Head West not so young Man

[caver]

Leaving Moab, 128 is a very scenic route that follows the river. The route you have is bleak desert (and I like the desert) just after you leave Moab and doesn't get scenic at all until After the Colorado border. If you are not comfortable driving in your coach then at least drive it to Dewey bridge and back. Or take a scenic loop up through the LaSals.

 

[daugen]

What is your set for Traveling Tunes??

mix of country, folk, and of course, for the trip through Utah, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
And some louder modern stuff for the long road through the plains. I also have my old standby's of sixties and seventies stuff.
Nothing like cranking up the Beatles or the Stones to wake one up.
I never liked my music overly loud and unfortunately the speakers in the motorhome are bargain basement. Couple of 6x9's up front, might be easy to replace; I'm sure the head unit has much more capability than the speakers. But for background music, they are fine.

I just took a shower and shaved and I have, as they use to say, one foot on a banana peel and the other foot in dreamland.

 

[murphy1244]

mix of country, folk, and of course, for the trip through Utah, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
And some louder modern stuff for the long road through the plains. I also have my old standby's of sixties and seventies stuff.
Nothing like cranking up the Beatles or the Stones to wake one up.
I never liked my music overly loud and unfortunately the speakers in the motorhome are bargain basement. Couple of 6x9's up front, might be easy to replace; I'm sure the head unit has much more capability than the speakers. But for background music, they are fine.


I just took a shower and shaved and I have, as they use to say, one foot on a banana peel and the other foot in dreamland.

Good Luck and have a save adventurous drive.

 

[terryknight]

have fun, good luck, and safe travels. it will be unforgettable. and we'll be waiting for pics

 

[daugen]

thanks Terry and others.
the drive out the PA turnpike was atrocious, bumpy, much down to one lane in construction, just a miserable unattractive drive, that I have done many times before. Once I turned South on Rt 15 at the Gettysburg exit it slowed down, again in construction. Finally that stopped and I had a short but nice drive into Gettysburg and through the center of the town.

The one pic I would like to have gotten was impossible, no place to pull over, but I think I passed the actual battlefield, as there were numerous stone statues, generals on horses overlooking the battlefield down the hill, all staged, and very cool. I'm sure I'll find a post card with that picture on it.

Hard to rubberneck driving something 48 feet long, always keeping an eye on clearances and for sure turns. But I made it fine, though just a hard drive. And I think as I get further South and the roads aren't so hazardous to drive, the fun will come back to driving. This was just "getting there". Which is ok.
Once I saw those stone soldiers I knew I had left suburbia behind. Thank goodness.

I left with all the lights and beepers happily silent on the automatic leveling system. Silent as in in a deep coma it seems...now I push autolevel and it just blinks happily and absolutely nothing happens.
I believe I timed out before it did... sigh. This was after opening the battery box, taking my half inch wrench out and disconnecting the three large cables coming into a master positive terminal. Being seriously careful not to touch a ground with the wrench... Let it sit ten minutes, and same old same old.
Ok, there was one more battery down there with a separate lead coming to it. Maybe...it powers the controller for this unit. The controller that will not die...or at least reset. That will be tomorrow morning's project. I'm tired, my neck hurts, and gave it a good try and accomplished nothing, and I decided I'd rather go walk around and take pictures. Gorgeous 60 degree day, sunshine filtering through the trees.

One last thing...if the controller will not reset tomorrow, on Saturday I'll go to Walmart with my brother and get a cheap cordless drill and a set of jacks. This show will go on. Most of these sites are going to be fairly level but one never knows. So I have a fallback, and I will stay positive.

ok, since they were asked for here are some pics. I'm not setting up much here. Supposed to be 32 here tomorrow morning. I brought a good quality electric heater from home and might set that on low overnight to keep the rv heat from roaring on and off. I can run the propane furnace and it's nice and quiet. Just might do that; they sell propane here. Not very big 18 gallon tank. Of course running the overhead heat pump is free...

so these pics are just the campground, more tomorrow when I go for a long walk. need the exercise...
or maybe later.

