The first 7000.
In the books.
7000 miles, 7000 lessons, or so it seems.
Lesson #1... Don't EVER leave the cat again!!
(Other than the weeks of Burning Man and Fest because pets aren't
allowed and it's a dangerous environment for The Dude especially)
I'm almost glad to be back here at my house having gained some
insight into what it will take to live out on the road. As with most
things I venture into, I tried to read and prepare as much as
possible, but again as with most things I struggled with some MAJOR
growing pains on the maiden voyage / shakedown cruise. My timetable
was way too short and things got a little too out of control but all
in all, what a great first trip it was!
It will be nice to be able to pull everything out and start over
putting things away now that I've spent a couple of months in the
space and have an inkling of an idea how things should work, what I
need all the time vs. what I need once a week, once a year to things
I just shouldn't have brought. For example, although my welder came
in handy at Burning Man to help fix a trailer hitch (I'm assuming my
shitty weld didn't hold because I never heard either way from the
trailer owner), it was a big bulky thing that was in the way almost
the entire time. I finally threw out the bamboo poles that held the
generator exhaust deflection tarp at Fest right before I left
California... After a month of their totally being in the way all the
time. Can't do stuff like that in such a small space.
One of the biggest lessons was water... Or more specifically,
coffee. Knowing what I know about the Vogue, I don't drink or even
cook with what comes out of the taps, triple filtered or not (And I
WAY over-sterilized the tanks). Because coffee for me is a social
experience I ended up making a shit ton and it severely impacted the
potable water supply at Burning Man. I think I'm going to have to
make specific 'coffee hours' at Fest and the burn because there were
times I had too much fun with the flow of people as I brewed them
cups and before I knew it half a day would fly by and the water
supply would be 2 gallons lighter.
Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learned as far as the Vogue
herself goes was imparted to me by the last mechanic who worked on
her in California, the one that identified and changed the fuel
filter that nobody else could find. “Don't over-think this
project.” Truer words have never been spoken. So far, everything
that has been wrong, has needed the simplest possible fix (removal of
the water bottle from the poop tank, changing the fuel filter, etc.)
but the route chosen to get there has consistently been the most
expensive and biggest possible project. This needs to stop.
K.I.S.S.
To plan or not to plan.
I choose to NOT PLAN!
I recently read on a Burning Man discussion something to the
effect of, “The less you plan, the less you are setting yourself up
for disappointment when you don't do them.” Along that line, I had
one actual plan going into the ride back here and that was deep fried
French Toast and home made Corned Beef Hash at a diner in Kansas City
I saw on tv at my sisters house in California. Got to KC and the
place had gone out of business. Stupid television. Stupid planning
stuff.
A short series of comments on facebook later, however, led to 3
amazing days in Chicago with some super cool people I met when we
camped together at Burning Man. That was a fantastic unplanned.
Speaking of Fantastic, Let's talk Moab. The only reason any of that
happened was because a guy standing in front of an information sign
overlooking the, “Scenic View” smoking a cigarette and nursing a
bad tooth noticed my Pennsylvania license plate or Phillies cap and
struck up a conversation. Thank you kind sir! It was truly
unreal... And by that I mean the most real thing I saw the entire
time. Peeling another layer off that onion, I was only on Highway 50
because a Burner I met at Fest told me it was the most beautiful road
in America. Same with taking the road I tookout of Moab back to the
highway, it was a backtracking pain in the butt and I lost my
daylight because I hiked the heck out of Dead Horse Point but the
pilot dude I met in the RV park with the toy hauler he'd just gotten
was pretty adamant about that being the way to get back to the
highway after riding it on his Harley. He was right of course. My
neck hurt like heck from craning it to see out the windshield and up
the rock cliffs to my left and right and in front of me and behind me
and holy moley donut shop!
So again, no plan is my plan. The best things happen when I just
fly by the seat of my pants.
Don't waste daylight.
Mornings are worth getting up before the sun.
I never thought there would come a day I'd be more comfortable
driving a 35' bus than I am driving my Jeep but that happened this
week too. It feels quite strange sitting in the Jeep and it's
incredibly weird how it feels like I'm sitting on the road.
So ultimately, what did I really learn on my first trip around the
country in an RV? I learned that all those years I thought living in
an RV would be the coolest thing ever... I was right.
Now that I had a small taste of it, I can see the goal clearly in
front of me, so working towards it has become much more of a
necessity rather than the esoteric concept it used to be. If I play
my cards right, I'm pretty sure I've laid the groundwork necessary to
be a full-time Rver. I just need to stay focused on the goal and
make sure my income generators are ready to go so I can go. I need
to look more into the workcamping scene and set up some places for
next year. I know, that goes against the making no plans concept
but, as with any lifestyle, there are job and financial
considerations and constraints. But when those constraints can come
in the form of hosting tours of a remote lighthouse on the Oregon
coast for a month, SIGN ME UP PLEASE!!!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Now that I have arrived in Colorado, I have something to say to
Utah.
