A Fast Trip - October 2 - 4, 2014

Thursday

We said our goodbyes to the friends we met at Master Tech, dumped our tanks, and were on the road around 9:30. South we went on the back roads, around Indy, and got on the Interstates.

We also set a record for distance in one day. 414 miles. The old record was 316. That is too much. Even though we are kinda in a rush, we have to slow it down a bit.

Along the way, we saw a giant cross. Had to get a pic of that!

We entered a new state, Missouri, and the Mississippi River again.

There was a crazy thunderstorm going on around St Louis. Massive rain came down. We did see the Gateway Arch through the storm.

There was an Elks Lodge just southeast of St Louis in Oakville, MO. Turns out that their electric was only 15 amp outlets, open to the weather.... Rain! No thanks. We ended up just boondocking along side of their parking lot. It rained hard all night, but it was a good (free) stopping place after a long day of driving.

Friday
'
We slowed it down today, just 295 miles of Interstate driving. The weather is cooling down now. It got down to 52 while we were cruising' through Missouri. In Lebanon, in the west side of Missouri, I gassed up at a Conoco station and paid $3.419 for diesel. That ties the record for the cheapest fuel-up we have done since full timing.

At the gas station, we saw a truck loaded up with turkeys. What a sight! Had to get pics.

We even found a geocache while at a rest area in Missouri. We are trying to find one in each state we travel through.

After passing through Joplin, MO, we decided to stop and spend the night at the Downstream Casino Resort in Quepaw, OK. We got parked in the RV area (50 Amp & water) at the northern end of their parking lot. Then walked to the casino (pretty nice one at that), and signed up for their players card and now we get 1 night free. And each of us got $10.00 off any food place in the casino, And $10.00 free play on the slots. What a deal. Not too bad of a place either.

Then we discovered that the Kansas/Oklahoma state line runs between the casino and the RV parking area.

How cool is that? I guess we can add Kansas to the states we have stayed in.
And to top all that off, the Doobie Brothers are putting on a concert in the parking lot just about 600 feet away.

We may not have tickets, but since it is outside, all us RVers are setting up our lawn chairs out for some good tunes.
Saturday

Entered Oklahoma.

And traveled 330 miles through Tulsa on I-44. Then on to Oklahoma City, where we got on I-40.

Another long day.

We found a free city park to spend the night in. Just south of Elk City, OK is the Elk City Lake Park. just another trailer and a tent are here. We even have a 30 Amp hookup.

We are over half way there.

Tomorrow.... on the road again.

Leaving Camp Master Tech, Elkhart, IN - October 2, 2014

Today is moving day. Yea! We have been here 10 nights. Our rig has only been worked on 2 of the days. The other days were waiting for parts.

Well it has been fun. we have met new friends, had BBQ/potlucks, and really got to know each other.

And we have new steps too!

Our awning and bedroom AC works like they should now too. Thank goodness for our extended warranty. And we had 50 Amp and water here as well. Free! Not a bad way to spend a few days.

A couple of days ago, Donna received a call from her brother, Gene, in Arizona. Not good news. His wife, Cyndi, is going fast. She was not doing good when we were visiting with them last winter. We were going to slowly work our way that direction and would have arrived there around November 1st. Gene says she doesn't have that long. Thank God that this lifestyle allows for flexible plans.
We will be there for Gene. This is last Christmas time.

Love these guys.

Yesterday was my birthday. I am 62 now. Hey! Now I can retire. aha. I had many friends wish my a happy birthday on Facebook. Isn't FB cool? Donna and I went out to Applebee's last night. When we get to AZ, I will be getting  a Millenicom mobile internet hotspot. Yea!

We have also made plans to fly up to Washington in early November to visit family and celebrate some birthdays and the up and coming holidays. That will be a quick week. Then we will be spending pretty much all of December in Southern California. On Dec 19th, our Grandson Chase, will be graduating from Marine boot camp in San Diego. We plan on being there.

Gotta go. It's starting to get chilly up here in the North.

Moving time!!!!

Camp Master Tech, Elkhart, IN - September 27, 2014

Yep, we are still here. This is our 6th day in their parking lot. Still waiting for word that the parts ordered for our AC/Steps/Awning have come in and when we can be worked on. Still, this is not a bad place. 50 Amp and water, a dump station we just used this morning.

Some RV Dreams friends, Mark & Patty (Mark & Patty RV Adventures), that we met at the Oregon rally in 2012, were in the Elkhart area getting work done on their Sanibel. They stopped here at Camp Master Tech and visited. They brought a delicious chicked salad and we had a great time catching up.

And we have met some fellow RVers here.

Jim & Dee (Tumbleweed-Rolling Down the Highway) Pat & Sharon, and friends from the RV Dreams rally, Kurt & Joanne, and Drue & Kena. We have met more, but forgot their names. We got together around the twin campfires ( two citronella candles) and chatted till late. We are planning for a BBQ /potluck maybe Sunday. We are all here waiting for service. Jim & Dee are finally done and are leaving this morning.

We are passing the free camping time by doing some work on the basement. I have re-organized it twice and weeded out some unused items, Donna has gone through her 7 plastic tubs of material, thread, yarn, and patterns. She has got rid of quite a bit.

We are just waiting for our work to be completed and we are then heading south to Huntsville, AL to visit a couple of my old Army buddies.

Free parking is good.....

Extended Warranty Work, Elkhart, IN - September 22-23, 2014

We stayed one extra day at the Goshen fairgrounds and watched almost everyone pack up and move out. Then first thing Monday morning, we packed up and headed to Elkhart, IN to Master Tech RV
 Service. We had made arrangements just before the rally started to get some work done on our RV.

Master Tech was just 14 miles away. A nice easy drive.

They have parking spots for customers. Some have electric and water. They were all taken, so we parked in a row and boondocked it.

That evening, I turned on the inverter and we watched some of the new shows that are just starting this season. Big Bang Theory and Scorpion. We shut the tv off at 10PM. Batteries showed 75 percent. All is good.

That night it got down to 50 degrees in our house. Where did the summer go? I checked with the office, and a space opened up that has power. We jumped into it.

Now at least we will be able to use our fireplace and our portable space heater.

That morning, the techs came over to diagnose our issues. We have a bedroom air conditioner that will not come on... when in auto.

And our awning opens, but struggles to roll back up.

And then our steps into our rig. There has been several rivets that had broken, and almost caused a fall. Also a broken weld that I tried to jerry-rig to hold things together.

After the tech checked it all out, he determined the thermostat and/or circuit board in the AC was bad, the awning had a bad tension spring inside, and yep, we need new stairs. They will submit everything to Xtraride, our extended warranty company that we got when we bought the Bighorn 2 years age.

And now we were just notified that our warranty will cover all of the repairs. Cool! We do have to pay some diagnostic time and some shipping costs, but the bill will be over 1700 bucks and our share is only $214.00. Life is good!

We don't know how long we will be here, but we are in no hurry. We have hookups and there is another 2 couples here from the rally too. And staying here is free!

Later.....