There's a very nice nature trail in Ringgold, Georgia that runs along side the South Chickamauga Creek and this morning Suzanne and I decided to explore it.
I found a couple of these pictures online. Hence, the greenery in winter...
RVing has been part of our lives for a very long time, and although we still own a 'sticks & bricks' home, we spend the majority of the year traveling about the country in our 2011 Winnebago Tour 42qd. I've created this blog for the purpose of keeping family and friends apprised of our hijinks and whereabouts.
There's a very nice nature trail in Ringgold, Georgia that runs along side the South Chickamauga Creek and this morning Suzanne and I decided to explore it.
I found a couple of these pictures online. Hence, the greenery in winter...
One of the cool things about traveling around the country in a motorhome is that no matter where you are, when you're inside the coach you feel like you're home - even when it's in the parking lot of a Freightliner repair facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
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To be doubly sure we'd be ready when our service tech came a' callin' in the morning both Suzanne and I set our phone alarms for 6:30am before going to bed. We arose this morning after a restful night's sleep, readied the coach for slide retraction, walked the dogs and were back inside stowing/securing a few last minute items when there came a knock on the door...
"Whenever you're ready, bring it on up the hill to door #7 and honk the horn!"
I retracted the slides and landing gear, disconnected from shore power, aired up the coach and drove up the hill to door #7 as Suzanne and the dogs followed behind in the car. Premier Truck Group has two very nice lounges for service customers - one for truckers and another for RVers. After allowing the dogs one more opportunity to potty we entered the building, walked through the service check-in area and up the stairs to the RVer lounge where we settled into a couple of very comfortable leather recliners, turned on the TV and awaited word from the tech as to what was wrong with our coach.
I guess it was about 40 minutes later when I got the call...
"Mr. Killian, I have some pictures and an estimate for you. I'll be up in a minute."
Gulp.
The pictures...
We spent Saturday night in Vicksburg, Mississippi at the Ameristar RV Park, just across the street from the Mississippi River and owned and operated by the Ameristar Casino and Hotel. We stayed here once before on a homeward trek. During that stay we sampled the local tamales, something for which Vicksburg is famous. This time around we passed on the tamales and instead, I barbequed some chicken. Sometime in the early afternoon a brand new Tiffin Allegro pulled in beside us. And I do mean brand new. The owners and a brother-in-law were travelling from their Texas home to their Virginia home and it was their maiden journey in the new rig. The dealership must not have provided a very thorough tutorial as they had lots of questions for me as to "what to do next?" or "what button should I push to...?". As I was preparing for departure the next morning, the husband was looking over my shoulder, paying very close attention to my every move and asking more questions. I was glad to be of some assistance.
We considered spending two nights in Vicksburg but instead stayed only one, heading back out on the road around 9:00 Sunday morning.
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We pitched our tent Sunday and Monday nights at Gadsden, Alabama's The Cove RV Resort and Campground. I've mentioned before that many of these establishments take great liberties with the term "Resort" - and TCRVRAC was no exception. Lots of gravel, a fair amount of mud, tight turns if you're in a big rig. I mean, it was a nice enough place on a pretty little lake... but resort? Check out Indio California's Motorcoach Country Club. Now that's a resort!
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And speaking of less than ideal accommodations...
Low-Hi RV Ranch is a charming, no frills, Passport America affiliated oasis located in southwestern New Mexico just off Interstate 10. We stayed here once before on a 2017 trip to southern California on which our son, Aaron had joined up with us in San Antonio, Texas. I also made a reservation here during a subsequent transcontinental voyage but cancelled. I think we had decided to continue a little further down the road.
There's really nothing of great historical or cultural significance about Deming, New Mexico, but the weather was nice and Google told us there were a couple of things in the area worth checking out so we decided to make camp for four days. The $18 nightly Passport America rate made the idea of an extended stay even more appealing.
