Neighborhood Watch Needed?

map of Davis Bayou campground

We drove from West Point, GA to Ocean Springs, Mississippi today...a distance of 325 miles, easy peasy for Eldo. We are at the Gulf Islands National Seashore, at Davis Bayou Campground, a hidden gem off the beaten path of highway 90. There is no beach at the national seashore's Davis Bayou area, but public beaches are nearby in Ocean Springs, about 10-15 minutes away. This park is part of the national parks system, so we are in for three nights on Eldy's senior pass, 8.00 a night! Wowee! Water and 50 amp electric and that's it, but hey, for that price, we don't care that there is no pool and that the restrooms are under construction and remodeling. There is a dump station here as well. There's a self-guiding trail and a boat launch into Davis Bayou...launch that kayak, Sparky!

There are viewing stations on some boardwalks and a small but outstanding visitor center in the park. There's some really cool hands on stuff at the visitor center, which has been completely remodeled after the last hurricane destroyed it. The visitor center is terrific! Sparky learned the identification of some more birds that she sees on our travels, learned that bull sharks hang out by the coastal shores in shallower waters...oh, dear. She smelled some wonderful wax myrtle....

And listened to an alligator growl in mating season so she can recognize it in the wild when she's out kayaking by herself in the bayou later this week...

The Davis Bayou Campground is small, around 50+ sites, first come, first served, but there is a mixture of large and small sites. Not very many are shaded. A big rig can get in here just fine, but unhooking before coming into the park is recommended. We found our site and after our long drive today, settled down under the awning for some much needed rest. Sparky started planning the next couple of days' activities, while Eldo contemplated a few things such as the color of the sky and the shape of the clouds and whether we are going to get any rain or not. :-)

Pretty soon, we heard sirens...they kept getting louder and louder....Eldy says, "They are coming into the campground.."   Naw, they are just out on the highway, out on 90, it just sounds loud, says Sparky. Wrong! They came into the park. They came over to the site right around the bend from us. That's when Sparky noticed the guy flat on the ground just opposite from our site.

He was out like a light, unconscious. He was discovered by the camp host on his rounds going around on his bike. (Sure you still want to be a camp host some day, Sparky? asks E.) Uh, sure! Some day.....maybe.....After Judy's story (Travels with Judy and Emma blog) about a woman and her baby that came knocking on her door one night saying their lives were in danger....Sparky is not so sure...But anyway....

Stuff started happenin', let me tell you! The cops came, the ambulance came, the fire truck came...the neighborhood photographers came out of the woodwork! (Sparky, SPARKY?! Where did you go? wondered E.) Sparky went closer to the scene of the action and to get the details and a photo or two. She's gotta know if this place is going to be a zoo in the next couple of days, or if this is an unusual occurrence. It was an unusual occurrence, say the camp hosts. One of the camp hosts was riding his bike around, saw this guy on the ground and couldn't rouse him. So, it was a 9-1-1 call. The police and firemen came fast!

For awhile, there were lot of  support personnel--cops, ambulance guys and park personnel, and then they all left, leaving the unconscious guy who was now conscious and sitting up with the local cop investigating the situation. The ambulance guy had come over and talked to us earlier as we had a totally open view of the whole situation, but we didn't see the guy fall, nor did we hear any arguing, which is the conclusion they came to, that the guy fell. There was a second guy in the site, sitting to the right of that funky looking popup. He totally was unconcerned about his "buddy", didn't bother to come over to see what had happened to his "buddy" when the cops came. "Oh, he'll be all right," he says when they came over to ask him what was going on. Had they been fighting? Naw... He continued to sit on the picnic table to the right of the scene and didn't give a care about what was going on. Very callous attitude. Eventually, the guy that fell or passed out was handcuffed and taken away. Bet it will be a quiet spot over there the rest of the time we are here! We are glad about that. But glad to know the local hospital is just across from the entrance to the national seashore, just in case......

Sparky briefly entertained the idea of starting a neighborhood watch program in the park, (she's joking, folks!) but the camp hosts assured her that really, nothing like this has ever happened before. The police/fire department have only visited this park once before, quite awhile ago, and that was for a little motorhome that caught on fire.

