I don't think we are in Kansas anymore, Toto

Just crossed the state line from Kansas to Colorado.  Spent two days driving across Kansas - some very open and pretty vistas, but a lot of up hill and cross winds.  Speed limit is 75, but we could only do 60-65 and keep control with the winds.  Given our need to be in the Denver area by 7:00 am tomorrow to get the generator fixed, we have not had time do any sightseeing since we left Independence, MO.  Hopefully that will change Monday afternoon.

Kauffman Stadium

Went to see a baseball game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO on 6/26/13.  An inter-league game between the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals.  It was 92degree at game time and luckily our seats were in the shade.  We saw a great game that included a safe call at the plate, a runner caught stealing, a pick off at first base and a game winning single in the bottom of the 10th.  Royals won 4- 3.

Enjoying the eats

Thanks to Roadfood a book by Jane and Michael Stern (and a wonderful gift from the Mapes family) we found C&K Barbeque in St. Louis.  Take out only, so we headed back to the RV to enjoy.  Glad we were not in public as Bob totally got into the beef ribs! Be sure to notice the sauce on his cheek as well as in the beard.

St. Louis campground and baseball

The campground we are in is actually in down town St. Louis!  Not in the heart of the city but in the city none-the-less.  Also, campground is a misnomer...it is a parking lot with RV and camper hook ups.  So we get to hear city traffic and noises all day an night.  But we are only here 2 nights so we'll be fine.

Sunday afternoon we checked the weather to see if the baseball game might be rained out.  At 2 PM the hourly forecast called for a 20% chance of rain during the game.  20% is fine we'll take that chance.  So I go to Stub Hub and get tickets.  We took a cab to Busch Stadium and got there about 2 hours before game time.  This is normal for us as we like to walk the entire stadium, get something to eat then get the starting line ups so we can keep score.  While we were eating the sky darkened and it began to rain.  The game was to start at 7:05 and was scheduled as ESPNs Sunday Night Baseball but was delayed 3 hours.  So we just hung out in the concourse along with 44,000 other fans.

While doing so we were both posting to Facebook and found out a friend of ours from The Brandermill Church was at the ball park, too.  After a few phone calls we met up with Mike Booker, had a great conversation and parted ways.  One of the things we want to do on this journey is stay in touch with folks.  So if you see our path and your may cross, let us know we will adjust if we can to see you.

So the game started a little after 10.  Remember in the previous post I said we got up early so we could make it to St. Louis for the game?  So we are both tired before the rain delay.  The game starts and it is a great ball game.  Final score was Texas 2 St. Louis 1.  We love that kind of game.  During the 2nd inning there was a foul ball hit just to my right.  So, naturally, I reached out to catch it.  I did get 2 hand on it and then dropped it, just like my playing days.  But I picked it up and got a nice approval from the crowd.  Last time I caught a ball at a ML game was July 4th 1969 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.  I still have that one.  At the end of that half inning I took the ball back a few seats and gave it a young boy who was a big Cards fan and ball fan.  He and his folks were very grateful. 

We got back to the RV about 1:45 AM Monday morning.  But what a good game!

Several events

Well we got the diagnosis on both the  RV generator and the transmission pump.  We have a part # and an appointment in Henderson, CO on July 1st to replace the fuel pump on the RV generator.  The tranny pump on the Jeep is another story. We did stay in the parking lot of Camping World in Bowling Green another night.  I will tell you that the service there was outstanding!  They went way out of their way to help us determine the problems and possible solutions.  They also are getting us the tranny pump part # and hopefully we can get it replaced at a Camping World in the Denver area.  It could be the pump or we could just be low on tranny fluid.  Why not just check the fluid level, you say?  Because in a 2011 Jeep Liberty there is no dip stick to check this fluid.  What? Really?  So I have a "just drive in and we'll check it"  appointment in Independence, MO Thursday this week.  Yes, we will were planning to be in Independence then. Or it could be the pump.  Once I find out if the fluid level is OK I may order the pump and have it sent to Camping World in Denver and we'll have it changed after we see Daniel.

In the mean time we can still tow the Jeep as long as it is in neutral and the engine is running.  On the plus side it means we can ride together in the RV.  This makes communication much easier.  It also means we don't both have to drive all the time.  The down side is we are burning gas in the Jeep while it is in tow...less gas than if we were driving it but still burning gas.

We wanted to see the St. Louis Cardinals play the Texas Rangers in St. Louis on Sunday evening.  So we got up early Sunday morning and made the uneventful trip to St. Louis.  See the next post for more on that.

Flexibility

Thursday June 20th we spent about 3 hours at Panara Bread in Hunington WV trying to find a place to fix the generator.  Beech Fork State Park where we were staying was a very nice area.  It was in a valley surrounded by mountains.  Thus no phone or internet service which is why we had to go to town to Panara to get internet.  It seems most RV dealers are booking appointments about 2 - 3 weeks out.  We need to be in Denver area by July 1.  After several phone calls we were able to get an appointment with a Cummins dealer in Henderson, CO for July 1.  So we adjust a few campground reservations and we are feeling some relief that we will get it done soon.

We had planned on spending 1 night in a Walmart one our way to St. Louis, MO, but with no generator  we had no way to run AC.  Temps were in the low 90s and we did not want to spend the night with no AC.  We located a campground on the route that had electric only hook up.  Great, we can easily do that.

