GWA1225

Subject: Bye bye 'Bama~
Time: 12:10:43 AM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

Red Bay is now 315 miles behind our taillights as the A/Bus is docked at a lovely campsite with a distant water view at the north end of the Land Between the Lakes, the National Recreational Area created as a public works/improvement project by LBJ in the early '60s.  It's interesting how prominent the TVA and the Corps of Engineers are in this part of the country.  Warms the hearts of these two touring Feds.

A 0700 we had the A/Bus at the door of Bay 39 at the Tiffin repair facility.  To be fixed was the non-extending hydraulic leveling jack at the right front corner, and topping off the a/c (I thought) to get it colder again.  Well, there was nothing wrong with the jack; its failure to extend is the computer's way of punishing you for asking the system to level the coach on a slope beyond its limits.  Great, I thought, we'll be oughta here in another 15 mnutes.

Four hours later we were ready.  I won't bore anyone with the details of the rather intricate and unusual failures found in the a/c system, but it took two guys 2.5 hours to figger it out.  I stood right there with them, watching the whole time.  Imagine my surprise when, instead of billing me for the five hours I expected (@ $75 each), they only billed me for two.  The pocket door repair?  0.1 hour.  Replace the fan switch in the bathroom? Another six minutes, and no charge for the switch. The whole bill was a whopping $172.  No wonder Tiffin RV owners are rabidly loyal.

We headed back north and kept an eye out for Brady and/or Holly when we stopped for an hour at "their" Costco to do the shopping list for the LPBA hospitality suite for next week's meeting.

M is VERY grateful for the dry cold front that has pushed thru, breaking the hyper-oppressive heat & humidity we've been in for most of the trip. She has been an unhappy hot camper. Chicago wx sounds wonderful and we'll be WalMarting on its outskirts tomoorw nite, Lord willing.

Time for bed; that delicious a/c sound is putting me on the trailer.

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Subject: My Big Fat Greek Batman ~
Time: 11:49:33 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

As I do e-mail and peck away here on the laptop, M is watching "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" here on the A/Bus TV/DVD, an antidote to our earlier hour-long drive to the move theater in Muscle Shoals to see "The Dark Knight," the latest Batman movie.  It was excellent and/but INTENSE, hence M's need for something heartwarming to shift her mental gears.  I thought it was one of the better movies I've ever seen, but agree with Rew that they really stretched to give it a PG-13 rating. It was R-rated intensity fer sure.  Heath Ledger richly deserves an Oscar for that performance as the Joker, and not just because of his tragic death. Creepy.

This morning the A/Bus went into the shop at 0730 and M and I went off to see some of Red Bay and take in the sights.  I stopped and talked to Bruce Deaton, who did our paint job, and then showed M the Island of Broken Toys over at McKinney RV, where we looked at used RV furniture before I spent about 45 minutes looking at the golden oldies they had for sale, mostly old A/Busses.

Then it was off for the Tiffin RV factory tour.  Our guide was 81-year old "Red," a self-described Alabama mule farmer who once tilled the local red-clay soil behind his father's mules on days as mercilessly hot as this one.  It was interesting to see the complex and seemingly haphazard was that the Modern RV is built, almost entirely by hand. 

When that finished up about noon we headed for Oh!Bryan's Steak House, a much-favoured local venue that attracts a large crowd for lunch every day.  M had grilled catfish while I played it safe with a luncheon steak.  Both were quite good.  After our recent excesses at Dotson's, we skipped dessert.

We came back here to Camp Allegro and found the A/Bus back on its site.  However, investigation revealed that we'd need to stay over so the appropriate service bay could handle the recalcitrant leveling jack we have.  We are to bring the A/Bus to bay #39 at 0700 sharp, and hopefully we'll be outta here by noon at the latest.  One thing you learn about RV service: it's like home remodeling.  It NEVER goes as quickly as you think it will. 

We drove home the 60-odd miles thru the edges of an impressive line of t'storms.  They never made it to Red Bay but their cooler, drier air did, so we had a pleasant sunset stroll around the camper zoo and service building.

So we'll see how it goes in the morning.  Lord willing, we'll be camped by in the LBL (Land Between the Lakes) by tomorrow night. 

Unless the Joker interferes with our plans.

