TRIAL RUN FOR WINNIE & THE JEEPSTER TODAY

 

TODAY’S BUTTERFLY

Took us awhile to remember something the fella at FORREST CITY MOTORHOMES had told us about our Winnebago. Try as we might this morning we could not figure out why we had no power to our rig's power outlets even though we had the generator running. It was Kelly who remembered the shoreline plug in the outside electrical bin that had to be plugged into a power box also located in the electrical bin. Don't know why Winnebago does it that way but they do. Soon as we plugged the shoreline cord into the onboard power outlet we were fine. Yep, we have started loading the Winnie Wagon for our first shake down cruise week after next.

Made me feel good to see Kelly bringing some things out to the rig. That always kind of puts an ‘official stamp of approval’ on our travel plans for sure. Figured this morning would be as good a time as any to hook the Jeep up for the first time & make sure everything was compatible between Winnie & the Jeepster. First hook-up of the season can sometimes be a little bit of a head scratcher for me as I try to remember the procedures.  Clamps, safety lines, electrical, pins, bolts, etc. And to get the Jeep’s 4 wheel drive crankcase correctly configured for towing. Luckily I have a check list to follow. No problem remembering all this stuff when we are on the road using the equipment but after sitting dormant for months at a time the old RV memory stick in the brain gets a little rusty.  Make that ‘a lot rusty’.  Checked & rechecked the hook up a couple times & off the little Bumble Buns & I went for a trial run with the Jeep on back. Everything checked out A-OK & 20 minutes later we were back home.

Maybe not fair to compare the 26’ 10 cylinder Ford Winnie with the 8 cylinder 23’ Chevy Sunseeker we had but the difference in handling & power sure are noticeable. That little ‘Jackrabbit’ of a Sunseeker sure spoiled me. The Chevy 8 cylinder just seemed so much more powerful than this Ford 10 cylinder engine. The Chevy handled like a sports car while the Ford handles more characteristically like a bigger RV. I think a fair example would be the storybook classic, ‘The Tortoise & The Hare’. I think once I get a bunch of good old road miles under my belt with the Ford the comparisons will fade & I will be just fine with driving a heavier & longer Class C again. Besides, there’s a lot of nice things to like about Winnie the Bago.  Did a few measurements today too.  From Winnie’s front bumper to the rear of the Jeep we are 46’5” long.  Our clearance height from the road to the top of the A/C unit is 11’3”. 

 
 

For the past 6 years we have traveled with an onboard solar system & that has enabled us to travel freely & stop whenever & wherever we wanted.  We could seek out quiet boondocking spots along our travel routes.  Of course that's the fly in the ointment for us at the moment & it's not likely we can get ourselves self sufficient again until we eventually have a solar system installed on the Winnie Wagon. That is not likely to happen until we reach Solar Mikes in California's Slab City sometime in maybe November. In the meantime we'll have to work things out using our generator etc. I’m not a big noisy generator fan & we having been totally spoiled these past 6 years by the Damon’s silent & efficient solar system.  We will find our upcoming journey to the South West not quite as comfortable as we have been accustomed to. We'll see how we make out on our short trip up around Ontario's Bruce Peninsula shortly.

 

SPOTTED THIS TUNDRA SWAN WITH A DOZEN CANADA GEESE FOLLOWERS

Further travel talks are leaning both of us more & more towards the Colorado route about mid September.  The Canada west/ U.S. coast route is longer & would be lengthier in time so it makes more plum good sense for us to do that route once we have our solar system installed now that we think of it.  Thanks to the folks along that Canada/Oregon route for the invites to stop by:))  Also talked today about maybe not doing the Spencerport trip with the rig.  Kelly continues to feel better & said she just might slip down to Spencerport with her car sometime next month.  We’ll wait & see how that shakes out……………...

GROANER'S CORNER:((

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.