It's gonna be HOT, HOT, HOT again for the next few days..We will be here three days and then one more hop, skip and a jump stop before landing in Spring, TX to see Sparky's daughter, Kerry. Hope we can keep cool. Sparky sees a trip to the beach in the near future to get away from the heat for a bit. See you later, maybe on the Gulf!

Three Castaways and a Sunday Siesta

But not for Sparky, at least not right away....Off to the lake this morning, right out our back door to the boat dock, to take the Sea Eagle 385 Fasttrack out on the lake...There was LOTS of boat traffic this Sunday, lots of jet skis, lots of motorboats, and the Sea Eagle handled it all without so much as a roll. The waves just roll right under the boat, the boat seems to absorb some of the rocking and rolling motion you'd normally get with a hard shell kayak. It's a dream to paddle! So glad I got it!

campground view from the water

Not much to see out there today, other than the boats. Sparky is spoiled. She is used to seeing dolphins, manatees, (sometimes), all kinds of shore birds...Well, OK, she saw some shorebirds today. They look a little like royal terns, but I think they are Least Terns. What are they doing out here? These three amigos persistently sat and bobbed for a good 15 minutes. Not until Sparky floated right on top of them, did they fly away. Guess they were just castaways on their own little piece of island....er, log....They circled around a bit, then flew right back to the log after she left.

The water level is really down at the lake....lots of erosion with that Georgia clay showing everywhere on the banks....

Sparky saw an osprey nest, she thinks.....

A nice, uneventful paddle...guess that's the good kind! Back home to rest the rest of the day...take a little bike ride, work on some crafts, take a little siesta....We leave tomorrow for Mississippi and the Gulf Shores National Seashore for a few days......See you there!

Another Corps Park on West Point Lake GA

We decided to move yesterday from R. Schaefer Heard Campground to Whitetail Ridge Campground, about eighteen miles north up the road.  Fifty-five campsites with water and electric. Bye, bye mallards, looking for handouts! (Sparky violated the cardinal sin of NOT feeding the wildlife! AHEM!) But I had some stale hot dog buns I was going to throw out, so I threw them outside the rig for the birds, don'tcha know! Had no idea those mallards were in the area..... :-)

On the way out, Sparky saw ANOTHER big snake cross the road in front of the rig and car. It's a good thing we are moving! At Whitetail Ridge, there is a bigger town close by than where we were before and it's quicker to get to if we need anything. The lake seems more interesting at this end with more channels and inlets, and Sparky wants to get her kayak in the water this weekend. After hearing Judy's story (Travels with Judy and Emma) about mice eating through her kayak, Sparky is glad she has been storing her Sea Eagle in the car! (Because the bays are full of yarn and craft supplies, don'tcha know!? says an exasperated E.) Well, not completely..there's still room for other stuff...really! And the Verizon internet signal is MUCH stronger, and we actually have two bars and "E" on our AT & T cell phones--there was none at R. Schaefer Heard-- in case there's an impending baby birth call from Sparky's daughter, Kerry. Kerry is anxiously awaiting Mama Sparky's arrival and the baby's. Hopefully, Mama Sparky gets there first.

Speaking of Judy,  Judy is at the very next park at West Point Lake, Holiday Campground, less than a mile from us. Yay! We're grilling out with her this evening. We drove through Holiday and Whitetail Ridge campgrounds yesterday, comparing the parks. They are all wonderful...huge sites, laundry facilities, great for bike riding, water and boat ramps close, just a perfect place to sit for awhile....There are six corps parks around this lake...If you aren't happy with one as far as internet or cell service, there are plenty of others to choose  from. Senior pass gets you in for 12.00 a night.

Our site is HUGE...you could park THREE motorhomes on it, SERIOUSLY!! Fifty-six feet of driveway in FRONT of the rig. Site #52, walk in, we think it's the biggest one in the park.

Here's the view from the back of the site.

Great boat dock launching ramp.....

The park has two different habitats...our site is in a heavily wooded area, like camping in a state forest, but trees are NOT a problem at all, everything is cleared out for big rigs to get in and out easily, and then there are the lake sites, totally different atmosphere...It's a beautiful, beautiful setting..From what we have seen of several of the Corps of Engineer parks here, they are all wonderful and suitable for big rigs.

This evening we headed over to see Judy and Emma. It was great meeting them both. Emma is off to the side on a tether, she was so excited to see company, she was overjoyed!

