MCD Shades

At the risk of writing yet another boring post in a sea of universally boring blogs, I've found myself at a loss for words lately. (Such pressure!)

Our month in the DFW metroplex has been far from boring. The time has flown so quickly. We've had a wonderful time visiting with friends and family. We are already looking forward to returning as soon as we can. Before we head south for Kerrville tomorrow, I thought I'd report on our latest moose modification -- our MCD shades.

We've been living with our new shades for a month. We love 'em!

When we pulled in to MCD Innovations in McKinney, TX, last month, we were planning to replace the silly pleated shades on our five biggest windows. But, after meeting with Peggy on our first morning, we decided to go ahead and replace the shades on all nine "house windows", as MCD refers to them. And, we're glad we did. The moose would look a little mismatched had we gone with our original plan. But, now Bullwinkle is stylin'!

The entire process took about three days. We arrived on Sunday afternoon with a full fresh water tank and parked in our assigned spot with 50 amp electric. Measurements and estimates were done on Monday morning. We toured the factory on Monday afternoon. Our shades were manufactured on Tuesday and installed on Wednesday. We checked out on Thursday, which was a day or two earlier than we had planned. We were fortunate to have scheduled our appointment a couple of weeks before Christmas, which is rare slow week for installations.

We purchased the "American Duo" shades, which provide two shades for each window. The "day" shade is made of a vinyl mesh that reduces solar gain, increases privacy and provides a glare-free view of the outside world. The "night" shade is a textured vinyl that blocks out all the light, providing total privacy. Both shades roll easily, and raise with a gentle tug. Unlike the original shades they replaced, the new shades are easy to clean and free of those annoying strings.

On the factory tour, we were pleased to learn that 98% of the materials MCD uses are made in America. Their goal is to make that 100%! The MCD story is one of true American entrepreneurship: Two fulltime RVers identified a need in the market (Nobody likes those stupid pleated shades!), filled it and have seen significant growth and success as a result. (Yep. They built that!)

It was a real no-brainer to have MCD do the installation. These folks know their stuff. Our installation went smoothly. Our large dining area windows provided a bit of a challenge. The space between the valance and wall met the absolute minimum requirement, which made for a snug fit for our two longest shades. One of those shades doesn't retract as smoothly as it should. So, we may have to see what we can do to improve that. The one little detail that we wished would have been addressed was the holes that were left when the plastic string holders were removed from the bottom of each window. Filling those holes will be a "to-do" for us in Kerrville. But, it would have been nice to have that finishing touch addressed by MCD.

We opted not to have shades installed in the "cockpit". MCD makes a powered windshield shade that looks great, especially on the outside. But, we're not sure how things would look inside after our drapery track and two powered visors were removed. (Remember, those small holes bug us!) Plus, that installation requires some pretty extensive modifications to the windshield framing. Another concern is we're sure that two big shades might attract the attention of our two resident dashboard dwellers (with claws). Besides, we already have a big sunscreen for the windshield and driver's window. And, we actually like our existing windshield drapes. They add a welcome softness in an area that is dominated by hard surfaces, and let in enough light to keep our moose from becoming a dark cave when the shades are drawn. We may change our minds someday. But, for now we'll save ourselves that major purchase.

One drawback of this home improvement is how easy it has made it to sleep in. With our three bedroom shades drawn, we are no longer awakened by the rising sun. As a result, at least one of us has been sleeping much later than usual.

(That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!)

Cummins Coach Care

We're nearly 500 miles south of Kansas City, and our personal economic stimulus program continues! On this most auspicious day (12-12-12) we have plunked down another serious wad of cash to have the window shades I've lusted after for years installed in our moose. The good folks at MCD Innovations here in McKinney have been a gem to work with. We appreciate their Texas hospitality. We'll give you a full report on our moose's Christmas gift after we get settled in our holiday spot.

Meanwhile, we wanted to share a story about another great service experience. (We could get used to this!)

These days, Kansas City is the closest thing to a home base for us. So, it's really no surprise that nearly every visit to our old stomping grounds involves a stop somewhere to care for our moose on our way in or out of town. There are a lot of systems in our rolling home. And, they all need regular maintenance. Unfortunately, said maintenance is needed on varied schedules. So, it feels like there's always something on Bullwinkle's "to-do" list.

We've been on a mission to find a service provider we can rely on in Kansas City. We have our local mobile guys we love, but they provide no chassis service. The local Freightliner dealer will happily do chassis work, but we've been far from impressed. Our dream of finding a one-stop service shop we could trust has gone unfulfilled. Until now.

Cummins, the makers of Bullwinkle's 400-horse powerhouse, has created an RV service center (actually, several of them) that is designed to provide bumper-to-bumper maintenance and repair. There are currently 45 Cummins Coach Care facilities located across the country. We are fortunate that one of them is located at Cummins Central Power in Kansas City, a mere 20 miles from our home park.  After making this wonderful discovery, we booked an appointment to coincide with our planned departure out of town.

The afternoon before our appointment, we headed north of the Missouri River with Rocky 2 in tow. No, we wouldn't normally go to the time and trouble to hook the squirrel to the moose for such a short drive. But, this seemed like the perfect time to tow our new Jeep on its maiden voyage. We're so pleased to report Rocky 2 tows like a dream!

When we arrived at Cummins Central Power, we were instantly impressed. Parking was easy, and just steps away from the Coach Care service desk. We were greeted by Chris, who was warm, courteous and professional. If you've ever taken your coach to a "truck center" you already know this is a rare combination! In most truck places, the last thing they care to see is a motorhome. But, here we felt quite welcome.

Chris directed us to the coach parking area, where we set up and settled in for the night. We were delighted not to have to face rush hour traffic for our morning appointment. This extra touch of hospitality was most appreciated. In the morning, Chris gave us a call when they were ready for us. When we dropped off the moose, Chris said he'd need a couple of hours. And, when we returned two hours later Bullwinkle was out front waiting for us. (Another rarity!) Chris gave us a full report on the service work. Everything checked out great. One item we asked them to check, a pesky leveling jack, needed to replaced sooner or later. Based on our positive experience, we decided sooner was better. A part needed to be ordered, so we extended our Kansas City stay and returned to Cummins a few days later. The work was completed promptly. Our time in the spacious, clean and comfortable waiting area flew by. Chris completed our extended warranty paperwork with a smile, and graciously offered us another night in their parking area, which we accepted. We got a fresh start in the morning, and Bullwinkle was one happy, trouble-free moose.

When it comes to moose maintenance and repair, we've had some real horror stories. What a breath of fresh air to find places like Cummins Coach Care and MCD Innovations. Gotta love it!

Sunscreens

We are just loving it here in Gunnison. While much of the country is sweating through a monster heat wave, we are blessed with daytime highs in the low 80s and overnight lows that dip into the 40s.

What's not to love?