We always like to check out the Old Town areas of places we visit, especially these little southwestern towns. Sometimes it's a disappointment, but more often than not there are interesting things to see and do. The architecture and ambience of these little burgs has always appealed to both Suzanne and me. Our last visit here was just an overnighter and we didn't make it into town. This four day respite provided more than enough time for exploration.
Some photos of Old Town Deming...
We spent a couple hours at the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. It was really a fascinating place to visit - three floors of everything from archeological artifacts to antique fire engines. On our way out I bought Suzanne a pair of silver/turquoise earrings in the gift shop, and these...
Tonight is our last night at Leisure Valley RV Resort. We considered staying another night as we're not super anxious to move further east - in light of the nasty weather they're experiencing in Texas. However, after a bit of Googling we determined it's safe to put another 290ish miles behind us and spend four nights in Deming, New Mexico at Lo-Hi RV Park. We stayed there once before on a westward journey back in 2017 and I gave it high marks in the blog I wrote the next day. As a bonus, it's a Passport America affiliate... and at $20 a night, although I don't have a clear recollection of the place, I trust my past impressions. I called this afternoon and made the reservation.
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Picacho Peak State Park is about 38 miles east of Leisure Valley RV Resort and just off Interstate 10. Suzanne and I donned our hiking shoes and headed over there this morning after walking and feeding the dogs.
We left Indian Wells RV Resort around 9:30 Friday morning. Our destination, approximately 300 miles to the west on Interstate 10, was Casa Grande, AZ. We spent a little over a week at Casa Grande RV Resort in January of 2020 on our way to Southern California. I chose a different RV park this time... for no particular reason. Just wanted to try something different. I wish I could say the trip was uneventful - but it wasn't.
I guess it must have been about 100 miles into our day when I began smelling diesel exhaust fumes. I've smelled it a couple times before, very briefly, and dismissed it as likely emanating from a tractor trailer in front of me. NOT.
There was a rest area just a mile ahead so I signaled and exited, parking in the RV/Truck section. After setting the air brakes and shutting down the engine I made my way back along the center aisle to the rear of the coach where the smell of exhaust was much stronger. I opened the door to the master bath and was greeted by a London fog of diesel exhaust. Turning on the ceiling exhaust fan quickly cleared the air as I set about formulating my plan of attack. I was pretty sure I knew what the problem was.
I should explain that our coach is a "diesel pusher"- a distinguishing characteristic being that the engine is located in the rear of the vehicle. There is an engine access panel in the bathroom floor...
Our stay here in Southern California's Coachella Valley is soon coming to an end. Our daughter, Allie is expecting her second child in early April and we'd kinda like to be home a few weeks before the blessed event. By the time we get home we will have been on the road for nearly 5 months and we are very much looking forward to spending time with family... and welcoming a new member into the fold!
Having remained static here at Indian Wells RV Resort in Indio, California for the past couple of months, I haven't been particularly motivated to blog on a regular basis. It's not that Suzanne and I haven't done anything blog-worthy during our stay here, but the things we see and experience while on the road, to my way of thinking, seem to make for more compelling reading.
Rather than a chronological accounting of our time here in the California desert I thought I'd simply upload a bunch of photos with a bit of added commentary.
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There are always projects to be done on the coach. For a long time I have wanted to do something about the entryway. I've always thought it looked a little cheesy and it has always been very difficult to keep clean. There is a hidden platform at the top of the stairs that, with the push of a button, moves out and up, closing/capping off the stairwell while the vehicle is in motion. There has always been a gooey, greasy residue around that contraption that I assumed was lubrication for its moving parts. Much of Travis' shedded hair finds its way into the stairwell and cleaning the resulting hairy, sticky mess has been a frequent and unpleasant task. As it turns out, the goo was some sort of adhesive for the vinyl & carpet stair and wall coverings. I'm not sure if it is supposed to be that way or if it just never set properly. At any rate, getting rid of it, after peeling off the vinyl & carpet, was a bear, and took three days. A heat gun, various scrappers, putty knives, razors, steel wool, caustic chemicals and patience finally got the the job done.