Judy has a wonderful sense of humor and we just really enjoyed chatting about all things RV. Sparky pumped Judy for information on volunteering, and we compared notes and stories about our experiences on the road. Judy, being a solo, has a lot more stories to tell of "helpful" people when pulling into a campground and setting up, and she had lots more stories about being a camp host, too. She fixed a terrific potato salad...homemade, none of this store bought stuff. We were honored that she went to all the trouble to fix a delicious homemade potato salad, with a story to go behind it. Thanks, Judy...we feel honored to have caught up with you and spent some time with you.....

One more day at Whitetail Ridge Campground here at West Point Lake and we leave for parts west.....Kerry is counting the days till we get there, and Mama Sparky is, too.....Bye for now....

Corps of Engineer Parks in West Point, Georgia

Eldy did some research on approximately how far he wanted to drive today and we arrived at the conclusion that West Point Lake in Georgia would be a good stopping point for today's drive. We said goodbye to the Gaffney water tower, the "Peachoid", which looks like a giant butt cheek to Sparky!

Using the recreation.gov site, he saw that there were several Corps of Engineer parks along the West Point Lake in Georgia, at least SIX. We arrived at West Point Lake, close to I-85 on the border of Georgia and Alabama early this afternoon and chose R. Shaefer Heard Campground. For 12.00 a night with Eldy's senior pass, we have 50 amp electric and a site on the WATER, although the water level on the lake is severely depleted due to long term drought. The sites are very shady...and in our section, very level. We had site number 6. We have plenty of room, and there's even a car pad site marked out for your car right next to the rig. When we came in, Sparky asked out of curiosity, "Do you have snakes here?" And the lady answered, "Oh, some people say they've seen some around, but ah never have seen any." Uh, OK...remember that for later.....

The Corps of Engineer parks along this lake are just fabulous...sites are VERY spacious, clean, some of the campgrounds even have laundry facilities! Great playgrounds for the kids.....

Plenty of nice roadways to ride a bike for miles...We LOVE Corps of Engineer parks, especially with the "Old Fart" pass...the senior pass that you can get when you turn 62, that gets you into government run parks like national parks, corps of engineer parks, etc. for half the normal rate. Ten bucks, one time only fee, good for your lifetime. Normal rate is 24.00, we are staying for 12.00 and you can stay for up to 14 days at a corps park.

Sparky went out for a bike ride today...and saw a SNAKE, a BIG snake slither across the road...

Naturally, she just HAD to get off her bike to get a photo, WITH THE ZOOM, of course! Have no idea what kind of snake this is, but someone please tell her...Sorry, you can't see the head. Sparky was told by the couple working the front gate that if it has a diamond shaped head, that's a poisonous snake. She can't see the head, it's to the right. It looks like it might have eaten, it's so fat! But it just stayed by the side of the road and didn't move once Sparky got off her bike. Sparky took a couple of photos, maintaining some distance and then hopped back on her bike. Biking around the corner after taking the photo, Sparky ran into three boys on their bikes.

"Hey, guys, wanna see a snake?" she asks...the ever present teachable moment in her mind wherever she goes...."Sure! Where is it?" the guys asked...ages about 7, 10, and 12 or so..."Right around the corner bend," she points. The boys asked what color was it and what did it look like? Sparky described it and the oldest boy says," Sounds like a water moccasin"...Uh, those are poisonous, right? He says,"Yes, ma'am, they are poisonous. We got LOTS of snakes around where we live. We got chicken snakes, we got rattlesnakes, we got....." and he named a bunch more snakes. Uh, thanks, fellas, see you around...And Sparky went on with her bike ride....Hm-m-m-m...this might not be the best place to stay and relax. Sparky will be hyper-vigilant from here on out, watching for more snakes. We are going to stay two nights for sure, but think we'll check out a couple more of the corps parks while we are here.

Verizon mi-fi is two bars if that...AT & T cell phone signal nothing at the campsite. With Sparky's first grandbaby coming soon, could be any day, she is not real happy about no cell phone service. So we might try another campground up the road....See you tomorrow!

A Spammer Attack and Tiff Gets Dehydrated!

