October 8 - 27, 2012 "Still in Oklahoma City"

Shortly after arriving in OKC, I decided to make an appointment to get the non-working items on the rig repaired. Not wanting to duplicate the problems we had at Steve Casey’s in Denver, this time I researched and found McClain’s to be one of Winebago / Itasca’s top dealers. When I called, they told me the earliest they could fit me in would be October 22; almost 3 weeks away. Well, if that’s the best they can do, let’s do it. We had planned to be here for 2 – 3 weeks, so a little longer wasn't a big deal.

After getting her mom’s phone / cable / internet bundled, and getting her new computer set up, CC has been busy doing mother / daughter “things”, of which I’m not sure I want to know the details. In addition, we have both been busy seeing old friends over dinners, at happy hours, and football games; we are, after all in the heart of football country. CC’s daughter, Letta, came for “a girls weekend out”, while Rick and I went fishing and stayed in his Lake Hudson “cabin”; now my wallet is lighter and the freezer is full of fish. You do the math.

Monday, October 22, came before we knew it. Upon arrival at McClain’s I was told they didn’t make appointments; it was first come, first served. Say what? I was not a happy camper, and it probably came through in my subsequent conversation with Julie, the customer service rep at McClain’s. She asked what our problems were and I said I went over that with the person that made the appointment, to which she repeated, “We don’t take appointments”. I took a deep breath and started in on my litany; the Kingdome satellite system is not locking onto the satellite, the electric element in our Aqua-Hot is not working, the Dometic ice maker is not making ice and we have a broken support bracket on our front windshield MCD motorized shades. She said, “OK, I’ll try and work you in today”. With that exchange behind us, we proceeded to the customer lounge.

By 4 pm, CC was getting mildly irritated, and went to speak with Julie and soothe any wounds I may have inflicted earlier. A few minutes later CC returned and said they were trying to get to our list but they were very busy due to an RV Show in OKC the previous weekend. Julie did offer to let us “wait” in our rig, versus sitting in their lounge, and just as we were headed out the door, the service technician, Lloyd, said he was ready for our rig. OK, it’s 4:30, how much can they get done by closing at 6 pm? That would be nada. They backed the rig out of the shop, and parked it in one of their complimentary sites with full hook ups adjacent to the service building.

Tuesday morning we were in the shop by 9 am, and Lloyd diagnosed the Dometic problem, stating we needed a complete new ice maker. He tried to troubleshoot the Aqua-Hot, but could find nothing wrong. He acknowledged that there was indeed a problem with the King-Dome, as it would lock on and a few minutes later lose the satellite. By 6 pm, they backed us out of service, and back into our temporary “home site”. Julie then informed us Lloyd would not be in on Wednesday, due to a previously scheduled doctor’s appointment, and the fact she would like him to continue with our rig since he was their most experienced tech. What was I to say? OK seemed the proper response; not exactly what I wanted to say. As CC reminded me later, you catch more bees with honey, than you do with vinegar.

Thursday morning at 9 am, the rig was again in the shop. Lloyd spent the day trouble shooting and on the phone with King Dome, trying to get that issue resolved. Around 3 pm he informed us that our extended warranty required the system had to be returned to the King Dome factory for repair or replacement, which would take 2 – 3 weeks. What the hell? Now I’m thinking IF the person I spoke with from McClain’s, when we arrived in OKC had told me to bring the rig in then, we would be back in business by now. I was not a happy camper. I was equally miffed at our extended warranty. While I tried to regain my composure, Lloyd was busy troubleshooting our Aqua-Hot issue. By 6 pm we were once again in our “home site”.

Friday morning, 9 am, the rig was moved back into service. Around 10 am, Julie approached us in the customer service lounge and informed us that our extended warranty would not pay for shipping the King-Dome back to the factory, which was $160. By now, I’m REALLY not happy. “Let’s go call them”, I said. Julie put me on the phone with Lou from our extended warrant provider, and I tried to calmly and carefully explain the situation to him. When he finally asked what I wanted to do, I bit my tongue, and asked if it would be possible to get an allowance on a new satellite system, so as not to detain us in OKC an additional 3 weeks. When he said yes, I almost fell over, and when he offered $900 I couldn't believe my ears.

