Winter Trip Reboot

Sunday, December 30th, 2018

Since we got home from Oklahoma about 2AM, it was quite a struggle to get up and get going, but we knew if we wanted to get to Angel Fire in one day, we needed to get moving. Tony did some checks on the truck fluids and tires before we hitched up, while I re-prepped the trailer insides for travel.

We pulled out about 9:30AM, headed again west down I-20. Norman (the truck) did great, pulling Mammoth like it wasn't even there. Tony was impressed with the handling and easy driveability... he could definitely tell a difference in the "newer" technology.

Heading out!

The only thing that slowed us down was having to stop for fuel. Since we no longer had the large tank, we had to stop to fuel at truck stops, but on this route, it really wasn't too bad.

The drive was very uneventful until the sun was going down, and the temperature started dropping below freezing. New Mexico had recently had a significant snow event in the past few days, and though the roads were pretty clear, there was still some snow on the ground and roads were somewhat wet.

A quick rest along the route

As the sun set, we were getting tired, the temperature was dropping, and we became concerned that the roads may become slick, and/or the water in our rig pipes might start to freeze up -- we hadn't winterized before we hit the road.

About 8:30PM Mountain, we decided it was best to go ahead and look for a place to stop for the night. We were coming into Las Vegas, NM, so we stopped at the Las Vegas KOA. It was a snow-packed road to get to the park, and then also within the park, but we found a spot that would fit us just fine, and pulled in -- we didn't do much of a set-up --  we stayed hooked up and just put out the slides and went to bed.

Norman comes to Texas

Friday, December 28th, 2018

We planned a Winter trip months ago, when we received an advertisement that Angel Fire was offering Teachers a $99 season pass. This is a really great deal, even if you only go one time, because lift tickets can cost as much as $80 a day! We also were able to purchase a Four-Day Pass for me, for a reduced price, so we were sure that was where we wanted to go skiing this year. On top of that, we got a great RV Park rate using our Escapees Member discount, saving 50% of the regular rate!

Tony was off all week, but I had to work, so we planned to leave right after I got off work on Friday. Tony had the rig loaded, hitched and ready to go when I got home, and we pulled out about 5:30PM. We were doing just fine, until we headed up a hill near Baird, not too far from home. The truck decided to turn on the check engine light, and we had to pull off the road. Once we got off the highway, turning the engine off and on seemed to return everything to normal, and we decided to head home to address the issue. There was no point in trying to travel 600+ miles if the truck was going to be "iffy".

Saturday, December 29th, 2018

We woke up, and decided we absolutely had to do something different. We needed a reliable vehicle for the trip, or we would have to scrap the trip altogether. Tony decided this was the last straw. We had just put a lot of money into the truck in October having some sensors replaced, so he was ready for a change. We had already been looking at options since October, as mentioned in a previous blog post. We had planned to wait until AFTER this trip to look seriously again, but we decided it was definitely in our best interest to move now.

We did some more research and located a few options. But calls to the dealers netted just two possibilities, one of which was a color we didn't really want. So we negotiated with a dealer in Oklahoma, and had a pretty good-looking deal in the works. We told them we wanted to come and look at the truck, and would be willing to make a deal today if it was what we wanted. They also asked for info on our trade, and I sent photos inside and out. They made a reasonable offer on it, so we felt pretty good about the potential for a deal.

We headed out about 2:00pm and arrived at the dealership  about 6:30pm. (They were open until 9pm.) Our salesman had the truck cleaned up and ready to take a test drive so we hopped in and headed around town. The truck performed as expected, with no red flags. We then looked it over top to bottom, and inside and out, testing things.

Nice looking/driving truck!

After that, we went back in to talk to the salesperson. We had given them info for running credit prior to our departure, so the negotiations were short. We liked the truck, the pricing and proposed payment were within what we wanted to pay. So they moved us over to talk to the finance guy for the paperwork. That lasted about an hour, and we had a deal -- along with an extended warranty.

