The Maine Thing

We departed Pennsylvania and cut across New York to a campground on the north shore of Lake Dunmore in Vermont.  It was a long drive and Pattie decided it was time for her to get some driving practice.  She did a great job keeping it between the lines and I enjoyed the passenger side recliner.

The commercial campground was well-kept and offered Kayak rentals.  We rented two fishing Kayaks and paddled around the lake a bit to see how we liked them.  We decided, we prefer one two-seat boat where we can stay together.  We took the Jeep exploring and stopped at several waterfalls where we saw locals swimming in some very cold water.  

Of course, no trip to Vermont is complete without a visit to the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory.  We took the tour and received free samples of their Milk and Cookies ice cream that is really good.  

On another day, we drove over to Killington, VT to hike some trails.  We thought we were going on a 3-mile loop to a beautiful outlook.   Unfortunately, one of us had the map incorrectly oriented 180 degrees and we found ourselves hiking “The Long Trail” which is part of the  Appalachian Trail. We figured it out about 4-miles in near a peak when we came across a sign warning that we were in a dangerous and desolate area.  A thunderstorm was headed our way and soaked us completely as we made our way back down the mountain.  We have added dry cloths to a bag we keep in the Jeep and I now have a much better compass in our hiking bag.

Holiday weekends are prime times for family and friends to get together and enjoy camping.  As full-timers, we enjoy seeing all the RVs on the road heading to the best camping spots; but that means we need to find a spot and stay put as campgrounds are filled to capacity. Fortunately, Pattie’s sister lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire and Fourth of July weekend was a great opportunity for us to visit her and camp at her horse farm.  We had a good time visiting with them and Pattie even got to ride one of the horses.

As the campgrounds emptied, we were able to easily secure one of the prime spots in Newfound RV Park near Newfound Lake in NH.  With a mid-week stay and the Passport America rate, this full hook-up spot was less than $20 per night.  We rented a canoe and paddled around a few islands in Newfound Lake before taking a hike around Wellington State Park.  The park has a nicely maintained beach that was crowed with families enjoying the warm day.  We decided to take a hike along the edge of the Lake and after about a mile, we came to a small cove with a beach big enough for two people.  With no one around, we ignored the no swimming sign and cooled off in the clear water.

Our next stop was in Bethel, Maine where we attended our first Jeep Jamboree back in 1988.  The small town seemed the same and we found the pottery store where we bought some lamps 28 years ago.  Pattie couldn’t resist and bought herself a nicely colored coffee mug.  It rained most of the time we were there so we explored the back roads in the Jeep and stopped for short hikes to see waterfalls.  Along one road, we saw a young moose that was in no hurry, so we watched him stick his head behind a tree to hide from us.  Of course, the other eight feet of his body was exposed, but I think he thought if he could not see us we could not see him.

Heading north, we camped at Eustis, ME.  Here we rented paddleboards for the day and took them to various spots to explore the Flagstaff Lake and its tributaries.  This was Pattie’s first time on a paddleboard and I guess she didn’t realize that part of the fun is loosing your balance and falling in because she didn’t.  I did a few times and enjoyed the cool waters. 

Heading east, we stopped for 5 days at Palmyra, ME.  We took day trips from here to explore the lakes to the north.  One back road was flooded from a beaver dam, so I had to put on some old shoes and wade through to check the depth before crossing.  We were about 2 hours into the backwoods and I couldn’t risk flooding out and didn’t want to turn back.  

The paved roads here suffer from frost heaves and many roads are gravel.  They took their toll on the Jeep causing the steering damper to rupture.  Fortunately, Palmyra has a Jeep dealership that was able to make the necessary repairs (I spent a day repairing their repairs) and we were on our way.

Now, we are headed toward the coast for some Lobsta.  They don’t have “R” in their alphabet in Maine.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

One-Year Anniversary June 2016

One year ago, we sold our home in Maryland and began living full time in our 2007 Allegro Bus.  It has been a wonderful year and we feel like we have just begun living the dream.  Pattie reminds me that this is partly because the dream of full-time living for us included being masters of our own schedule and that did not occur until about six months ago when I fully retired.  Until Dec 2015, I was employed and working from The Bus or company offices and we were not able to make our own schedule.  The fact remains that we have been living in The Bus for a year and this blog entry is a review of things we have learned along the way.

