September, 2003
We
finished up Labor Day Weekend in Marysville and on Tuesday, September 2, headed
to the Toledo area and parked at the Harbortown RV Resort in Monroe, MI, just
across the state line. For the next week we continued our efforts to
become familiar with our new Dutch Star and its systems and to remember where we
put everything during the move. We had a constant stream of guests, mostly
family, so that we could show off our new home. We got a few projects
accomplished as well, including rearranging the contents of the outside storage
bins, installing the water filter system and with friend Dennie Dew's help, got
the bike rack rebuilt and installed. We also had a base plate installed on
a new to us tow car, an '01 Olds Alero. We made the usual rounds of
personal errands and some doctors appointments and on Thursday, September 11 we
were on the road again....heading west.
Our
first stop was the Newmar Factory in Nappanee, Indiana. We had compiled a
list of things that needed some service on the Dutch Star and decided to stop in
Nappanee rather than head east to our dealer. We were lucky enough to find
a full-hookup site at the Newmar Service Center "campground." As we
arrived we noticed a couple we know from Palm Creek standing outside their
rig. When we went to say hello, we discovered they were just leaving, so
we were able to take their spot at the popular place to park. We were
ready on Friday morning at 6am when the service tech arrived to go over our list
of items needing attention and as he took our coach inside we headed out for
breakfast. We passed the day by visiting a few of the local shops and
taking advantage of the comfortable lounge at the service center. They
even give you access to the lounge and phone lines at night and on
weekends. By late afternoon our coach had been returned to its hookup site
and all our items had been addressed. We spent Friday and Saturday
nights right there at Newmar as well. On Saturday we drove about 15 miles
to Goshen, IN and visited a Super Wal-Mart - our first in quite a while.
We also went to the Elkhart County Fairgrounds to see "the lay of the land" at
the site of the Escapee's Rally starting the next day. We returned home in
time to watch the Ohio State and Michigan/Notre Dame games - a big deal in this
neighborhood!
The
Escapee's RV Club "Fall Escapade" began on Sunday, September 14. We
arrived around 11AM, just as a nice rain began. But, when they told us
that the electric service we had registered and paid $20 for was only 5amp
service, we opted for the generator area where we knew we could have good power
whenever we needed it. Fortunately, the rain stopped by mid-afternoon and
the rest of the week was "glorious" in the weather department. There were
officially 1040 rigs attending the rally and we were busy until the end on
Thursday evening with seminars, entertainment, and shopping the vendor
areas. We had the Blue Ox Tow Hitch cleaned and checked (they replaced a
part for free), an Electric Monitoring System installed, and had the coach
weighed among other things. We had a few other things on our "shopping
list" but didn't find vendors who fit the bill. We met up with old MOB
friends, Mary and Tony Campbell and also with Toledoans Jim and Lynn Klein whom
we'd met through our website. They had come to visit us at Harbortown the
week before the rally to discuss their new adventures in RVing. Overall,
it was a great rally.
Friday
afternoon it was back to Marysville to see the grandchildren. Early
Saturday morning we were off to attend Coffey's football game. She is the
only girl on the team. She, and the team, did well...continuing their
undefeated season. After the game we got ready for the party to celebrate
Merrick's 3rd birthday. It was a fun afternoon. Merrick had wanted a
turtle for her birthday, and since they are not an "approved" pet, the best we
could do is take a trip to the zoo. So, Sunday we made a family outing to
the Columbus Zoo to see the turtles. Since the weather was still bright
and sunny when we got home, Tom got out the power washer and we washed out Ann
and Matt's garage and then tackled the Dutch Star, the Olds and Ann's
Durango. Apparently all those clean vehicles were too much for the weather
man because when we got up on Monday it was pouring rain. After final hugs
and kisses for all in Marysville, we started west once again.