Our first week flew by. We had so much fun! We finally had the great pleasure to meet The Wandering Wishnies. We've "followed" these good folks for about three years. It was treat to finally meet up in person and enjoy a couple of fine meals here in town. We're so pleased to move Fred and Jo to the "Bloggers We've Met" on our blogroll! We also got to spend some quality time with Darren and Joyce, whom we first met in Kerrville and decided to alter their itinerary to hook up with us for awhile. (Thanks, guys!) We shared a most enjoyable wildflower expedition to gorgeous Crested Butte, and introduced them to the Wishnies, too!

Sadly, our friends all hit the road yesterday. So, we're left to our own devices. I'm proud to report that Bullwinkle's Travels is, at long last, nearly up to date. I've been a blogging machine! (My next step is to report on all the fun we've had here!) We've made several outings on the bikes, and it's been just too long since we've done that. We also met two really fun neighbors, Karen and Arvin. They've made summer stops in Gunnison for the last seven years, so they really know their way around. This morning, Karen gave me a wonderful Jeep tour of the area and we scoped out real estate.

Don't get too excited, people. We're just looking!

It is easy to see us living here in Gunnison. It's our kind of place. It's beautiful and cool. There's plenty of hiking and biking for miles. And, there are Jeeps everywhere. Of course, we have to remind ourselves that this is July! In the middle of winter, the snow really piles up and Gunnison frequently earns the title of coldest place in the United States. We've been advised that if we get really serious about living here, we rent first...and spend a winter. We'll see.

We've taken care of various odds and ends and household chores that are best taken care of when you're parked in one spot for awhile. Today the UPS man delivered our latest, greatest moose accessory, which we ordered shortly after our arrival.

Bullwinkle is now sporting sunscreens! Since the day we purchased a motorhome, we've been researching the options for moderating the amount of sun and heat that come blazing through our big Imax windshield. We've stopped more people in more campgrounds and inquired about their sunscreens. (It's a great conversation starter!) Through our research, one company rose to the top.

Prompt RV Sunscreens are unique. You can put them up and take them down quickly and easily without using a ladder, and you don't need to add any snaps or buttons to your motorhome to attach them. They block 90% of the sun's rays, which can have a huge impact on the temperature of the front of our rolling home. After talking to several happy owners of these magical sunscreens, we ordered two: one for the windshield and another for the big driver's window.

I was out shopping for real estate when the UPS man came by this morning. But, by the time I got home Paul had the big sunscreen up. Moments later the second was attached. With these two nifty black wraps, we had just one thing to say.

Bullwinkle looks cool!

He doesn't just look cool. He is cool! It's amazing how much difference these screens made in the temperature just today. And, like a great pair of sunglasses, we enjoy a glare-free view of the great outdoors.

We realize it's only been one sunny afternoon with this new purchase. But, so far so good. Actually, we highly recommend them.

After all, don't we all know how to beat the heat? Drink plenty of fluids, wear a hat and apply sunscreen liberally. We're all over it.

Hot Air

One of the things we miss from our pre-fulltiming life is our network of trusted and skilled professionals. We were fortunate to have doctors we liked who got to know us. I had the same hair stylist for nearly a decade. We had a locally owned mechanic shop that did outstanding diagnosis and repair, which kept our cars in tip-top shape. And, our heating and air conditioning guy was so great he made one much-needed house call for free.

Today, we especially miss those last two.

At our two last stops we noticed and confirmed that our heat pump wasn't performing as it should. With plans to travel across the toasty western slope of the Rockies next week, we decided to get it checked out. We checked with our heat pump manufacturer and learned that the closest qualified technician for our model was at a dealership in Salt Lake City. Before making the nearly 300-mile trek to Utah's capital, Paul called and discussed the situation with the dealership. He told them what type of heat pump we have, the make and model of our coach, described the problem and explained that we were nearly 300 miles away. The service tech asked a few questions and told us to come on in.

We checked in at the dealership Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday morning, we delivered the moose to the service bay. About noon, we stopped by the dealership and were thrilled to see Bullwinkle sitting out front. We stepped inside and inquired on his status.

The service tech told us the news was bad. Repairs were needed that would require more than one day, and maybe several. The bill was certain to be at least $1500. Maybe more. And, that's if they could get the parts they needed. Worse yet, he reported, the heat pump manufacturer said it would not honor its two-year warranty on this 19-month old unit.

With our heads spinning, we decided to put some space between us and the problem. So, we left the dealership and checked into the local KOA. (We checked out another highly recommended park that looked quite nice, but had absolutely no shade. Right now, we need all of that we can get. And, the KOA has plenty!) Our service tech asked us to call him today and let him know if we wanted to get started with the work on Monday.

From the comfort of our shady site, some things became clear. Something about this exchange was fishy. Paul placed a late afternoon call to the maker of our heat pump. The friendly Kansan on the other end of the line assured us that the warranty would be honored, and plenty of parts are readily available.

Oh, really?

More calls were exchanged this morning. Paul spoke with the service tech, warranty clerk and general manager of the dealership, and another call or two to the heat pump maker. Through these calls a stack of lies were revealed.

Turns out this dealer doesn't do the kind of work needed to fix our heat pump!

Gee, it would have been nice to have been told that before we made the drive. And, if they aren't capable of doing this repair work, what were they planning to do to our moose for several days while we camped in a hotel and they charged us at least $1500?

We don't want to think about that.

We're not naive. We know there are unscrupulous types that find transients like us in need of critical repairs as easy targets to scam. We found some right here in Salt Lake City.

They think we'll just move on down the road and not tell anybody. But, as Paul told the head dude at this dealer, the RVing community is very connected. If any one of us finds a repair place that's not reputable, there are ways to let everybody know.

He didn't believe us.

Well, folks, we'll start right here on this little ol' blog.

What's the name of this dealer full of hot air? Blaine Jensen RV, Kaysville, UT.

Our advice: Avoid them at all costs.

The Rest of the Story

With big questions about our unsolved coolant level issue, and the forecast of big bad winds along most of our route, we were committed to get out of Grand Junction early this morning. We were up and moving around by 6 a.m. In the 7 o'clock hour we were hitched up and ready to roll. Our early morning timeline went something like this.

7:30:00 a.m.

We fired up the moose.

7:30:30 a.m.

We got the dreaded amber "check engine" light and the "low coolant" warning.

7:31:00 a.m.

The amber warning light changed to red and "check engine" changed to "stop engine".

7:31:30 a.m.

Bullwinkle's big ol' Cummins engine shut itself down.

7:31:34 a.m.

Paul placed a call to Freightliner Custom Chassis.

Were we miffed? Sure. But, most of all, we were glad that this mysterious problem revealed itself the morning after a day in service, within the safety of an RV park, just 1.5 miles away from a Freightliner service facility. There certainly could have been worse places. Much worse.

Let's go back to our timeline.

7:40:00 a.m.

Paul receives a call back from Freightliner Custom Chassis. The local dealer will put a tech in a truck and be at our site within the hour.