I'M SORRY!
I don't know what to say other than that, but of course I will say more.
Much more.
I had no concept of what Utah was. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
In my imagination it was all about Mormons and weirdos and a stolen NBA team that should have left it's name behind when it moved because how much farther from reality could it get. And a couple of good quarterbacks. But other than that I didn't know didly squat about Utah and I looked down my nose at the state. I am sorry. I think I was too stressed out to notice much along Route 80 on the way out, I took a couple of pictures of salt on telephone poles as I drove across the dried up lake-bed but other than that I don't remember anything impressive.
Even with the two National Parks closed I was AMAZED by the natural beauty that is Utah. AMAZED!!!!
Now I'm no stranger to the desert, I spent a lot of time in Arizona when my sister lived there and this is the second leg of my second trip across the country, each on a different road through different states. But Route 50 across Utah was the first time I really started pulling over to the side of the road to take pictures other than absolutely having to stop and take a picture of Cadillac Ranch when I passed that on the first trip. And when I say pulling over, I mean sometimes only going a mile before the scene changed so much I had to stop again. Along Route 128 my neck started to Ache from craning it so far forward and trying to see up the canyon walls I was driving through.
Highway 50 was recommended to me by a Burner friend who took off in an RV several years ago. Said it was the most beautiful stretch of road in America, with my limited knowledge, I wholeheartedly agree. I bought a t-shirt at the first campground I stayed at that says, “I survived Nevada's Highway 50 America's Loneliest Road.” I knew I was in for something special on a road where, for hundreds of desolate miles, literally every other vehicle you see is an RV. At one of the “Scenic View” stops along Highway 50 there was a guy who asked me what part of Pennsylvania I was from (I was sporting a Phillies cap and the Vogue has PA plates). He's an antiques dealer from Quakertown and this was his 6th time circumnavigating the lower 48 (He's been to 45). He pulled out his atlas and I forget most of what he showed me but basically he said I had to take the turn off on 191 and head down to Moab. I have a knack for seeing the passion in people as they talk about things they love on a different level and I could tell I had no choice but to see the thing that made his eyes blaze when he spoke of it. Speaking of blaze, we watched a truck set his brakes on fire below us while we chatted. Now that the Vogue can crank up the hills, it's the descents that scare the shit outa me, especially after watching that. He waved to me as he was getting back on the highway when I was getting off at the next stop to buy myself an atlas. I have 3 GPSs and google maps on 3 devices, but there's just something about a paper map.
This is the view from where we were talking:
Along 191 things started to change. The landscape got redder and bigger and it started getting weird. By the time I got to the turn off I decided it was too late in the afternoon to try to drive the ~25 miles up the side road to see the closure signs on Canyonlands so I decided to press on to Moab. I pulled over at the first RV park a couple of miles outside of town and hunkered down for the night figuring I'd head out in the morning and see some stuff before getting back on 50. Four days later I reluctantly unplugged the RV knowing I needed to be on my way but Holy Freakin Moab! It will be a high priority to go back when Arches and Canyonlands are open and to spend more time seeing all of it. I went for a couple of good hikes and one decent bike ride, enough of a taste to make me need more.
The first day, I rode the bike path a few miles up 128 which runs along a windy skinny canyon the Colorado river cut leaving almost nothing but sheer rock walls hundreds of feet high. I thought I pulled the bus over a lot, I stopped the bike every ten feet to take a picture or three. Or twenty.
This is a massive hole way up a cliff:
If I told you how far away the ones with snow on them were, you wouldn't believe me.
The second day I woke up to a flat tire on the bike so I walked into town and had a look around. On the way back I took a little mountainbike path up the side of one of the rock cliffs, the views both near and far were spectacular. The way the wind and water has carved the rocks is just jaw droppingly beautiful. The way the plants grab onto whatever they can is downright amazing in and of it's self.
The next morning I unhooked the bus from it's moorings and headed out to Dead Horse Point State Park which overlooks Canyonlands. I did most of both of the hikes even though I didn't have anything but to completely worn out pairs of old shoes because I have just never seen anything like that in my life. I know I need to go back here. I don't know how long I will stay, it could be quite some time. I may even look into a campground hosting position for next year.
One of the many views of Canyonlands from Dead Horse Point:
I was 2000 feet above the Colorado here. I can't really put it into words, my mouth was just hanging open as I stood there dumbfounded.
After being in a place that averages ten inches of rain a year, it's been raining here since I got to Colorado.
I'M SORRY!
I don't know what to say other than that, but of course I will say more.
Much more.
