TO ALL OUR FAMILY & FRIENDS
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Frank & Rene
We will be on the road as of November 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
MPG TOWING OUR JEEP LIBERTY
Prior to my retirement I had been thinking about buying a 2006 Winnebago View mini-motorhome built on a Dodge Sprinter chassis and powered by a Mercedes Turbo Diesel engine. It was supposed to get about 15 to 18 mpg, but they were going for about $50K. When the time came to buy a newer and larger RV than my current 1977 Dodge Brougham 20' Class C, I decided to bid on a 1994 Fleetwood Tioga Montara 29Z that had only 20K miles on it. As it turns out I was the high bidder on EBAY at $10,001. At that point I knew I would use the other $40K, that I saved, on fuel for my future travels.
So lets keep in mind that our RV is 29 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11 feet high. It weights about 8 tons and is not very aerodynamic. On top of that we are towing a 4000 pound Jeep Liberty behind us. This RV was built on a 1993 Ford E-350 cutaway chassis and is powered by a 460ci fuel injected V-8 tied to a 4 speed overdrive transmission with a Banks TransCommand AND it has a 55 gallon fuel tank! That doesn't sound like a very economical vehicle by any stretch of the imagination!
Anyway, in order to keep some kind of record of our fuel costs and miles per gallon I downloaded an app to my smart phone called FuelLog. The first two days of travel were on relatively flats roadways down the East Coast on I-95 and we averaged 8.68 mpg traveling at 55 mph. Traveling in the mountains of North Carolina and West Virginia it dropped to an average of 7.33 mpg. On some of those inclines we just followed behind a tractor trailer at 30-35 mph. Once we were out of the mountains and back to the Great Plains of Indiana and Illinois we jumped back up to 8.51 mpg.
Keep in mind that RVing is not for everyone, but for those of us that want to travel the country by RV this is just a fact of life and a cost that you have to embrace and accept. There are others ways that we make up for the expense, like not having to pay for motels every night when we hit the road. And not having to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner as you would if traveling by car. We also know that this "IS" the way we want to see this beautiful country of ours!
FP & RG
So lets keep in mind that our RV is 29 feet long, 8 feet wide and 11 feet high. It weights about 8 tons and is not very aerodynamic. On top of that we are towing a 4000 pound Jeep Liberty behind us. This RV was built on a 1993 Ford E-350 cutaway chassis and is powered by a 460ci fuel injected V-8 tied to a 4 speed overdrive transmission with a Banks TransCommand AND it has a 55 gallon fuel tank! That doesn't sound like a very economical vehicle by any stretch of the imagination!
Anyway, in order to keep some kind of record of our fuel costs and miles per gallon I downloaded an app to my smart phone called FuelLog. The first two days of travel were on relatively flats roadways down the East Coast on I-95 and we averaged 8.68 mpg traveling at 55 mph. Traveling in the mountains of North Carolina and West Virginia it dropped to an average of 7.33 mpg. On some of those inclines we just followed behind a tractor trailer at 30-35 mph. Once we were out of the mountains and back to the Great Plains of Indiana and Illinois we jumped back up to 8.51 mpg.
Keep in mind that RVing is not for everyone, but for those of us that want to travel the country by RV this is just a fact of life and a cost that you have to embrace and accept. There are others ways that we make up for the expense, like not having to pay for motels every night when we hit the road. And not having to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner as you would if traveling by car. We also know that this "IS" the way we want to see this beautiful country of ours!
FP & RG
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Day 1 - Stopped for the night!
Up at 5 and on the road at 6! We are now quite exhausted after exiting Long Island and managing the traffic on the busy I-95 corridor and around the DC area! We will finish this first leg tomorrow in Wilmington, NC at my daughter's house and we will see Baby Sofia for the first time:-)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
SURVIVING SUPER STORM SANDY
Rene and I had left Nickerson Beach Campground for good right after our Columbus Day weekend Halloween event. We had spent the entire 2012 Season there, but we had to bring the RV in for service in preparation for our departure in November for the start of our Alaska Road Trip. It was in the shop for two weeks and we got it back the Friday before Super Storm Sandy was suppose to hit Long Island. We were happy that it was back with us, as it was parked in my Dad's driveway where it was away from any large trees!
When Sandy hit on Monday night we lost power and didn't get it back for 12 days. Lucky for us that was the worst of it. Dad's house only sustained some minor damage to a rain gutter, which we immediately repaired after the storm passed. However, the heavy wet snow from the Nor'easter the following week damaged his Dogwood trees in the front of the house. (See Photos of the snow storm.) We gave them a severe pruning and they should return to good health in the Spring. Oh and you missed all the fun you could've had helping us remove a foot of heavy wet snow from the roof of the RV!