We then got the keys, and moved our stuff from one truck to the other -- the hitch, the stuff under the seat, and in the compartments.

Swapping our stuff took about 15 minutes.

We left the dealer about 9:30PM, and immediately had to get fuel. (We didn't realize they didn't fuel it up!) On the way home, we decided to name the truck "Norman," since that's where it came from.  Norman handled the trip just fine, and we both really like driving it. Even though it's only 3 years newer, there are a number of improvements we are really going to enjoy.

We headed back home to Texas, and got home about 2:30AM Sunday.

Early Christmas and a Truck Trist

Friday, December 21st, 2018

We planned this trip to get together with our relatives in the DFW metroplex for Christmas. We made reservations at Bluebonnet Ridge RV Resort, our favorite place to stay when we visit family.

We left about 1:30pm, because the day before, we had gone to look at a truck in Abilene. A newer version of ours, same color. But we found a few things that didn't add up right, and had decided it was not for us.

We got to the edge of Ft. Worth about 3:45pm. Right before Rush Hour. GREEEAATTT! But luckily, traffic was not too terrible, and we got to the RV Park by 5:30pm.

One last rest stop before entering the Metroplex!

We arrived!

Our site (pic taken the next day.)

Saturday, December 22nd, 2018

Today we did a little prep-work for the Christmas get-together tonight, and then headed out to "Smoke Sessions BBQ", a food truck on the outskirts of Royse City, for lunch. We had the most amazing BBQ! A huge beef rib, jalapeno and cheese sausage, brisket, and smoked mac & cheese. It was a little expensive, but worth every bite!

Afterward, we headed back to the rig and did some more prep-work for the party. We also did some more research on trucks and hitch compatibility.

In the RV park, we noticed this unique "tiny home". It looks like it was built on a flatbed gooseneck hauler, but they also incorporated RV-like slideouts.

A real tiny home!

In the evening, we got together with family and had a great meal, exchanged gifts -- a new idea this year -- stuffed Christmas socks. We then played some games, and enjoyed visiting with Tony's family and my folks.

Eventually, it was time to clean up and head our separate ways. It was great to see everyone!

Sunday, December 23rd, 2018

Today we worked on some projects around the rig, laundry of our bigger washable items (comforter, etc.), ran some more errands, researched some more trucks, and then Tony cooked on the grill. He attempted to cook a Prime Rib Roast! It turned out pretty good, but not quite as "rare" as we would have liked. 

Tony's first Prime Rib roast

Monday, December 24th, 2018

This morning, we planned to get going fairly early. We had contacted a dealer in Stephenville about a truck we wanted to see, so we headed out, planning to meet up with them before they closed for the Christmas holiday.

Heading out!

 Stephenville is about 40 minutes out of the way, but sorta on our path to home.  We arrived at the dealer about 1:00pm. We had specifically asked about the hitch that was in the bed of the truck, and were told it was a B&W. However, when we arrived, it was a Curt, which is not compatible with our current B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch. We went ahead and test -drove it, and looked it over well. They said they could get the hitch changed out for us. We said we'd think about it. But after driving away, we talked about it on the way home, and decided it was probably not the truck for us, for a variety of reasons.

They brought the truck to us! We had to park in their overflow lot, about a block from the dealership. 

We made it back home to our home park in the late afternoon, and we set up for a short week. We depart again on December 28th!

A Trip for Winning and Friends

Friday, September 21, 2018

Well, I am waaaaayyy behind on the blog. I will try to catch up, since it's now mid-January 2019!

In September, Tony had a "bye-week" with no football game, so we planned a trip to Fun Town RV Park at Winstar,  which is located next to the Winstar Casino in Thackerville, OK.

The trip was going to be a rainy one, but we really wanted to get away! Also, our good Heartland friends, Jay and Stella, were making their way across the country to head to the Oklahoma Rally in the next week or so, so we coordinated to meet up with them, as well.