 

[aczlan]

Just a thought (and I don't remember, you may already be doing this with the car's taillights), I made up a Y connector a while back and use it when towing a vehicle on a tow dolly so that I could use the dolly lights AND a set of magnetic lights on the towed vehicle. Just to get a little more light at the back of the towed vehicle and give people one less excuse to not hit me.
I took something like this: Amazon.com: Wesbar 4-Way Flat Extension Harness, 2-Feet: Automotive and spliced in the vehicle side connector from a set of lights like this one: Amazon.com: Led Magnetic Trailer Light Kit, Professional Tow Brake Lights , Universal Back up Tow Lights: Everything Else so that it plugs into the tow vehicle and lets me connect both the dolly and the magnetic lights.

Aaron Z

 

[terryknight]

One last thing...if the controller will not reset tomorrow, on Saturday I'll go to Walmart with my brother and get a cheap cordless drill and a set of jacks. This show will go on. Most of these sites are going to be fairly level but one never knows. So I have a fallback, and I will stay positive.

that PA turnpike can be a PITA

why not get some 2x10 or 2x12s cut 12-18 long and make your own drive on levelers if the system fails. then you're not drilling into your camper

 

[daugen]

well, well, well, guess what I have in the rear compartment? four two by twelves about thirty inches long.
for the jackstands to go on. I could sure use those...at least temporarily. great idea. The drill was to power the manual jack, not drill into the rv. Well, if no joy tomorrow, I'll just pull forward a foot or two and at least gain an inch and a half.
:dance1:

 

[daugen]

Just a thought (and I don't remember, you may already be doing this with the

after I hooked up the Golf I stood behind the rig and the rear lights of the motorhome were just above and to the side of the car. Perfect visibility from the back, since the car is so low to the ground. I guess I could get stopped...I know, I have a string of Coleman lantern lights where the lights are little lanterns.
Think that would work if I lit them up back there? Now that would get me pulled over...

put my little cloissone US flag on the rear of the motorhome because the sun was shining on it and it was heated up nicely. I'll go back there tomorrow and see if I find it on the ground. It's pretty small, only about three inches long, but the color goes nicely with the red tailight below...

there must be a verizon tower near here, all bars and the wifi sure gets to the back of the property, no dial up this. Pretty fast.

 

[MacLawn]

Great, daug! Ye're on the road!! Your rig look nice, you should be good to go. I use boards to put wheels of my trailer on in most campsites. That's usually all I need.

Looking forward to more pics. Go slowly, that's the ticket. Sip ye joe, walk, eeehhh, leave if ye want to, or not. My pace...

 

[aczlan]

after I hooked up the Golf I stood behind the rig and the rear lights of the motorhome were just above and to the side of the car. Perfect visibility from the back, since the car is so low to the ground. I guess I could get stopped...I know, I have a string of Coleman lantern lights where the lights are little lanterns.
Think that would work if I lit them up back there? Now that would get me pulled over...

Should be good to go then...

Aaron Z

 

[wngsprd]

Nice looking set up and handsome river. Looks like you beat the crowds to the campground.

 

[dave1949]

Every journey begins with a single pothole .. isn't that the old saying? :laughing:

Good to see you on your way to a great adventure.

 

[caver]

Which model of Itasca Sunstar is that? I would also suggest the boards for driving the camper up onto. Most RV stabilizer jacks are not rated for lifting just "stabilizing".
If you haven't, join and post your jack problem on RVnet under tech issues.
Chances are someone has had that problem on an Itasca before.

 

[Alan L.]

I am very jealous. Already mentioned before, but unless there is something there in North Dakota I'd go through South Dakota and pick up the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore) and then Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Looks like you will be entering Yellowstone from the north via Red Lodge. That there is the most strikingly scenic drive I have ever been on, have done it once from each direction. Wow.

This is going to be an awesome trip. Take your time and take it in.