The neighbor down the block had his RV parked in his driveway next to the house and was not so lucky with the strong winds. A large tree was blown over from an adjoining yard landing on the RV and the house causing serious damage to both. I wanted to go over and take a picture of it to have for the blog, but I felt that would only ad insult to injury. (See photos of my Dad's neighborhood and you will get the idea.)
The Lido Beach / Long Beach area was hit pretty hard with a multitude of damage to its 2.2 mile Boardwalk, businesses and residential properties. The Nickerson Beach main parking lot is being used as a temporary dump site for debris cleanup. (See Photo of the beach parking lot.) The Campground appears to have survived, although it had been evacuated prior to Sandy's arrival. The only thing between the campground and the Atlantic Ocean is a very long beach and a very large sand dune. The beach goers complain all Summer about the long walk to the water, but that is what probably saved the Park from major destruction.
I sold my 2004 Dodge Dakota pickup, since it was going to sit for a year in the driveway while we were away, and used that money to fund the repairs that needed to be done to the RV before hitting the road. Here's a few of the things we had done for the trip: New tires, New shocks, New ball joints, Front wheel alignment, New rear brakes, New steering damper, New Banks Trans-Command module, Engine tune-up, Oil change, Tranny Service with new synthetic fluid, Rear end service with new synthetic gear oil, Broken bolt repaired on exhaust manifold and Non working tail light repaired. Oh and a New York State Inspection! I think that is about it. Needless to say, there was no money left over from the sale of the truck!
We also had a number of things that we did ourselves recently that involved cleaning, sanding, scraping, sealing and painting on the outside. We are still working on getting some wax on the entire RV! Does anyone want to come over and help! I didn't think so! But that doesn't include other things that were done on the interior over the last year. We installed a new microwave, new roll up shades, changed some of the valance material, added new curtains, new cab over cushions, a new kitchen faucet, new vinyl flooring everywhere except the bedroom where we replaced the carpeting! Outside we installed a Go Power 95 watt solar panel kit, 2 MaxxAir vent covers and 4 MaxxAir window vents. Also cleaned and resealed the rubber roof!
Last, but not least, today we had a new Kenwood Stereo installed with an ipod jack to bring the sound system up to date, along with a couple of new door speakers. We replaced the old AM/FM Cassette player that came with the RV back in 1994. Anyone want some old cassette tapes? Believe it or not, we still have a few items left on our "To Do" list, but most are just cosmetic, except for the "Trouble Shoot the Tank Sensors"! The Grey Water sensor works, but the Black and Fresh Water do not! We will just have to work on it along the way as we are scheduled to depart on November 17, just a few days from now! Can't wait for our "Endless Adventure" to continue!
FP & RG
When Sandy hit on Monday night we lost power and didn't get it back for 12 days. Lucky for us that was the worst of it. Dad's house only sustained some minor damage to a rain gutter, which we immediately repaired after the storm passed. However, the heavy wet snow from the Nor'easter the following week damaged his Dogwood trees in the front of the house. (See Photos of the snow storm.) We gave them a severe pruning and they should return to good health in the Spring. Oh and you missed all the fun you could've had helping us remove a foot of heavy wet snow from the roof of the RV!
The neighbor down the block had his RV parked in his driveway next to the house and was not so lucky with the strong winds. A large tree was blown over from an adjoining yard landing on the RV and the house causing serious damage to both. I wanted to go over and take a picture of it to have for the blog, but I felt that would only ad insult to injury. (See photos of my Dad's neighborhood and you will get the idea.)
The Lido Beach / Long Beach area was hit pretty hard with a multitude of damage to its 2.2 mile Boardwalk, businesses and residential properties. The Nickerson Beach main parking lot is being used as a temporary dump site for debris cleanup. (See Photo of the beach parking lot.) The Campground appears to have survived, although it had been evacuated prior to Sandy's arrival. The only thing between the campground and the Atlantic Ocean is a very long beach and a very large sand dune. The beach goers complain all Summer about the long walk to the water, but that is what probably saved the Park from major destruction.
I sold my 2004 Dodge Dakota pickup, since it was going to sit for a year in the driveway while we were away, and used that money to fund the repairs that needed to be done to the RV before hitting the road. Here's a few of the things we had done for the trip: New tires, New shocks, New ball joints, Front wheel alignment, New rear brakes, New steering damper, New Banks Trans-Command module, Engine tune-up, Oil change, Tranny Service with new synthetic fluid, Rear end service with new synthetic gear oil, Broken bolt repaired on exhaust manifold and Non working tail light repaired. Oh and a New York State Inspection! I think that is about it. Needless to say, there was no money left over from the sale of the truck!
