I've been packing for our first long trip-and our first trip in the old girl with both our dogs. We'll be staying in Oregon for a week so I'm trying not to forget anything-and without a television...oh how shall we survive ?

My dash lights finally stopped working. I have one of the old rheostat dimmers and first tried removing the lock nut and spraying contact cleaner blindly down the shaft with no improvement. This meant I had to access the switch from other side of the phenolic (or whatever material) dash panel. So there is a combination of clutch head screws and phillips screws holding the plate in place. Hmmm, wonder what that is about. There are at least three different lengths and two diameters of self-threading...

The Best Mile on the Beach construction project is underway and is moving right along. Pile driving machines are installing telephone pole sized posts at close intervals and you can actually see that work progressing on the construction cams.


Artist's rendering of the Boardwalk

Colleen and I toured the area yesterday in the beautiful weather. The sun was out and the temperatures were in the 70s....

During the past 6 months, I have traveled from Gila Bend, AZ, to Pahrump, NV, via the Grand Canyon; Tahoe NP; Ft. Bragg, CA; north on the Pacific Coast highway to Crescent City; on to Crater Lake; Nampa, ID to Idaho Falls; then north to Montana; east and south to Yellowstone; Gros Vente, WY; the Grand Tetons; on into Utah to the Arches, the Canyonlands, Capitol Reef NP, Bryce Canyon NP. I had to forego Zion NP because my rig and toad are too long--that was a new one to me; too high, too wide, yeah,...

The old girl is ready to roll again. Unfortunately my Dad didn't live long enough to take one last trip in her. About the time we finished the roof, he took a turn for the worse and spent October at home with hospice. He passed away on October 30. We're taking his remains to Oregon for a memorial service on the 21st and we're planning on taking the RV for the trip. Any suggestions for Siskiyou Pass and the I-5 at Grants Pass? One of my son's suggested (only half jokingly) that we set his ashes on...

So far, I've purchased a tow bar (Blue Ox Aladdin) and a surge protector (Surge Pro 50A hard wired version).

Will be installing the Surge Pro myself since it looks pretty easy.

Looking for a good tow vehicle for our little crew which has a third row seat but is kinda old so that we don't care too much about getting it dirty and towing behind the coach.

3 months til we take off!!

Well, we made it back to RI without hitting anything solid. The first few days were right out of a reality show; drama, action, high emotions and a happy ending.

First time I drove the coach was pulling it out of the dealer's garage and the first day of driving was over 12 hours long. Oy! That's a long first day. But the thing drove great and the family didn't seem to mind the long travel day.

Everything on the coach worked great except that the wipers went on the...

OK are you ready for this? Coffee Pot installation #3!
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Black & Decker - Spacemaker - Model SDC740 - 12 cup.



Yes only on my rig would you see anyone go through 3 coffee machines but we love our morning coffee. Brief history, the original B&D unit started leaking and we couldn’t get any replacement parts for the water valves so we had to put it out of commission.
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We are getting setup at our site at our winter workamping location in N. Ft Myers, FL.

I took a few photos of our Gooseneck ball and Anderson Ranch Gooseneck Adapter.






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Our departure was right on time. Got away around 7AM and everything was running smoothly until ..... yep, there always seems to be a "gotcha" lurking somewhere for me. Stopped at a nice overlook beside the Ocoee river and walked the pooches. When I hit the starter, she turned over but didn't fire. Awwwww CRAP! The danged fuel shutoff solenoid again! At least I knew where to look. The solenoid had once again vibrated loose and was hanging from the wiring. This was with two new quarter/twenty...

Beware of what type contract you sign. We purchased a extended warranty on our motor home at time of purchase in 2004. When our generator quit working and needed two ignition coils our "Easy Care" contact told us they were not covered because they were not included in the agreement. This is called an "inclusionary" agreement. The better type to purchase are "exclusionary". Basically on these if it is not excluded on the agreement it is covered.

Please...

We are heading to Balsam early Sunday morning. I hope my AquaHot "fix" holds up as I see the temps at 3300 feet are forecast to be below freezing a couple of nights next week. If you are thinking about buying some stock, ya might want to jump in and get some Mast Store shares. I expect it to climb as soon as we are seen heading in that direction.

Coach is filthy (outside) but it's just too darned cold for me to spend 2 or 3 hours scrubbing on it. So if you see and road-film...

My husband and his buddy have been working on the new roof. As they started to remove parts, pieces, and wood (it really was that bad) they discovered that the top roof was glued to the insulation for the ceiling. Instead of pulling the old roof off, they've put more wood over the top. Lazily, I didn't take any pics of the process. It looks like it will be done in a week or so and then we'll be hitting the road again.
I'm excited as we've almost got her shining again. I've been working on...

First time ever blogging so I'm hoping someone will let me know if I'm doing this correctly!

My wife Kay (Kathy) and I purchased our 2004 Monaco Camelot Bal Harbor 40 PST from Roy Robinson RV in Marysville Washington July 12th, 2009. We have since been to the following:
Toppenish Washington
Poulsbo Washingotn
Northern California
Cashmere Washington
Port Townsend Washington (Kathy solo'ed!)