7:40:30 a.m.

Paul and Mary are thankful that we don't have to have the moose towed and Freightliner is coming to us, for a change.

8:50:00 a.m.

Joe. a tech from the local Freightliner service center, shows up.

8:50:30 a.m.

Paul and Mary decide Joe is the man. We offer our ticket to freedom coffee, a chair, whatever he needs.

8:55:00 a.m.

Joe plugs his computer into the moose's back end and sees the essential and previously elusive "code".

8:55:10 a.m.

Paul and Mary shout "Halleluiah"! With a code Joe has something to fix!!!

8:57:00 a.m.

Joe goes back to the shop to get more tools.

9:15:00 a.m.

Joe comes back with more tools. We offer him coffee, water, whatever.

9:25:00 a.m.

From deep inside our rear clothes closet, Joe pulls out the suspected faulty low coolant control module. It's a credit card size part that retails for about $30.

9:25:45 a.m.

Joe plugs in the new module.

9:26:00 a.m.

Mary fires up the moose. All is well. No lights. No chimes. No warnings.

9:36:00 a.m.

After hanging around listening to the moose warm up with no problems, Joe bids us adieu. We shake his hand, offer our humble thanks and practically kiss his feet.

9:40:00 a.m

The much-anticipated wind starts to blow in Grand Junction.

9:45:00 a.m.

Paul and Mary have the moose and squirrel in travel mode.

9:45:30 a.m.

We got the heck out of town!

For the next four-plus hours Paul fought the wind. Honestly, if our rational minds had been in charge today we would have stayed put in Grand Junction. After all, we knew this wind was coming. But, a mix of frustration, fatigue and happy delirium sent us west on I-70 anyway. We sailed past the nearly-out-of-its-banks Colorado River and back into Utah. Along I-70 the wind was difficult, but not really that bad. Then we headed south, directly into the wind, toward Hanksville and Torrey.

On a normal day, this would be an amazing scenic drive. Today, it was a two lane horror. I didn't appreciate any of the scenery we passed by. And, Paul saw nothing of it. At two or three points we hit crosswinds that were at least 50 mph. Maybe 60. Our driver's side slide topper howled. Paul wrestled the moose down the curvy, hilly, narrow road at a crawl. It took us an hour to travel 30 miles.

But, at the end of the road we made it to our scenic site just outside Capitol Reef National Park. Even in a gale force wind, the place is scenic and peaceful. It's the perfect place for us to recharge our batteries for the next five days.

And, that's exactly what we'll do. Already, the winds have calmed. Tomorrow we have absolutely nothing on our agenda. We're just gonna chill.

Tonight, we're tired. We're thankful. We're hopeful that our problems have been solved.

For now, anyway.

No Codes

Ugh.

It was just one of those kind of days. Of course, I know, in the big scheme of things this is all really nothing. I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to be patient. Really, I am. But.....

So, we were up and dressed and slides in and jacks up before eight this morning. Minutes later we arrived at the local Freightliner service facility. We stepped inside and explained our situation: Two issues, both under warranty. Our request was simple: Take care of them both, please.

With that we were off. We had breakfast at IHOP. Then, stopped by Home Depot and Sutherland's for a couple of things. A couple hours after we dropped off the moose, we cruised by the parking lot. The moose hadn't moved.

Ugh.

Today's forecast temperature in Grand Junction was in the high 80s. Transporting two crated cats in the back of our Jeep, this number mattered to us....a lot. We kept the AC blazing. And, everywhere we stopped (Kohl's, Bed Bath and Beyond and wherever the hell else) we parked in the shade. We even went back to our RV park and signed up for another night. There, we visited with the cheerful workcampers. We were gone for hours. Freightliner had our number, but we received nary a call.

Just after 1PM we decided to locate the local KOA, which turned out to be nearly 10 miles away from the Freightliner place. It was fine, but far away. With the temperature rising we decided to make a pass by the service center. The good news was the moose was in a bay. The bad news was they hadn't found all the problems.

The leaky wheel bearing was a piece of cake. It would be a two or three hour job and the Freightliner place was all over it. In fact, one staffer said they've seen a lot of this: New motorhomes with leaky wheel bearings. Seems the chassis manufacturer aren't tightening every bolt the way they should. (If you have a late model Freightliner chassis, you might want to think about having your wheel bearings checked. Just sayin'!)

The low coolant sensor was another issue. Freightliner couldn't pick up any codes from the engine, because we had started it since there was a problem. (Well, that's how it is when you shut down on the side of the road. You just want to turn the key and get moving. Imagine that!) So, with no codes, there was no problem to diagnose. So, there was no solution to offer. They tested the coolant probes, which checked out fine. They ran a pressure check on the coolant system and that checked out OK, too. So, what to do?

Time to call Freightliner Custom Chassis!

Paul did just that. And, although FCC has two, count 'em two, previous reports of this intermittent problem, there was seemingly nothing that could be done. And, if we wanted to have the engine reprogrammed to not shut us down when we have the stupid not really low low coolant warning, it would be on our dime and likely void our factory warranty.

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!

By now, our tempers were running really short and our kitties were getting really hot. (Absolutely no pets are allowed in this Freightliner service facility waiting area!) So, we trotted back to our RV park and set up camp in the "rec room", and we use that term very loosely. It was cool and out of the sun. So, we really can't complain. We sat there for another couple of hours before Paul headed back to the service center to see what was up.

Allegedly, the service center had heard from FCC. And, allegedly, there was nothing they could do about it.

Of course, Paul gave them a piece of his mind. Reminding FCC of the liability of a motorhome shutting down on the side of the highway....all because of some stupid engine program that says "shut down" when the coolant level is absolutely fine. But, no luck. There was nothing that could be done.

With our leaky wheel fixed, we decided to call it a day. We got our hot kitties, tired bodies, moose and squirrel back to our spot for another night.

So, we're half fixed. Kinda. Sorta.

Tomorrow, we're headed to Torrey. We're leaving early to avoid some bad ass winds that are heading this way. And, oh yeah, the Colorado River is expected to crest soon near I-70 at the Colorado-Utah state line! And, everything is going to be fine. But, if we get an engine shutdown, I'm dialing Freightliner. And, it won't be pretty.

More later, hopefully, from Torrey.

Detoured

It was one of those travel days. We went east when we really wanted to go west. We're 200 miles away from our intended destination and have a 8 a.m. service appointment tomorrow at the local Freightliner dealer.

Let us start at the beginning.

Our last day in Moab started peacefully enough. Without a cloud in the sky, it was shaping up to be a perfect travel day. We had just 150 or so miles to go to Torrey, Utah, and plans for a week chilling out and exploring Capitol Reef National Park. Friends Sandy and John had a big travel day in store, so they were were ready to roll early. We met these three (Koko, too) a year ago this week. It's been a real treat to meet up with them several times over the last year and an extra treat to explore three National Parks together on our last two stops. They're on an exciting trip to Arizona via Wisconsin. They'll be busy for the next several months and we don't know when we'll see them again. That made our farewells a bit harder this morning. We wished them safe travels and good luck and sent them on their way. Godspeed, dear friends!