But,
it was a return to Nappanee, driving in the rain most of the way. Once
again we were lucky to get a full hook-up site and were ready early on Tuesday
for service. They worked once again on our poorly flushing toilet and
re-weighed the coach, discovering a great discrepancy with the weights we'd
gotten at the rally. We were all finished with service in time to drive to
South Bend where we had dinner with Mary's parents who happened to be there for
the night. So, Wednesday, September 25 we were finally, officially, on the
road. We spent most of the day making our way through Indiana and into
Illinois avoiding the Chicago area traffic and stopping at the Mattoon Super
Wal-Mart for the night. As it got dark we discovered that the dash
lights were not lit. Research through the manuals, calls to Newmar
service, new fuses and testing did not solve the problem. Thursday
afternoon we arrived at the Harrah's Casino in St. Louis and spent time renewing
our BlackJack skills and then took advantage of the parking lot hospitality for
the night. On Friday we continued our way west on I-70, stopping at
Booneville, MO at the Isle of Capri Casino for lunch but no trip into the
casino. Getting through Kansas City was an adventure in traffic,
rain and construction. That night we stopped at the Super Wal-Mart in
Junction City, KS. after having discovered that not only did the dash lights not
work, but all of our outside running and tail lights were not working. Our
electrical system was making us more concerned each day
A
young girl who suffers from Spina Bifida uses her hands and special shoes to
participate in the Cloggers group.
Mary
and Tony Campbell - friends from our Michigan Bounder chapter
Jim
and Lynn Klein - new RV friends from Toledo who we plan to see in AZ this
winter.
Coffey
Ann defending her team's play in flag football.
Birthday girl, Merrick Ann, with her Blue's Clues cake.
Coffey, Close and Merrick sitting on the walrus at the Columbus
Zoo.
Matt,
Mary and Tom cleaning the Dutch Star.
A
common sight in northern Indiana - buggies in the parking lot of many businesses
- where the Amish and the "English" are good neighbors.
page 1
George Washington narrated a special performance
of "....." which told the patriotic story of the US through the flags that have
been used through the years.
To see more of our September adventures, click on
"Forward" at the top of this page.
September, 2003
page 2
To see more of our September adventures, click on
"Back" at the top of this page.
Our
first stop on Saturday, September 27 was near Abilene, KS at the Russell Stover
Candy Factory. Lots of free samples and good buys here!! We had
remembered stopping here last year and made it a point to stop again. We
stopped for the night at the Triple J Campground in Russell, KS. Again, we
had stopped here last year and remembered it as a friendly place. We think
everybody in town was at the restaurant where we ate dinner. On Sunday we
again headed west on I-70. Mary even took her first turn at the wheel of
the Dutch Star (without any incidents!) We had passed by the Shady Grove
Campground in Seibert, CO last year as it didn't look very inviting. But,
we decided to give it a try again, and this time the new owner came out to the
street to greet us. The campground is little more than some spots in a lot
in a residential area...but they had 50 amp service and cable TV along with the
regular full hookups. With our "Enjoy America" discount the price was
quite nice...so we stayed. We even walked the two blocks to the little
store but found they don't have enough business to carry the Sunday paper.
We did wash the mud off the car, so it looks a little better...but the coach
still looked like it had been through several rainstorms!!
Monday, September 29 we left Seibert and drove into Denver, CO.
When we arrived at Top Quality Transmissions for our appointment that had been
made for us by the Spartan customer service center we found that they were
really backed up and couldn't handle our work that day. So, we drove to
Mountain States RV who is the authorized Newmar service center. They were
quite accommodating, and within a short while, we were all fixed and on the road
again. They said that our tow car wiring was not compatible with the
RV, so they added a diode to the system. As for our inverter/battery
problem, they said we were just being intimidated by all the read-outs and
options available - and to keep the inverter turned off at all times when not in
use. Pretty soon we'll get the hang of all this new stuff!
So, it
was on to Summit County. We made the trip west on I-70, up the mountain
and through the Eisenhower Tunnel. The diesel did very well - our lowest
speed on the 6% grade was 38 mph. It was a smooth ride up and down the
passes and a very comfortable ride. Tom was "experimenting" with the 6
speed transmission and engine brake, so he's still not sure what would be the
best to do in each situation, but he was very pleased with the way the coach
handled. We got all settled in at the gorgeous Tiger Run RV Resort near
Breckenridge and Reid and his friend Kim came for dinner and a great
visit. On Tuesday it was another glorious mountain day...bright sunshine
and the aspens fluttering their bright golden leaves. While we were out
walking we noticed another new Dutch Star the same color as ours. The
owner said theirs is just 3 weeks old and they are enjoying it as much as we are
enjoying ours. Tom and Reid took advantage of the weather and played
golf in the afternoon at Keystone Resort while Mary managed to keep busy back at
the coach. The plan is to stay at Tiger Run for a week.
Our
site at Tiger Run RV Resort near Breckenridge, CO.
The
view from our patio at Tiger Run.