I had no concept of what Utah was. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
In my imagination it was all about Mormons and weirdos and a stolen NBA team that should have left it's name behind when it moved because how much farther from reality could it get. And a couple of good quarterbacks. But other than that I didn't know didly squat about Utah and I looked down my nose at the state. I am sorry. I think I was too stressed out to notice much along Route 80 on the way out, I took a couple of pictures of salt on telephone poles as I drove across the dried up lake-bed but other than that I don't remember anything impressive.
Even with the two National Parks closed I was AMAZED by the natural beauty that is Utah. AMAZED!!!!
Now I'm no stranger to the desert, I spent a lot of time in Arizona when my sister lived there and this is the second leg of my second trip across the country, each on a different road through different states. But Route 50 across Utah was the first time I really started pulling over to the side of the road to take pictures other than absolutely having to stop and take a picture of Cadillac Ranch when I passed that on the first trip. And when I say pulling over, I mean sometimes only going a mile before the scene changed so much I had to stop again. Along Route 128 my neck started to Ache from craning it so far forward and trying to see up the canyon walls I was driving through.
Highway 50 was recommended to me by a Burner friend who took off in an RV several years ago. Said it was the most beautiful stretch of road in America, with my limited knowledge, I wholeheartedly agree. I bought a t-shirt at the first campground I stayed at that says, “I survived Nevada's Highway 50 America's Loneliest Road.” I knew I was in for something special on a road where, for hundreds of desolate miles, literally every other vehicle you see is an RV. At one of the “Scenic View” stops along Highway 50 there was a guy who asked me what part of Pennsylvania I was from (I was sporting a Phillies cap and the Vogue has PA plates). He's an antiques dealer from Quakertown and this was his 6th time circumnavigating the lower 48 (He's been to 45). He pulled out his atlas and I forget most of what he showed me but basically he said I had to take the turn off on 191 and head down to Moab. I have a knack for seeing the passion in people as they talk about things they love on a different level and I could tell I had no choice but to see the thing that made his eyes blaze when he spoke of it. Speaking of blaze, we watched a truck set his brakes on fire below us while we chatted. Now that the Vogue can crank up the hills, it's the descents that scare the shit outa me, especially after watching that. He waved to me as he was getting back on the highway when I was getting off at the next stop to buy myself an atlas. I have 3 GPSs and google maps on 3 devices, but there's just something about a paper map.
This is the view from where we were talking:
Along 191 things started to change. The landscape got redder and bigger and it started getting weird. By the time I got to the turn off I decided it was too late in the afternoon to try to drive the ~25 miles up the side road to see the closure signs on Canyonlands so I decided to press on to Moab. I pulled over at the first RV park a couple of miles outside of town and hunkered down for the night figuring I'd head out in the morning and see some stuff before getting back on 50. Four days later I reluctantly unplugged the RV knowing I needed to be on my way but Holy Freakin Moab! It will be a high priority to go back when Arches and Canyonlands are open and to spend more time seeing all of it. I went for a couple of good hikes and one decent bike ride, enough of a taste to make me need more.
The first day, I rode the bike path a few miles up 128 which runs along a windy skinny canyon the Colorado river cut leaving almost nothing but sheer rock walls hundreds of feet high. I thought I pulled the bus over a lot, I stopped the bike every ten feet to take a picture or three. Or twenty.
This is a massive hole way up a cliff:
If I told you how far away the ones with snow on them were, you wouldn't believe me.
The second day I woke up to a flat tire on the bike so I walked into town and had a look around. On the way back I took a little mountainbike path up the side of one of the rock cliffs, the views both near and far were spectacular. The way the wind and water has carved the rocks is just jaw droppingly beautiful. The way the plants grab onto whatever they can is downright amazing in and of it's self.
The next morning I unhooked the bus from it's moorings and headed out to Dead Horse Point State Park which overlooks Canyonlands. I did most of both of the hikes even though I didn't have anything but to completely worn out pairs of old shoes because I have just never seen anything like that in my life. I know I need to go back here. I don't know how long I will stay, it could be quite some time. I may even look into a campground hosting position for next year.
One of the many views of Canyonlands from Dead Horse Point:
I was 2000 feet above the Colorado here. I can't really put it into words, my mouth was just hanging open as I stood there dumbfounded.
After being in a place that averages ten inches of rain a year, it's been raining here since I got to Colorado.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Last day in California.
In stead of leaving like I planned to, I spent the day cleaning and straightening out the RV. I got tired of things flying around every time I move it. Just about everything is put away somewhere at this point, many things were just packed up and put in temporary locations, partly because I'm still carrying around all of Melissa's and my Burning Man stuff so there will be a lot of space freed up when all that's out and things start to find their permanent home. Ate lunch at the table today, haven't been able to do that since before Fest!
I should probably head back to the camping world I went to and return the shity GPS. Magellan. What a piece of crap! Unbelievably bad routing and it never gets the speed limit right for when to sound the alarm. Too bad the one with the "Spa" is out of the way, it could still use a good cleaning on the roof and underneath, the engine still needs to be washed as well. I'll try to find one along the way to get that done and the gennie serviced.