News Flash---A spammer (?) left an anonymous comment on our blog this afternoon late in the day. I hope just about nobody saw it because it was full of the F***** word, F-in this,  F-in truckers and then a bunch of gibberish. I pulled it as soon as I noticed it, but apologize if it stayed too long for someone's eyes to see. That worries me as I don't use the captcha comment feature, and why didn't Blogger see it as spam? We'll keep an eye on it, and I may have to resort to the "comment approval" thing if it starts happening more. Yuck!

We pull out of the KOA campground this morning, and decide to hook up in the dump lane as it was about the only level spot in the whole campground...well, ok, maybe there were a couple more spots. We hook up the car, Sparky does her procedure on the CR-V, then all of a sudden, Sparky hears the coach rev up to high speed. She looks over, and right next to the coach is the huge propane tank for park fill ups with warning signs all over the place. She gets nervous and just as she is about to tell Eldo to shut 'er down,  the engine on the rig shut down. Eldo comes running out of the coach and says, "We got a problem! The check engine light came on, it went from yellow to red in a heartbeat and now the engine has shut down." We couldn't move! From the time the light came on till the time the engine shut down was about 45 seconds. The only warning light we had was a yellow engine light which immediately starting blinking, then turned to red almost as quickly, then whammo--engine shutdown. No other warning lights came on, and we were dead in the water.

Here we are, blocking the dump lane and blocking the propane fuel tank fill. After class yesterday, and having the Freightliner help number drilled into our heads all day long, "call 800-385-4357", do you think we could remember the number or find it right away? NO-O-O-O! We panicked. Sparky is thumbing through oodles of manuals looking for the "HELP!" page full of numbers. Found it!

Sparky gets on the phone to the local Freightliner dealer in Gaffney, SC, just 10 minutes down the road, and Eldo gets on hold with the 800-385-4357 number.....Do you think we could remember how to toggle the dashboard to get the trouble codes for the engine as far as what caused the immediate shut down of the engine? NO-O-O-O! We were in panic mode. Eldy didn't even want to turn on the engine until he talked to somebody, which Sparky thought was very wise. Better call 800-385-4357, the Freightliner help center.

About twenty minutes later, Eldo got through to the service center at 800-385-4357.  Got the number memorized yet? :-) These guys have always been fantastic to us, we've called them several times in the past couple of years. They are always friendly, courteous, and a great help. We spoke to Gary, who used to work at the Gaffney service center and now is at the main center. He had Eldy turn on the engine, and THEN a low coolant light came on. Gary helped Eldo get through the toggling sequence on the dashboard to get to the engine diagnostics which showed zero engine error codes. He then theorized that because we had sat on a slope at our site, then moved to another slight slope in the hookup lane, and had very low coolant, ZERO coolant was registering on the sensor, so the engine diagnostics decided we didn't have enough coolant to run.

Gary told us to go ahead and turn on the engine, creep forward getting into a more level position and see if the check engine light went out after we went moved. It did! But the low coolant light came back on. Down the road we went to the Freightliner dealer in Gaffney, two exits down from the KOA campground. Once we got there, we purchased three jugs of coolant, and then, having started to calm down, we decided to stay at the Freightliner dealer, get 4 corner weighed (where you know how much weight is sitting on each set of tires) then get the radiator pressure tested, and what the heck! Let's just spend the night. They have electrical hookups here, just no sewer and water. This way we make sure we have no leaks before heading out on our major driving trip to Houston, TX (E. says and we can find out just how badly Sparky has overloaded the coach with craft supplies! ) Oh, dear...Sparky's worried...yarn doesn't weigh a lot, but jewelry supplies do, and all her craft books, and paper and magazines and......Bet we will be doing some BIG moving around of stuff after we find out our weights!

SO, IF YOU ARE NOT CHECKING YOUR FLUID LEVELS WHEN YOU CHECK YOUR TIRES, YOU NEED TO BE!

We sat for the afternoon in the Freightliner dealer and chatted with some of our classmates from yesterday. We compared notes, we shared notes about what we doing in for service...We worked on our travel plans for our next stop using a trial period on a new program called RV Trip Wizard. The verdict is still out on it. We saw it at the Tampa RV show and decided to try it. It's all web based and seems to have a lot of cool features on it. We'll test it out and get back to you on that.

We're in for the day and night here at Freightliner in Gaffney, SC. along with a WHOLE bunch of other coaches, 16 of them spending the night. Check one of the neighbors, bet he's every bit of 45 feet long. And then you add his tow... Yikes!

