, our jacks showed no improvement and needed “coaxing” again.

We arrived in Troy, and after some severe “jockeying”, managed to get set up at Carl’s shop; as some would refer to as his “man cave”. Our visit was short, but enjoyable, as Carl and Carla were busy shuffling grandkids from Iowa to Missouri to Kentucky and back again. CC and I both agreed with their style of grand parenting, spoil ‘em rotten, and then give ‘em back to their parents. LOL After all, isn’t that what grandparents are for? We had a great visit, and enjoyed some great food, libations and laughter; did I mention laughter? See you two in Texas, if not before.

Working with HWH in Moscow, IA, is great; they are a pleasure to do business with, and really take customer service to the next level. Too bad the majority of RV Dealers don’t follow suit, for if they did, this lifestyle would be enjoyable 100% of the time. Dealers just want to sell you something, get your money, and then say, “The hell with ya!” We called HWH on a Thursday, and set an appointment for the following Monday. We arrived about 10:30 am, and were told by the service technician that the seals were bad in both front jacks. The cost to re-build would be $311.50 each plus one hour of labor. HWH called our extended warranty provider, and they agreed to cover the cost, less our $100 deductible.

Since we are traveling on I-80, and we have a couple of issues that need to be addressed on the rig, we decided to call Leach Camper Sales of Lincoln, NE, right off I-80. By contrast with the great customer service we received at HWH, we have an appointment with Leach, from whom we purchased this rig, along with their $7,000+ “Priority Service” Extended Warranty, and were first told the earliest they could get us in would be August 6. That’s three WEEKS! Sure didn’t take ‘em that long to take our money in August 2011. “Priority Service”….my ass. They finally shuffled some things around, and said “How about July 30. Will that work?” To which I replied, “Not really, but you’ve got me by the family jewels, so you’re the one calling the shots. What about that VIP Priority Service you promised?” Long pause, and finally they responded, “Well that’s the best we can do.”

CC found a highly rated RV Park just west of Des Moines in Waukee, IA. We checked in for a week at the Timberline Campground, and after set up decided to go for a swim; finally a pool and none too soon, as the heat index is approaching the century mark.

Tonight, we have plans for pizza with Winter Texan neighbors, Dick and Judy, who spend their summers nearby. Tomorrow, more frivolity with another set of Texas neighbors, Walt and Wendy, who still maintain a Spring-Summer-Fall home about 20 miles south of the campground.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Until next time, take care and stay well…………….