Free Check Up

We're big fans of preventative maintenance. We try our best to stay on top of every this, that and the other thing that could sideline ourselves, our cats, Rocky and Bullwinkle. We've learned that this approach might cost a bit more in the short term. But, in the long run, we definitely come out ahead.

While plotting our route on the Great 2012 Moose Spring Maintenance Tour, we realized we would pass near the home of HWH, the manufacturers of Bullwinkle's slide mechanisms and leveling jacks. Although these vital systems haven't given us a bit of trouble, we decided to make a stop and scheduled an appointment to get things checked out.

We pulled into Moscow, Iowa, yesterday afternoon and checked in with the good people of HWH. They invited us to fill our fresh water tank and plug into to one of their half dozen or so electrical hookups. No charge, of course. We happily obliged.

At the bright and way-too-early hour of 7:00 a.m., we pulled the moose into a service bay. We were assured that the HWH crew would give our systems a thorough check. No charge, of course.

Say what?????

The warranty on these parts has long since expired. Yet, the manufacturer happily offers to give everything a thorough once over without it costing us a cent?

Is this Heaven?

No, it's Iowa. And, in Moscow, HWH is happy to offer you a free check up! And, that's after a free night of camping!

While HWH was checking our moose, we made a trek 10 miles or so north to enjoy a wonderful breakfast in the quaint town of Tipton. When we returned, our moose was ready to roll.

The "bad" news, they found a bad spring or two in our velocity valve.

Ooooh! Doesn't that sound awful?

The "good" news was it a simple fix. A few new springs and a half-hour of labor added up to a whopping 48 bucks.

(When was the last time anyone left a service appointment for just $48?)

The "better" news was we greatly reduced the likelihood of being parked somewhere, ready to leave for somewhere better, hitting our "jacks up" button and having nothing happen.

Actually, that's "much better" news.

Who knew that some of the best (and cheapest) preventative maintenance we could find would be in Moscow, Iowa?

We're so very glad we stopped.

Adjusting The Sails

The pessimist complains about the wind;

We hate the wind. We always have.

Maybe we've been over-exposed. Growing up on the Kansas plains and spending a good chunk of our adult lives in the windward hills of the Bay Area, we've had more than our fair share of wicked winds. Of course, exploring the country in a rolling billboard for nearly three years has put us up close and personal with this force of Mother Nature.

Thankfully, we've never suffered any serious ill effects from the wind. (And, we hope we never do.) But, after years of heading to the basement at the sound of a tornado siren, resetting tossed patio furniture, retrieving our trash cans from halfway down the block and wrestling a spent slide topper back into place, our tempest tolerance is marginal at best.

The optimist expects it to change;

In our life as nomads, we've developed a healthy respect for this thing we hate. Early on, we vowed never to travel during a Wind Advisory. After all, we don't have to be anywhere at a specific time, really. So, why fight it?

In the last three years we've pushed back a handful of travel days to wait for the wind to change. And, sooner or later it has done just that.

Here on the Spring 2012 Moose Maintenance Tour, we do have a couple of upcoming appointments. Next on the calendar is a date with HWH, the makers of Bullwinkle's leveling jacks and slide out systems. Nothing's wrong with these vital functions, but we thought it would be a good idea to have them checked out while we're passing through. So, we need to be in southeast Iowa Wednesday night for our Thursday morning check up. After that, we're due in the farth northern reaches of the state on Sunday night for our Monday morning appointment at Winnebago.

Traveling from the South to the Upper Midwest in early Spring can be a dicey proposition. So, we allowed plenty of time to make the trek. After enjoying two weeks of scenic views in North Carolina and Tennessee, we found ourselves in a dusty, gravely park in western Kentucky that gave us a front row seat to the Paducah Auto Auction. After two days of that we were definitely ready to roll!

But, Mother Nature wasn't cooperating. A much-anticipated storm system was sweeping across the nation's mid-section. The weather maps we'd been monitoring for days painted a red swath of severe weather across much of our route to Iowa. The first 100 or so miles were clear, so we opted to make our Saturday travel day a short one. After a quick fuel stop and a 75-mile run north, we were sitting in one of our favorite overnight campgrounds in Whittington, IL. This spacious, friendly and wooded park provided us a much more scenic setting to wait out the weather.

We monitored the powerful storm system as devastating and deadly tornadoes tore through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. We exchanged text messages into the wee hours with family in the path of the storm as they took cover in their basements. Thankfully, everyone made it through the dark and stormy night just fine.

With just a few hours of sleep, I was up before dawn yesterday. Before my first cup of coffee I was in full "weather geek" mode, critically examining everything from the convective outlook to the forecast models on weatherunderground.com. Severe storms were anticipated on our route into northeast Missouri. By evening, the storms were expected to take aim on our cozy campground in Whittington. To top things off, the entire region was blanketed in our most-hated alert: A Wind Advisory. Big bad winds were expected in these parts for this and the next two days.

The weather was, indeed, changing. But, not for the better. Suddenly, Iowa felt much farther than 400 miles away.

The realist adjusts the sails.

While it didn't look like we had many, I kept looking for an option for something to do besides waiting around for another sleepless night spent monitoring the weather.

The Wind Advisory warned of sustained southerly winds of 30 mph with gusts to 45. Our intended route was largely east to west, which would mean fighting a stiff crosswind into potentially severe storms. Not good.

But, what if we went with the wind and traveled north instead? A check of the forecast map made Champaign, IL a candidate for our destination for the day. The college town sits 165 miles up I-57 almost straight north of Whittington. The day's forecast in Champaign looked windy but otherwise clear. There was a chance of severe weather, but likely not until late in the evening after the system was expected to lose most of its punch. Whether we stayed or went, we had a good chance for some rough weather. But wouldn't we rather be 165 miles closer to our destination?

Paul was up with the sun and concurred with my plan. By 9:00, we set sail in the S.S. Bullwinkle on a new path. About an hour into our journey the winds began to blow as predicted, providing a welcome tailwind in which Paul navigated the moose with ease. We blew into Champaign about noon, and the wind was really winding up. The big bonus for the day was our fuel economy. As much as we hate the wind, we really appreciate the extra mile or two per gallon that came with Mother Nature literally pushing us up the road.

As we checked into the campground, we located the storm shelter we hoped we wouldn't have to use. Thankfully, we didn't have to. By the time the storms arrived here last night, they were well below severe limits. But, they were accompanied by that relentless southerly wind, which had us rocking and rolling through the night.

This morning, the storms have moved on to east, but the wind remains. Again, there is a Wind Advisory for much of Illinois. Today, the gale force is coming from the west. If we were still sitting where we started the day yesterday, we'd be staying put or wrestling with the wind all day. Instead, we're chilling out in a town we weren't planning to visit but look forward to. Thanks to adjusting the sails, we are now back on track to reach our next destination on time.

Here's hoping our Springtime journey through Iowa is far less dramatic!

Many thanks to the late William Arthur Ward for his words, which provided a structure for this post that began simply as one long rant. Many more thanks for my Delete key!