It's been an expensive month here in California, but it's been a great one. The Vogue seems to finally be running good, I saw lots of family, hung out with a burner, made a new friend and had what is probably California's best cheesesteak, which will only get better when they start to use the right rolls. I really wish I had gotten my shit together in time to not have to go back to Philly, it qwould be nice to stay here or head to Oregon to go host at a lighthouse (the call for volunteers with RV's went out) but this is the hand I was dealt and how I played it.
Mostly I'm just hoping for a MUCH less stressful drive across the mountains than I had last time, especially the Rockies! I want to stop and see some things this time too, I'm not going to try to do 700 or 800 miles a day like I did 2 of the last 3 times I drove across the country, the other was 2 drivers, 40 hours basically nonstop. The only thing I've ever really stopped to see on one of these trips was Cadillac Ranch and that was the very first time across. After talking to someone who has done it before, I'm going to take Rt. 50 and see something other than the interstate this time. 66 was way more interesting than the interstate that replaced it.
All I will need to do in the morning is make coffee, unplug the shore cord, and I'll be good to go. I like days like that. I'm not good at days with projects and putting stuff away and Then trying to hit the road. Now all I need to do is figure out where I'm going to go.
In stead of leaving like I planned to, I spent the day cleaning and straightening out the RV. I got tired of things flying around every time I move it. Just about everything is put away somewhere at this point, many things were just packed up and put in temporary locations, partly because I'm still carrying around all of Melissa's and my Burning Man stuff so there will be a lot of space freed up when all that's out and things start to find their permanent home. Ate lunch at the table today, haven't been able to do that since before Fest!
I should probably head back to the camping world I went to and return the shity GPS. Magellan. What a piece of crap! Unbelievably bad routing and it never gets the speed limit right for when to sound the alarm. Too bad the one with the "Spa" is out of the way, it could still use a good cleaning on the roof and underneath, the engine still needs to be washed as well. I'll try to find one along the way to get that done and the gennie serviced.
It's been an expensive month here in California, but it's been a great one. The Vogue seems to finally be running good, I saw lots of family, hung out with a burner, made a new friend and had what is probably California's best cheesesteak, which will only get better when they start to use the right rolls. I really wish I had gotten my shit together in time to not have to go back to Philly, it qwould be nice to stay here or head to Oregon to go host at a lighthouse (the call for volunteers with RV's went out) but this is the hand I was dealt and how I played it.
Mostly I'm just hoping for a MUCH less stressful drive across the mountains than I had last time, especially the Rockies! I want to stop and see some things this time too, I'm not going to try to do 700 or 800 miles a day like I did 2 of the last 3 times I drove across the country, the other was 2 drivers, 40 hours basically nonstop. The only thing I've ever really stopped to see on one of these trips was Cadillac Ranch and that was the very first time across. After talking to someone who has done it before, I'm going to take Rt. 50 and see something other than the interstate this time. 66 was way more interesting than the interstate that replaced it.
All I will need to do in the morning is make coffee, unplug the shore cord, and I'll be good to go. I like days like that. I'm not good at days with projects and putting stuff away and Then trying to hit the road. Now all I need to do is figure out where I'm going to go.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Sitting here in Rippon... Sounds like a good first line to a song.
At the truck repair shop (Burns Truck and Trailer Services) that the last truck shop (Righetti) sent me to. The Righetti diagnosis is crap in my fuel tank, We'll see what this place says when they finally get around to taking a look at it. Got her washed while I'm here waiting. I'm sure there's still more deplayafying that will need to be done, I have to get up on the roof and scrub that down and the underside and engine could use a good hosing off. I'll probably stop at a Camping World to return this crapass GPS (Magellan for RV's) and while I'm there I'll get their spa service that is a much more thorough cleaning than this was (And should be for triple the price)... Either that or if I'm heading back he way I came, I'll call one of the places in Reno that specializes in deplayafication now that their business is probably slowing down a bit.
I think I got the SiriusXM radio figured out the other day. Seems to be working pretty good, I even got most of the presets all programmed up. Changing CD's while driving a bus just isn't logistically possible and I think the most times I managed to leave a CD in before trying the radio and then opting for silence was 3½. Silence led to me singing little song snippets (of catchy old timey tunes I don't really know) over and over and over until the next stop when I would hopefully remember to change the CD... Didn't always happen and then it was another few hours before the next stop and oh boy the crap I'd be singing to myself then! On the way to Burning Man there was a lot of Black (Big) Rock Candy Mountain. And thanks to Ros, You Are My Sunshine is one that always ends up on repeat in those situations. The funniest part of the trip was 4 or 5 days in when I put on the O' Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack for the first time in forever and both of those songs were on there. And there's just no way to listen to the radio on the road, sure I can check out local stations when I stop, but with stations often only staying tuned in for a minute or two, five if I'm lucky, it's too annoying to do very long. Sometimes I can get an hour when I'm driving through a major city, but even then there can be issues that make it not worth it. Today is the first day I've really stopped to listen to it for any extended period of time, I'm really liking it. I can't stand commercials (for more than 20 years I have mostly listened to two public radio stations that are commercial free) so that part is great and the selection is pretty cool so far too.