We left on Friday after school was out, and headed out. It rained some along the way, but not too badly. We arrived at the RV park about 7PM, and Jay & Stella were already there. The rain was starting to pick up, so we agreed to just meet up in the morning, so we could get set up and eat something quickly.

In the middle of the night, I noticed the bed was slightly wet when I returned from going to the restroom. I was worried the cat had left us a present, but it was only water. We discovered the water was dripping from the TV antenna controller, which was directly over my side of the bed. Apparently, we have a leak!

Saturday, September 22, 2018

We woke up and get dressed, then proceeded to meet up with Jay and Stella to head over to the Casino for breakfast. They had a good choice of food for "brunch" and we had a good visit. After that, we all went our own ways to gamble and such for a while, and agreed to meet up again later.

I won a little money playing the slots pretty quickly, so I became pretty conservative after that. We had a good time just seeing what was what around this huge casino. You can walk for miles and see lots of different things. After a while, we headed back to the RV and relaxed a while. The rain continued, so we stayed inside.

In the evening, we met up again with Jay and Stella, and drove in the rain, to go eat in Gainesville at the Rib Crib. We had a good meal, and visited a lot about various topics. After dinner we headed over to Wal Mart for a few things, then back to the RV park, where we said our good byes.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Today, we were slow to get up and get going, but we headed out just prior to lunch. We stopped at Bucees in Ft Worth, and had a quick lunch, then continued our way home with no issues. The rain had finally let up so that was good.

When we got back to our home park, our Progressive EMS would not allow power through, so we investigated further and found water had leaked into it, ruining it. Luckily, it is covered under a lifetime warranty, so I contacted Progressive on Monday, and a new one was shipped right away. We used our "backup" EMS from SurgeGuard (which doesn't have all the same features, but does protect against surges and reverse polarity) in the meantime. This has come in handy twice now.

Water in the LED display of the EMS.

Overall, a quick trip, but we had a good time seeing our Heartland friends and coming home with a little more in our pocket than what we started with!

Made in the Shade

Saturday, July 14th, 2018

After much back and forth with Heartland regarding the AC system and lack of cooling the ductwork produces, Heartland agreed to help us with a possible solution.

I did some research on the Heartland Owners Forum and elsewhere about how window -tinting could help reduce the heat transfer through the windows. I felt this might be a possible solution to the lack of efficient cooling. I had decided on a certain brand of tint, based on the success of others. So I contacted installers nearby to get quotes. I only got one quote response, but it was from the owner of Abilene Window Tinting, Chris Evenson, and Chris was great! He answered a variety of questions and concerns over the course of a week or so. He explained they have done RVs before, and that they had a facility to easily work on our rig. He also gave us 2 additional options that would increase the heat resistance.

After conversations with Heartland for almost a month, we both agreed the best option was to get the window tinting done.  After more research, Tony and I opted for the "upgrade" Chris recommended, to a better, ceramic-based film, that had better ratings.

Saturday morning we got up extra-early and took the cats to a location they could stay during the day. We then towed our rig to their shop on the south side of Abilene for a 9am appointment, and sure enough, he had a large bay for us to pull into.

Photo from their website.

The entire rig and truck fit inside, no problem! However, to open the slides fully, we had to pull the coach up a little father. We unhitched so we could use the truck to leave if we needed, and they could close the bay doors while they worked. The space was air-conditioned, so it was a great space for getting the job done, especially when the temps were already getting into the 100s regularly!

Chris and his wife Megan were there to take on the job, and they were very nice and detailed about everything. They helped us confirm the film choice and even let us add the tint to the front window, as well, with a lighter tint.

They hooked us up with electricity as well (120v plug) so our fridge and electric outlets could work during the process. We decided to hang out in the lounge area for a bit, just in case they had any questions or concerns.