GOOD NEWS! Two hundred fifty-two dollars later, WE'RE CLEARED TO GO! NO coolant leak under pressure testing after two hours. (Cost--$90.00) Four corner weigh and set the tire pressures ($72.50) WE ARE NOT OVERWEIGHT! Well, the COACH is not overweight. We could stand to lose a few pounds, heheheh.

BUT---even better news! We don't have to move any craft supplies or get rid of any! WOO-HOO! YIPPEEE!. We got some replacement tire extensions for the rear wheels and they are installed correctly so Eldy can check the inside rear tires. (about 50.00 for parts alone)  By the way, if you are FMCA members, you save 15.00 an hour on labor charges and 5% discount on parts at any Freightliner dealer. Wouldn't you know, we belong to just about every camping membership, we just don't belong to that one! Haven't run across the camping membership discounts for FMCA in the places we stay.

We hope to set out in the morning for a Corps of Engineer park somewhere on the Carolina/Georgia border or maybe further west..Eldy went out to talk to the neighbors and talk about a small world! TWO other couples have adult children living in Spring, TX, where we are eventually headed for the month of June to see Sparky's daughter, Kerry. The world keeps shrinking!  ..See you later!

Sparky & Eldo Go to Freightliner School!

Sparky felt like a kindergartner heading off to her first day of school in a LO-O-O-N-G time....New pencils? notebook? paper?...check!

Waiting for the bus to pick us up at 7:30 A.M......Here it comes! The Richard Petty bus.....They came and got us both days for class.

A little warning....Today's blog is all about Freightliner chassis class. If you are the Mr. Fix-It in the family, then your wife might want to skip the blog today. It could get a little boring. If you are the Mrs. Fix-It in the family, then the other half might want to pass on the blog today. If you both kind of muddle through the warning lights, the specifications of all your systems and are a little foggy on your chassis's needs, and you panic when the coach won't go... sort of like us, then read on!

We started class promptly at 8:00....With Mike Cody, instructor extraordinaire....He's a big dude, dude!

He's funny, too, which helps with a very dry course all about Freightliner chassis, parts, how everything works, model numbers, specifications, more specifications, who has what kind of engine, more functions, more part descriptions, more chassis information, schematics, where to get schematics, everything you ever wanted to know about what goes on UNDER YOUR HOUSE inside the chassis, under the chassis and more. Sparky had a very hard time staying awake in class because all these specs, model numbers, parts, illustrations, and break apart drawings meant absolutely nothing in Sparky's world as co-pilot, navigator (scratch that, says E. but she tries), chief bottle washer, and master crafter. What Sparky loved as part of the class was they also fed us a great lunch and a fabulous dinner the first day, and lunch the second day.

air bag before airing up

Sparky took nine pages of notes and will try and highlight the basics so that somebody will get something useful!  We did get TONS of useful reference sheets with photos, a 360 page manual with all kinds of useful information, and a CD with MORE useful information.

We found out that the loud gun sound after the jacks coming up or going down had to do with the air bags "popping" themselves in or out. They can be really LOUD as they stretch out or shrink!

After we got done with two days of class, we definitely have a lot more knowledge about our Freightliner chassis. When we go into a service center, we will definitely know enough to be dangerous so we won't be taken advantage of when something goes wrong or have to pay for unnecessary service, at least we hope so!

Eldy got lots more out of the class than Sparky did....But here's some of what Sparky got out of the class, and if she got this much, times it by 5, and that's probably what a guy or a gal might get out of it, especially if they like to do their own mechanics and maintenance. Gotta be politically correct here. So here we go....Sorry for being all over the place....(But that's how her mind works, laughs E.) Here's a sample of what we learned:

1. The DEF system (the new urea emissions systems) on the 2010 and later coaches actually spits out cleaner air than the air you breathe in a big city. That's pretty amazing! If you are in danger of running out of urea, you can keep driving for 90 minutes without urea while you try to find some, as long as you don't turn the key off. When you turn the key off, the pump sucks urea out of all the lines and now you are dead in the water... Lots more was explained in the class.