Saying "so long" to new friends Susan and Mike took a bit longer. We showed them 'round our rig and addressed a few questions they had about their Winnie. We could have chatted all day, but it was time to get up and go. We got the moose ready to roll and when I backed it out of our site, Paul spotted some vital bodily fluid on the pavement. Eager to finally leave this park we'd been kicked out of, he went ahead and hooked up the squirrel. Then, we took a closer look at the small oily puddle where our right front tire had been. Susan and Mike were heading off on a bike ride and stopped by to see what we were up to. Together we sussed it out and came to the same conclusion: We had a leak in that wheel bearing.

Time to call Freightliner!

Freightliner agreed with our assessment and offered advice on how to fill the bearing so we could get on the road. But, the bottom line was the moose needed service. Mike took Paul into town to pick up some gear oil, and Susan navigated me around the park as I pulled all 55-feet of vehicles into a tight little pull-through to get us out of the way. Before I could get Bullwinkle moving, our moose served up an intermittent problem we've experienced lately.

If you don't have a Freightliner chassis, you can skip this paragraph. But, in the interest of sharing info with fellow Freightliner owners, here's something y'all might want to know. Our intermittent problem is a known issue (among owners, of course....FTL denies it) of failing low coolant sensors. So, when your coolant isn't low, the sensor thinks it is and gives you a "check engine" light. If you don't add any of the coolant that you don't need within about 30 seconds of the light coming on, you get a "stop engine" light. And, if you don't stop the engine within 30 seconds it will derate and shut you down. That's right, you're rolling along the highway, get a low coolant warning and a minute later you're stopped on the shoulder, assuming there is one. (Been there. Done that.) That's sure how we'd program an engine. NOT! Our experience has been that if you fire up the engine after it shuts you down, the warnings vanish as mysteriously as they appeared. Of course, that's temporary. The fix - as we understand it - is to have FTL replace the faulty sensor and change the engine parameters so a low coolant warning just gives you a check engine light. So, now you know!

Susan and I had the moose safely parked about the time the boys came back. Eventually, we had a well-greased wheel and were ready to roll for the nearest Freightliner service facility, in Grand Junction, CO. When we called to cancel our reservations in Torrey, they recommended a park in Grand Junction that is less than two miles from Freightliner. With the detour plotted in our GPS, we thanked our new friends for their help and moral support, and promised to write when we arrived safely at our new destination. They sent us on our way with more hugs and handshakes and we pulled out a couple hours later than we'd planned.

Traveling in a "sick" vehicle is a stressful way to roll. Between wondering if we were spewing oil and keeping our fingers crossed that we wouldn't get the dreaded "low coolant" warning, the anxiety level in our coach was at a peak for the duration of the two hour trip. Throw in a head wind that we'd planned to have as a tailwind and we were having tons of fun! Midway we made a quick stop and Paul checked the oil level. Everything was looking good so we kept rolling east and made it to Grand Junction by late afternoon. We were so happy to see our gravely little park! We called Freightliner and scheduled our service appointment. Finally, we emailed our worried friends and assured them we'd arrived safely.

In the big scheme of things, this is just a little detour. We're not where we'd hoped we be, but we're in spot where we can get everything taken care of. And, thankfully, it should all be under warranty.

Not sure how long we'll be here in Grand Junction. It's definitely not a National Park, but it looks like a nice town. We'll keep you posted!

Carefree!

Today was one of those rare days that has us basking in the glow of successfully conquering one of those curve balls our rolling home occasionally tosses our way.

Woo hoo!

Before we mix up our celebratory cocktails, let me explain.

Back in Kerrville, we got whacked with a 56 mph wind gust that did a number on the topper on our not quite big ass slide. A couple of days later, Paul popped it back into place. We've been super careful with it since. Here in Santa Fe, we've pulled it in on a few super windy days, just to be safe.

Yesterday, the front end of the topper was flapping in the breeze. Something was wrong...again.

Neither of us is really mechanically inclined, especially when it comes to dealing with 16-foot long high-tension spring rods. As long-time homeowners, we've become just skilled enough at things like plumbing and electrical work to be dangerous. But, this is just our second rolling house. Slide toppers are just supposed to roll in and out when we push a button. Beyond that, we're clueless.

So, our first choice was to call a mobile RV tech. Paul found the website of Carefree of Colorado, the manufacturer of our slide toppers and awnings. Just our luck, there isn't a Carefree dealer in Santa Fe that makes service calls. And, if we can't pull a slide in, we can't exactly get it to a dealer.

Our next choice was to call Carefree for help. But, that's not possible. You see, their phone number is nowhere to be found on their website! Paul found the owner's manual and some schematics for our slide topper and started studying. Before long, he had diagnosed the problem. Today was the day to try to figure out a solution.

As frustrated as we were that we couldn't get immediate help, we realized that what we did have was time, and plenty of it. With two weeks before we're planning to move this moose, we had all kinds of time to make this a DIY project.

Shortly after breakfast, Paul was on the job. He formulated a plan of attack. The first step was to send an email to Carefree explaining the situation and asking for guidance. We both figured we wouldn't hear back, but much to our surprise Paul received a response within the hour. With that he had the information he needed to give this thing a shot.

After all, what's the worst that could happen?

Taking extra special care to avoid flying parts and protect valuable fingers, Paul went to work. Before long the slide topper cover was off, screws were flying (just kidding) and he was muscling the tension rod like a pro. When questions came up, we put our heads together. When we weren't sure of the answer, Paul shot off another email to Carefree. Each helpful response came within minutes. With each step we learned and grew increasingly confident in our ability to repair our rolling home. In the end, the slide topper was restored to its pre-56 mph wind gust state. Heck, it could be that it's better than it's ever been.

All is right with our world.

There's something extra sweet about conquering the problem ourselves. And, it's not just the big bucks we would have shelled out for a service call. We're learning that if we take our time, do some research and get help straight from the horse's mouth, maybe - just maybe - we can be good caretakers of our moose.

Cheers!

Clean!

Today's calmer winds were all we needed to get moving on our monster cleaning project. The day-long affair involved cleaning every - and we mean every - interior surface in our rolling home. Though we're exhausted, we're enjoying the payoff of today's team effort: Everything sparkles! And, the place smells great. We're trying not to think about how short-lived this condition is sure to be.

We put a previously little-used tool through its paces today, and are quite pleased with the results. Our moose came with a central vacuum system, but we never really used it. It's not that we never vacuum, mind you. We have a nifty lightweight Eureka that does such a great job, so we never had any reason to open the box with all of the central vac parts. The only part of the built-in system we've used is the "crumb catcher" under the kitchen cabinet. Now, that thing is handy! We just sweep everything in that general direction, give the switch a tap with a toe and the crumbs disappear.