I hope you loaded up on gasoline back in the 70s.

 

[daugen]

thanks guys. Yeah, 150 big ones in the tank yesterday at a gas station here, chain I didn't recognize the name of but easy in and out. Pretty much filled the tank.

It is very quiet here, a few different bird sounds I don't recognize, but just a nice place, like a classy restaurant at 5pm before the crowds come. i'm going to work on the motorhome levelers today, go for a long walk, and maybe wax the rigs wheels, which did not like sitting in two feet of snow this winter at the dealers. That rust free stainless steel that rusts? I have some good metal polish with me and that will all get fixed up today.

well, I disconnected both banks of batteries, and zip, no change. Now I have to call Winnebago and find out where the fuse is for this thing, as now it's beeping constantly. Grrr. I'll put a board under one tire and I'll be fine.

my BIL is passing through later today and will stop by. Apparently he is rebuilding a Model A in a garage here in Gettysburg, so while he lives in Aldie VA, he spends a lot of time here. We will head to the ABC brewpub tonight for a light dinner. He will drive me around a bit since I didn't unhook the car, and I"ll get some more pics later hopefully.

I am definitely spending time in South Dakota, but decided not to go to Yellowstone, just too far. And remember those bison running? they still may be on to something...

The Itasca is a 27N, 28 overall. 18K gvw.

took my coffee cup out of the cabinet and boy was it cold. Not a lot of insulation in these things compared to one's home...Of course in a month I'll be sweating and be glad to dive into the a/c...

 

[buckeyefarmer]

When you go down 15 into MD, honk at me as you go thru thurmont. I live a little east of there.

Just below thurmont is Beckley RV center. Could stop and ask about ur levelers. Good RV place.

Good luck on your trip.

 

[MacLawn]

daug, I forgot, but did ye say ye have a hound, cyat, or crit traveling with ye?

 

[sodamo]

You're on your way and off to a great start. Enjoy, Drew

David Sent from my iPad Air using TractorByNet

 

[daugen]

no dog, just me.
what a day, determined to get the levelers fixed, and didn't. Another two hours on the phone, and Winnebago simply does not know where the controller board was mounted...and I am not blind.
So I gave up and called Winnebago roadside service. The lady tech immediately said, oh Lippert levelers, pull the plug out from the panel. I told her it felt pretty firm. She said pull it. I reached behind the panel and with a little tug, out came the connector,and the beeper has died. For good if I have anything to say about it.
what a relief. And I drove the front right tire up on one my boards and voila,nicely leveled.
All I can say is that if that road service tech knew exactly how to shut up the beeper, this has surely happened to others. Maybe if I get out early tomorrow I'll stop at the dealership Buckeye, and I sure will wave. thanks.

Going to get a nice salad with dinner out tonight, that's the one thing I'm not stocked well on.
Maybe if I didn't have so much beer in the fridge I'd have room...and I hardly drink beer. Mostly iced tea.
But I will a fine choice for guests.

Oh, yesterday's traveling music included Carole King Tapestry, Pharell Williams Girl and Dierks Bentley.
Tomorrow I will leave listening to something a little different, a little Bob Marley to boogey down Rt 15.
and maybe Jennifer Nettles. Most of this is new to me, just took a flyer on what was highly rated.

I had to chuckle. My older brother was adamant I would have no problem turning around at his farm,where I head next in Delaplane VA. When he saw the pic of the 48 foot combo, well, now he is seriously not so sure...no problem. I'll just disconnect the trailer, turn the rv around, and reconnect.
But he was nervous enough he wanted me to park at a nearby church and his wife will come get me and we'll scope it out before I get down the proverbial lane I can't get out of. I'm not concerned. the dolley moves pretty easily.

how cute, funny noise went by. Little kid on a little electric John Deere tractor with his mother chasing him.
not much of a tractor report....

got the rig cleaned up, the wheels shined up, and I'm ready to roll tomorrow.
Hope to get some good pics of the area late this afternoon.

Onward to more important things....for sure.