Burns lot; Day II
They never got to me yesterday, as is the way with most of the 'busy shops' it seems. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm here for the right thing anymore. I stalled 3 times putting The Beast in reverse trying to pull out of the driveway yesterday morning and two more times on the way here. Those were new behaviors. I have wondered all along why no one seems to be interested in the transmission even after I tell them that it chunks down to 4th gear and goes even lower going downhill so I can't even get back up to a decent speed after cresting the hill because it wont coast. I guess we'll see what they say when they take a look.
Last night I finally hooked up the cool little USB outlet I bought in June or July to put in where the ashtray and cigarette lighter were. I still have to figure out how I'm going to permanently mount it, but in 20 minutes I got myself accessory power where I most need it, at my fingertips when I'm driving. No more putting my phone in a cabinet to charge it or mounting the GPS on the side window next to my head because that's the only place the cord will reach.
The first guy came to talk to me at 8:30, took a pretty decent history and had me move into position in front of one of their bays. At this point, I have been here 24 hours. Probably should have signed up for a week of wifi with the Love's next door, although if I did, I doubt the USB thing would be hooked up.
_____________________________________
I'm hold up for the night at a hotel around the corner from the shop. A couple of the guys took a look at it, I told them as much as I could remember from other shops and what I've observed. The mechanic ended up calling the guy from the last shop and they talked it out for a little while and he came out agreeing that seeing what's going on inside the tank is the next step. They had me pull it around to a bay with a lift and that's where I left it. He said it will probably take 5 hours to get the tank off. This ain't gonna be cheap. I wonder how many days I'm going to be here. It's all good if this finally fixes it.
Ripon; Day 3
This morning I got a call that my fuel filter was clogged as were my fuel lines and tank. Diesel fuel, when it sits for any length of time, grows algae. The Vogue, as I've come to realize, sat for quite some time. Now I know from the last fuel filter changing that you can't see what the filter looks like so I was wondering how they knew it was crudded up. I went over to take a look and this is what they had found:
THAT is the mystery filter!!! The one that all the other mechanics looked for but couldn't find!
How many mechanics looked and didn't find it? At least 6 that I know of before I got to Burns in Ripon. I wonder if it's the 19 year old original filter?
It's truly a testament to the Cummins B that it was able to make it over 3000 miles, up and down ALL those mountains with the trickle of fuel it must have been getting through this mucky mess and the holey lines.
You have no idea the giant ball of stress that was coaxing her across the Rockies and then again through the Sierra Nevadas. And now this has me sitting here giddily excited at the prospect of trying to climb out of this valley. If I do take 80 back and go through Cheyenne, I will probably stop and show this to the guys there.
Here's Mike, the kid that found the unfindable filter, with my (former) fuel lines.
So I'm having the tank steam cleaned, all new fuel lines run and BOTH of the filters changed. I'm so happy with Burns at this point I gave them 2 more things to fix from the list while I'm here, speedometer and tailpipe. Hopefully, even with the add-ons, they are going to have me back on the road tomorrow!
Before I go, I have to say, it's been weird not sleeping in the Vogue. I really wasn't sure going in how I was going to like the RV bunk size mattress or having the cabinets right there over my head. There's been a learning curve there along with everything else, but it sure has started to feel like home. It needs a cat though.
At the truck repair shop (Burns Truck and Trailer Services) that the last truck shop (Righetti) sent me to. The Righetti diagnosis is crap in my fuel tank, We'll see what this place says when they finally get around to taking a look at it. Got her washed while I'm here waiting. I'm sure there's still more deplayafying that will need to be done, I have to get up on the roof and scrub that down and the underside and engine could use a good hosing off. I'll probably stop at a Camping World to return this crapass GPS (Magellan for RV's) and while I'm there I'll get their spa service that is a much more thorough cleaning than this was (And should be for triple the price)... Either that or if I'm heading back he way I came, I'll call one of the places in Reno that specializes in deplayafication now that their business is probably slowing down a bit.