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Subject: Red Bay Ramblers ~
Time: 12:20:28 AM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

Heylo from quasi-lovely Red Bay, AL, where the A/Bus came for its Extreme Makeover last summer and is back to have a couple items taken care of -- one of which just emerged in the last couple days, a hydraulic leveling jack that was replaced here last summer now refuses to extend. That and an occasional roof leak around the a/c are the top two items for our three-hour time slot sometime tomorrow.

This morn J-Man helped me rearrange one of the cargo bays I use the most and handed me clean towels while I stood on a stepstool and washed the windshield.  He then retreated to the shade of the front porch as the day's sun grew intense. We didn't hit the 100F promised in the Burg today but Im sure we came close.  I had to run the genset and burn diesel fuel all day to try and keep the roof a/c's ahead of the sun baking down on the A/Bus.

Dr Brado was off today and I helped him fix a few things on the Wheel Horse so he could attack his yard, which takes almost two hours to mow even with the 48" mower deck.  Then we all went out for lunch at Dotson's in nearby Franklin, the place where all the menus are signed by country music stars.  It would be hard to choose between it and Dover's Diner back in Gaffney, but Dotson's has a bigger menu.

M&I bid farewell to B&H and the grandkids about 3pm and 6:15pm were safely in Red Bay, 177 miles later.  We went out for milk at 9pm (still 88F) and had to get some at McDonald's because all the stores were closed.

There must be 50 coaches and their owners (usually couples, many with dogs) here with, essentially, nothing to do in this small southern town while they wait for service, some for days and a few for weeks.  Now, these are folks (unlike us) who have thrown down two to four Large to have a premium-class motor home and can laugh at fuel prices.  What has Red Bay done to welcome, cater to, and involve these guests in the local commerce?  Well, that would be nothing.  And there are only two small signs anywhere in town noting the location of the Tiffin factory -- producer of the #1 selling diesel pusher brand in the US -- and this service facility and its campground.  Seems like somebody's missing the boat here.

So tomorrow will likely be another day of Suspended RV Animation as we await our turn and our repairs.  Hopefully we'll get outta here in tme to get up to the intriguing Land Between the Lakes by dark.

Jacob yesterday was relating something to BeBe and said he'd "sawn" something,  When she corrected him with "seen," he sighed a weary sigh and said no, that was for something you had seen not very long ago.  "When you saw it a REALLY long time ago, it's 'sawn.'" 

Think it's time for me to be sawn some logs.

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Subject: Sunday scenes ~
Time: 11:38:48 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

Dr Brado was up and out by 0530 for the third straight shift, after his namesake treated his parents to a somewhat more restless night. By the time Jacob and I were up and having breakfast Holly and Brady 2.0 had managed several hours of sound sleep and both appeared ready for the day.

Early on our Lazy Sunday agenda was a long-sought race between J-Man and me -- and you can guess on which side it was long-sought.  I finally ran out of excuses and so faced off my opponent up in the play area around the new pool table.  I figured I would have to dog it a bit to keep from running him down.  Off we went, doing a lap about every five seconds, and I quickly abandoned all thoughts of holding back.  J-Man stretched his lead to about half a lap and then toyed with me there.  The only time I got him was once when he slipped and fell. 

Following that Nat, J and I did some aerobic dance to a kids' Christian exercise CD before setting off in the van for a paved  biking/jogging trail from the YMCA.  It was breezy, thank heavens, since it was also sunny, hot and very humid.  We walked along for about 30 minutes until Natalie announced to BeBe, "I'm full of walking," at which point we doubled back.  We then headed over to the Costco and had a whole pepp pizza and some frozen yogurts for dessert.

The kids went down for naps as M&I headed out for Costco and WalMart stops.  Wen we got back the house was still quiet and Dr Brado was taking a well-earned nap.  When he got up he importuned me into taking the G35 out for a thrashing.  What a road-rocket that thing is.  Fortunately I was ignoring his "Nail it!!" suggestions when we rolled into a radar trap.

Now B&H and 2.0 are out seeing "The Dark Knight" while M&I do our final laundry and get ready for our slo-mo departure tomorrow morning for the A/Bus' Tuesday morn appointment in Red Bay.  The Georges will be rolling in within the next day or so to take up the slack.

All in all, a most agreeable day.

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Subject: Satisfying Saturday ~
Time: 11:21:47 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

A good eve to all as the week winds up (or down, as you prefer) and Brady Benjamin tanks up one last time before what will hopefully be another sleep-thru until after 2am, pretty impressive for a week-old.  He's a good baby and even when he cries, it's neither too loud nor irritating.

