Great Solution To A Sound Problem

The sound coming from our TV above our dash has never been very good. It sounded muffled and distorted.  The speakers of the TV are trapped inside the wood cabinet it's installed within.  There are great speakers for our radio throughout the motorcoach but for some reason these were not used for the TV

When we were visiting my brother, Harry, I asked him to help us trouble shoot the problem and offer a possible solution.  He owns a Radio Shack in Rochester and this type of puzzle really is fun for him to solve.  We stopped at the store and enlisted the help of his manager, Travis, too. 


It was decided that we needed a new radio that had two axillary ports.  One would be used for the TV and the other for my IPOD.  Cool!   The added bonus of being able to play my IPOD through the radio was great.  All our music is stored on it and constantly changing radio stations as you travel is a hassle.  Now we can listen to music and pod casts that we like as we meander down the road. 


Travis spent a lot of time trying to find a radio that work well for us.  He decided on a Kenwood KDC-X995.  It also has a remote to change stations, adjust volume etc.  It's a great thing for a copilot  to have available. 


It took some time to install this radio and run cables from the TV around the dash to connect with it.  It was a family affair with a few trials and errors. They worked into the wee hours of the morning finishing everything and we were all pleased with the results.  

Harry sorting out all the wires

Working in the small spaces of a motorcoach is not easy

Travis came to help too

Jen and Jimmy supervising

New radio

It looks and works great.  With the radio changed to the video setting the TV sound comes out of the speakers of the motorcoach.  It is such a great improvement.  It sort of like surround sound at the movie theatre.  The radio does need to be turned on when the TV is playing for this to work. 

Below are the two cords for plugging the IPOD into the radio.  I can control the setting from the copiolet seat as we are going down the road.  Or, it can be played anytime while we are stationary.  I had a small speaker for playing my IPOD in the past, but it sounds so much better coming through the speakers of the motorcoach.. 

 

Thanks Harry and Travis for helping us with this great solution. It's awesome!

Traveling On Down The Highway - Added Three More States To Our Map

Woodstock, NY  (50 degrees, gray skies, scattered showers)

The weather has caused a few delays as we travel to New York. A spring snow storm was predicted by the weather channels to drop a whole lot of snow right along the route we had planned. Sheesh!  My brother said that we are providing solutions for global warming, one state at a time! Snow seems to show up where ever we have been this winter.  So, we decided to hang out in Toledo Ohio for a few days and wait it out.

KOA gives you a few night free stay certificates to use when you are traveling to a new campground.  After leaving Indiana we stopped at the Toledo East KOA for what turned out to be three nights due to the weather.  The campground was in poor shape.  It certainly is not worth the $43 per night rate.  The sites were a good size and level with nice trees.  But, that's about the only good things to share.  It looked very run down and unkempt. 

KOA Toledo East Ohio

Yes, we managed to find snow AGAIN

Our next stop was a KOA in Bellefonte Pennsylvania.  This is a beautiful campground.  It's about two miles from the interstate 80 and overlooks the Appalachian Mountains.  It is very nicely landscaped and  has a nice pool and fishing pond.  Our site below was more level then it appears.  It is a very peaceful place and we really liked staying here. 

KOA Bellefonte PA

Gamble Mill Tavern

We had dinner at Gamble Mill Tavern that was originally built in 1790.  There is a fine dining restaurant, however we chose to eat in the tavern.  We had a great meal and there was even a micro brewery on the premises.  We found this restaurant with a Trip Advisor app on my Droid phone.  It's a great way to find places to eat or visit as you travel.  This was rated #1 for the area. 

This time of year you can always expect a lot of construction and lets just say we found a lot of it.  Today we headed to Woodstock New York.  This was our most difficult driving day. The roads were really rough at times too.  I think John was really worn out at the end of the day.   