We also had a number of things that we did ourselves recently that involved cleaning, sanding, scraping, sealing and painting on the outside. We are still working on getting some wax on the entire RV! Does anyone want to come over and help! I didn't think so! But that doesn't include other things that were done on the interior over the last year. We installed a new microwave, new roll up shades, changed some of the valance material, added new curtains, new cab over cushions, a new kitchen faucet, new vinyl flooring everywhere except the bedroom where we replaced the carpeting! Outside we installed a Go Power 95 watt solar panel kit, 2 MaxxAir vent covers and 4 MaxxAir window vents. Also cleaned and resealed the rubber roof!
Last, but not least, today we had a new Kenwood Stereo installed with an ipod jack to bring the sound system up to date, along with a couple of new door speakers. We replaced the old AM/FM Cassette player that came with the RV back in 1994. Anyone want some old cassette tapes? Believe it or not, we still have a few items left on our "To Do" list, but most are just cosmetic, except for the "Trouble Shoot the Tank Sensors"! The Grey Water sensor works, but the Black and Fresh Water do not! We will just have to work on it along the way as we are scheduled to depart on November 17, just a few days from now! Can't wait for our "Endless Adventure" to continue!
FP & RG
Saturday, September 29, 2012
SOLAR PANEL INSTALLATION
The big project completed this past week was the "successful" installation of the Solar Panel on the roof. We are currently simulating "living off the grid" with the exception of morning coffee from our Keurig courtesy of the generator. It's a daily must have:) The Solar Panel installation took two days and was completed just as the overcast weather rolled in, however it is still creating enough energy to keep our house battery charged.
Day one involved the mounting of the Solar Panel on the roof and running the wiring from the panel down through the refrigerator vent to the Charge Controller that was flush mounted in the wall just inside the entry door. The space under the refrigerator was the perfect spot to use for this install.
Day two required some gathering of additional materials. We made two trips to Home Depot, one to Lowes and stopped at two auto parts stores. Now we were ready to finish the install. Work started back up in the late afternoon with installation of a conduit from the engine compartment along the chassis to the midsection of the RV and up through a newly drilled hole in the floor under the refrigerator. The two 6 gauge stranded wires were snaked through the conduit from the battery to the controller. A 30 amp in line fuse (optional) was installed on the positive side and the final tie to the Charge Controller was made. We had everything wrapped up by the time the sun was going down.
The next morning we woke up hoping to see an indication that the panel was doing its thing. We had a reading from the battery indicating voltage and percentage of charge, but no reading from the panel. Lunch break involved two calls to tech support and with the 'flip' of two wires we were in business!!! The days haven't been too sunny, but we are able to live on the 12-volt electrical system (that means no microwave, no hair dryer, no toaster oven) and it looks like we are maintaining a sufficient level of charge to our house battery. This brings us one step closer to traveling without having to depend on stopping at a traditional RV park with Water, Sewer & Electric hookups.
There are thoughts about more Solar Panels, a possible Wind Turbine and a larger battery bank that will support a 2000 to 3000 watt inverter to change 12 volt to 120 volt so that the everyday appliances we have in the RV can be used if need be without using the generator. We have become very dependant on our Keurig and microwave for cooking and reheating things as well as the use of our toaster oven. We still have our gas range and oven to use as well as a portable gas grill.
Those things will probably have to wait for now because next month we have to bring the RV in for new tires, new shocks, tune up, brake check, oil change, new ignition switch, repair of broken bolt on one exhaust manifold and a few other things on my list. Plus we can't forget to find time for family and fun before we pull out in November.
In the evenings we are spending time reading about boondocking, full time RV travel, living off-grid, water conservation tips, and cooking ideas that don't require electricity. This next year will no doubt be an awesome experience and as long as there is a cup of coffee every morning we should be able to enjoy where the road leads us.
FP & RG
Thursday, September 20, 2012
INSTALLING A HITCH RECEIVER ON OUR JEEP LIBERTY
We decided to purchase a hitch receiver for the Jeep Liberty and install it ourselves to save about $100 or so in labor costs. We wanted it so that we could install the bike rack on the Jeep if we want to venture off with the bikes in tow. We will be traveling with the bike rack on the motorhome while the Jeep is in tow behind us, but we wanted flexibility to use it on the Jeep as well. We found a good deal on the hitch online. Lowest price, free shipping and no tax. I love shopping on the internet!
So about a week later the hitch arrives at my Dad's house in Westbury and we are ready to go ahead with this simple install. No Drilling! It is suppose to bolt right up with the included bolts and attach to the factory welded nuts on the chassis. So Rene and I get under the rear of the Jeep and hold the hitch up to the chassis as I try to thread the first bolt to the chassis. NO GOOD! NOT HAPPENING! It turns out the bolts were not the correct size to fit the nuts on the chassis. So I email the manufacturer's tech support about my issue and they responds that the bolts are the correct size as per their design specs. Now to Plan B. We decide to purchase smaller bolts at the local Home Depot and try it again next week.