I think I got the SiriusXM radio figured out the other day. Seems to be working pretty good, I even got most of the presets all programmed up. Changing CD's while driving a bus just isn't logistically possible and I think the most times I managed to leave a CD in before trying the radio and then opting for silence was 3½. Silence led to me singing little song snippets (of catchy old timey tunes I don't really know) over and over and over until the next stop when I would hopefully remember to change the CD... Didn't always happen and then it was another few hours before the next stop and oh boy the crap I'd be singing to myself then! On the way to Burning Man there was a lot of Black (Big) Rock Candy Mountain. And thanks to Ros, You Are My Sunshine is one that always ends up on repeat in those situations. The funniest part of the trip was 4 or 5 days in when I put on the O' Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack for the first time in forever and both of those songs were on there. And there's just no way to listen to the radio on the road, sure I can check out local stations when I stop, but with stations often only staying tuned in for a minute or two, five if I'm lucky, it's too annoying to do very long. Sometimes I can get an hour when I'm driving through a major city, but even then there can be issues that make it not worth it. Today is the first day I've really stopped to listen to it for any extended period of time, I'm really liking it. I can't stand commercials (for more than 20 years I have mostly listened to two public radio stations that are commercial free) so that part is great and the selection is pretty cool so far too.
Burns lot; Day II
They never got to me yesterday, as is the way with most of the 'busy shops' it seems. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm here for the right thing anymore. I stalled 3 times putting The Beast in reverse trying to pull out of the driveway yesterday morning and two more times on the way here. Those were new behaviors. I have wondered all along why no one seems to be interested in the transmission even after I tell them that it chunks down to 4th gear and goes even lower going downhill so I can't even get back up to a decent speed after cresting the hill because it wont coast. I guess we'll see what they say when they take a look.
Last night I finally hooked up the cool little USB outlet I bought in June or July to put in where the ashtray and cigarette lighter were. I still have to figure out how I'm going to permanently mount it, but in 20 minutes I got myself accessory power where I most need it, at my fingertips when I'm driving. No more putting my phone in a cabinet to charge it or mounting the GPS on the side window next to my head because that's the only place the cord will reach.
The first guy came to talk to me at 8:30, took a pretty decent history and had me move into position in front of one of their bays. At this point, I have been here 24 hours. Probably should have signed up for a week of wifi with the Love's next door, although if I did, I doubt the USB thing would be hooked up.
_____________________________________
I'm hold up for the night at a hotel around the corner from the shop. A couple of the guys took a look at it, I told them as much as I could remember from other shops and what I've observed. The mechanic ended up calling the guy from the last shop and they talked it out for a little while and he came out agreeing that seeing what's going on inside the tank is the next step. They had me pull it around to a bay with a lift and that's where I left it. He said it will probably take 5 hours to get the tank off. This ain't gonna be cheap. I wonder how many days I'm going to be here. It's all good if this finally fixes it.
Ripon; Day 3
This morning I got a call that my fuel filter was clogged as were my fuel lines and tank. Diesel fuel, when it sits for any length of time, grows algae. The Vogue, as I've come to realize, sat for quite some time. Now I know from the last fuel filter changing that you can't see what the filter looks like so I was wondering how they knew it was crudded up. I went over to take a look and this is what they had found:
THAT is the mystery filter!!! The one that all the other mechanics looked for but couldn't find!
How many mechanics looked and didn't find it? At least 6 that I know of before I got to Burns in Ripon. I wonder if it's the 19 year old original filter?
It's truly a testament to the Cummins B that it was able to make it over 3000 miles, up and down ALL those mountains with the trickle of fuel it must have been getting through this mucky mess and the holey lines.
You have no idea the giant ball of stress that was coaxing her across the Rockies and then again through the Sierra Nevadas. And now this has me sitting here giddily excited at the prospect of trying to climb out of this valley. If I do take 80 back and go through Cheyenne, I will probably stop and show this to the guys there.
Here's Mike, the kid that found the unfindable filter, with my (former) fuel lines.
So I'm having the tank steam cleaned, all new fuel lines run and BOTH of the filters changed. I'm so happy with Burns at this point I gave them 2 more things to fix from the list while I'm here, speedometer and tailpipe. Hopefully, even with the add-ons, they are going to have me back on the road tomorrow!
Before I go, I have to say, it's been weird not sleeping in the Vogue. I really wasn't sure going in how I was going to like the RV bunk size mattress or having the cabinets right there over my head. There's been a learning curve there along with everything else, but it sure has started to feel like home. It needs a cat though.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Spent the afternoon cleaning (deplayafying) inside the RV. Got most of the leather cleaned and conditioned, scrubbed down all the cabinets and non-papered walls in the bathroom and hallway, and I opened up the Fantastic fan and cleaned the blades and the screen. It's amazing just how much of that stuff sticks to everything! I really am going to have to powerwash the engine and undercarriage with vinegar. Heck, I'm sure the whole thing could use it a couple of times.
The outside got it's first rain bath since leaving the playa, it rained for several hours this afternoon. Still needs a really good wash but I'm sure there was a nice stream of Burning Man remnants flowing down the street this afternoon.
Anyway, feels good to still be making progress on the moving in even though I'm paused on the moving around part. I'll be weighing the anchor on Monday or Tuesday, might go spend one night at a campground to top off the batteries and dump/clean the tanks, who knows how long I might be in Rippon.
