10/02/07 Newmar, Nappanee, IN.

Captain’s Blog
10/02/07
Newmar, Nappanee, IN.
Odometer Reading 10837.2

Woke at 6am to the noise of back-up warning alarms from the RV’s in the lot behind us being moved. The day at Newmar begins at 6 and ends at 2pm Monday – Thursday.

It was off the Ford dealer 8 miles down the road anticipating the worst but hoping for the best. They told us it would take at least two hours to diagnose so we decided to take the Newmar Factory Tour.

We were surprised that the first thing they asked us to do was sign a release form in the event of an injury during the tour. We did, but couldn’t understand it because we have toured many factories without having to sign anything. Once we started the tour we realized it would be an OSHA nightmare. We were allowed on the floor with the workers who were using a variety power tools. There were extensions cords and hoses on the floor that one had to either step or trip over. Despite the possible hazards the tour was great and it was amazing to watch the process and realize the manpower needed to manufacture just one RV. Indiana has a huge population of Amish people and 65 % of Newmar employees are Amish. Our Alternative mode of Travel,if not fixed!

After the tour we went to a great little restaurant called the Family Table with most of the employees Amish. A full meal with three sides was only $5.99. I got a stir fry dinner for $3.99 – unheard of in MA.

We went to check on the progress of our RV repair and much to our surprise the problem was not a fuel filter or electronic sensor as we had thought. It was a broken wire on a spark plug. No charge for the two - hour service (warranty covered) and off we went with a purring engine and two very happy campers.

10/01/2007 Parking Lot/RV Museum Elkhart, IN.

Captain’s Blog
10/01/07
Parking Lot/RV Museum Elkhart, IN.
Odometer Reading 10810.7

Spent last night in the parking lot at the RV Museum in Elkhart. We set up under a parking lot light for the night in the middle of nowhere. Not even sure if the Museum was finished because there was still a lot of construction going on, but it was free so it worked for us. Actually had great TV reception and no one bothered us. Had a nice chat with the people in the museum and the museum itself was beautiful with some great displays of the first campers and motor homes. We were able to tour many of them and were surprised to see that the very old campers had either oil fired or wood stoves! Fire hazard does not even describe it. Very cool and would recommend to anyone interested in the history of RVing.

Then it was on to Newmar Manufacturer in Nappanee, IN about 40 miles down the road. Ron thought since we were having a sputtering, hesitation problem which resulted in a drop in the MPG’s from 8 to 5 we needed to get it fixed or eating would not be an option for the rest of the trip. It was to the point that we considered putting a vacuum hose in our wallet just to keep the fuel tank full.
We arrived at Newmar around 11:45 am only to find run down looking offices and buildings with half paved parking lots and poor signage. That surprised us because they make high end RV’s (some over $500,000.00). Anyway, we waited three hours to talk to the Service Manager. We sat in a room with a bunch of unhappy campers – no pun intended- who were waiting for repairs to be done or to talk to the same service manager. Since we are from New England we cannot understand the snails pace of people in the Midwest or South for that matter. Ron finally spoke to the grouchy secretary and she gave him an 800 number to call. Get this, the 800 number is to Newmar in Nappanee. He finally spoke to a rep telling him we were on the premises and about our RV problem. Guess what – they don’t handle chassis problems and referred us to a workhorse dealer one mile down the road. The call to that place was futile because they couldn’t fit us in until the 5th. That option was too late for us as we still have another 1200 miles to N.M. They referred us to another workhorse dealer in the area who after some whining on our part agreed to look at the RV in the morning.

We were still at Newmar and they had campsites with hookup’s for free and since we were aggravated from the long wait and no results Ron decided we should ask for a campsite. He went back in to the crabby secretary and she did set us up with a campsite for the night. Because we spent so much time waiting for the invisible service manager we missed the Newmar factory tour. Hope to get that in tomorrow while the RV is being repaired. $$$$$$

9/30/07 Bear Creek Resort Ranch, East Sparta Canton Football HOF

Captain’s Blog
9/30/07
Bear Creek Resort Ranch, East Sparta
Odometer Reading 10520.0
Had another great night’s sleep. Ron and I have switched roles, he isn’t sleeping well and I am. I cooked breakfast while Ron cleaned another army of bugs off the windshield. Went to the Football Hall of Fame Museum, which, if one is a real football enthusiast would have been very interesting. Ron enjoyed it but I was less impressed. Surprisingly, there was not much on display for the Patriot’s despite their winning record. Anything on display for them was tucked in a corner. Two hours and a light lunch later we are back on the road on our way to Elkart, Indiana home of the RV Museum and a little further South the home of out RV manufacturer - Newmar. Will be stopping at both the Museum and at Newmar to have them check out our sputtering problem and for a tour of the facility. It is another beautiful day, sunny and in the 80’s. The drive has been great with pretty vistas and light traffic. Many farms and hundreds of miles of corn fields.