CC and I researched our options, knowing we definitely did not want another King-Dome, and finally decided we really didn't need “in motion” but for sure wanted the automatic satellite locator feature. The Winegard Mini-Max was our choice, and luckily for us, had one in stock, and installed by the end of the day. Finally…….something is getting fixed. Lloyd also diagnosed the Aqua-Hot problem to be a bad 110 volt, 14 gauge wire running from the circuit breaker to the Aqua-Hot. We’re waiting to hear back from Winebago on whether or not they will cover the cost of that repair.

So, here we sit, waiting on the ice maker from Dometic and a bracket for the front MCD motorized shades. Originally, Julie “predicted” they would be here November 5. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it gets here this week, as both CC and I are getting a case of hitch-itch. The staff here at McClain’s has been fantastic since our initial meeting Monday morning. CC says they are just tired of seeing our ugly mugs; I say, “Pass me the honey”.

 Until next time, take care and stay well………………..

October 1 - 7, 2012 "Oklahoma City Area"

Part of our ritual when leaving Colorado is keeping one eye on the weather. When they predict snow, we leave one day before, which is what we did last year. Since it worked well then, we followed the same protocol this year, and the weather followed suit. We pressed on to Oklahoma City with an overnight boondocking in Hays, KS at Wally World. As we turned south off of I-70 onto I-135, the strong winds from the north pushed us to Wichita in record time, and ultimately arrived at our destination in Oklahoma City by 4 pm. 

 CC has been busy helping her mom “streamline” her communication network, and setting up her new computer. By bundling with Cox, she was able to shave about $70 per month from her expenses, AND move up to digital TV and a 15 Mbps connection to the internet, as she had been on dial-up since the discovery of dirt; they still have dial-up?

We have an appointment to have a few items repaired at McClains RV on October 22, and hopefully they will complete the repairs in one day, provided they don’t need to order parts. What repairs? The ice maker is not making ice, the King-Dome satellite system is not connecting to any satellite, and the electric element is not heating the Aqua-Hot, so we must run the diesel burner for heat and hot water. All these are minor non-essential items, but we like to stay on top of things, and not let the list get too long.

We also hope to catch up with long-time friends while we are in the area, and fully understand sometimes “life” takes priority over visiting with a couple of homeless gypsies. So, there you have our comings and goings for the immediate future. Thanks for taking time to check in on us and until next time, take care and stay well…………….

September 8 - 30, 2012 "Back Home(?) in Colorado"

We are back at Cherry Creek State Park, enjoying life in the city; visiting friends, having lunches with ex-bosses, meeting with CC’s computer guru to fix a few problems, and generally doing “back home” activities. That pretty much sums up our month here in Colorado. Even though we have been gone over two years, it still feels like we’re home while we are here, and we definitely don’t need the Garmin. I hate to admit it, but I haven’t taken a picture in weeks, as our life here is probably much like your life while you are “home”. But, that is getting ready to change.

We’re dealing with a case of “Hitch-Itch”, so on Wednesday, we’ll leave here in route to Oklahoma to visit CC’s mom, once again enjoying life on the road. Take care, stay well and thanks for stopping by...........

September 1 - 7 "Murphy Returns.....AGAIN!"

We left Lander in route to Rawlins, WY and moved to our new home at the RV World Campground. While the management was more than friendly and helpful, the park was not much more than a gravel parking lot. We later discovered the other options in Rawlins are no different. But, we are only here for a night or two, so we made do with what we had; we have definitely stayed at worse.