When it was getting about lunchtime, we headed out to find some food and run a few errands. When we returned, they were about 2/3 finished, so we settled into the lounge again. (I had some work to do, but they also had a TV on, and free wifi!) Normally they aren't open on Saturdays, so we were the only customer and they could focus exclusively on us. They had estimated about 4pm for a completion time.

Here's the film we went with, XPEL PRIME XR BLACK 5, the bottom sample.

Here's some pics of the process, that they took:

We fit with room to spare!

43' RV fits! Seen from above.

Here's Chris getting started with the first window.

Tinted dining room windows.

Tinted living room windows.

More living room windows (brighter lights outside, so they don't look as dark.)

  

Getting ready to hitch up.

RV pulled-through the bay, ready to go.

Chris and Megan finished up around 3:30. They did a phenomenal job! We then put things back for travel, closed up the slides, paid, and hitched up. By 4:30 we were out the door! Luckily a little rain shower had cooled the temps outside. We then picked up the cats and headed home, set up and enjoyed the rain-cooled temps.

Over the next few weeks, we got to experience some pretty hot temps! We were worried the tint would be too dark, but it really isn't noticeable as darker except in the early morning and later evening, where it may seem a little darker than expected. During the sunny day, it's just like wearing sunglasses.

Here's a pic looking out the window. You can see Tony's maroon truck and an orange traffic cone, for color reference. (sorry the window is dirty on the outside!)

We have experienced some cooling change with the tint, especially in the 95-100 degree range. Before, the rig would start to get uncomfortably warm at these temps, now it really has to be over 102 before we notice.

We did add some exterior window shade screen to our living room window and dining room window... I bought this before the tinting... to aid in the 100+ temps, and that has helped as well. However, it will have to be removed each time we travel. This window screen is called Suntex 80/90. We went with "Stucco" color, which has a variegated texture with lighter tones the same color as our rig.

Overall, I think the window-tinting was worth the money. It's a passive solution that didn't add significant weight, doesn't cost anything to use, doesn't have to be stored when not in use, and doesn't require any modification to the rig to operate. It changed the view very little. I did notice it's a little darker inside when there's a cloudy day, but that is OK for us.

If I had more money to spend, I could see going up to their next tint product, XPEL PRIME XR PLUS, which supposedly reduces the heat transfer even more.

I highly recommend Abilene Window Tint, if you're interested in this option! Give them a call or email, and Chris will take good care of you!

Going back in time....

July 1, 2018

I failed to put this on the blog eariler! Today we decided to entirely remove all four shocks, based on a recommendation from MorRyde. Since Tony had such issues with the suspension (see A trip to the Factory), we discussed with MorRyde again why we were having problems. They seem to think it's the shocks inhibiting the travel of the suspension, so we removed them. Two were shot, and two were OK, but the bushings were badly damaged. Hope this works!

Wednesday, July 4th, 2018

We decided to help our coach with a little bit more stability, adding a BAL 30" Telescopic Stabilizer Jack to the rear of the coach. This is very well made stabilizer, much more heavy duty than the Lippert stabilizer we had on our previous coach.

So since I had July 4th off, Tony and I worked to install them.

Here's the jack system, prior to install. They are manually raised and lowered.  They are "telescopic" to fit a variety of trailer widths. To install, you simply position, cut the coroplast to expose the frame, drill holes and screw through the frame, then add screws that secure the cross-bracing's overlap in place.

The jacks did not come with these rounded feet, we had to buy them separately and add them, also made by BAL.

Tony drilling holes into the frame.

As with nearly every RV project, we found that the job wasn't as easy as it seemed.  After drilling into the frame with the recommended bit size, the first screw didn't want to go in easily, and took a long time. The second one ended up at a slight angle, and got stuck -- which then caused it to break the head off the screw. When trying to remove the first screw, it too snapped off. So we had to make a trip to the hardware store, for something to drill out the broken screws, make the holes bigger, and add new bolts with locking nuts. When Tony returned, he managed to drill out the old screws, and get that side secured properly. But the other side, he had to drill into the frame again, and by then, we had used up all the battery power on the heavy duty drill, so we couldn't complete the install. Tony ended up finishing the job the next morning.