My cousin Karen is coming to visit tomorrow. We're making Ice Cream. I'm sure I will have put on 20 pounds in my 2 weeks here. Which reminds me, there are Krispy Kremes. Chow.
The outside got it's first rain bath since leaving the playa, it rained for several hours this afternoon. Still needs a really good wash but I'm sure there was a nice stream of Burning Man remnants flowing down the street this afternoon.
Anyway, feels good to still be making progress on the moving in even though I'm paused on the moving around part. I'll be weighing the anchor on Monday or Tuesday, might go spend one night at a campground to top off the batteries and dump/clean the tanks, who knows how long I might be in Rippon.
My cousin Karen is coming to visit tomorrow. We're making Ice Cream. I'm sure I will have put on 20 pounds in my 2 weeks here. Which reminds me, there are Krispy Kremes. Chow.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
It's not even 9:30am and I'm sitting outside enjoying the first cup of good fresh roasted coffee I've had in ...uh... I'm not even sure how long it's been at this point, the roaster wasn't getting up to second crack temperature using it outside at the higher altitudes.
Which wasn't the point at all, Although droll to some, to me the big deal of the day is that for the first time ever in the Vogue, all of my clothes and other launderable items are clean, folded and put away! I brought WAY too much stuff! I've been going through and throwing things away as I fold but there's still just too much. I am carrying enough bath towels that I could have run a community shower at Burning Man and given everyone in camp a clean towel when they were done and still had enough left over to offer showers to random hotties off the street. Do I really need to be able to go 3 or 4 weeks without wearing the same pair of shorts twice? Or jeans? T-Shirts get a pass, obviously, but I still left hundreds in Philly including dozens of FolkFest shirts (Don't worry, I brought enough Fest shirts with me that I could probably go a month without wearing the same one twice* (*caveat there being I have 3 of the shirts from most years... But probably only brought one or two)). I have a Fest shirt on now, 2004. And I have way too many storage bins! I have a huge storage bin full of unused storage bins and there are more bins that didn't fit in that bin.
So I'm finally starting to get settled in, I've even done the plastic removal and major vacuuming of the carpets and furniture (next year I WILL have the plastic down BEFORE Burning Man!). There's still one more pile of crap to tackle that I will hopefully get started on today. I can do some major rearranging now as well since yesterday I figured out I can lock all the outside storage compartments! Yes, they have been full of stuff and unlocked for months and I had not one but two copies of the key to them all on my daily use keychain. It's a long story (but aren't they all?). And with Fest and Burning Man in the rearview mirror for this year, there's a ton of stuff in the cabinets that can get put into some of those bins and get put away for next year, freeing up valuable cabin space for important daily use items that haven't found a home yet (like the bins of kitchen utensils and spices still sitting on the table).
Not to mention probably being able to consolidate the massive snack cabinet in with the other food cabinet at this point. It's funny how empty the fridge has become too, after it seemed odd to me having it packed so full like it was. I'll get to use the fridge braces I bought that were totally unnecessary when it was packed in like sardines. I think the smaller fridge will work out well for me, it always seemed like such a waste running that huge house fridge (which was actually on the small side) when I was probably only using 10-15% of its capacity.
How do I know that this thing I am doing, this thing I have wanted to do for so long... is, now that I am doing it, really where I want to be? After a month in the Vogue full time, When offered a bed in either my uncle's or my sister's house there wasn't even a split second of consideration before I pointed at where the Beast lay sleeping and said, "No thanks, I brought my house with me." And I have to admit that thanks to a ridiculous sale, I now understand why people spend a fortune on high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. I have used my sisters shower a couple of times, it's weird not turning the water off to lather up.
On Monday we hit the Cummins/Allison repair shop and hopefully a fuel pump (or less) will do the trick, otherwise they will probably send me to another shop who specializes in RVs. It'll be nice to get on the road with a degree of confidence I haven't had since the Poconos. And if I'm lucky, with a speedometer and cruise control. I know she still needs a lot of work and it'll be an ongoing and expensive struggle... But aren't most things that are worthwhile? I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of the benefits of a life on wheels but I have to say that was one of the most amazing months of my life! I am excited about the prospects that lay before me.
Which wasn't the point at all, Although droll to some, to me the big deal of the day is that for the first time ever in the Vogue, all of my clothes and other launderable items are clean, folded and put away! I brought WAY too much stuff! I've been going through and throwing things away as I fold but there's still just too much. I am carrying enough bath towels that I could have run a community shower at Burning Man and given everyone in camp a clean towel when they were done and still had enough left over to offer showers to random hotties off the street. Do I really need to be able to go 3 or 4 weeks without wearing the same pair of shorts twice? Or jeans? T-Shirts get a pass, obviously, but I still left hundreds in Philly including dozens of FolkFest shirts (Don't worry, I brought enough Fest shirts with me that I could probably go a month without wearing the same one twice* (*caveat there being I have 3 of the shirts from most years... But probably only brought one or two)). I have a Fest shirt on now, 2004. And I have way too many storage bins! I have a huge storage bin full of unused storage bins and there are more bins that didn't fit in that bin.