I was up and out for a jog by 0700 this morn and then did some laundry in Holly's hi-tech machines.  Afterwards, BeBe and I took Jacob and Natalie down to the community pool for a 90-minute swim.  It was certainly the weather for it, hot and humid.

Afterwards it was time for the much-anticipated "A/Bus Picnic," so I fired up the genset to get the interior cooled down from its near-100F temps.  The kids enjoyed it. "I can see my house!" Nattabean announced periodically.

They went down for a nap and M&I set out for Costco, where we bought a few things.  I effectively doubled my Time Between Laundromats by buying another six-pack of Kirkland underwear, and we also bought a mattress-topper to try.

This eve we all loaded up into the Odyssey and rolled thru Franklin and a beautiful new planned community before hitting Famous Dave's for a staggering BBQ feast.

J-Man Moments:  he confided to M that he was "very smart" and subsequently expanded that modest claim to "smarter than anyone."

"I don't know," said M, "your dad is pretty smart. Are you smarter than him?"  J nodded solemnly.  "How are you smarter than your dad?" she asked.

"When I'm sneaking around," he said, eyes large with candor. 

"And what are you doing when you're sneaking around?" asked M.

"Mostly playing with Natalie's toys," he said.

At dinner this eve he asked to go to the men's room before the meal came, and Brady took him.  After the meal, he announced he needed to go again.  When asked by his dad if he were SURE he needed to go again so soon, he avowed he was, so off they went.

When they came back Dr Brado was working hard to stifle laughter.  Turns out he went in the stall and after a few moments announced in a ringing voice, "Ohh! Well, I guess it was just gas!"  The several other guys in the men's room were most amused.

We've made ur arrangements for the ChicagoLand stay next weekend, with Friday night at a resort in Itasca IL and all-day fun with The Candiline on Friday and Saturday.  We've just been looking at the Land Between the Lakes, a vast woods-n-water playground about two hours of north of here, as a possible stop for Tues-Wed nights.

These are good plans.

 

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Subject: FunFriday ~
Time: 12:14:16 AM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

This morn started off with J-Man and I sharing a quiet breakfast time around 0900 as BeBe, Natalie, Holly and Brady Benjamin all slept in.  Dr. Brado, of course, had been up and out at 0530 -- not that we heard him.

Soon enough everyone appeared and Holly was thrilled to report that BB had slept over 5 hours straight overnite, a feat all hoped will be repeated every night.  BB posed for some more photos with his proud granddad and endured head-petting by his siblings, all in good humour.

M and I then took the kids off for a couple hours at the Science Museum, an experience like Chuck E. Cheese on steroids and without the pizza.  It was mobbed, probably due to the heat outside, and frenetic, but both had a good time.  Jake went down a long twisting tubular slide about a dozen times.

Thn we hit McDonald's and came on home for nap time.  Dr. Brado came home noting this was the first anniversary of his first day on the job here. He has really hit his stride. And two new ex- UVa recruits he brought in also started today.

We all went out for a great Mexican meal and the seven of us really turned heads marching in and out.  It's amazing to think that when we brought Brado home at about three days, we did not take him out in public for ten days or so.  BB had his first restaurant outting on his third day.

We took an evening stroll and were introduced to the new families moving into all the new houses going up on Bronwyn Court; nice folks and lots of kids.  We also walked thru some mostly-complete houses.

We watched more 8mm home movies this eve that M had put on DVD.  Included were some great family shots on both the Allen and Bouknight sides and some great shots of worsip group planning sessions.

Great memories, and more added today.

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Subject: The Dark (k)Night ~
Time: 1:26:46 AM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

Two wonderful bits of news -- no, three:  I got out of Gaffney; I've seen my newest grandchild; and The Rew is finally getting to see the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," even as I type -- along with a dozen or two of friends up in Alexandria.

I slept almost 9.5 hours overnight -- unusual for moi -- and then started Day 3 of the Gaffney Routine. At 11:30am I took the bike back over to Dover's Diner and enjoyed a turkey and dressing dinner to die for, with fresh peach cobbler that was the best I've ever had.  I had a nice chat with a local couple and then pedalled off thru the 90+ sunshine to the WalMart, where I killed a couple hours examining their unusually well-stocked shelves.  For some reason, the Wallies near both Tudor Place and Greystone are mediocre examples of the breed; this was a great one.