I think they help!

Texas Heart, German Soul

Friday, July 6th, 2018

A few weeks ago, we decided to take advantage of one of the last free weekends Tony had before band camp starts, and go see an area of Texas we've never been to. One fairly close to us, but never convenient before, when we lived east of Dallas. 

We booked reservations at The Vinyards of Fredricksburg RV Park, formerly known as Quiet Creek. We had the rig ready to go the night before, and Tony finished up the last minute things prior to me getting home. We decided to eat before we left, so he had dinner ready when I walked in. I left work at 5 and we were on the road by 5:45!

We stopped in Brownwood for a quick rest stop, and then continued on. Showers were predicted all along our travel route, but we managed to dodge them. They seemed to be moving east to west and quicker than we were moving North to South. We drove through a few areas that had lots of rain recently, and that made the temperatures much more bearable. 

Brief stop

Storms nearby

Storm ahead!

We drove through some brief showers, but nothing too bad. The terrain was hilly, and interesting to look at. Not a lot of civilization along the route from Brady to Mason to Fredericksburg along Hwy 87, but we did see deer along the highway! at least 4 different places I saw a deer. Luckily they were busy eating, not deciding to run!

We arrived at the RV park about 8:45, and found our site fairly easily. As we were setting up, it began to rain lightly, so we did the best we could and went inside.

Our site 71

After we had the inside set up, we collapsed and surfed our phones, because we knew we'd be heading to bed soon. We collaborated on plans for the next too days, and then hit the hay!

Saturday, July 7th, 2018

Today, we got up and had breakfast, and then after getting a little bit of a late start, decided to do some driving around town. We explored (in the truck) down Main Street, where the historic district is located. Then we decided to find Opa's Smoked Meats, as we really liked their sausage and it had been recommended to eat there in their deli.  

We found Opa's and went inside. We were surprised that it really was more like a deli counter, not a restaurant, but you could order sandwiches and such, so we did and took it to eat in the truck. It was good food! Just not what we were expecting.

After Opa's we decided to find some parking and walk up and down Main Street for a while. I took my umbrella, because a little storm was threatening... I am glad, we had to park a block away, and it started raining on us!

We ducked into a store and shopped a bit while the little shower dumped for about 10 minutes. The really good thing is that the cloudcover really helped keep the temperatures down until later in the afternoon, perfect for walking around outside!

Rain helped cool things off!

We stopped in numerous shops and wineries, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over this and that. We didn't sample any wines, but we did sample some salsas and other dips and sauces at Rustlin' Robs Texas Gourmet Foods! We found quite a few we would like if we were not watching our carbs and sugars! We also enjoyed looking in the Amish Furniture & Market,  and Der Kuchen Laden, in a former hospital building, full of everything related to the kitchen; small, cozy rooms packed floor to ceiling with everything from cookie cutters to small appliances. We even saw some Polish pottery, that my Mom would love!

Polish pottery, my mom's favorite

About 2:45pm, we were getting tired, the crowds were getting too much, and the heat and humidity was rising, so we headed back to the rig for a bit. 

From the office, you can see the many sites here, and the vineyard they are starting!

After taking it easy for a little while, we opted to hit the road up to Llano, Tx to go to Cooper's BBQ. They are ranked one of the top in the State, and our favorite! So we headed up TX16 to get some. It was a beautiful Hill Country drive.

We were hoping they had some of their delicious Prime Rib, but they didn't. So we opted for the Ribeye, instead. WOW! It was great! We decided to pick up some of their meat rub, so maybe we can bring some of Cooper's home with us.