THE FIRST 3 DAYS, BIG-E, NORMAND ROCKWELL MUSEUM

Captain’s Blog
09/27/2007
Raynham, MA 02767 (Leaving Home and arriving at the Big E)
Odometer: 9781.8

On the Road Again!!!! After working half a day, getting the final few items packed and a short Good-by visit to my Mother we finally left at around 3:30 PM. The plan today is to stop at the Big E in West Springfield. We’ve never been there and since we left home a full two days early thought we would check it out. Arrived at the Big E around 5:30 PM and secured a great campsite in the field adjacent to the Fair (car & RV for $25.00 for the night) We got into the Fair on a Senior discount and because it was a Thursday an additional discount was added – so only $10.00 for the two of us. I guess there are some benefits to getting old!!!

Because it was a weekday there were no crowds, which we love. The place is huge with lots of kiosks with items not commonly found locally. It could be a shopper’s paradise. They had some very exotic animals from all over the world. Unfortunately the battery in the camera died so we didn’t get many pictures.

Then it was on to the Circus. They had great entertainment and it was free. There were a variety of shows held at different times but we only got to the circus. This is a great place to bring the kids.

Captain’s Blog
09/28/07
West Springfield to Stockbridge MA
Odometer Reading 9893.2

Today we left West Springfield and drove to the Norman Rockwell Museum http://www.nrm.org/?gclid=CJGT35yA6o4CFTaoGgodLQR2Dw in Historic Stockbridge MA. What a great place. As an artist and illustrator he defined the meaning of the word “Artist”. His artwork is unbelievable bringing every detail to life and all of his paintings tell a story. We recommend this stop to anyone who appreciates art and even to those who don’t.
His Studio

After a two - hour stop its back on the road. The RV is acting a little weird. Hope we don’t run into any problems with it. It’s just been broken in so its possible the little quirks will start kicking in. Will be stopping for the night at a rest stop in PA.

Captain’s Blog
9/29/07
Mountain Top, PA (Rest Area)
Odometer Reading 10167.6


Spent the night in a very quiet rest stop. Slept like a rock. Got up to the first cool weather (50 degrees). Today was basically a driving day - over 350 miles today. Will be spending the night at the Bear Creek Resort Ranch in East Sparta, OH. Don’t let the name fool you, this is not a ranch or resort!!!! Tomorrow we will be visiting the Football Hall of Fame----Yeah!!!

Motorhome is Back in Service

Well, after seven weeks, multiple phone calls and a second repair we are ready to roll. Yes, I said second repair. We were told the new hitch receiver was in place, the new flap on , electrical work and paint repair completed so we went to pick it up. When we arrived at Marty’s we decided to attach the tow bar to the RV to make sure everything was in proper alignment. Looking at the receiver we noticed it was recessed significantly beyond the back of the bumper. It didn’t look right but Ron tried to attach the tow bar. Needless to say our initial fear was accurate and the tow bar could not be introduced into the hitch. Ron went to speak to the service manager asking if a piece was missing off the receiver. He was assured all of appropriate replacement parts were in place. Ron then asked if it was possible that the receiver had been put on backwards. The service manager was emphatic that the receiver could NOT be put on backwards. Well, once he looked at the receiver he meekly admitted that , in fact, the receiver had been put on backwards. We left and later that day did finally get our MotorHome repaired appropriately and it is now home ready to be packed for our trip. Amen!!!

This is what the receiver is supposed to look like!

El Frog, My Guard Frog.

Don’t Mess with my big brother that is up in the air looking at you.

Lets get that RV fixed

Have been waiting 7 weeks to get our receiver Hitch repaired at Marty’s on Warranty from Newmar, 100 calls later it looks like maybe it will be done by this weekend!!!!