So I'm finally starting to get settled in, I've even done the plastic removal and major vacuuming of the carpets and furniture (next year I WILL have the plastic down BEFORE Burning Man!). There's still one more pile of crap to tackle that I will hopefully get started on today. I can do some major rearranging now as well since yesterday I figured out I can lock all the outside storage compartments! Yes, they have been full of stuff and unlocked for months and I had not one but two copies of the key to them all on my daily use keychain. It's a long story (but aren't they all?). And with Fest and Burning Man in the rearview mirror for this year, there's a ton of stuff in the cabinets that can get put into some of those bins and get put away for next year, freeing up valuable cabin space for important daily use items that haven't found a home yet (like the bins of kitchen utensils and spices still sitting on the table).
Not to mention probably being able to consolidate the massive snack cabinet in with the other food cabinet at this point. It's funny how empty the fridge has become too, after it seemed odd to me having it packed so full like it was. I'll get to use the fridge braces I bought that were totally unnecessary when it was packed in like sardines. I think the smaller fridge will work out well for me, it always seemed like such a waste running that huge house fridge (which was actually on the small side) when I was probably only using 10-15% of its capacity.
How do I know that this thing I am doing, this thing I have wanted to do for so long... is, now that I am doing it, really where I want to be? After a month in the Vogue full time, When offered a bed in either my uncle's or my sister's house there wasn't even a split second of consideration before I pointed at where the Beast lay sleeping and said, "No thanks, I brought my house with me." And I have to admit that thanks to a ridiculous sale, I now understand why people spend a fortune on high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. I have used my sisters shower a couple of times, it's weird not turning the water off to lather up.
On Monday we hit the Cummins/Allison repair shop and hopefully a fuel pump (or less) will do the trick, otherwise they will probably send me to another shop who specializes in RVs. It'll be nice to get on the road with a degree of confidence I haven't had since the Poconos. And if I'm lucky, with a speedometer and cruise control. I know she still needs a lot of work and it'll be an ongoing and expensive struggle... But aren't most things that are worthwhile? I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of the benefits of a life on wheels but I have to say that was one of the most amazing months of my life! I am excited about the prospects that lay before me.
Monday, July 15, 2013
As the first post I feel like there should be an introduction, but I don't have time for that at the moment.
I have been posting a bazillion facebook updates and I think it's time to stop writing such long posts on there and put them together somewhere cohesively. Here, for example.
So, this will be my way of chronicling my adventure with my new 1994 Mitchell Vogue Prima Vista.
I will fill in the back story later but here is the post I was about to lay on facebook:
I have been posting a bazillion facebook updates and I think it's time to stop writing such long posts on there and put them together somewhere cohesively. Here, for example.
So, this will be my way of chronicling my adventure with my new 1994 Mitchell Vogue Prima Vista.
I will fill in the back story later but here is the post I was about to lay on facebook:
Just dropped the Vogue off for some lubrication at a truck shop.
Oil change, gennie oil change and a transmission service. If I'm lucky they will only be about $500 each. The oil in the motor looked black, thick and a little gritty...BAD!
Also having them look the whole thing over mechanically since the guys who worked on it last month didn't check or do any of the stuff they said they were going to check and do (Yup, Media Camping SUCKS!!). I'm hoping the other things (air and hydraulic systems, etc.) will be in better shape than I think they are and won't break the bank. He seemed to think reconnecting/fixing the speedometer won't be a big deal, I hope so... No speedometer means no cruise control. Never had a vehicle with cruise control, would be nice to have on the one I got to drive across the continent a few times since it's there and all.
I'm may need 3 new batteries, also about $500 each (if I stick with the cheap kind... there are other, more expensive options out there like Maintenance free gel (double or triple the cost) or lithium dry cells (super expensive). They are going to load test them but I've got my doubts. Maybe I'll get lucky and they aren't that bad, I did a little reading about how the systems work and they might still be ok, just need a charger (solar + house option sounds like the way to go) to keep the coach battery charged.
Once I get it back I will hopefully be able to raise it up a little so I can get underneath and start replacing all the rusted out sheet metal covering the water tanks and see what's going on with the stuck valve on my poop tank. The storage boxes need some work too, a couple are rusted out.
So many other little projects to work on before I get it back; Need to sew a new front curtain, gotta see about the fan I removed... if it still works I need to make a new bracket to replace the snapped one and probably have the motor serviced by someone who specializes in such things (I read the how-to and I'd be the guy losing the spring-loaded parts). That was one of the things that was specifically supposed to have been fixed by Media during the 2 weeks they had it and they didn't touch it because it was a pain to get open.
Nobody ever said love was easy.
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