This was a great trip for us. Pacebend is about 10 minutes from our house but it was the first time we have ever taken the coach there. A friend has a yearly party that is over a long weekend and they all have rental units delivered. We decided to take the coach instead of just running home each night. Turned out this was a great way to play.

I drove to the park several months prior to the event to make sure our 40G would fit in the spots.

...

Update: Yellowstone Day 1 - Circle of Fire -- 09/29/19

We had originally planned to boondock in Yellowstone at the Canyon Campground, but our diesel generator sprang a fuel leak; with no way to recharge our batteries, we had to switch to Plan B.



So we found a full hookup RV site 1/2 between Cody, WY and Yellowstone's East Entrance, intending to use our toad to commute into the park...

Our 2003 Fleetwood Expedition came OEM with the Norcold 1200LRIM, two flooded acid house batteries and a 1000 watt inverter.

The Norcold consumed 555 watts of power in AC mode when AC power was present. The inverter was highly inefficient and used 100 watts with no load present and almost 300 watts when a 1000 watt load was present (1300 watts total).

The coach had no solar power system.

It was wired for 30 amp service.


Two 200Ah...

Update: Yellowstone's Iconic White Bus Lives On -- 9/19/19

Let's face it: I'm a gearhead. As such, I would be remiss if we had visited Yellowstone (which we did) but did not reflect on the classic White park tour bus used for so many years at the park.



We encountered this example, Number 433, in the parking lot at Yellowstone's Canyon Village, and I couldn't resist getting as...

Update: Thoughts on Winnebago's Purchase of Newmar -- 9/17/19

(NOTE: I originally posted this on the RV Geeks website as well as IRV2 Newmar Owners Forum in response to a question from a potential buyer of a new Newmar, now that the company has been sold to Winnebago.)



According to early news reports, Newmar will continue to operate as an independent brand under the Winnebago...

Blog #5
REALITY RVING

PACKED LIKE SARDINES
So I met my current companion/boyfriend (Bob) in March, 2016, one year after I started RVing. He was brand new to the world of RVing and I finally convinced him to go with me on a 4 day camping trip (with electric and water hookup) at a local county park. I think he was bewildered with the whole RVing thing as he stood by and watched me hook up and then drive the RV to the pull-through site.
Bob is a strapping 6’ man...

Update: Mt Rushmore & the Black Hills -- 9/12/19

We just finished spending several days in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota, camped in the shadow of Mt Rushmore.



If you've never been to this part of the world, you are definitely in for a treat. The scenery is epic, and there's a lot to do; so much so, I think we hardly scratched the surface.

It...

Update: Sioux Falls - Stroll, Shop, Sup -- 9/8/19

Downtown Sioux Falls did not disappoint - it is definitely worth your time to visit.



Most of what you can see, buy or eat is located on (or adjoins) Phillips Avenue, so that's where you want to head. Most of the shops open at 10 AM and the restaurants at 11 AM. If you get there early enough, metered street parking will be available...

Update: Sioux Falls, SD -- 9/7/19

We're staying a couple nights at the Big Sioux Recreation Area outside of Sioux Falls.



This medium-sized campground hugs the Big Sioux River, and it is extremely well kept. Sites come with power only (50A) and are huge - the perfect place to spend a couple of days.

I think Site E-28 across from us (shown below) might be the nicest...

Update: Waterloo, IA -- 9/6/19

We spent the night at Deerwood Park Campground, just off I-380 in Evansdale, IA.



Deerwood Park is a large, clean, seasonal campground with a good offering over overnight spots - no reservations. There's also a Walmart right across the river in Waterloo if you need to do some shopping.

All the sites at Deerwood Park are back-in and...

Update: Road Trip -- 9/5/19

Today we pull the NewAire out of storage and embark on a Road Trip to Yellowstone National Park.



We'll keep you posted on our adventures.




TomAndPeg

For those of us who own the 2000-2003 Fleetwood Expedition with the following setup, I offer first hand experience, ideas, options and possibly advice:


XC Chassis
5.9L ISB Turbodiesel
3000 Series Allison 6-Speed
30 Amp Shoreline Connect
Onan 7.5K Generator

OEM Waterheater – The Dometic waterheater that comes with the 34W is extremely inefficient. It uses LPG at a ridiculous rate, and the offgassing temperature is hot enough...

RV Projects: Wet Bath Flooring -- 8/5/19

We have a molded fiberglass step-down wet bath in our NewAire. Some may think a wet bath is a compromise (we certainly did), but it's a pragmatic solution that fits the original NewAire constraints on overall size and space.



The bath came with a fitted carpet section that is comfortable to walk on, but pulling the carpet out when we use...

RV Projects: Battery Bay Blues -- 7/29/2019

We recently had trouble starting the NewAire; turns out one of the pair of Interstate cranking batteries had a weak cell. A closer look showed that both batteries were 9 years old and in dire need of replacement.



So we shopped around and found a great deal on a couple group 31 commercial cranking batteries (1,000 CCA each) with a 2 year...

RV Projects: Clearing the (New)Aire -- 7/23/2019

One of the few things that we disliked about our original NewAire is the lack of proper ventilation and air movement. The rig only has 6 small windows and small powered vents in the bathroom and galley. Yes, there are three doors, but who wants to leave doors open?

What to do? Install a high capacity MaxxAir 7000K Roof Vent, of course.

...