Construction delays

We are staying tonight at the KOA in Woodstock New York.  It is a well maintained campground but it takes some negotiating to get to your campsite.  We would not consider it big rig friendly due to all the curves and negotiating around trees.  Be sure to arrive during day light.  Our satellite could not find a signal, however, they have free cable.  This campground is located in a very pretty area with charming homes and lots of restaurants nearby.  Turns out the Woodstock Festival in 1969 took place 60 miles from here.

We had to have dinner at The Bear Cafe in Bearsville.  Yes, the hamlet (new word for us) is really called Bearsville.  John's nickname is Bear and our motorcoach is nicknamed "Big Bear".  It is a great restaurant overlooking a pretty river.  We had a delicious dinner and unwound after a somewhat stressful day. 

KOA Woodstock NY

Tomorrow we'll be in Bennington Vermont just in time to celebrate Martha's birthday (John's sister).  She is teaching for a few months at Bennington College.  We decided to work camp in this area so that we could be close to her.  She normally lives in Sao Paolo Brazil so the opportunity to see her for an extended period is priceless.  

Fun With Friends & Future Plans

Indianapolis, IN (unusually warm weather)

Jeff, our friend and realtor, told us at dinner "you can't lose a friend you never had".  This quote from an Allman Brothers song is so true.  Being back in Indiana reminded us of how many wonderful friends we continue to keep in touch with even as we travel full time on the road. 

Over the past two weeks we have been out with friends, co-workers, camping club members, and family catching up on each other lives.  We have had wonderful home cooked meals and ate  at some at our favorite restaurants.  Let's just say we've been well fed.  We didn't capture photographs of everyone but here are a few.  It was great to reconnect.

We even saw Gay and Danny our fellow workampers at Indy KOA. 

Gay and Danny

While our motorcoach was being renovated, we stayed at our friends Debbie house.  She lives out in the country and it is such a peaceful place to stay.  I've always loved driving around the farmlands and homes in Indiana.  Farmers are very busy right now tilling and planting their crops.  Debbie lives on land that was once her grand parents farm. 

Dinner with Debbie

Hunter

We especially liked spending time with her family.  Debbie is a great cook and her grandson Hunter kept us very entertained.  He is adorable and such a happy little boy.  He has a heart defect and has had two surgeries to rebuild his heart this year and has one more in the future.  His recovery has been astonishing.  Be sure to follow Debbie's blog (A Miracle Named Hunter).

Thanks everyone for taking the time to visit with us.  It was great to be back home in Indiana. 



We now heading east to celebrate a special birthday for Martha (John's sister).  She is teaching in Bennington Vermont for another two months.  We are especially looking forward to spending time with her.  The weather has been challenging with a spring snow storm forecasted.  We hung out in Toledo Ohio for a few days waiting for it to pass. 

Starting May 1st we will be workamping at Watkin Glen KOA in New York.  We will be working part time while Martha is in the area and then full time until the fall.  It is a beautiful campground and was rated the #1 KOA in the country in 2010.  There is a large indoor pool and a wide range of activities led by a college program called Summershiners.  If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and see us.  We'll be posting lots of pictures in the future and tell you more about our experience. 

A New Top Knot (Roof) For Our Motorcoach & Other Renovations

(Elkart, Indiana)

Our motorcoach has been "under the knife" the past two weeks having some renovations done at Master Tech in Elkhart Indiana. Unfortunately we discovered a few months ago that our roof had some soft spots in the front and back. We had Master Tech take a look at our roof while we were attending the FMCA rally in Indio California. This is the same company that removed our carpeting and replaced it with tile a couple of years ago. They told us that we had caught the roof problems  early but it would need to be replaced. We have been very pleased with their work and expertise in the past so an appointment was made at their shop in Elkhart for April 1st. John has carefully caulked the roof over the past few months and spending the winter in dry Arizona prevented in further damage.

We checked in with Jack and Kevin their service managers as planned and they carefully went over our "honey do" list. We had also wanted to have a fan put in the bedroom and had ordered a new sofa to be installed. In addition, In addition, our front door was not opening very smoothly and we had a few dings and dents that needed attention. This company can really do just about anything for your motorhome. They have great rating on the RV Service Review website. If you every need service, be sure to check out this website. The reviews are given by folks who have actually had service with a company. MasterTech has over 70 excellent reviews.