One 90-something degree day in Alpine a couple of weeks ago we decided to give the central vac a try. The Eureka generates a goodly amount of heat, so it was time to try a different solution. I pulled out all of the parts and put them together while Paul stepped outside. Just as I got ready to plug the contraption into its magic outlet, I heard Paul yell, "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

In a microsecond, I flashed back to our walkthrough when we took delivery of our new moose almost 18 months ago. I remembered our trusty guide showing us where the central vac "box" where all the dirt goes was in the basement and telling us their was one bag in there and we'd need to get more. Of course, we never put vac bags on our shopping list. Actually, we had never even opened the "box". Apparently, Paul had the same thought moments earlier and decided to check and see if a year-and-a-half of crumb catching had filled our one and only bag.

I brought my plugging in efforts to a halt as Paul stepped in the door. In his hand was a clear plastic bag containing three central vac bags and an instruction manual. (Of all the instruction manuals that came with this moose, we never really missed that one.)

Paul started with the good news. We didn't just have one bag. We had three. The bad news? Our disappearing kitchen crumbs had piled up in the "box", which had obviously never been prepped for delivery.

We shared a laugh and Paul took a few minutes to clean up the mess and install our first bag. A mere 18 months after we moved in, our central vac was good to go.

Now we're wondering what else we've yet to discover about this not-so-new house. Meanwhile, we have its great big outside to clean.

Can't wait!

Our Last Travel Day

Much of my time as a journalism student at the University of Kansas was spent writing attention-grabbing headlines. So, I'm curious. How did that one grab you?

Sensationalism aside, today was our last travel day...of 2010! With today's trek from Fort Worth to Kerrville we closed the books on Bullwinkle's travels for the year. (The blog, on the other hand, needs some work before year-end.) What a year it has been!

We're closing out the year in the great state of Texas, which is where we welcomed 2010. Much to our surprise, we will have spent four months and a few days in our adopted home state this year. (It sure didn't feel like that. But, it's a big state!) We spent the remaining eight months traveling to 24 other states. That's going to change, but that's a post for another day.

Our moose has logged something like 13,000 miles in this calendar year. After a year like that, our trusty steed deserves a nice long rest. And, so do we!

So, how does spending the next two-and-a-half months in Texas Hill Country sound?

Awesome!

Better Numbers

TV around here is still ghostly and buzzing. But, we're sleeping much better these days (er, nights) thanks to our most recent moose modification.

Our Sleep Number bed is absolutely dreamy. We've loved it from the very first night. But, a couple of weeks ago we unzipped the top of the mattress and made a wonderful discovery. There we found a 2-inch thick layer of "egg crate" foam. And, that got us thinking.

You see, we love memory foam. We had a groovy 3-inch memory foam topper on the mattress in our first moose. So, we quickly came to the conclusion that replacing this 2-inch flimsy stuff with a layer of memory foam would be a welcome addition to our household.

A few clicks later, the deed was done. I returned to overstock.com and found a 2-inch Serta memory foam topper that looked like it would do the trick. Yesterday it arrived. Last night we unrolled the foam tamale and cut it to fit. We put the new memory foam on top of the existing egg crate and zipped up the mattress. It all fit perfectly.

And, we're so pleased to report, it sleeps like a dream!

Bottom line: We took a good thing and made it great. We had no complaints about our Sleep Number bed. But, we definitely made it better.

Sweet dreams!

Going Nowhere

We've heard that the process of manufacturing a motorhome doesn't end at the factory. Nope, it happens on the road.

Ain't that the truth?

We were up and about early this morning, ready to head east and meet our friend Hembree for breakfast in Lebanon. Then, we were gettin' the heck out of Tennessee and overnighting in Paducah.

Well, that was the plan.

We got ourselves up and dressed and packed the big moose for travel. At just after 8, we fired up all 400 horses and were ready to roll. When the not so friendly brake warning light and buzzer wouldn't silence, we looked at the air pressure gauges. We didn't have enough air pressure to release the parking brake. We may be newbies at this diesel game, but we're pretty quick. We were going nowhere.

A phone call to our chassis manufacturer was our next move. The friendly, helpful Freightliner man asked if we heard any air leaks. From inside? No. We checked outside. Oh yeah! Paul crawled under Big Bull's belly and reported back. The preliminary diagnosis: a valve was shot on our air dryer.

We're 100 miles away from a Freightliner repair facility, so the man from Gaffney, SC, gave us the names of three local roadside repair companies. The first wouldn't take checks or credit cards from "out-of-towners". (Um. We've only been here in Crossville for a few days, but our guess is that most of the folks who need truck repair in these parts are out-of-towners.) So, we passed on them and dialed the second. He said he'd be here in two hours.

At least three hours later, Stan the truck repair man arrived. He quickly diagnosed the problem: a faulty pop off valve on the air dryer. He had the part and made a rapid replacement. We fired up the moose and the pressure built up quickly. We would soon be on the road again! But, first we had to pay the man. And, as must be the custom here in Crossville, he didn't take checks or credit cards either. So, we pointed the Jeep at the nearest ATM, emptied it out and paid off Stan the man.

It didn't take long to get the squirrel hooked to the moose. We were definitely ready to hit the road! We fired the Big Bull up and the air pressure was up to par in a moment. As we pulled out of the RV park, we heard the now familiar hiss of an air leak. By the time we were a quarter of a mile down the road we knew we were in trouble.

(Insert expletive here.)

We pulled off into a small parking lot and placed a quick call to Stan. In a little under an hour he was back at our side. The problem wasn't the valve. It's the dryer. So, Stan replaced the original valve and started surgery. The process: An air dryer bypass. Just as the man at the Freightliner help desk had advised, an air dryer is an important though not essential element of a truck chassis. About 30 minutes later the bypass was complete. Bullwinkle fired up and had the pressure he needed to get rolling. But, by now it was time to be coming off the road. We opted to turn around, return to our campground and save our travel for tomorrow.

The Big Bull is patched, not repaired. So, we need to get ourselves to a Freightliner facility ASAP. There's one about 100 miles down the road in Nashville. And, the good news is they are open on Sunday. So, provided we have pressure, we'll hit the road early and get everything taken care of.

As we sit here in the same site at the same park we left earlier today we are very thankful. If you're going to lose air pressure, this is the place. We weren't on an interstate, which would have been much, much worse. As we were waiting for help we were as we are now -- safe, warm and comfortable. We don't have to be at work tomorrow, the next day or any day after that. We're 700 miles away from a date with a turkey. That's all. And, we'll get there - eventually. No worries.

Meanwhile, our fingers are crossed that the construction of our motorhome is just about complete. Here's hoping this is the last bug we need to work out, for awhile anyway.

Sirius-ly

One of the things we had yet to get around to setting up in the new moose was our satellite radio system. After all, it looked just like the setup in the old moose. So, we saved it as a "to-do" for the road. Now that we're finally parked for a couple of days, today was the day get the job done. I readied myself for the five-minute task.