Tony's ribeye

We had a great meal, then headed back to Fredericksburg. We ended up going to WalMart for something, and doing a little more exploring, before heading home again, where we collapsed. A fun day, but still lots that we can see and do here!

Sunday, July 8th, 2018

Today we had grand plans to go and see some more things around town, but we were too slow getting started and check out was 11am here, so we ended up taking our time getting ready to go and pulled out about 11:15.

We headed down the road, and enjoyed the easy drive. We planned to stop somewhere in Brady for lunch, but could not find a good place to stop with the rig. 

Instead, we stopped in Brownwood for a quick meal at the Taco Laredo, and pulled in at our home RV Park about 2:30pm.

We really enjoyed Fredericksburg, and have already planned another trip over Labor Day!

Trip to the Factory

Friday,  June 1st, 2018

I should have blogged this at it happened, but we were quite busy during this time, so this may be a little more concise posting of the events.

Last year when we were at the North American Heartland Owners Rally in Goshen, Indiana, we had Jim Fenner, Director of Service at Heartland, look a concern we had. Our front overhang was showing signs of movement at the wall juncture, so we wanted to have Heartland look at it and tell us if it was anything to e concerned about. Jim had his team come by with test equipment, and decided that yes, we need to bring it to the factory for assessment.

Since we 've been through this before with our previous rig, we were not concerned. We knew that Heartland would take good care of us. We decided wed make an appointment for next summer, since it's next to impossible for Tony to take 10 days off when school is going on.

Last fall, we made the appointment for June 4th, 2018.

Since I have started working full-time for a company in Cisco, that meant I could not go with Tony to Indiana. So, that also meant that I needed some kind of accommodations while our "home" was gone to Indiana. Recently, Tony's sister and her boyfriend decided to buy a used BigHorn. They offered to let us borrow it while Tony was on the road.

They brought the BigHorn up over Memorial Day weekend, and we spent the following week moving items over from our rig to theirs to lessen the load and clear out items for Heartland to do their work.

pic here

So, on May 30,  we both moved into the Bighorn temporarily so we could finalize the prep of the Big Country and make for a quick departure (all hitched up and slides in the day before) on Friday, June 1.

Friday,  June 1, Tony headed out to Big Cabin, Oklahoma.

pic here

He had no issues and made it to Cabin Diesel Services and RV Park, mid-afternoon. It was the first time staying at this park, and Tony said it was a no-frills park,  good location for a quick overnight stay.

pic here

Saturday, June 2nd

Today, Tony headed to Terre Haute, Indiana. He again had a nice, uneventful drive. Along the way he stopped in Effingham and got the rig washed at the Blue Beacon, just so she'd look a little better.  He stayed at the Terre Haute KOA. Overnight, it rained, and knocked a bunch of tree pollen onto the roof and slideouts, so he had to get on top of the rig and brush them off before pulling in the slides.

pic here

Sunday, June 3rd

He pulled in to Elkhart and went over to the Heartland Service Center, where he set up the rig and began unloading some things. Then he went to the Hotel and got checked in. He went back and gathered the rest of the items, so the rig was ready to go into the shop BRIGHT AND EARLY AT 6AM MONDAY.

Turns out, Terry and Carol H, also from Texas, were also here at the Service Center, finishing up their repairs. So, Tony stopped by their rig Sunday night, and they invited Tony to meet for breakfast Monday after dropping off the rig.

Monday, June 4th

Today, Tony got up early and headed over to the Heartland Service Center. He met with Heartland, and began the walkthrough process. They discussed all the items on our "list" and some things we wanted to see if they would do as well. Sadly, they are really busy and would not get to do anything that wasn't already scheduled to be done. Our "list" was really items that had been brought to Heartland's attention before our warranty was up, but had not been properly addressed or fixed since then. None of these were earth-shattering, they were just annoyances mostly, or items we could wait to have fixed right at the factory. They included a cracked fitting on our water tank, paint overspray on the front cap, a raised section on the roof underlayment, the AC ducting not distributing cool air very well, the Level-Up legs making some popping sounds and seemingly not holding level over time. And, of course, the flexing that was the main reason to bring the rig to the factory.

pics here.