OK... it is the following week and we are back at my Dad's garage. I crawl under the Jeep and check to see that the new bolts thread to the chassis nuts. THEY FIT! We both get under the Jeep again and hold the hitch up to the chassis as I thread the first bolt in. Wow, this is going well! Rene threads in her side and I finish my side. It looks like we are good to go! WAIT! NOT SO FAST! The weight of the hitch starts to pull the new bolts right out of the nuts! Apparently, after 7 years of being exposed to the elements, the threads in those nuts were so rusted that they just deteriorated with the weight of the hitch pulling down on them. Now to Plan C.
Now we need to drill out all the nuts and tap new threads to fit the original bolts that were supplied with the hitch in the first place. First we need to find a tap for a 12mm x 1.75 bolt. We go to Home Depot. Nope. We go to Lowes. Nope. Rene goes to Ace Hardware. Yes! We also need a 13/32 drill bit which we do have. I was able to drill and tap 5 of the 6 nuts. The muffler pipe is blocking the last one. We figure whenever we have the exhaust replaced we can ask the shop to do the last one. We are not going to tow anything with the Jeep so it will be good enough to hold the bike rack. So the last time that we got under the Jeep it all worked out well. Lesson learned: What sounds like a simple install is not always the case! FP
So about a week later the hitch arrives at my Dad's house in Westbury and we are ready to go ahead with this simple install. No Drilling! It is suppose to bolt right up with the included bolts and attach to the factory welded nuts on the chassis. So Rene and I get under the rear of the Jeep and hold the hitch up to the chassis as I try to thread the first bolt to the chassis. NO GOOD! NOT HAPPENING! It turns out the bolts were not the correct size to fit the nuts on the chassis. So I email the manufacturer's tech support about my issue and they responds that the bolts are the correct size as per their design specs. Now to Plan B. We decide to purchase smaller bolts at the local Home Depot and try it again next week.
OK... it is the following week and we are back at my Dad's garage. I crawl under the Jeep and check to see that the new bolts thread to the chassis nuts. THEY FIT! We both get under the Jeep again and hold the hitch up to the chassis as I thread the first bolt in. Wow, this is going well! Rene threads in her side and I finish my side. It looks like we are good to go! WAIT! NOT SO FAST! The weight of the hitch starts to pull the new bolts right out of the nuts! Apparently, after 7 years of being exposed to the elements, the threads in those nuts were so rusted that they just deteriorated with the weight of the hitch pulling down on them. Now to Plan C.
Now we need to drill out all the nuts and tap new threads to fit the original bolts that were supplied with the hitch in the first place. First we need to find a tap for a 12mm x 1.75 bolt. We go to Home Depot. Nope. We go to Lowes. Nope. Rene goes to Ace Hardware. Yes! We also need a 13/32 drill bit which we do have. I was able to drill and tap 5 of the 6 nuts. The muffler pipe is blocking the last one. We figure whenever we have the exhaust replaced we can ask the shop to do the last one. We are not going to tow anything with the Jeep so it will be good enough to hold the bike rack. So the last time that we got under the Jeep it all worked out well. Lesson learned: What sounds like a simple install is not always the case! FP
Friday, September 14, 2012
RV Lettering
Here's a photo of the lettering on the rear of our RV! I thought long & hard to come up with the right wording to best describe our life together! This seems to say it all! FP
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Adventure is getting underway while we are still living at the beach...
The Frank and Rene story started in 2011 and this story is a very happy one :) Rene has spent most of the Summer 2012 with Frank in Long Island, NY working as a host camper at the beach. Work on the RV was started last winter with new flooring, upholstery updates and some 'homey' touches being added. Rene sold her house and what few items remained have found a new home in the 29 foot Fleetwood Tioga Montara Class C Motorhome along with Frank and his items. The season here is coming to an end so our LIST of preparation for an upcoming year of travel is underway. So far there are three categories; Maintenance, Install and Auto Repairs (these will be done by the professionals). Frank is confident we possess the know-how and mechanical skills to install items such as solar panels, Jeep tow hitch along with a long list of maintenance items to complete. Rene is scouring all the items she can read on RV organization, budgeting, green RV Living and how to keep your travel costs down. We will roll out in November with stops to see family in North Carolina and Illinois, then we will head south, west and eventually travel up along the Northwest before setting our sites for Alaska - Summer of 2013! As Frank's logic goes "We might as well go to the furthest RV spot first". Eventually we plan to visit every state and stop at any of the National Parks or National Monuments the state has to offer. Our practice trips have gone wonderful and we are confident this will be the first of many 'Endless Adventures in the USA'.
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