2. Parts you should be carrying with you on the road--minimum:
*fuel filter, *a serpentine fan belt (many mobile techs won't have the right belt for your rig and will put one on that "should work"....shelf life of belt is about 7 years if protected against sunlight, heat and weather, keep an extra one on board
*hubnut removal tool---cheap tool and cheap insurance against some repair guy whacking at your polished wheel rims trying to get to the tires. *Extra air filter--only if you're going to Alaska...
*Fire Gone--cool new type of fire suppressant and a heckuva lot easier to use than an extinguisher. Google "Fire Gone" on the web to see....We have extinguishers, but bought two of these for extra protection....they seem much easier to use!

3.How to get access about your Freightliner chassis online...accessfreightliner.com
RV service.com,  explore these sites--there are wiring diagrams and schematics for your rig...but it was a little on the complicated side to negotiate the website for "access Freightliner"....We'll have to explore that and come back to you on that later.

4. Your books/manuals are outdated already..Freightliner has moved to a one year service plan...

5. Every month, pull the lanyards on your air tanks to get rid of water/condensation in the tanks. Especially if you are in areas with high humidity..Florida, anyone?..Sparky now knows what and where the lanyards are after seeing an actual chassis on the second day of class! A gentle 3 second pull will do it.

6. On your oil changes, you do not need to use expensive TranSynd oil, there are a whole bunch of compatible fluids that are less expensive that Allison Transmission Company accepts...the class gave us a list along with tons of other useful information to be informed and on top of our service requirements for our coach.

7. Check your coolant every five months for deterioration. There are special test strips that tell you if your coolant is still performing and functioning at the top of its game. Where you get them, we're not sure, probably at Freightliner!

8. Did you know Freightliner offers an extended warranty as long as you are within your three year, 50,000 mile time period?

9. You should NOT be using your cruise control in the mountains! Nor should you be using the mode button in the mountains!

10. There was something about not being in 6th gear when running around 60-65 miles per hour. Mike kept talking about "you are lugging your engine" and the fuel is not being used as efficiently. You should be running about 1800 rpm's in 5th gear instead to be using fuel more efficiently. Sparky did not understand this at all....something about higher RPMs make the fan kick in harder to cool your engine better. You won't run as hot....you'll have to take the class to get this figured out, but Eldo learned a lot about how gears and RPMS affect fuel mileage.

11. You shouldn't be parking on high grass, wood, paper, or pine cones with the latest DEF systems  (2010 and later?) because of the high temperatures that occur under the coach while the system burns the emissions and particulates...hunh? See what I mean about high techno stuff? There's a regeneration where the system "cooks up" the bad stuff moving through your air filters and fuels and it's about 400 degrees to the touch while it's going through the "cooking" cycle (it's 1400 degrees inside the tank). If you are in a lot of stop and go traffic and not moving more than 20 mph, and the system is trying to regenerate, you'll get a warning light. When the light first comes on, if you can increase your speed and drive for another 30-45 minutes to help the cycle finish, the light should go out.

Aha! Is that what those little light thingys mean!

12. Additives are NOT recommended by Cummins, CAT, and Detroit Diesel..Keep your fuel tanks as full as you can, use fuel stops that have a high turnover of fuel....If you have a fuel filter with a clear bowl at the bottom, you can check for evidence of algae....You learn in this class whether you have that fuel filter or not. If you add something to your fuel you are changing mixes, burning ratios, etc. Make sure whatever you DO decide to use, says "approved for after treatment parts" or you will void your warranty if you're lucky enough to still be under one.

13. Tire pressures need to be the same across the same axle. If you are heavy on one side, you need to have tire pressure reflected on both tires for the heaviest side. Michelin wants you to have something between you and Mother Earth...to add life to your tires, you shouldn't be sitting on wood, it sucks oil and emollients out of your tires. Put something else under your tires--artificial turf pieces, mats of some kind, treated plywood. If you run on under inflated tires, you WILL have a tire failure, it's just a matter of time. No matter how short a distance you run on an under inflated tire, damage will occur immediately and be cumulative going down the road. Tire pressure should be checked COLD, before sunlight ever hits your tires. Pressure has already started going up once sunlight hits the tires. For every 10 degrees up or down, tire pressure changes 2%. For every 1000 foot change in elevation, there will be a half pound of pressure change.

14. When going down a mountain and you apply the brake for 3-5 seconds, take your foot off and you start to creep back up another 5 mph within that same time frame, you are in the wrong gear. It should take at least 15-30 seconds before gaining that 5 mph if you are in the right gear.

