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It was still early morning when we pulled out of the campground.

Since it is only about 10 miles from Rainbow Plantation to the Camping World in Robertsdale, Alabama, I choose to just follow Dave rather than hook up the car.

We soon arrive there and Becky checked us in.

That took awhile as we had to figure out how to explain in as few words as possible each problem we are having. Then we all walked out to the RV so Becky could look for dents and scratches. We have one set of scratches from going down a too narrow driveway.

Once all that was done, we went to Waffle House for breakfast then came back to spend the day in Camping World’s customer lounge so as to be available to answer any questions that might arise.

We were twice lucky in the lounge. First, we were the only ones there so we could turn off the TV. Second, they provided this facility for us:

It is just a nook along side a major hallway but it had lots of outlets above the counter so we could plug in both computers and our router without crawling around furniture looking for places to do that. Being in the hallway, people stopped by off and on all day to ask computer related questions. One was a woman wanting to know how were were getting internet since all their computers were down. Later a guy stopped to tell us he shut down their whole system by downloading movies.

I’m sure glad we have our own connection! Plus, I’m glad Dave made our network invisible and secure so no one can use it to download movies. We’d be way over our data limit in no time if someone used our network to do that.

We also talked there with the mechanic working on our RV which was, after all, why we hanging out there. He appeared to have lots of knowledge and experience. He was frustrated that they just had someone from Suburban furnace teach a class on furnaces that did not include the new model we have; I guess it’s supposed to be too new to need repairs. But he made phone calls to several vendors about various problems we are having and came to us twice using a method of questions and answers to narrow down the possible solutions to our glitches. He also made notes on answers we gave which might help him solve other people’s problems in the future.

Parts are now being ordered and I have high hopes of a successful conclusion.

TTYL,

Linda

Now it’s time to do warranty work on the house part of our RV. We have two rather major problems.

The first is our furnace. When the thermostat calls for heat, our furnace makes up its own mind as to whether or not it will provide it. It will, however, provide heat if you turn it off then back on. So, during middle of the night bathroom trips I feel the floor by the heat duct to see if it is warm. If it’s not, I turn the furnace off then back on and we get heat. Until the next time it decides not to work.

The second is our toilet. It runs. If we had a house type toilet we would adjust the float until it stopped running. But we don’t have a float. So we don’t know how to make it stop running except to turn off the water pump so no water runs anywhere. So what happens is: I flush the toilet, turn off the water pump, then try to wash my hands. Irritating. Or Dave turns on the pump using one of the other switches, forgets to turn it off, then turns it off using the bathroom switch. Now that switch is upside down. So I look at the switch, think the water is on, get in the shower, and…!

So, Dave called Winnebago and they recommended Camping World in Robertsdale, Alabama, as the authorized service center nearest to where we are now. They are about 10 miles away–that’s pretty near!

So, Dave called Camping World and made an appointment for 8 am Thursday. I listened to that conversation and Dave never told them about the toilet. So, I asked him about that. It seems Camping World’s procedure is for you to come in at 8 am and fill out papers listing what you want done. The guys start work at 8:30. I’m not sure how they decide who will do what work. The one thing I’m sure of is that, by not determining what needs to be done before we arrive, if they need any parts they don’t have in stock, we’ll have to wait for those parts to be shipped. Which will not really be a problem as long as they can put back together anything they took apart to determine the problem. We live in this thing, you know.

We’ve never had work done at a Camping World facility. We have friends that like to have done work there. That way if they leave one before they discover there’s still a problem, the next one down the road can fix it. Is that a recommendation?

TTYL,

Linda

Today is the day we traditionally make a list of all the things for which we are thankful. I’m not going to share my list with you–it gets a little sappy. Instead, I’m wishing for all of you that your list is as long as mine is. And that you get to eat turkey and pie with friends and/or family. I’ll be sharing mine with Dave and for that I’m thankful.

TTYL,

Linda

Our motorhome is built on a Freightliner Custom Chassis. So when we need work done on the engine, transmission, frame, or other chassis parts, Freightliner is the best place to go. And the best Freightliner place is their Customer Service Center in Gaffney, South Carolina, where the chassis was manufactured.

Here they have bays where they can work on six motorhomes at a time. The other three bays are behind these.

They have a fabulous lounge where their customers can wait in this part of their facility.

Of course, you have to negotiate with the other customers as to who can plug in their lap tops where and whether the TV will be on or off and, if on, how loud will it play. At least no one tried to smoke in there, but boy did it make me aware of how much I have become accustomed to having control over my environment.

Overnight you can park in their lot with electrical hookups. The dump and fresh water fill are nearby.

In this photo it looks like we are parked at the end of a row but that orange sign on the post indicates the RV that would otherwise be parked there is currently in a service bay and will be returning to that spot.

When your time slot comes up you are to pack up your RV, bring in the slides,raise the jacks, and unhook from the power. Then they come to your spot to get your RV and return it there at the end of the day.

Normally when we pack up our RV the couch looks something like this.

But while we were there we were having our 15,000 mile engine service done even though it’s not quite time for that yet. The challenge is, the access to the engine is under the end of our bed.

Dave normally stores his piano keyboard there. So, for one day only, he found other places for the things that normally ride on the couch and his keyboard traveled there well strapped in.

Now the work is done, and things have returned to normal and we are on the road again headed to Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Alabama, where we will probably hang out through Thanksgiving so we can do some mail orders.

No, we are not ordering Christmas presents. Unless you want a pair of my new socks.

TTYL,

Linda

Dave and George worked together for many, many years. Now both are retired. We, as you know, live full-time in our RV. George and Sharon are snowbirds. That means they live in Minnesota in the summer and Florida in the winter migrating between the two just like any sensible birds do.

This year they are migrating in their RV and we happened to be parked along their migratory path. So yesterday we met for a meal. That’s another thing RVers are famous for–eating!

It was fun to catch up on travel plans. It was less fun but helpful to catch up on retiree benefits and their implications. Life goes on, you know, even when you live in an RV.

Another of our Minnesota friends decided we might need a reminder as to what we are missing so he sent us this picture of his deck taken Saturday evening.

Gee thanks, Tom. It’s nice to not be one of the 200 thousand people who were without power in Minnesota. Of course, we have a generator for emergency power needs. So does Tom.

In fact, one of my favorite memories of operating Tom’s model railroad is the night the power went out. Tom lit a railroad lantern for us to use for light while he went out and started the generator. Then we went right on running trains. Now that’s Minnesota style independence!

TTYL,

Linda