On Friday, because of the winding and hilly roads in and out of the campground we decided to  drive the RV and Jeep separately.  So I drove the RV and Diana followed in the Jeep.  Once we got to I-64 we came to a rest stop.  The plan was to hook up the Jeep and move on.  But the alarm system for the transmission pump remain a problem.  Remember this problem developed in the heavy rain a few days before.  We dried out all the connections and let them sit in the warm sun hoping that would solve the problem.  Nope!  So we call our RV dealer who gave us a number for Remco, the pump manufacturer. They were very helpful and tried to talk us through the issue.  We spent 2 hours with me laying on the ground while Diana handed me tools and held an umbrella over both of us because the sun was hot and intense.  Still no luck.  This is a long story so I'll cut to the chase.  Finally we get an appointment at a Camping World for Saturday at 2PM.  Reroute the trip to Bowling Green, KY where we got to spend the night in the rear parking lot of  Camping World!  But we had electrical hook up so we had AC.  In a few hours we have our appointment and will hopefully get the situation fixed.  If we are really lucky they will fix the generator too.  We'll see how this goes.

Rain, mountains and pumps

Yesterday we drove from Smith Mountain State park in western VA to Beech Lake State Park near Barboursville, WV.  A lot of up and down through the mountains and it was raining all day.  Some times just a little but often it rained hard for 10 - 15 minutes at a time.  This made the drive more difficult but we were fine.  Not making great time but we never make great time with the 2 vehicles.  About an hour and a half away from our destination the transmission fluid pump that circulates the tranny fluid in the Jeep while in tow started to beep and flash red.  We pulled over at the next exit and got out to check connections etc.  Of course this is one of the time it was raining hard.  We checked everything but still were getting the alarm.  So we disconnected the Jeep and Diana drove it while I drove the RV.  No problem with the Jeep or the RV.

To get to the campground at the state park we took some bad roads (GPS directed and the only way in or out).  Very hilly, very windy, very narrow and very rough.  Sort of like driving up to and down from the Blue Ridge Parkway, only in an RV it was scary.  Diana said looking at the RV from the Jeep that there were several times while rounding hair pin turns I had one tire off the road more than once.  But we got in safely.

Today I called our dealer about the tranny pump.  They thought it was very possible that given how much rain we went through that a connection may have gotten wet and just sent the alarm.  Today when I hooked up the system seemed fine.  We'll know more when we travel again on Friday.

Did I mention the generator won't start??  Nope.  No a big deal right now but we need it.  So while talking to the dealer, he told me I could manually start it so I'll try that.  We have no phone or internet at the camp sight.  We are sitting in a Panara in Barboursville for now.

By the way, yesterday afternoon the sun came out while we set up.  We were both too tired to cook so we had munchies and beer for dinner.  A good day!

Smith Mountain Lake

Yesterday we met up with some friends we met at an RV park in Florida.  They live on Smith Mountain Lake in the western part of VA.  They picked us up at the dock at the campground we are staying at on their pontoon boat.  We spent the afternoon doing a slow cruise around the lake.  We stopped and had lunch on the cat then took a swim.  Some more slow cruise then stop for a swim and cocktails.  Then over to their place that overlooks the lake for appetizers.  Finally, we all headed out to dinner and they brought us back to the RV.  What a great day!!!  Plenty of sun but not too hot, the lake water was cool but very comfortable, and the company was outstanding.  We had a great time.  Thanks Bob and Donna.

The alignment

We noticed on the drive to and from Delaware that the steering on the RV was pulling slightly to the right.  Plus the steering wheel has the logo "FORD" across it and it was pointing more toward 10 and 4 rather than 9 and 3.  So after some searching online and checking with the campground we found a tire dealer in Norfolk that could do an alignment on an RV.  We took it in and said it would take about an hour.  So we headed off to breakfast.  Used the gift card I got from the men's Bible study, breakfast was free.  Thanks guys.

After about an hour we went back to the tire dealer only to learn that they had a re-do show up and we got bumped.  We debated but decided to stick around rather than have to come back later in the day.  About 20 minutes later our RV got a test drive and the guy started working on it.  30 minutes pass and another test drive and we figure we will be on our way soon.  WRONG!!!  The mechanic put  the RV back on the platform and redid the alignment.  30 minutes later another test ride then, wait for it....back on the rack!  So by now I'm thinking maybe they can't do the job but I'm glad the mechanic is trying to get it right.  Finally about 3 hours after we arrive we are ready to go.  We had been told the price of the alignment but I was afraid with the long time working on it we would be charged for the extra time.  But true to their word the price stayed the same.  I found out that RVs and big trucks are difficult to align and they do this regularly.  I was happy and we were on our way.  Yes, they got it right.  No more pull and a true 9 and 3 look on the steering wheel.  So I can recommend Harris Tire on Military Road in Norfolk.

We drove back to VA Beach and spent the rest of the day with Charlie and Betty.  A great ending to a good day!

Norfolk Harborfest

Sunday June 9th we spent the day on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk.  Our former neighbor and still friend Jack Bartell was helping with safety patrol at harborfest.  Diana and I along with Di's brother Charlie and his wife Betty got on Jack's boat and spent the afternoon sitting on the water with ringside seats for the boat races and the water jet pack demo.  The weather was perfect and the company was great.  It was good to visit with Jack.

We will spend part of the week with Charlie and Betty at out timeshare in VA Beach.  Unfortunately on Wednesday they have to return to Minnesota.  Di and I will leave on Friday and head toward Smith Mountain Lake not far from Roanoke, VA.  This will begin our westward migration to meet Daniel in Denver on the 4th of July.

Officially on the road

Today is our first day on the road.  Got up early to meet friends for breakfast, then hooked up the jeep and headed out of town.  We went through 3 tunnels (Hampton Roads and both of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnels).  Wasn't very windy so the bridges were not a problem.   We are now at Delaware Seashore State Park.  Right on the water (between a bay and ocean). 

 

Bob has had a wonderful day as Diana has laryngitis and can't talk at all!  Was fine on Thursday and during the day on Friday totally lost all ability to talk.  Seems like it might be getting a bit better - hopefully will be able to talk more tomorrow.