Sore Muscles

Today was a traveling day and frankly it was needed. Both Chris and I probably over did it the last couple of days trying in vain to reduce our belongings and continue to get the house ready to sell. Fortunately, the gang from work (hey RiverCom!) and some other shoppers jumped on some outstanding deals on our furniture. The library was on the receiving end of 6 or more large boxes of paperback books and Goodwill can easily clothe a number of people - provided they weren't adverse to some out of fashion styles (hey, bell bottoms were cool!). We aren't finished but the end is in sight and when we return from the motorhome's appointment in Oregon we'll knock it out in no time.

Today's travels meant neither one of us lifted a bail or toted a barge. Our entire focus was putting miles behind us while avoiding interstates, traffic, and little green men. We did manage to avoid the little green men and our sojourn on the interstate was about 5 miles. The only traffic was the 3 cars held up at one construction site for all of 5 minutes. The scenery? Let these photos say it - It was a most excellent traveling day.

Unfortunately, with the traveling came the inevitable stiffing of the muscles; so much so there were times we wondered if we would be able to move. Anyone remember Tim Conway and the skit he would do as the little old man shuffling?  Yep, that was us. Sore arms, sore backs, sore feet and other sore muscles science hasn't even discovered yet. Doesn't matter though, today was a traveling day.






Tomorrow perhaps we'll go visit Mount St. Helens. Or not. We are currently at Paradise RV in Silver Creek and rumor has it the fishing is pretty darn good in the area. Maybe we'll do that. One thing is for sure, the sore muscles will get a rest.

The adventure begins

Today is a special day. It is a day filled with wonder, trepidation and excitement. Today is the day we begin traveling the country full time.  No time schedules and no set destinations, simply enjoying the journey and what we find.

Today our wait is over.

We bought our first motorhome, a 2008 Gulf Stream Vista Mini Cruiser, after decades of camping in tents, pop-ups and even rental cabins if you can call that camping. Initially we fully intended to continue going out only on weekends and occasionally to do the short trips, no more than a couple of weeks at a time. Everything changed after our first "season" actually "RV'ing".

During our first season we did break away every weekend we could and stretched our distance from home as far as travel time allowed and each time we seemed to always come up just a little short. What we found was there is a heck of a lot of U.S.A. in the U.S.A. and we wanted to see it more in-depth. Not just the drive-by tourist attractions for us but real get to know the area and the people.

Really great people, some of whom have already become friends. During our first season these new friends taught us how to slow down and in a few cases saved us from some pretty embarrassing situations (yes, a black tank was involved).

We've learned to go from 10ish; to Tuesday or thereabouts; June or July perhaps; and while sure there are times where we'll have to be some place at a given date and time there will always be time to simply go fishing.

Last year we found our intended lifestyle was simply too large to fit into our little motorhome so we upgraded to a Class-A. Our requirements were large enough to hold the things we needed while remaining small enough to get into some of the national parks we so love. What we found was the Fleetwood Excursion 33D and it is just perfect for the two of us. Combining the right amount of space within a comfortable layout and some very nice amenities, this diesel pusher is a joy both on the road and in a camp.

This journal chronicles our travels, challenges and those little tidbits learned along the way. Come join us.

Brake the Toad

No, I'm not torturing some wayward frog like a sick video game but rather, identifying and installing a supplemental and emergency braking system in the vehicle we tow - in our case a 2014 manual shift Jeep Patriot. I'm specifying the year, make, model and transmission because when choosing the towed vehicle, these things are very important and something needed when making the decision of what to buy.

Not all braking systems are created equal and in some cases they will just not work with the vehicle chosen even after you've confirmed the vehicle is capable of towing 4 down (all four tires on pavement instead of a trailer or dolly arrangement). In our case, the one model of the Patriot that is capable of being towed has a steering wheel shaft and numerous brake and fuel lines running along the firewall preventing a through-the-firewall installation of some of the pully systems in use today. Why this vehicle then? At the time it was the only vehicle we found capable that was within our allowances - both monetary AND weight. Of course being the mechanical genius that I am, I didn't find this out until AFTER I had purchased the ReadyBrute Elite system from NSA. Fortunately, the folks were  understanding and are probably used to working with such high functioning idiots such as myself. They quickly refunded my money and one technician even gave me a few recommendations for alternative methods.

The first alternative was the obvious Blue Ox Patriot system. We had a Blue Ox base-plate and tow bar, our Jeep is a Patriot so hey, a no brainer right? Having learned from my first mistake and with expert prompting from my wife I found I could actually get the operators manual right online; simply amazing!  After cutting a template (actually several) I found the Blue Ox model just didn't fit right on the floor board without some modifications. I believe I have already mentioned my prowess in the mechanic arena? Wasn't gonna happen.

Now that I was armed with the wonderful knowledge available at my fingertips via the internet I began shopping in earnest for the right braking system for our vehicle and for us. Critical factors such as ease of use both in setup and take down; how much time (really not that critical but somewhat important when in a line at a park check-in); and of course operability. A braking system that doesn't work well is just as bad or worse than a non-functioning one.

Earlier I touched on budget and here it is: these things don't come cheap! A good baseplate, towbar and braking system will can run between $1500 and $3000 for parts, then there is labor which can come in at around 4 hours - call it an additional $400.

We decided to go with the RVibrake2 system which retails for around $1150. The company has an excellent reputation and the air actuated system has a very low profile so its a snap to setup. No labor as even I could understand the installation instructions and it took me less than an hour to install the emergency brake-away device that comes with the system. The remote monitor which we put on the motorhome's dash easily picks up the system's status and I'm sure it could just as easily receive the optional 4 sensor TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). The remote's brake test function not only checks the brakes but ensures our tow arms are fully extended and locked in position. RVibrake has several videos on their web site so if you are interested, take a look.

I didn't intend to be so long winded with this blog entry but I can't stress enough how important it is to have an emergency braking system on your towed vehicle. Not having one is against the law in most states and a tragic scenario of more than a ton of metal flying loose at highway speeds is something to avoid at any cost.  Expensive system? Cheap at any price when compared to what can happen.

Getting off the soap box, and back on the road.