Back to Red Bay for Service and Upgrades

Pattie and I had hoped to continue north all the way to Maine; but the failed windshield wiper motor and a few other issues required us to alter our plans.  We departed Maryland in the rain with no windshield wipers and drove south for two days to Red Bay, AL.  The liberal use of Rain X water repellant on the windshield made driving with no wipers close to a non-issue.  The rain just rolled off.  We signed in at the Tiffin Service Center and took spot 31 in their campground.  The campsites are on a deserted runway where motorhomes line up in three long rows.  Nothing special here, but I always get the feeling I am at a remote military airfield in the Middle-East.

Monday morning, Norris (service manager) came by and we reviewed our list of repair items.  He said it would be a week and a half before they could get to us.  We resigned to sit still until we could get the items fixed.  (Note: Norris typically gives you the worst-case time estimates.) Meanwhile, we called Bay Diesel and made an appointment for chassis service the next day.  We also contacted Nick Brewer who installs custom electronics after Tiffin’s normal service hours about a new satellite antenna.  Our 2007 Bus came with the Trac-King in-motion satellite antenna that has become obsolete.  It only picks up one of three satellites on a good day and never local channels. 

 We made an appointment with Nick to install the Winegard Trav’ler antenna on Thursday.  For technical reasons I wanted to switch service to Direct TV, but after becoming totally frustrated trying to get them to understand that I wanted service ONLY in my RV, I decided to just stick with DISH.  When you buy a $200 antenna for home use, it is not as big a commitment as when buying the $2000 Trav’ler.  Hopefully, DISH Network will serve us well.

We enjoyed meeting other Tiffin motorhome owners and hearing about their experiences, problems, and modifications.  On this trip, I met a lady named Sue who showed me what she and her husband had done to modify their coach.  Some of the cabinet modifications peaked my interest and Sue immediately put me in touch with Chris Berry who did the woodwork.  I contacted Chris who came by and we talked about some custom cabinetwork he could do over the next week and a half.

Bay Diesel took care of the routine chassis maintenance by changing the engine oil, transmission fluid, drive belt, and all air/fuel/oil filters.  They also serviced the air tank reservoir. I am not exactly sure what this is, but when we were driving The Bus would be constantly hissing air on and off.  Since compressed air is used to operate the brakes and air bag suspension, it is something that must be in top condition.  I think they drained some water accumulator or something and it works fine now.  This is another system I will need to study up on how it works.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Tiffin scheduler called and told us to report to bay 3 at 7am on Wednesday (three days and they got us in a bay!).  When we arrived and met the technicians, I handed them a box of parts I had removed from the windshield wiper motor assembly and a new motor.  I thought the guy was going to make me sign a statement that I would never touch the windshield wiper system again.  Apparently, I had removed several things that do not need to be removed when changing the motor.  He was a good sport and got it all back together correctly.  He also swapped in a new Aqua-Hot control thermostat.  I have been in constant contact with the Aqua-Hot engineers trying to determine why our system acts so erratically.  They narrowed it down to this sensor and paid for the installation.  It worked and I cannot say enough good things about how Aqua-Hot has stood behind their product and warranty. 

 

Next, the technicians worked on a leak we had in our grey water tank.  These tanks catch and hold the sink and shower water.  We noticed that when it is half full or more and we move The Bus, we would see water leaking out each side.  They quickly found that the pipe going into the top of the tank had cracked and could be replaced without removing or having to replace the whole tank. 

After that, we asked them where our thermostat sensors were for Zone 1 and Zone 2 heating and cooling.  We noticed other coaches of the same year model have visible sensors and we could not find any.  They searched, found them and replaced them with more modern sensors.  Overall heating and cooling is much more consistent now.  They fixed a few other odds and ends and we were done before 3pm.

On Thursday, we relocated to a self-service campground near Nick’s place and waited for him to arrive.  We met him at 4:30pm and he quickly removed our old King Dome Trac-King antenna and installed the new Trav’ler.  By 7pm we were outside watching the new antenna locate and lock on the all three Dish Network satellites.  We called Dish and they activated local channels for us.  It was great to finally get all the channels we pay for each month.

On Friday, we called Chris Berry and told him we had finished up early and were ready to meet him and complete some work or just do it on our next visit.  He said come on over and we parked outside his woodshop in the country.  He connected us to power and began building custom drawers, slide outs, and improved my bedroom TV mounting system.  It took him most of the day and he allowed us to stay there overnight.  The small improvements Chris made give us extra room and make it easier to access things in the back of the cabinets.

