Back to the Southeast for More Moves

We bid farewell to Arizona stopping by the Tiffin Rally in Tucson for the open house day on our way back east.  It was fun to see the new coaches and talk with other Tiffin owners there.

We had hoped to stay out west for several months, but knew there were family obligations on the horizon.  Sure enough, the independent living apartment Pattie’s mom had been waiting on for two years in Atlanta, GA became available and her move was planned for the second week in March.  Our trip back east followed the same route we took to go west even stopping at the same campgrounds.  Along the way, I noticed The Bus began making a loud squeal when I pressed on the accelerator.   Fluids, temperatures, and power were all good, so I did not worry too much about it and focused on family matters.  We established camp at Ft Benning’s Uchee Creek Campground, as there are not too many campground options convenient to downtown Atlanta.  We were able to stay with Pattie’s sister in Atlanta during the time of the move, so we did not have to drive back and forth. 

The move went smoothly and Pattie’s mom was soon settled in her new home.  After 60+ years living in the same house, downsizing and adjusting can be traumatic.  She handled it well and is making new friends and seeing some old ones there. 

During this time we dropped by Auburn to visit with our sons.  William recently graduated in Mechanical Engineering and was looking for a job.  Chris is in his senior year in theater and his plans are fluid.  William suggested we go out to dinner at a rather expensive restaurant.  We agreed, as we like to spoil the starving college students when we can.  To our great surprise, William announced dinner was on him and that he had a job!  He is working for an engineering firm and will be moving soon to the Phoenix City, AL area. 

We traveled back to Atlanta to prepare Pattie’s mom’s house for estate sale and property sale.  As we departed, we saw some brave young soldiers parachuting on the ranges at Ft Benning.  Ah to be young again.

With our work done in Atlanta, we headed back to The Bus thinking about returning in April for the estate sale and helping William move.  A phone call came in from our son Chris telling us he has been offered an apprenticeship with a production company in Atlanta and will be moving out this summer.  More great news!  We began a flurry of plans now to juggle these events and all seemed very busy.  Then we received a text from my sister saying that her mother-in-law had passed away.  We were saddened by this news, but joyful at the same time because we know she is receiving her reward for her faith.  Back at The Bus, we broke camp and headed to Tuscaloosa, AL to pay our respects and help take care of my mom while my sister tended to funeral events. 

The engine whistle remained, so we made an appointment at Bay Diesel in Red Bay, AL to have it addressed and service all fluids.  We have never seen Red Bay so full of motorhomes.  Every campground is full and we had to dry camp for one night until we could find a spot.  It is a combination of snowbirds heading back north, the increasing sales of new coaches, and people just coming to visit.  We met new friends and had several evenings talking about RVing. 

The techs at Bay Diesel changed the drive belt and cleaned the pulleys, but the squeal remained.  Next they found a crack in the exhaust cross pipe and replaced it, but the squeal remained.  

After further examination, they determined the exhaust manifold gasket is blown in one area.  This is a common problem with the Cummins 400 ISL motor of this year model (2007).  The manifold itself is probably warped, so they scheduled us for a manifold replacement the following week.   This will probably be our largest repair expense in almost three years of RVing full time.  Bracing for the bill...

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!