I powered up the radio and waited for the Sirius screen to give me the number I needed to activate the new receiver. And, I waited. It never came. I dialed up Sirius, asked for help and was told they could work their magic from their end. All they needed was the VIN. I passed along Big Bull's unique number, but Sirius didn't recognize it. They told me to call the dealer. I called and left a message for our salesman. He called back, assured me everything was all wired to go, and asked me to call Winnebago service and they would walk me through the process. I called Winnebago service and talked to someone who apparently was no more familiar with this radio than I am, except he was a lot more irritating. He seemed put off by my call.

Seriously! Can I tell you how much I wanted to shout into the phone, "Do you know that it's people like us who give you a job?" But, instead I railed on about how this appeared to be yet another problem with our faulty entertainment system, which should have been checked out at the factory.

He said nothing.

Just in case any Winnebagoans pass by these parts, that was the exact moment we lost confidence in their product. Heck, if they can't wire TVs and radios at the factory, what else did they screw up? Plus, if every time we call Customer Service we get a non-expert who is inconvenienced by our call, what kind of horrible mistake of a major purchase have we just made?

As I tried to incorporate a visit to a dealership into our itinerary, Paul called and announced our displeasure to our salesman's voice mailbox. Minutes later we got a call from a regional Winnebago representative. He was most apologetic and seemed eager to resolve our problem. Before they wrapped their call, Paul caught something in what the guy said: "The Tour is all wired. It should just plug and play."

Did he say "plug and play"? We'd seen a box somewhere in this coach labeled "Sirius Plug and Play". During our walk-through we discovered it in a cabinet and were told it would enable us to use Sirius in our car, so we stashed it back in the cabinet to deal with much later. After Paul hung up, we found and opened the box. Inside was a small tuner and a dock. This wasn't just for our car. It was for the RV, too! We went searching for a place to plug this thing in. Inside a cabinet we found the docking station we thought was for the optional GPS unit. Paul placed the tuner in the docking station and it fit like a glove. The screen on the little tuner lit up. I turned on the radio and asked it for the activation number and it served it right up. I called Sirius and within minutes our radio was up and running.

We were embarrassed that we were trying to receive with a receiver-less radio, and that we actually did have everything on board to make it work. That said, this radio looks just like - and has the same instructions - as our old one. So, that's what we expected. Little did we know this box that was presented as a car accessory in our walk-through was the brains to the whole operation! And, I'm sorry. The guy in Forest City had our VIN. He, of all people, should know about our setup and how it works.

It took us half the day to get this job done. Now, we had some cleaning up to do.

Before we could start dialing out to close the loop with the helpful people at Winnebago, a call came in. The regional guy had called a big service guy in Forest City and instructed him to call us. Imagine his surprise when he dialed up these frustrated customers and heard, "Uh, we worked it out." We apologized for any user error on our part, but the service big wig took responsibility. He explained that this feature is new, and that Winnebago needs to do a better job of explaining it to dealers, and - unfortunately - the customer service reps in Forest City. He went on to say we should not have been left to figure this out on our own.

Good point.

We looped back with the regional guy and thanked him for his help. He, in turn offered to save us another call and promised to get back to our sales rep. We were very impressed by the responsiveness of our rep, the regional guy and the service big wig. Everyone involved learned something today about a little feature called plug and play, except that customer service rep. We have a feeling his learning may come later.

So, as I celebrate another successful trip around the sun, we're enjoying tunes in our new home. And, just in case any passing Winnebagoans have made it this far in this lengthy post, there's good news for you, too.

Our confidence has been restored.

Second Maiden Voyage

As we made our way through the hills of Virginia and Tennessee in our new rig today, we kept thinking how grateful we were that (a) we had done this "maiden voyage" thing once before, and (b) this wasn't our first day as fulltimers.

We know of several good people who have launched their fulltiming journeys in brand new big rigs. Many of them RVing for the very first time. To them we have two things to say. First, bless you. Second, you have much more courage than we do. And, one more thing. Please understand what we are about the say here is not intended to be a criticism of any kind. We're simply trying to inform.

As we hooked our squirrel to the new moose this morning we came to realization that we're now 50-something feet long. Thinking back to that first day when we took our brand new toad-free 32-footer out on the freeway during rush hour, it felt absolutely huge! And, rightfully so. It was! But, today, after some 12,000 miles of RVing experience behind us, we knew what we were getting into. We took it slow and checked our mirrors.

Hours later, while I was behind the wheel, we started climbing in the mountains. I flipped on the engine brake and let it do its thing. For someone who'd driven a motorhome many miles over the last year and a half, it was a squirrely experience. Had I never been behind the wheel, I gotta tell ya, I would've freaked.

Fast forward a bit and Paul was pulling off the interstate to a Flying J. Had we been newbies, our first question would have been "Where the heck do we go?". But, having been through a few of these busy mazes disguised as flying consonants, we now know that a 40-footer does not pass "Go!", but heads instead directly to the truck pumps. And, once we were there, Paul was faced with questions asking for our "unit number" and "hub something". No, it didn't make a bit of sense. But, Paul had the calm presence of mind that comes with experience. He picked up the phone next to the pump and asked.

Our final maiden voyage test was the trip from the interstate to the KOA. It was only a couple of miles, but the road was narrow, twisty and turny. The elevation drop from the street to the office was notable. We took it all in stride. After we were lead by a teenager in a golf cart to our sloping pull-through site, we tried to level up. One of our back wheels was up in the air. As newbies, we might not have known this is a no-go. But, as seasoned RVers we knew we needed to try, try again. And, we did. Taking almost an hour to get level tested our mettle today. Had this been our maiden voyage you might have had to scrape us both off the ceiling.

Our first maiden voyage in our Voyage was a healthy mix of karma and luck. And, for that, we are grateful. Our second maiden voyage, in our new Tour, taught us the value of a great set of training wheels. Tonight we're thanking our lucky stars that this floor plan we've always dreamed of is our second rig and not our first. We're even more thankful for the four months of fulltiming we have under our belts before taking this maiden voyage.

It's official. While we're far from experts, we're not newbies any more.

Ready to Roll

Let's see. How many times can Paul and Mary check into the same KOA in a week?

That's an easy one. Three!

We rolled out this morning hoping we wouldn't have to return, but knowing there was a pretty good chance we would. Our agenda for today was two-fold: fix the TV mess and get a hitch so we could giddyup. Turns out the hitch was the least of our worries. Once we had a chance to consult with experts and really look the situation over, the solution was a breeze. We flipped our existing hitch receiver over and it worked like a charm. The TV situation, however, was another story.

