6-18-12
Once we got going, we hooked up the van to the RV and head for Des Moines where we had an appointment with the Allison shop. We were hoping to finally get the RV working the way it should on hills and go all the way to 6th gear. Since our appointment wasn’t until tomorrow at 8 am, we parked the RV after detaching the van. Realizing it was very hot (101 degrees) and we needed some air conditioning, w drove around and found a Great Outdoors. It was amazing the kind of things they sell and the effort they go thru decorating like the wilderness with all sorts of stuffed animals and deer antlers all over. Even the floor had animal foot prints into it. From there, we hit the casino where Larry lost $20 and I won $2.45. The RV was hot and Tinker was very warm by the time we got back. Thank goodness for the generator and air conditioning.
6-19-12
We head W after gassing up the car and attaching it to the RV. It was another hot, windy day so Larry had a lot of work to keep the RV on the road. We even stopped at a rest area so he could eat lunch. At another stop, the brake buddy went crazy so I disconnected it. Now the car brake lights wouldn’t go on but we wouldn’t burn the brakes out either. This state is not flat, there is a lot of corn fields as far as the eye can see and the new industry seems to b wind mill farms. We continued on US 80 to US 29 N to Onawa. The RV park was small but nice and right off the highway. It was so good to be able to plug in and run the air. Dinner was smoked pork chops while watching the Tigers.
6-13-12
We had lived on the water for 12 years but decided we wanted to see more of the inside of North America. We were fortunate enough to find a 1996 American Eagle (AE) Motor Home with a wheelchair lift and hand controls, marble floors, walnut cabinets, and corian counter tops. We moved into our RV Christmas week and continued to live in Florida for the winter. We drove home to Michigan in May, worked on the inside and had some work done mechanically. Sadly, the Cummins dealer couldn’t fix the problem before we left. We did come up with a name for our mobile home, the CLOD House (Cruisers Living On Dirt. We cruised on a boat for 12 years.)
There is a family wedding in Iowa so we needed to start the trip west. We decided to drop down to the home of AE just south of Ft. Wayne to see if they could resolve the issue. We arrived at one of the buildings but there was no one around. The internet got us to the right building as there was a parking lot with all sorts of RV’s parked and plugged into power. Once we settled in and had dinner, we walked around to talk to some of the other owners. We learned that the office opens at 6 am and a good time to register for “drop in” service.
6-14-12
I set my alarm for 5:30 am but awoke at4 am, then 4:30, then 5:10 and finally got up at 5:35 to get dressed and walk to the office. Once I signed in and got a cup of good coffee, I was directed to the Spartan specialist who said he could get us in this afternoon. I walked back to the RV for breakfast and to straighten up a little. We got the call mid morning and after an hour of working, the young man gave the verdict that it was a cable that Allison had available. We paid the bill and were driven out of the building. We had not emptied the water tank since Florida and it was only after we were on the road that I realized we had a problem. Water was available at Fleetwood so we emptied the tank, which seemed to take forever, and then filled it with nice clean water.
We left Decatur and head WNW. Since we would be driving right by one of my brothers, we called and had them join us for lunch. We had parked in a Kmart parking lot so we would have room to turn around when it came time to leave. Sadly, The RV would not drive. The engine would start but not go forward when put in gear. We walked to Kmart to give the engine time to cool. We called AAA to see if they could find a mechanic but they wanted to tow the RV. NOT! I walked into a Tractor Supply Co and talked to one of the staff who told me about several possible businesses to help. Neither was available until tomorrow. A guy came by in a truck that had advertising concerning RV repair. He couldn’t figure it out either but promised to bring someone or come back himself. That didn’t happen so we will have to wait until tomorrow and hope we can get to the wedding.
6-15-12
We awoke to a cooler RV but it still wouldn’t go into gear. One mechanic came from a shop down the road but worked for half an hour and said he really hadn’t had training in Allison and since he was coming to town anyway, did not charge us. Larry then called a company that was supposed to be an Allison rep and have a mobile truck. They referred us to a guy that finally figured out the only option left was to disconnect the Allison box for whatever it did. He then showed us what he did so we could duplicate if necessary. Well, it was. At first, Larry couldn’t get the RV to go into any gear higher than 2nd. I plugged the Allison part back in and he got the RV up to 5th gear. That meant we could drive at 60+ MPH rather than the 10 MPH we would have had to drive in 2nd. We arrived at Isle of Capri Casino and hotel around 6 pm. I disconnected the van and Larry got the RV parked comfortably. We head for the hotel where Pat and Brenda had a suite for everyone to gather for dinner. Some of us ladies went down to check out the pool and do some gambling later. Bed felt so good.
6-16-12
We awoke to another warm day with some clouds but no rain in site. Several of the family who hadn’t seen the motor home came by to have the grand tour. By 2 pm we were in the church for an interesting ceremony as there was no mass. The church’s stained glass windows reminded me of the one I went to every morning as a child going to grade school. We stopped back at the RV so I could change shoes and use tape for some strategic places on my dress. I didn’t want to worry about my straps to showing. The cocktail hour was fun and we even had a family photo taken. Dinner was fine. Once the dancing started, Dad came by to see if we would take him back to the hotel as the music was so loud, it hurt his ears. We wouldn’t be dancing so it made sense for us to take the folks back. I was going to go gambling but once I sat down, I realized how tired I was so went to bed.
6-17-12
Breakfast was being served in Pat and Brenda suite. It was already busy. The food was good but company was even better. It was fun to hear about all the goings on after we left the reception. People started leaving for Michigan and we head back to the RV with a niece and her boyfriend to show them our new home. I had dumped my earrings to find a certain pair and had to separate them all again and generally got the RV back in living order. We went back to the casino to do some gambling with Mom, had dinner on the second floor at a sit down restaurant as there was a buffet on the first floor. Mom and I went back to the slots where I won back the $5 I had lost yesterday. Back at the RV, we watched the ball game.
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