On Saturday, we headed to Auburn, AL to have my doctor look at something that had me concerned.  We figured that we may be there several weeks if it required surgery, so we made reservations at the Auburn RV Park.  We always enjoy this park and the friendly owners.  My doctor sent me to a specialist in Columbus, GA that is near Ft Benning.  Since my sons were out of school, I offered to take them by Ft Benning for a little shooting practice before my appointment.  My youngest son, Chris took me up on the offer and as we passed through the gate realized that his military dependent ID card had expired.  Something we would need to address on this visit. When we got to the shooting range, it had just closed due to a safety incident.  Bummer.  We headed over to my appointment with the specialist and I was relieved when he said I have nothing to be worried about and no procedures are necessary.  Yeah!

Once back in Auburn, I discovered that my oldest son’s ID card was about to expire and since he is turning 23, he is no longer able to receive one. This is a big deal since the military ID card is our health insurance ID card as well.  I discovered that he is no longer covered by our family health care even though he is my dependent and a full-time college student.  We arranged to purchase individual health care at the cost of what I would normally consider to be a car payment each month.  Ouch!  I made an appointment at Ft Benning for the following day for Chris to get his new ID card.  We went back over there, got his ID card and were able to shoot on the range for a couple hours. I also had time to clean up The Bus a bit and found that using an old Scrub Daddy and some Simple Green does a nice job on the wheels.

 We had not planned on returning to the southeast once we headed north in early May.  It is good that we did, as we were able to accomplish several things that needed to be addressed.  Next, Niagara Falls…we think!

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

Tip:  Follow this link to Red Bay After Hours technicians: http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/redbay/afterhours.pdf

The Show Must Go On

We departed Louisiana and headed toward Auburn, AL where we planned to visit our sons and attend the Auburn University theater company’s play "The Integration of Tuskegee High School".  Our youngest son Chris is majoring in theater and this was his first colligate performance.  Along the way, we spoke to my Mom and decided to visit with her a few days in Tuscaloosa since we had time to kill.  

We enjoyed visiting with Mom and were able to help Daryl (my brother-in-law) expand Mom’s back porch with paving stones.  It was an area that she could not grow grass, so the stones will serve dual functions. 

On one trip between The Bus and her house, I passed an accident scene where a young man had run off the road down into a ravine.  I went back and offered to pull him out.  It took five different winch configurations to get him back on level ground.  The work took its toll on my winch cable, so I ordered a new one and had it sent ahead to our Auburn address. 

New Cable Installed--Ready for Next Pull

When we left for Auburn, we decided not to stay at the higher priced RV parks near the campus and opted instead to stay at the Maxwell AFB Recreation Area on Lake Martin about 40 minutes from Auburn.  This turned out to be a great choice since we could camp right on the lake and I could fish each day.  We visited our sons, picked up our mail and took them out to dinner. 

Lake Martin campsites come with their own dock!

I spent most of my time fishing and made a few friends while doing so.  One fellow was a regular and showed me his favorite spots and let me use his live minnows.  We caught crappie and spotted bass.  I tried to get Pattie involved, but she said she did not find it relaxing our exciting.  Hmmm.  She will read a book all day, but can’t concentrate on fishing? 

"I find this neither relaxing or exciting."

I contacted my cousin Stanley who lives in the area. He and his wife Missy came to visit and have breakfast.  We enjoyed getting caught up with them.  

On Wednesday evening, we attended the play and were impressed by the thoroughness of the background research that went into the production.  It was fun to watch Chris perform and we hope to see him in future productions. 

Artist: Ethel Vaughn

The next day we rolled out headed to Maryland to attend Disaster Recovery recertification training.

Along the way it began to rain and The Bus windshield wipers stopped working.  We pulled off at a Wal-Mart and I bought some Rain-X to apply to the windshield.  I learned about this stuff back in college and how a woman engineer developed it for aircraft windshields where wipers were impractical.  It takes some effort to apply it, but the water will bead up and roll off the windshield.  That got us to our home church in Dunkirk, MD where we camped in the parking lot.  I troubleshot the wiper problem and determined it was a bad wiper motor.  I found the part number and ordered one hoping I could make the repair myself.   After our recertification training, I spent a day trying to get the old motor out and finally gave up.  I called the Tiffin factory and others who all recommended that I take it to Red Bay, AL and let the factory technicians replace the motor.  We talked about it and decided to alter our plans for visiting the northeast and return to Red Bay, AL to get this item and a few other things fixed.  Not real happy about it, but that is the direction we are being led.  I wonder what’s in store for us there?

