Cross Country for Thanksgiving

We made it to Oklahoma and checked in at the Tinker AFB FamCamp.  We have many fond memories of the FamCamp at Tinker and often say, “This is where it all started.”  In 1996 we were stationed at Tinker AFB and took our 3-year-old son on a bike ride around base where we stopped at the base lake near the FamCamp.  We had been thinking about a pop-up camper and we saw a fellow near a nice Coleman unit.  I had no idea that Jim Bury would become a life-long friend.  We talked about the pop-up and some of the things he did to make it an easy set-up and tear down.  Within a couple months we purchased our first RV, a 1993 Coleman Sequoia pop-up.   That was a great unit to enjoy with a young family on a budget.  We could take short vacations in comfort and at a reasonable cost. 

While in OKC, OK, we had the AquaHot serviced and they found two of the four pumps were bad.  AquaHot honored their 2-year warranty (the unit had been installed just before we bought it) and they replaced the pumps.  Now we have heat, sort of.  It tends to turn itself off when it gets tired in the middle of the night.  We will need to keep an eye on it and schedule service again. 

We were able to connect with some friends in OKC, OK.  My friend Mike owns Custom 4X4 Fabrication and we have designed several Jeep products together over the years.  I mentioned to him that I was concerned about bending the tow bar brackets on the front of my Jeep when I go off-road.  This is probably not a concern for most people; but if you go off-road, it would not take much of a hit to tweak the brackets enough to prevent hooking up a tow bar.  Mike came up with an elegant skid plate design that can be quickly attached/detached as needed.  In a few hours he made the prototype and I later painted them to match the bumper.  They look good and will protect the attachment points. 

We also visited Ed Wright who I served with in the USAF, Ed has a beautiful home in OKC and he invited us over for grilled steaks and football.  It was good to see him and discuss the latest happenings in the USAF.

We departed OKC and spent one night just west of Memphis at a roadside campground before arriving in Tuscaloosa, AL.  My mom and sister live in Tuscaloosa and there is a campground about two miles from mom’s house.  We were able to spend Thanksgiving with her and my sister’s family.  I was able to help with some chores for mom and we watched the Auburn vs Alabama game together.  It didn’t end the way we would have liked, but Auburn gave it a good try. 

We left Tuscaloosa and headed to Auburn, AL just as the football crowd thinned out and were able to score a great campsite right on a little creek and spent a week visiting our sons and completing our annual doctor’s appointments.  We figure December is a good time to do it as we will probably be back in this area for the holidays each year.  Of course, we fed our college student sons and their friends a few times and somehow got suckered in to helping them cleanup around their house.  I thought I was finished with this yard work when we hit the road!

Our next stop will be Birmingham, AL at the Cummins Service Center to get The Bus’ oil changed.  From there we plan to go by Red Bay, AL and let the technicians at Tiffin’s service center look at our AquaHot system.  Until then, thanks for following us at keepingupwiththejonesrv. 

RV Tip:  Buy a couple foam yoga mat squares and keep one in a lower bay on each side.  It really helps when you get on your knees digging around the storage bays or working on systems below the floor. 

Retiring…not so fast

I retired from the USAF in 2010 and have worked for an aerospace defense company for the past five years.  We are now at the point where I would like to go into semi-retirement.  What is semi-retirement?  Well, I see it as I have control of my scheduled and can take short-term jobs that interest me.  So, I gave the company my notice and told them I would finish up a project I have been working for 3 years and my last day would be 12 Nov.  We worked out a plan where I would attend the Annual Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) conference in National Harbor, MD (across the river from Washington, DC.) then return to California to out-process the company.  Pattie, seeing an opportunity to visit friends and her hairstylist in Maryland, jumped at the chance to join me.

We pulled the slides in, turned off the water to the coach, and left it hooked up in Valencia Travel Village while we flew to Washington, DC.  The conference was at the Gaylord Convention Center and we were able to enjoy the newly developed National Harbor area.  They have one of those giant Ferris wheels there, so we rode that one evening after dinner.

The conference went well and we were able to see old friends and attend our home church in Dunkirk, MD on Sunday. The return flight was delayed and a 12-hour day of travel turned in to 20 hours.  Pattie said it was confirmation that it is time to retire and I agreed.  My company friends treated me to a retirement lunch and all was going as planned until the program I have been working on was extended to early December.  I guess it is the military ethos that says you don’t leave in the middle of a fight especially one you started that made me say yes, I will stay on until it is finished.  However, I asked to be able to work remote as we already made plans to be in Alabama for Thanksgiving.  They agreed and we rolled out of California on 13 Nov. 

The Bus ran great and we spent the first night in Quartzite, AZ.  Quartzite is know for the largest annual flea market and RV gathering the world which occurs in January.  We just did a quick overnight and noted that we may return for that event one day.  The following day we arrived in Prescott, AZ and visited Jeff and Patt Parker our Maryland friends who have retired there.  They gave us the grand tour of Prescott and we had dinner on Whisky Row in an old saloon with a shady history. 