The following morning we decided to see the thriving metropolis of Rawlins, and in doing so, stumbled upon a sign that read “Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum”, and so off we went. (As usual, click on any image to enlarge)

Visiting a prison was never on either of our bucket lists, but I must admit, it was interesting. The prison opened in December 1901 with 104 cells in cellblock A, and had no running water or electricity, and a heating system capable of warming the inside to just 20 degrees above the outside temperature. The weather in Rawlins during the winter is frequently below zero. The “modern” gas heater in the picture below in cellblock A wasn’t added until 1978.

During its operation, it housed over 13,500 inmates; 9 were sentenced to hang and 5 met their demise in the gas chamber. It was closed in 1981. The inmates would stick pictures on the walls of their cell using toothpaste, the only approved method. Anything else would have led to them being charged with destruction of state property. It is said the gentleman that drew his likeness on his cell wall met with swift and cruel punishment.

I can’t imagine being incarcerated with such harsh conditions, but in those days, if you committed the crime, you did the time. The grey and white stripped uniforms were made of a denim/burlap material, and were very harsh to the skin; at least they didn’t suffer from eczema. Other inmates liked the grubs and were actually rehabilitated before earning their release; while others did not fare nearly as well.

The following morning it was eastward to Cheyenne, an easy 150 mile drive across I-80. The roads were great and it was an easy drive until the southerly winds picked up forcing me to put both hands on the wheel. And then it happened, 55 miles from Cheyenne; Murphy returns! He manages to rear his ugly head at the most inopportune times. Something no one likes to see on their dash, the amber “Check Engine” light was on. CC grabbed the Freightliner Manual to research our options, but as she read aloud, “Take the vehicle to the nearest authorized service center”, my heart skipped a beat. She quickly got on the internet and found a service center in Cheyenne, and after calling them, and speaking to a service advisor, my heart resumed normal operation. The tech said, “Bring it in, and we’ll look at it. As long as the light stays amber, everything is OK, but if it turns red, pull over and shut off the engine.” My heart returned to its skipping routine, hoping and praying we would not have to pull over.

We arrived about 11:30, did some paperwork, and took the Equinox to find some lunch. The technician said he would call me if they found anything. After lunch, we found a shopping mall. CC had not seen one in weeks, and the look on her face was pure satisfaction, as she was grinning from ear to ear with excitement. She found Jacques Penne to her liking and departed with a few pair of shorts and a cute t-shirt type blouse. Around 3:30 we returned to Floyd’s to check on the progress of the rig. They were just pulling into the service bay as we arrived. Four LONG hours later, the problem was diagnosed as a glitch in the ECM (Electronic Control Module), the brain of the rig. The technician reprogrammed the ECM with a software update from Freightliner, and by 8:30 we were on our way to our original destination, Tom and Trudy’s, just north of Cheyenne.

We spent the next couple of days visiting with them and Ed and Bev, who had driven their MH up from Ft. Collins to join in the festivities. It’s always good to re-connect with old friends, even if it is only once or twice a year. When I was younger, I never knew older people could or would have so much fun. On Saturday, we fired up Tom’s smoker, loaded it with ribs, pork shoulder and sausage, imbibed in a cerveza fria or two, and continued the funfest. Thanks to Tom and Trudy, for opening your home and your RV Park; we had a great time!

The next leg of our journey took us down I-25 south to Castle Rock, and east on CO-86 to Elizabeth, where we will be staying at Rick and Zoe’s homestead for the next few days; it is so quiet and peaceful. We have an appointment on 9/12 back in Denver to have some repairs done on the rig; it’s always something.

CC made the monumental decision to lose her 9 year old locks. Women can understand this decision, but it is harder for men, since they are pre-programmed to realize and accept that they will eventually lose theirs to Father Time. Now, a couple of days later, she says she wished she hadn't cut it, adding "I look OLDER now". What do you think? Please feel free to comment as she needs some feedback.

I try to be supportive by reminding her that she is, after all, a Great Grandmother, but for some reason, that didn't help much. Geeez....what's a guy to do?

We plan on spending the month of September in Colorado, and after it cools down in the Midwest, move to the Oklahoma City area in October to spend time with CC’s mom. Thanks for stopping by and until next time, take care and stay well my friends……………