GENERAL STUFF

The Right RV – Selecting the right RV is a personal choice; however, the systems need to be durable enough for full-time use rather than weekend vacations.  We chose an older high end RV and have spent about $15K upgrading it with some of the modern features as opposed to spending the same amount on a newer one that may not be as well constructed.  Below is a list of our modifications:

Treated battery compartment with POR15 and acid absorbing pads	Added HDMI splitter and wireless transmitter for outside TV
Added battery watering kit	Added winterize kit to water pump
Added M&G Engineering brake system and Demco base plate to Jeep	Replaced shades with easy roll day night shades and one piece front shades
Removed TV from lower storage bay and added shelf	Replaced RV refrigerator with full size residential refrigerator
Removed one couch and added Lazy Boy chairs	Deactivated side cameras because delay in switching during lane changes was distracting. Now, rear center camera is always on.
Replaced RV mattress with our king size innerspring mattress	Removed factory PC and added storage drawer
Upgraded front and rear TVs with flat panel TVs	Added pull out tray under sink
Upgraded DVD surround sound with Blue Ray surround sound	Replaced Track King in-motion satellite antenna with Weingard Trav’ler antenna

Dimensions – Numbers are important!  Know your length, height, width, and weight before your first trip.  Maps and Apps are good references for keeping you out of trouble, but they are not perfect.  Always look for restriction signs along your route. 

Navigation – You could full-time RV alone, but having someone along for the ride makes it so much better.  One practical aspect is having a navigator planning and tracking your route as you drive.  We use several computer based aids as well as a current Trucker’s Atlas.  No matter how good you plan, nothing beats keeping an eye out for those pop-up road hazard and restriction signs.

Weather – Check weather early and often from several sources in your area.  A four seasons RV can operate normally in freezing temperatures, but proper precautions with water hose, sewer hose, and internal tanks must be taken.  Be prepared to live with the slides closed in the event of bad weather and know where you will go to take shelter in severe weather. 

TOP SCORES -- Best, Worst, Most…

Best Memory: Napping while sea breeze blew through coach on North Padre Island

Worst Mechanical Failure:  Wiper motor failed causing a return to Red Bay, AL for repair

Best Daily Activity:  Kissing at sundown each day

Most Rewarding Experience:  Helping flood victims in Louisiana and Pennsylvania

Most Impressive Site:  Niagara Falls

Most Educational Activity:  RV-Dreams boondock rally in Tallahassee, FL

Best Club Membership:  Passport America 50% off at participating campgrounds

Worst Recurring Problem:  Aqua Hot heater failure took more than six months to diagnose and fix

Best Lifestyle Experience:  Flexible schedule and the ability to extend the stay if you like the place

Best Camp Ground Experience:  There were so many good ones this was hard. Battle Run Campground near the Gauley River Recreational Area was a beautiful Army Corp of Engineer campground with almost all spots having a view of Summerville Lake. There were good walking trails, a swim beach, good fishing, beautiful views of lakes, waterfalls and rivers, an interesting historic state park and of course a great Jeep ride through the woods over creeks and mountains (All this on a designated County Highway!).

Best Hiking Gear:  Merrill day hikers and Easton adjustable walking sticks

Best Gadget:  36-inch selfie stick.  Used for checking top of slides and roof for debris.

Worst Things We Brought Along:  Bowling ball and golf clubs.  We have not used either of these in the past year. 

Most useful Bike Accessory: Blue OX tall bike rack.  It carries the bikes between The Bus and the Jeep.  It can easily be mounted to the back of the Jeep to take the bike to a remote trailhead. 

Best Apps:  All Stays, Passport America, Google Maps

Most Often Asked Questions:  How long are you going to do this?  Where are you going next?  We don’t have an answer to either of these questions and that is what makes it fun.

OPERATING COSTS

Some people may be curious as to the cost of operating a large diesel pusher motorhome.  Below are the maintenance costs we have incurred this year.  These costs do not include fuel costs or upgrades we made, only normal maintenance for approximately 20,000 miles we drove this year.

Changed engine and generator oil and filters, changed fuel filters	$465
Tiffin – Adjusted rear DS slide, repaired roof leak, replaced black tank breaker valve, replaced awning motor	$950
Changed fuel filters	$100
Serviced AquaHot and replaced wipers	$400
Changed engine oil and filter	$250
Tiffin – Replaced door latch, new fresh water hose, lubed slides	$150
Changed generator oil and filter	$200
Engine oil/filter changed, Fuel filters changed, Chassis greased, Transmission fluid and filter changed, Air Cleaner Filter changed, Air Dryer Serviced, Rear Differential fluid changed, Engine Drive Belt Replaced, coolant tested OK.	$1400
Tiffin – Windshield wiper motor replaced, gray tank leak fixed, AquaHot control thermostat replaced, inside remote thermostat sensors replaced, sealed leak around PS rear side, replaced gasket in DS rear power compartment.	$599
Taxes/Tag (Alabama)	$628
Total	$5142

Obviously this is much more that it costs to maintain a normal automobile over a period of one year.  Think of it in terms of maintaining your car and your home.  We average about 7.5 mpg in The Bus.  Based on an average price for diesel this year of $2.50 per gallon, we spent about $6700 on fuel. 