The three TVs we have on board just weren't working like they should. We were willing to chalk a little bit up to operator error. But, as prior Winnie owners, we are very familiar with how the system should work. So, the dealer assigned a certified tech to check everything out. And, check he did! We were very impressed. He went straight to work and stepped through the problems as we showed him what was going on. He knew exactly how things were supposed to work and methodically worked through the entire audio-visual system on our coach. He inspired tremendous confidence as it was very obvious he knew what he was doing. Three hours later he had the problems diagnosed. The good folks in Forest City had miswired two TV cable connections and failed to make the third. Two hours later he had everything repaired and put back together. But, there for awhile our new rolling home was in a state of shambles. There were cables everywhere! With the job complete, our confident tech stepped us through a very thorough orientation of our entertainment system. Then he asked what else he could do for us. All we could say was "Thank You." Yes, we were very happy campers.

In fact, we cannot say enough good things about our dealer. This relationship that was initiated with an email has been anything but cold. Everyone - and we mean everyone - we've dealt with has been professional, courteous and knowledgeable. They "got it" that we are fulltimers, and did their very best to keep our inconvenience to a minimum. Except for the part where we wrote a great big check, the entire experience has been very pleasant. Here on our blog we tell it like it is. And, we enthusiastically recommend McGeorge Rolling Hills RV Center in Ashland, VA to anyone searching for a new or used rig. If you come here, ask for Taz. And, tell him Paul and Mary sent you. We drove nearly 400 miles out of our way, and he - and everyone at McGeorge - definitely made it worth our while.

With our TV worries behind us and our bikes and tow bar on board we were ready to roll. Because it was too late in the day to really get anywhere, we opted to return to the KOA for a restful night and get ready to roll first thing tomorrow. On the way back to "kamp" we made our first major investment in diesel fuel. Paul pulled the big moose into the truck lanes like a pro. Those diesel truck pumps fill fast!

So, here we sit, in the same site we left this morning. We can't wait to hook the squirrel up to this big moose and get out on the open road at last. We have a reservation in a week, and that park is 1,000 miles from here. It's definitely time to get going.

We'll keep you posted.

It's All A Blur

Wow! It's Saturday already.

How did that happen?

What an amazing week this has been. Last Saturday we started our detour east out of Asheville. We overnighted in Durham, NC and met Jim and Dee for breakfast. We drove through Richmond and had a window explode. (Although now we're thinking we might have been shot with a bb!) We rode out the remnants of Hurricane Ida. And, now we're making our second trip in a week to the Americamps-becoming-a-KOA campground, We left here just yesterday in a 32-foot gasser, and came back tonight in a 40-foot diesel pusher. Somewhere in the midst of all that we checked out a coach, fell in love, made a deal and moved all of our stuff from one to the other.

And, now, it's Saturday!

Yes, it's all a blur.

We woke up early this morning knowing we had another full day of work ahead of us. The dealership started hopping around 8 am, and so did we. We had estimated we were about two-thirds of the way done with our move. We were wrong!

With our two mooses parked door to door in the lot, Paul started bringing over the rest of the load - one bin at a time. And, they just kept coming! Gotta tell ya, folks, we had a lot of stuff stored in that lil' moose. And as spacious as Big Bull is, his interior storage is different. There's no u-shaped dinette to store stuff under, no under bed storage and the Rest Easy sofa in here has ottomans underneath, leaving no room for storage. Right now, we are mighty glad we didn't get a washer/dryer. Frankly, we need the space. Thankfully, the basement is cavernous. By the end of the day the lil' moose was empty and everything but the bike rack and tow bar were on board.

Unfortunately, there was no hitch in our plans to giddyup today. Sparing you the details, our current drop hitch and bike hitch won't work for Big Bull. The dealer didn't have the parts we needed, so our plan was to visit a local hitch shop. But, as we were disappointed to find, the shop that was once open on Saturdays has cut back its weekend hours to zero. So, taking care of our hitch needs will have to wait until Monday.

No problem, of course, because our TV situation is, well, scary. We watched our new in-motion satellite lock onto a bird with ease. But, we couldn't make it happen on any of our three TVs. (So, then what good is it, really?) So, we called in a tech who did his best, but - at the end of the day - needs to talk to the good folks in Forest City. And, like the hitch people, they won't be in until Monday either.

So, with two unresolved but not serious issues, we decided we were done hanging in an RV dealer parking lot. So, we headed back to our former campground to put Big Bull through his paces for a couple of nights with full hookups and 50 amp service. Minutes later we arrived. Tonight we are cozy and comfortable and happily camping beyond the shadow of our former rig.

Happy Blurry Saturday!

Apollo 13

Don't ask us why, but we're thinking of this movie tonight. It's one of our favorites. Plus, we're really tired and really delirious.

You know the scene in Apollo 13 when Lovell, Haise and Swigert are preparing to jettison the Lunar Excursion Module? There their dependable LEM sits cold, dark and lonely. Then, they shoot it off into space. They're grateful for the time they spent in the LEM. They lost the moon, but the LEM saved their butts while they figured out how to get home.

Well, we're feeling a little like that today. Our 'lil moose is parked right next to our new big moose. The big moose is lighted, warm and cozy. (And, did we mention BIG?) The 'lil moose is dark, cold and nearly empty. It feels like it's our LEM. We didn't make it to the Smokies, but that little moose kept us safe, warm and toasty until something bigger came along.

Today was moving and sign our lives away day. And everything went splendidly. Remnants of Hurricane Ida were still around, so the good folks at McGeorge set our old and new rigs up door to door inside detail bays and out of the weather. Tonight both mooses are door to door in the parking lot. We're about two-thirds through with the move. We have a couple of little items to have taken care of tomorrow as we finish the move. Then, we're taking this big moose on the road.

We are exhausted and thrilled. This is one beautiful coach that, frankly, feels like an apartment. We can't wait to get settled in. And, we know it'll take awhile.

It's almost tomorrow, so I'll close. Plus, we've yet to figure out our new Sleep Number bed. So, that could take awhile.

Cheers to all from Big Bull. Here's to many safe, happy, fun and trouble free miles for us, our friends, and that cute little LEM parked next door.

Training Wheels

Once again, it's Christmas Eve at our house. If all goes as scheduled, we'll take delivery of our new moose tomorrow. After three days sitting around in flooding rains, all the creatures in this house are stirring! We are definitely ready to get moving.

Tonight also just happens to be the 200th night we'll spend in Bullwinkle. (Yes, we've kept track!) So, with nothing else to do, we're finding ourselves reflecting over our time with this nifty little moose.

The night before we picked him up, we were like two six-year-olds on Christmas Eve. We couldn't sleep. We were excited and scared. Most of all, we didn't know what we were doing. And, we knew it. After all, the sum total of our RVing experience was a 10-day trip to the Grand Canyon in a rented Class C just eight weeks earlier. What we did know was we were hooked. And, this shiny new Class A gasser was just what we needed to scratch our itch and learn as we go.