I came back to the turnoff for the shop but decided to pedal off down a nice country road and it was very nice indeed.  When I got back, there was the A/Bus back outside with its new exhaust system happily inplace (the parts had finally arrived) and all work completed.  I paid the $2,852 bill, threw the bikes back inside, hooked up the dolly, and rolled out at 4:30pm. 

The drive here took 7hrs05min and was very pleasant.  As one might hope for almost $3k, the A/Bus chassis was noticably tighter, the engine was running slightly cooler, and the brakes were working better than they ever have.  And it returned 10.5 miles per gallon, including crossing the Smokies!

When I was tanking up in Knoxville, a new 2008 A/Bus from the DC metroplex rolled in behind me and I chatted with its proud owner.  After we talked about his, he looked at ours and said, "Now, let's see -- that's a 2006, isn't it?"  Made my day. (It's a '98.)

When I arrived here at 10:45 CDT Dr Brado was abed in honor of his 0600-1400 shifts for the next three days, but M and Holly were still up and there in Holly's arms was Brady Benjamin, sound asleep.  He does look a lot like his dad did as a baby. After the greeting and Introduction, everyone but me split for bed.

It's a dark night, yet a bright one.

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Subject: Everything's still peachy ~
Time: 6:21:38 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

. . . at least in the sense that I'm still in Gaffney, self-proclaimed Peach Capitol of Something, which title is secured by the famous Giant Peach water tower near the interstate.  Which, frankly, looks a little rude when seen from some perspectives.

Such as the one I had from my trusty Trek when I set off for another mid-day outting.  In addition to the giant peach, I spent some time in a music store playing various guitars and then went to the historic/shuttered downtown area where I saw the transplanted (I assume) cabin of the original settler named Gaffney.  I must say that touring around by bike is fun and makes one feel extremely thrifty and virtuous.  When I wound up back at the WalMart, a woman walked over to chat me up about my Trek; she'd just begun riding a Schwinn as an antidote to type II diabetes.  I gave her encouragement, told her she'd gotten a great starter bike, and confirmed that a Trek would be a sound choice should she decide to move up sometime.

When I set out I was thinking about another Wendy's lunch, but then noted Dover's Diner in a somewhat ramshackle building very close to the RV facility here which advertized home-style dinners served only from 11am to 2pm Tuesday thru Saturday.  There were a lot of cars parked out front, so I pedaled over and went in.

Inside was a cheerful Afr-Am staff, a lunch counter, and red-checkered tableclothes spread over very basic tables arranged around the cinder-block dining room.  The menu was on an easel which they swiveled towards each newcomer's table in turn.  I had meatloaf plus three veggies for $6.50 (I chose squash casserole, green beans, and fried okra, plus cornbread) and then topped it off with some fresh banana pudding.  Ohhh my; down-home Southern cooking.  Since I have basically one meal a day, I figure I can let the horses run a bit.

Meanwhile, the A/Bus isn't quite done.  When they went to replace the muffler they discovered the tailpipe was also perforated so they had to order one of THOSE.  It "should" arrive tomorrow.  Meanwhile, all the "rollers" in the front and rear brakes have been freed up and the brakes should work better. 

So this is my third night in the Peach Capitol.  And hopefully, my last. 

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Subject: Chillin' ~
Time: 8:38:20 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

Another eve in Faire Gaffney, as the punch list that developed after the technician went over the A/Bus morphed into a second day's worth of labour for the Mechanical Good.  Nothing awful was found, but a number of items that one would worry about crossing the vast expanses of the West will be ushered out of the anxiety closet. 

Normally I don't cool my heels at repair places, since I don't need them often and have M plus other wheels to help me escape.  But with no tow'd and only my Trek to fall back on, I spent the morning doing e-mail and chatting with several other couples whose RVs were in surgery.  One was a couple who live on an island on the Florida coast en route to a family gathering near Ann Arbor.  Another was a couple new to RVing coming from their home in Georgia to Va Beach for another family gathering.  All of us had worked a Gaffney stop into our travel plans due to its status as the best Freightliner shop in the land. 

Another Gaffney distinctive: the cheapest gas in entire USA today (per MSN.com)  may be found right down the road from me at the Texaco station where I wasted money on the air pump; $3.64/9.