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

Disaster Response – Making a Difference

The federal government has declared a major disaster for Louisiana, allowing the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide federal disaster assistance in recovery efforts in the areas affected by two days of severe storms and floods, according to the office of Gov. John Bel Edwards on Sunday (March 13).

By Wilborn P. Nobles III, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

Email the author | Follow on Twitter

on March 13, 2016 at 6:43 PM

In mid-March, severe storms and heavy rains caused flooding that the locals believed crested about mid-night.  Many went to bed believing their preparations were sufficient to meet the 100-year flood level requirements.  They did not know that a bubble of water was building and in the next 6 hours the floodwaters would rise another 6 feet in what they call the 1,000-year flood level. Many awoke to several feet of water in their homes and scrambled for survival.

Westside Baptist's Mobile Kitchen Unit
Photo by Louis R. Price

David and Pattie beside recovery unit

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) organization trains volunteers to perform “Clean Out” actions necessary to save the structure and treat it for mold growth.  The Clean Out teams are supported by other volunteer teams who provide assessment, chaplain counseling, food preparation, shower/laundry services, and command and control for the assigned area.  Local churches sponsor a specialty team and gather funds to build the mobile assets required for that specialty.  Westside Baptist Church in Natchitoches, LA sponsors a cooking team unit and maintains a mobile kitchen that was deployed to another parish, but returned to the church where the team could use the fixed facilities to support the local Incident Command and teams deploying from this location.

Pattie and I suited up in the protective gear we carry in an action packer marked “Disaster Response” and navigated to the home where the Virginia Southern Baptist Disaster Response (SBDR) team led by Bonnie Perry was assigned.  We have performed flood “Clean Outs” before, but nothing this drastic. Bonnie and husband Carl drove the response truck and trailer unit that has everything needed to perform Clean Outs. Let me walk you through a typical day.

Incident Command
Photo by Louis R. Price

Volunteers sleep on cots in the Westside Baptist Church activities center where the Incident Command center for this area is located.  Pattie and I are thankful to have our motorhome to sleep in our own bed. The local cooking team prepares breakfast that is served at 06:30 in the activities building.  Dave, the Incident Command Director, meets with Bonnie to get our work orders.  We load water and lunches in the unit and convoy to the first home.  I use my Jeep to scout ahead and make sure the roads are passable and radio back the best way to bring the unit onto the job site.  

Group and owner gathering for prayer 

Once everyone is there, Bonnie meets with the owner and we gather to pray with them.  Our team is working well now and we all know what we need out of the unit and where to stage it.  First out are demolition tools like power saws, sledgehammers, crowbars and wheelbarrows to haul stuff out.  We suit up with masks, goggles, gloves, knee pads and heavy boots for protection.  When necessary, we put on a full protective suit. Bonnie and the owner decide how far up from the floor the water was and how much wet material we need to remove.  Once the height is determined, we measure and chalk line all the walls while others are already removing loose debris and
making three piles: save, trash and burn.  We use the small oscillating saws when we can for cutting the chalk line since they do not generate as much dust as a circular saw.  As we cut, others are right behind to pull away the dry wall and wet insulation.  We try to pull all the nails and staples as we go so no one gets snagged and it is ready for reconstruction.  Someone is always sweeping.  The kitchen and baths are where the sledgehammers come in handy, as we must tear out the cabinets to get to the wet stuff behind them. Sinks, showers and commodes are removed and can be saved in some cases for reinstallation.  Others, we must cut apart to get them out of the house.  What we can't get up with the brooms, we vacuum with wet/dry vacs.  

Measuring the cut line
Photo by Louis R. Price

Carl making a cut
Photo by Louis R. Price

Pattie and Linda breaking out drywall

Ready to Rebuild

Once everything is down to the studs, we roll in the pressure washers to wash the mud and mold off the studs and floors using brooms and squeegees to push the water out doors or to the wet vac.  Once it is clean, we spray the studs and floors with ShockWave.  ShockWave is a concentrated formula that will disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces, and also sanitizes porous and semi-porous surfaces.  While a couple folks spray ShockWave, the rest of the team is cleaning our equipment and loading it back in its proper place in the unit. Before we depart, we provide the owners with a copy of the New Testament where each of us has signed it and given them a particular verse to look up and read for comfort and inspiration.  We pray with them and then we are off to the next house or back to Westside Baptist Church.  When we return to the church, the chaplain, shower and laundry teams are there and greet us like rock stars.  They serve us with smiles and encouragement as they get us clean and ready for the next day.  Love these brothers and sisters!  At 6:30 dinner is served and the cooking team never disappoints us. We had many local homemade Louisiana dishes like jambalaya and meat pies. After dinner, we discuss the events of the day with the Incident Command Director (ICD) who asks if we need anything. Sometimes equipment is broken or worn out. A list is made and somehow the parts we need are there for us the next day. The ICD or the chaplains close us in devotional and prayer requests.  We are in bed worn out by 9 pm.