And, my how much we've learned! Sure, we did a ton of research before we hit the road. But, nothing compared to the education that started with the first turn of the key of our own motorhome. Our Shakedown Cruise, and every outing that followed, provided us with valuable lessons that prepared us well for what was to come: our fulltiming journey. Those relaxing weekends away in the moose inspired us to accelerate our timeline. When we bought the moose we thought it would be a couple of years before we started fulltiming. But, Bullwinkle made it so fun and easy that we decided to make our great RV escape in just 12 months.

Yes, this little moose turned out to be the perfect set of training wheels!

At a time when everything was up in the air for us, Bullwinkle became a haven. He welcomed us warmly after hectic workweeks, marathons of selling our stuff on craigslist, and everything it took to get the house ready to sell. As he transported us out of the Bay Area, he graciously transitioned from our home away from home to our home. To start this nomadic chapter in our lives in a very familiar environment was a blessing. And we knew it.

It's been four months since our great escape. And, this little gasser has carried us safely from coast to coast. He cruised down two-lane roads and climbed mountains. With him we've visited family and old friends and greeted many new ones. We have asked him to do more than any gasser should, and he's never complained. Sure, there's been a leak or two, and that mysterious exploding window. But, he never left us stranded. He always delivered us safely to our next destination. And, for that we are most grateful.

Tomorrow our moose will prepare for new duty. We'll relieve him of his cargo load and put him in the hands of skilled professionals who will repair the window, spiff him up and help him find another family of RVing newbies without a clue. He will show them, as he did us, how easy and fun it is to get away for a long weekend or vacation along the coast. Lucky for him, he has a new coast to explore.

We've told ourselves we won't cry when we part ways. After all, we know he is really just a big fiberglass box on wheels. But, we probably will. Because for 200 nights this little moose has been a part of our family. Thanks to him, we now have all the confidence we need to move on down the road in a big diesel pusher.

Hats off to the original Bullwinkle!

Waitin' on a Winnie

Country artist Brad Paisley has a song we really like, and it's been going through our heads today. Of course, today the words have changed. We're not waitin' on a woman. No, we're waitin' on our Winnie.

We're not complainin'. We're just waitin'.

After all, we want those good Winnie folks to take their time to get everything done just right before we point that big moose toward Kansas City for the holidays. We've got a couple of weeks. We'll wait.

Besides, it's rainin'.

Virginia and the Carolinas are getting drenched with remnants of Hurricane Ida. It has rained non-stop for the last 24 hours, and it's not supposed to stop until Friday. Maybe.

Our earliest possible delivery time was this afternoon, or tomorrow. But, the satellite system has yet to arrive from wherever those things come from. So, delivery has been pushed back to Friday...the 13th. Our lucky day!

We're not superstitious about those kind of things, mind you. We approach those special Fridays expecting good things to happen, and they usually do. Heck, we took possession of one of our stick homes on a Friday the 13th. It'll all be just fine. Here's hoping the sun will shine!

We made the most of another day in waiting. We took a break from the pitter patter on our fiberglass roof and wandered over to the Bass Pro Shop across the way. We neither hunt nor fish. And, the "camping" we do is nothing like what they stock supplies for at Bass Pro. So, why go? Because it's waaaaaay bigger than our box on wheels! We used the space to take a good long stroll. The place is already decked out for the holidays, so that cheered our spirits. (I know our Christmas is definitely coming early!) After we cluelessly gazed at the gear, boats and camo of all shapes and sizes we took some interest in the clothing department and home furnishings. For two folks who don't meet the Bass Pro target demographic, we walked away with a couple of purchases: Comfy thermal shirts for us both and a moose night light for Big Bull. Definitely time and money well spent.

The rest of our afternoon was spent lounging, napping and reading. We kept telling ourselves we're saving our strength for the big move! Late in the day Paul was inspired to do some laundry, and headed out in the pouring rain to get it done. He deserves a gold medal! Thanks, dear!

The pitter patter continues. So, we're just planning to put some red beans and rice on the stove, cozy up with the cats, turn up the furnace, and relax for the evening while we wait.

Gotta save up our strength for the big move!

Replacement

We found our replacement window today. It is attached to a brand, spankin' new 40-foot diesel pusher.

Yes, it's true. As several of our faithful readers suspected, our detour to Ashland, VA was all part of our Bullwinkle Expansion Plan. Yep, it was time to find a bigger moose. The exploding window a mere 15 miles from our trade-in destination provided added excitement.

Though we made a pledge early on to delay any big decisions - like a motorhome purchase - until we'd been fulltiming for at least six months, we decided since we were the ones making the rules we could also break them. So, it's only been four months. What's 60 days between a couple of fulltimers, anyway?

Since the first day we started poking our heads into diesel pushers and dreaming of fulltiming in them one model stood out: The 40TD. Itasca calls it an Ellipse. And we drooled all over it from day one. Winnebago calls it a Tour. In fact, we were looking at a 40TD Ellipse the day the sleazy sales guy introduced us to the 32H, the layout of our beloved moose. With each of the 200 or so nights we've spent in our first motorhome, the idea of someday owning a 40TD has been firmly planted in our collective consciousness.

When Winnebago announced its 2010 lineup, one thing was missing: The 40TD. If we were ever to grab the brass ring with the floor plan of our dreams it would have to be a 2009. So, we started searching.

In Asheville, after our visit to the Winnie dealer there, we were reminded of our love of the 40TD. So, we started searching online. Thursday morning we found the 40TD of our dreams. It was sitting in Ashland, VA, just 382 miles away. After a marathon of emails and phone calls, the deal was essentially done by late Friday. All we had left to do was drive to Virginia.

After we arrived in Ashland yesterday, we drove over to the dealership. Behind the locked gate, there sat our dream machine. Only now can we admit that in that moment we fell in love. We had found our Big Moose. This morning we made our way back to the dealership. We met all of the people we had only corresponded with by email and phone. Then, we got the tour of our Tour.

It is beautiful.

Eight feet longer than our current moose, and with two - count 'em two - Big Ass Slides, our Tour is spacious. Really spacious. Lots of space. Gobs of storage. Massive amounts of CCC. It has a lovely table and chairs, fireplace and a sleep number bed. Yep, it looks a lot like that place we once called home.

Then, we drove it.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! With that engine 40 feet behind us we hardly heard a thing. The air suspension gave us a ride that was oh, so smooth. And the 60-degree cut in its steering allows this thing to turn on a dime.

Yep. It's awesome.

Really. It's awesome.

Then, we got down to business. If you ever want to negotiate a deal on an RV, call Paul. You definitely want him on your side. He's good.

Before we knew it we were signing papers and had big smiles on our faces. We're picking it up Wednesday or Thursday.

We promise to document our find on Bullwinkle's Travels. Pictures, and all. But, for now, we're so tired we've barely been able to feed ourselves. So, we're going to call it a very productive day.

And, just in case you're wondering, this rig will be Bullwinkle II. But, I have a feeling we might just refer to him as Big Bull.

He's the fulltiming rig of our dreams.