After he was done checking in, he and Terry and Carol headed over to eat at the Golden Egg Pancake house. It was great food and great to visit with some long-time Heartland friends.

Tony said Heartland would get back to him after they took things apart and could have Lippert, the frame manufacturer, come and look at it. He didn't hear anything, so that evening he went by and checked on the rig. It was after hours, but he could see her in the bay with the front cap loosened and the front bulkhead removed.

pics here.

Tuesday, June 5th

Tuesday, the day was rainy and Tony hung around waiting to hear from Heartland. After a while, he went over to the Service Center and found that Lippert had done some corrective measures of adding some additional gussets to the frame where the pin box is located, and two additional large gussets near the landing gear.

After visiting with Heartland, he decided to go to Shipshewana and go eat at the Blue Gate restaurant, an Amish run restaurant. He had a great meal of fried chicken, and then enjoyed shopping a bit. He also visited Rise N' Roll in Middlebury, the famous donut shop that sells "Amish Crack", their Cinnamon Carmel Donuts. He managed to not buy anything!

pics here

 He also visited Heritage Ridge Creamery and bought some Salsa Jack cheese. We loved this cheese last year when we went on the Amish Countryside tour, pre-National Rally.

Wednesday, June 6th

Today, Tony decided to tour the National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart.  He really enjoyed seeing memorabilia from trains in this part of the country, a different perspective from others we've seen in the west.

pic here

After the train museum, he again went over to the Service Center to check on things. Terry went over the things that had been done, and what was left to be done. He also talked to some of the techs that were working on various items. One said that the AC was performing as it should, but he explained that it wasn't the AC, but the ductwork and plenum where the AC attaches to the ducts that we were concerned about, so they agreed to scope the ducts.

Regarding the LevelUp, Heartland followed the Lippert protocol to replace a quart of hydraulic fluid with fork oil, and then said it was working correctly.

The front end was being reassembled.

The rear cap was looked at, and determined no issues with it.

After visiting with Heartland, Tony decided to take a tour of another Manufacturer, Grand Design. They are a young, independent manufacturer making a name for themselves in the RV industry. He went on the factory tour, and was not surprised that much of the construction was basically the same. However, their plant was newer, and much cleaner than Heartland, and it appeared they took a little more time during the construction process.

For dinner, Tony ate at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, another Amish run restaurant. He liked the Blue Gate a bit better.

Thursday, June, 7th

Today Tony went over to Heartland to check on the progress of the rig. They were working to relocate the new fresh tank so that hopefully we won't have the connection to the fresh water line to the pump crack again. They also mentioned they had scoped the ducts and fould nothing irregular. They added a "diverter" in one of the vents to help more air into the kitchen area.

They also fixed a window treatment that appeared to be crooked, stating that the cabinetry above it was overloaded and causing the problem. They resecured it.

They also repaired a small bubble in the wallpaper, where a Command Hook had pulled the paper away from the wall.

It appeared everything was moving forward, and he was assured that the rig would be ready to go in the morning.

Tony then headed to Bontragers , a large RV Surplus store in White Pigeon, Michigan, just over the state border from Elkhart. He looked around, but didn't find anything he couldn't live without.

After that, he went to locate some cheap fuel, and found it at the BP across from the Walmart on the west side of town.

He ate at Cracker Barrel, next to the hotel for dinner, and began getting ready to head back tomorrow.

Friday, June 8th

Friday morning, Tony anxiously awaited a call to tell him the rig was ready to go. He got the call from Heartland just before 10am, and headed over with the truck loaded with stuff. He had most of it in the cab, since rain was predicted that morning. 