Now in California, it had begun to get cold enough to need heat in the early morning.  We used the heat elements in the roof top A/C units and that was sufficient.  In Prescott, it was in the mid-20s to 30s in the morning with some snow.  No problem since The Bus is equipped with AquaHot that will provide endless hot water and heat the interior and lower storage compartment…when it works.  We had been using hot water, so I thought all was good until I switched it to heat. No heat.  We ran to Wal-Mart and bought two small space heaters to get us through the night.  I sought advice from numerous forum experts and a local technician who did not have time to come check on it.  I worked half a day checking power to pumps and beating on anything that looked like it might need beating on, but no joy.  Time to head to warmer weather and find a qualified tech to service this unit.  Next stop, Oklahoma City.

Thanks for following keepingupwiththejonesrv

RV tip – Disable the your automobile horn chirp when remote locking to keep the campground quiet. 

Working from The Bus

We spent the last few days of September visiting my nephew Nathan who is stationed at FE Warren AFB, WY.  He is a Missile Field Chef serving in the USAF and it was great to see him and spend a day touring Cheyenne, WY. 

We departed Cheyenne and headed toward Castaic, CA stopping one night at a Wal-Mart south of Salt Lake City one night and at Nellis AFB, NV the second night.  Along the way The Bus’ engine began to skip and loose power on the hills.  Pattie located a Freightliner service center along our route and we called ahead asking for a quick service call.  They got us in the shop about an hour after arriving and hooked up their diagnostics computer that read reports of low fuel pressure events.  I told them we had run low on fuel and stopped at a small fueling station in Wyoming that looked sketchy.  They changed both fuel filters and we took it on a test drive.  The engine pulled strong and we believe it fixed the problem.  Glad to have an easy $100 fix, we proceeded on with no further problems.  When we crossed in to California, I spotted a new truck wash and pulled right in.  The crew there washed The Bus, our TOAD Jeep and even our bikes on the rack.  It was nice to see The Bus shiny and clean again.

On 1 Oct, we arrived at the Valencia Travel Village in Castaic, CA and set up for a long-term stay paying for a month in advance. Each day I drive a rental car to work in Van Nuys, CA and leave the Jeep for Pattie to run errands and such.  Our little home on wheels is comfortable and it is great to be together while I work a major project for the company.  On the weekends, we explore the local area and visit with friends.  One evening we had Dave (a former co-worker now retired) and Becky over to The Bus for dinner.  This was our first time entertaining in The Bus and it was cozy with some great steaks, wine and wonderful cake Becky brought us. 

One Friday evening we drove to Venture to see the sunset and have dinner.  The next day, we went to Big Bear Lake and road our bikes on the trails. 

The next weekend, we joined a group of friends at Calvary Community Church in Westlake, CA for a Tim Hawkins concert.  We had a wonderful dinner and a great evening.  The next day, Pattie and I drove the Jeep up to Sequoia National Park to do some hiking and saw the largest tree in the world.  

We departed heading west and a black bear crossed the road in front of us so close I had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting it.  As we headed down the mountain, we stopped at an overlook and just sat watching the sun go down over the mountain.  It was so quiet and God was showing off His creation just for us. 

Thanks for following our adventures….more stories to follow.

Glimpsing the Dream

Pattie and I flew back from LA to Atlanta after convincing my boss that I would split the travel cost of driving my RV across country so I could return and finish out a major project while living in the RV.  We had been planning a vacation to Deadwood, SD to attend the Black Hills Jeep Jamboree; so, we were headed that way anyway.  After a night in Auburn to check The Bus systems and have dinner with our sons, we headed out.   The first two nights we stayed in campgrounds and began to question why we are paying for full hook-up sites when we are simply stopping, having dinner and sleeping.  The third night we decided to try boondocking in the Sioux Falls, SD Wal-Mart parking lot.  We received permission from the manager and leveled the coach on ramps rather than using the auto leveling system which can hard asphalt.  Sweet.  On Wednesday, we rolled into Whistler Gulch Campground in Deadwood, SD and setup for a six-night stay. 

We took it easy Thursday getting use to the altitude and touring Leed, SD learning about the gold mining operations that occurred there.  Thursday evening 120 Jeeps rooled in to town ot register for trail rides.  Jeep Jamboree is a family event with trails for the novice all the way to extreme built rigs, but they must be Jeep vehicles. 

We selected a medium trail for Friday and the weather was perfect as we pulled out and headed into the mountains. 

The trails were challenging enough for our mostly stock Wrangler Rubicon and allowed me to practice my driving skills.

On Saturday, we took a less challenging trail and I let Pattie drive so she could practice her skills.

On Sunday, we made a trip down to Mount Rushmore and toured around the area seeing the Needles rock formations and wildlife.

On Monday, we headed down to Badlands national Park and drove the Loop Road.  Although it was overcast, we were amazed at the landscape.  We had lunch in Wall, SD and spent a couple hours in the Wounded Knee Museum.  Sobering description of the massacre that occurred there.  On our way back, we stopped by Rapid City to see some friends who have settled there.  Kelsey and Sue have two beautiful children and a nice home.  We ate Elk over bowtie pasta.  Yummy. 

On Tuesday we took off for Cheyenne, WY to visit my Nephew Nathan who is stationed at F.E. Warren AFB.

So far, this trip has given us our first glimpse at the life style we are hoping for as full time RV’ers.  It is a different feeling to see others arrive in campgrounds for a weekend and afterward pack to leave to get back to their homes/jobs knowing that we are at home and can stay a few more days if we feel like it.