Teaching the next generation
Photo by Louis R. Price

It is hard and dirty work, but rewarding.  The average age of the volunteers on our team was 72.  Pattie and I are 53 and referred to ourselves as the “Youth Group” of the team.  However, on a few occasions, local youth and college students served during their Spring Break. Although they were not trained, we gave them some on site training and watched over them carefully to keep them safe. It was a blessing to have them with us and see young people willing to sacrifice to help others.

After two weeks, Pattie and I said our goodbyes, cleaned our equipment and loaded it away, and rolled out to a nearby state park where we could just sit and rest our aching muscles.  We saw the new teams headed into Natchitoches Parish to take our place and prayed for their safety and success.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

For more information on the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization, go to http://www.namb.net/disaster-relief/

From Toes in the Sand to Boots in the Mud

We arrived at NAS Pensacola early in the afternoon and enjoyed the full hook-up after Boondocking for a week.  Pattie immediately began using the FamCamp laundry to catch us up on clean cloths while I finished the set-up and ordered take out from the golf course restaurant across the street.  It was nice to be “civilized” once again.  The next day we relocated over to Mayport Naval Base where the FamCamp is adjacent to the inlet for the large ships moving in and out of the harbor.  It was great to watch the cruise ships and Navy vessels as they passed by so close.  The Mayport FamCamp is very popular and reservations are recommended.  The commissary and Navy Exchange are off the base a few miles; so stock up before you arrive.  We enjoyed meeting fellow RVers and the Camp Host is the founder of the Tiffin Network web page that we use as a reference for Tiffin specific issues.  It was fun to sit and chat with him about our motorhomes.

Pattie enjoying sunny Florida

We made plans to meet with friends Jim and Debbie Bury who we met may years ago when we bought our first pop-up camper.  Jim is a retired Navy Chief and lives in the area.  However, before we finalized our plans, we received a call out notice for volunteers trained in disaster response to assist the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) organization.  Pattie and I purposely trained and prepared to support the SBDR as part of our Christian ministry.  This call out was to support river and lake flood recovery efforts in mid to northern Louisiana.  We prayed about it and felt that we should answer the call.  I told Jim who understood perfectly that we would have to get together another time, but offered to meet us for breakfast at a Cracker Barrel on Thursday when we pulled out.  It was good to see him and get caught up.

Our route took us back the way we came on I-10 having made contact with the SBDR Incident Command and letting them know that we are coming and can support the effort for two weeks.  We asked if there was a place near the command center where we could park a big rig and they said there is plenty of room but no hook-ups.  It suddenly became clear that what we learned at the Boondock Rally was indeed preparation.  However, our generator was due for service since we had run it so much during the rally and it was Friday before Easter weekend.  Pattie made calls while I drove and we found a Camping World collocated with a Dixie RV service center that would take us on short notice.  Pattie made a bag lunch and we ate in the showroom while the generator was being serviced. 

We arrived in Natchitoches, LA on Friday afternoon 25 March and hooked up at a local campground where we dumped tanks and filled with fresh water.  The Area Incident Command Center was operating out of the Westside Baptist Church activities building and we made contact with them that evening.  They showed us where we could park The Bus, explained the disaster situation and let us know breakfast would be ready at 06:30 the next morning.  We drove the Jeep over the next morning and met the team from Virginia that we would be joining. They gave us directions to the home they would be working on and we said we would catch up once we relocated The Bus.  We were able to park close enough to a fresh water spigot to refill our tanks and the church even ran a 20 amp extension cord out to help us keep the batteries charged.  After a hasty set-up, we opened the action packer we carry marked “Disaster Response” and pulled out our boots, work gloves and specialty tools.  It was time to put the training into action.

Thanks for keepingupwiththejonesrv!

For more information on the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization, go to http://www.namb.net/disaster-relief/