When he arrived, he had to wait on Terry Hayes to do a walkthrough of all the things "official list" of repairs. However, there was caulking that wasn't completely finished. Tony had to wait for them to finish up, then they pulled it out of the bay and into one of their on-site RV sites. He proceeded to load the rig as quickly as possible, as storms were quickly approaching. 

While getting the rig hitched and ready to go, he discovered that in the front compartment, (where the work had been done), the lights were not working, and the rear camera did not work, either. He found a fuse sitting on top of the battery boxes. So, back to the Service Center he went, and asked them to evaluate it. They couldn't figure it out, so they asked Tony to pull it into the service bay. After a few techs were looking at it, they finally asked Tony to go wait in the lounge. He waited a few hours, with no word, and finally checked in and found they had fixed the issue, and went to lunch, failing to tell Tony it was ready! He finally pulled out about 1:30pm.

Tony stopped again at Terre Haute KOA for the night, and noticed the caulking was separating again where the wall meets the molding on the overhang. We're hoping its because it was not cured properly before departure.

Saturday, June 9th

This day, Tony headed back to Cabin, RV Park.  The rear view camera was cutting in and out due to a plug issue, and he drove in a heavy shower around St Louis, but had a fairly uneventful drive.

Sunday, June 10th

Today, I was excited that Tony was going to be home! However, I got a call about  10:30am, when Tony called to say he had an issue. Tony noticed that in a construction zone where the lanes narrow, the trailer seemed to be tracking oddly and he could see more of the side than normal. Since he was on the Will Rodgers Turnpike, he had to wait for a travel plaza to pull off and investigate. 

He discovered that the passenger side rear spring hanger bolt was missing, along with the 8 sided CorrectTrack cams. Luckily, we had an old bolt from a previous upgrade, and he was able to resecure the spring to the hangar, without too much issue, since he knew exactly what to do and how to do it. It took about an hour to complete the fix, and then eat lunch.

He headed down the road again, stopping periodically to check everything. He stopped in Ardmore, OK to get fuel about 3:30, and everything still looked OK, but we decided rather than travel all the way back home in the late afternoon/evening, we thought it would be best to go ahead and stop in Thackerville for the night. 

Tony arrived in Thackerville to stay at the WinStar Casino RV Park. unfortunately, he could only get a back in site. As he finished backing in, he heard a "clunk". He went to find out what was happening and discovered the driver's side rear spring hangar bolt had failed, and half the bolt, plus one CorrectTrack Cam, was laying on the ground! The other half and Cam were gone! So, fortunately, the backing may have actually brought the issue to light! 

However, he no longer had a spare part to use. He called me to explain the situation, and I worked to locate replacement parts. Being Sunday, we decided our only option was to order a full CorrectTrack kit, which would have the bolts and Cams necessary to complete the repairs properly to both sides of the rig. Thanks to Amazon, we could order and it would arrive on Tuesday at the RV Park, so that's what we did.

Tony stayed and did some relaxing, played a little and waited on parts until Tuesday afternoon.

Monday, June 13th

While Tony was waiting for parts, he spent some more time investigating the repair work done at Heartland. When he unhitched the truck, he discovered the caulking gap was now closed up, and wrinkling the graphics! This may mean there is still some flex going on there! He also discovered the  lap sealant on the roof was poorly applied, along with the caulk cleanup in various areas of the repair. We are both assuming someone at Heartland dropped the ball here, ut we'll look more closely and address it when Tony gets home.

Tuesday, June 12th

Finally, the parts arrived and he got to work. It arrived about 5:30pm. He was ready to go by 7:15pm, and decided to head back to home. We were both ready for this trip to be over! 

About 8:20pm, he stopped in at Bucee's in north Ft. Worth near the Texas Motor Speedway, and checked everything, then continued on, arriving about 10:30pm when he arrived back home. We got the rig set up and my stuff moved over. Whew! What an adventure.