15. Your generator won't work if your fuel supply is at  1/4 of a tank or lower.

Is your brain fried yet? Mine is from trying to pick out the important stuff to share, there was tons more about the dashboard system and how to operate it...You get to see a real chassis before the house sets on it, etc. etc. etc.......The important thing is, Sparky may have fried her brain, but....

You get fed, you get a tee shirt, a hat, a coffee mug, and lots of great info. Do we recommend Camp Freightliner for all Freightliner chassis owners? You betcha! If you are NOT into the technical stuff as a co-pilot, it might be hard to sit through two days of class, but it's always good to have a secondary notetaker AND a second pair of ears! Hope we didn't bore you too much and you learned something you didn't know before. Thanks for reading.....Where's Eldo? Taking a nap today and letting his brain rest......

Troubles Getting Level at KOA Gaffney

Off we went on a short drive to get from Cross Hill, SC to the KOA campground in Gaffney/Spartanburg. It was only a two hour drive if that, piece of cake. Now, getting level, THAT was another story.

another rig never did get level

Apparently, a lot of the sites at the Gaffney KOA are not very level, at least in the section that is around the 60's thru the 80's, in the pull thrus. No mention of that was made in any of the RVparkreviews website, which was surprising, but maybe they were not placed in the section where we are. As we looked at the sites coming in, it was very apparent from the rigs leaning one way or another, and various block setups, that leveling might be a problem.

typical site doesn't look too bad from afar, but close up, watch out!

Our site looked good, but after four tries of automatic leveling, and the system saying "EXCESSIVE SLOPE", one tire off the ground, then a different one on another try, or the front jacks excessively extended to where it looked scary and even then the level said "not level", we requested another site, the one next to us. It looked a little better. WRONG! The KOA guy came out to help us...brought us some blocks (we know, we need to be carrying some serious wood pieces for just such a situation, says E.) and then, because we were so far off the ground with our entry steps, brought us two concrete blocks so Sparky doesn't fall on her face coming out of the coach! What a nice man! We definitely have to come up with a better block system than some plastic yellow pads we bought at Camping World a long time ago which have been severely warped by jack pressure over the past year or two.

what we had to do, kind of cobbled together, but it worked

Sparky talked to two other couples and found out that anyone coming into this area for the sites numbered in the 60's has had a dickens of a time getting level. One guy blew out his leveling jacks line while trying to get level on his site in front of us. These are the pull thru sites, supposed to be the EASIEST to get into, but they sure aren't level. Even Freightliner has gotten involved as they come into the park to pick you up for class and they told the front office how units should be brought into this section and set up. Apparently, they have concerns for their chassis in this park! The park has spent a LOT of money trying to improve a LOT of things--the electric has been updated which is good. There were previous complaints about wildly varying power in the park awhile back. There are lots of new electric posts and wiring. That problem appears to have been fixed. They have brought in a ton of gravel and are trying to level out the sites, but they still have a long way to go. Some sites are still more dirt than gravel and with the rain we've been getting, it's extremely muddy around them. There is plenty of room between the sites, and shady spots are available.

Pool is small but nice...clean laundry and showers, very nice inside. There's a nice little campstore in the office welcome station. Nice pet playground for furry kids...Some sites have picnic tables, some do not. There are some sites with campfire grills and some without.

Park has free wi-fi but it's very slow, and if the provider thinks you are using too much bandwidth, they put bandwidth download limits on your wifi. We ran into this almost immediately, but all we were doing was the usual email and web surfing. Maybe a lot of people were already on the park's network, but it was very early in the morning. Our mi-fi works great, full bars. AT & T service, four bars and no problems dropping calls or reception on other end.

It's supposed to rain seriously for the next three days, which is good, because we will be in CLASS for TWO of those three days from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. That way, Sparky won't be tempted to play hooky, which she won't anyway, because she paid for her class. (That was the plan, to have some investment in it so she wouldn't beg out of going! explains E.) Smart man, he's right as usual! The Freightliner School is two exits down from the Spartanburg/Gaffney KOA and you get a 10% discount for staying here at the KOA if you are going to the classes. Cost for us around 37.00 a night plus a little change. Freightliner comes and picks you up each day and brings you back home. No ducking out of class for Sparky!

See you after classes......We'll see what Sparky learns about the chassis! And Eldo, too!