Since I'd had nothing since my MexMeal the night before, at 1pm I decided to put the front wheel back on my bike and head back twds the interstate and the strip of shopping and eating places there.  I was not pleased when I noted my back tyre was half deflated, and wasted two rounds at a 75-cent air station trying to get it pumped back up.  Fortunately I managed to find a WalMart and reached biking maestro Phil Compton (1100 miles in the last month, but who's counting?) who counseled me on the weirdo air stems with which my bike is equipped.  I found a suitable hand pump for the princely sum of $9.97 that pumped up the tire and fits nicely in my little carrier pouch.  I love that store.

I had a nice chat with M this eve, who reports that Holly and Brady 2.0 are doing very well.  His overnite feeding interval is about three hours, not bad for a newborn, and B&H took him out with them for dinner at Outback while M took Jake and Nattabean to see Wall-E.  Hard to believe that when Gay and Lill were born, women were kept in a hospital bed for about a week after giving birth.  Holly went to Target today.

Item: there's a "naked" Freightliner chassis parked out behind the shop, a 2007 model with a 350hp Cummins diesel, that is fascinating to look at, since normally one could only glimpse the underside of these gizzards shrouded in shade, dirt and rust.  Here it all is on plain display, and I had a good time processing the parts and assemblies I've only visualized in the past.

Too bad I don't have wheels and my tourguide M here; Cowpens, the Civil War battle site [correction per Brother D: RevWar. Picky, picky, PICKY], is but ten miles away.  Hopefully I'll be cut loose and on my way tomorrow.  Plans are already underway for a gathering with Caroline and her peeps on the 25th. 

But for now, the overhead a/c's are thrumming and I'm chillin'.  Life is good on the A/Bus.

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Subject: Antiques Roadshow ~
Time: 9:48:53 PM EDT
Author:  gwa1225

That PBS program, which I enjoy every time I watch it (as I yam now), is a good metaphor for any of my major road trips, save last summer's TRVLONN epic.  And so the venerable '98 A/Bus and, more to the point, its '97 Freightliner chassis, and I are here at the Gaffney Freightliner service center for a good going-over tomorrow morning before we head for the west coast and back again.  Gaffney is the birthplace of all Freightliner chassis but alas, the service facility is not co-located with the factory.

 Being tow'dless thanx to Brady Benjamin's early arrival, my radius of action is somewhat limited; I  hiked about half a mile to an ultra-authentic Mexican market/restaurant where the menu on the wall (and everything else) was in Spanish and I was the only gringo in the joint.  Great food, of course.

Yesterday morn I joined Joe & Cathy at the 0830 service at Chapin UMC.  The church is thriving and expanding and this flavour of Methodism was agreeably evangelical.  The pastor, we learned chatting with him afterwards, was another admirer of Brother Bill Bouknight, who has cut a wide swath thru the Methodist renewal movement.

When we got back to the lakehouse, I decided that a leetle "hair of the dog" was in order for my slightly woggy inner ear and set off on the jet ski for a 15-mile zoom around the lake.  A few tight circles and figure 8's and I was a new man. 

I helped Joe with an attempted repair to his back yard irrigation system which was partially successful, and then we set off with some friends for an afternoon-long tour of the lake on Joe's tri-toon.  We inspected a literal house-boat that was locally constructed as a prototype for a new business and was on display (though locked) at a marina.  It would almost be worth the $159k they were asking just to cruise the contraption down Lake Murray.

We finished our tour with a nice swim off the boat in the 86F waters of the lake, then scooted back to Joe's dock to batten down the hatches ahead of a line of thunderstorms.  Filet and BBQ chicken leftovers rounded out a most agreeable day.

I had a nice chat with M, who was holding Brady Benjamin as she talked; he'd been home since mid-afternoon and was surrounded by admirers.  He is reportedly mild-mannered andvery cute. 

Joe & Cathy headed back to their main home ten miles away and left me in charge at the lake.  I had another good night's sleep in the A/Bus and started the new week with a five-mile jog before rolling out about noon today.

I'm hopeful that I'll be cut loose here by early afternoon.  It's about a seven-hour trip to Bronwyn Manor and it'd be fun to get there tomorrow.  The drive thru the Smokies will be pretty.

And the semi-antique roadshow should be in fine form.  

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