SUMMARY

We are not sure what the future will bring, but we are enjoying the ride for today.  As long as the Lord blesses us with the ability to travel and live this way and we are being productive for Him, I suppose we will keep traveling.  Looking forward to our second year on the road.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

Penn’s Wood’s Jeep Jamboree

David & Pattie at 1988 Maine Mountains Jeep Jamboree

I am a Jeep enthusiast and Pattie has resolved herself to accept my Jeep addiction no matter how crazy.  I have owned and driven Jeeps off-road for 40 years.  Off-road driving is not just driving across obstacles and if your Jeep is outfitted with enough hardware, you either make it or you don’t. Proper driving technique is something that must be practiced and perfected over time. Tire placement, contact pressure, throttle application and overall vehicle awareness are essential to traversing obstacles without damage to the vehicle and environment.  Jeep Jamborees are excellent family friendly events to learn these techniques.  Pattie and I attended our first Jeep Jamboree at Bethel, Maine back in 1988, but their origin begins well before then.

In the late 1950’s, friends began exploring Northern California trails driving surplus Jeeps.  Mark Smith was one of them who had the vision to organize trail rides and founded Jeep Jamboree USA headquartered in Georgetown, CA.  Although Mark passed away a few years ago, Jeep Jamboree USA (www.jeepjamboreeusa.com) is going strong with 33 Jeep Jamborees being conducted across the US in 2016. It is not our goal to do all 33 events, but we (or at least I) would like to do a couple of them each year. 

This year we chose the Penn’s Wood’s Jeep Jamboree held in Bradford, PA.  The event was hosted at the Brad-Pitt University campus where they allowed us to park The Bus during the event.  We arrived early on Wednesday to set up and watched as more than 150 Jeeps rolled in on Thursday for vehicle safety inspection and registration.  

Each participant selected two of the ten trails offered (one for Friday and one for Saturday).  The trails are graded by level of complexity and drivers select them based on their vehicle’s capability and their driving skill level.  Event coordinators and Trail Guides are there to help drivers select appropriate trails.  We picked Boulderdash and RockyTop each that require a minimum of 33-inch tall tires and locking differentials.

We saw that the weather was going to be near perfect, so we decided to remove the Jeep’s hardtop for the weekend. This is not something we have done since we began full-time RV living as it takes a bit of effort.  There are several companies that make garage mounted hoists that lift Jeep hardtops off; but you need a garage.  When planning for full time RV living, I knew we would want to remove the hardtop occasionally and the most difficult part is there is no handhold.  It is a cumbersome job for two men to wrestle the unbalanced, heavy hardtop on/off without pinching fingers or dropping the top.  So, I designed side rail handles and had www.custom4x4fabrication.com in Oklahoma City, OK make them for me.  The side rail handles worked perfectly and Pattie was able to lift her side as we carried the top over and set it down in a grassy area beside The Bus.  Removing the hardtop allows you to experience the beautiful outdoor scenery as you crawl along trails.  We also witnessed a couple of people who did not remove their hardtops damaged them when they hit trees along the narrow trails.

Hardtop with Custom4X4Fabrication handrails

On the first day, we drove RockyTop with about 20 Jeeps in our group.  We stayed in communication using CB radios so we could hear what was going on upfront as the group stopped along the trail negotiating obstacles.  We would often hike forward to watch drivers cross the technical sections.  Our skid plates scraped along rocks, but we were able to negotiate all the obstacles without any damage or needing assistance. 

On the second day, we drove Boulderdash.  The Trail guides were very helpful here guiding each Jeep though the tight trail and complex rock formations.  There was one section about 200 yards long containing thick mud and we opted to bypass this obstacle.  I have driven Jeeps in mud over the years and no longer want to endure the cleanup penalty afterward if I can help it. 

One thing that concerned me during our trip preparation was that if I hit an obstacle just right; it would bend the tow bar brackets preventing me from attaching the Jeep to The Bus.  Mike at Custom4X4Fabrication built special skidplates to protect them and it paid off on this trip.  I had stopped to help repair a flat tire on another Jeep and then jumped back in to continue without refreshing my memory on the obstacles that were ahead.  Sure enough, we hit a large rock hard at a slight angle that would have bent the brackets had it not been for the skidplates. An ounce of prevention!

 

Each day, we stopped along the trail for a picnic lunch provided my Jeep Jamboree and breakfast and supper were provided at the Brad-Pitt college cafeteria.  The best part of the Jeep Jamborees is the people you meet.  We enjoyed discussing the Penn’s Wood’s trails and other trails people have experienced.  If you own a four wheel drive Jeep, this is a great way to learn the capabilities of these vehicles, develop driving skills, and meet some great folks while enjoying the outdoors.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!