That afternoon they went to work and removed the old roof. It took several days to complete. All the "stuff" on top had to be removed such as the satellite dish, and the dome over the shower and fans. MasterTech sent us these photos as the work progressed.

Roof and "stuff"being removed

We asked that they let us know what happened to our roof. We certainly don't want to repeat it and  had been very careful about caulking it every month or so. Later on they told us that a previous owner must have had some roof damage. It had been repaired and sealed over. However, under the roof it had rotted over time and eventually failed. This damage had not been noted by us or a previous person who had caulked our roof when we first purchased the motorcoach.

Roof removal

Roof has been removed, this is the insulation under the roof

After a few days the roof had been removed and the new roof is being hoisted over and laid on the surface. 

New roof being lowered in place

New roof in place

Taped off for sealing

Here is the finished roof. It looks so nice!

We also had a fan installed in the bedroom.  Several RV shops had told us that it could not be done.  However, Master Tech said "no problem".  Our ceiling are not as high as newer models so an area was cut out to put the motor inside.  It looks really nice and works at several speeds.  

We also ordered a new Flex Steel sofa.  Our old sofa was cracking and the pull out bed was very uncomfortable. You had to sleep at an angle.  This one has a larger bed with an air filled mattress.   The neatest feature are the foot rests.  

Jimmy loves it! 

We are very pleased with everything.  Master Tech kept us informed and did a great job.  It was expensive to fix the roof but their price was much lower than other quotes we received.  If you are in the area, be sure to check them out. 

Love Those Smiles

Rochester, IN (62 degrees, clear blue skies)

We spent a wonderful time with my brother and his family over Easter.  The weather was perfect and Jackie cooked a delicious meal for us. 

Evan (my nephew) was able to come home from Purdue and Jen (our daughter) and her boyfriend Matt came too.  There were lots of smiles!   

Jen helping Evan with his math

Jackie cooking a delicious Easter dinner

Alison's "heaven in a dish" dessert

John carving the ham

Me, John, Jen, Matt, Alison, Evan, Jackie, and Harry

 

One of our projects was solving the poor sound quality for our TV in the motorhome located at the front above the dash.  It sounded muffled and we had to turn it way up to hear it.   My brother discovered that the speakers of the TV were covered for the most part by the wood cabinet.  There are other  speakers  located throughout the motorcoach for the radio.  Would it be possible to connect the TV sound to them...I asked? 

My brother loves these kind of challenges.  He owns a Radio Shack and with the help of one of his employees we think a solution has been found.  We'll keep you posted on this in a future post.  He also installed an DVD player for our TV outside and straightened out some TV remote issues.  It's great to have a Technogeek for a brother. 

We stayed for a few days and then took our coach to Elkhart for some repairs.  My brother shot this video as we were leaving.  It's a funny clip.  We hope that you had a wonderful Easter too. 

There Is No Place Like Home

Indianapolis, IN (68 degrees, clear skies)

With a few click of her heals, Dorothy was transported back to Kansas.  It took Big Bear (our motorhome) a little longer to accomplish but we have arrived back in Indianapolis, our  home town, safe and sound.  There really is no place like home. 

We will be here for three weeks visiting friends and family.  In addition, we also will be seeing all our doctors for annual check ups. 

Some renovations have been planned for our motorhome.  We have an appointment next week at Master Tech RV in Elkart Indiana.  Our fiberglass roof needs to be replaced due to some leaking.  We also are planning on having a ceiling fan installed in the bedroom and a new sofa. Master Tech replaced our carpeting with a type of tile two years ago.  They are specialists in renovations and we have been very pleased with their workmanship and service in the past. 

 

Our route from Sante Fe to Indianapolis included a stop in Amarillo Texas.  We stayed at a Passport America campground called AOK.  Amarillo is not very scenic and this campground was a basic, no frills sort of place.  The rate was $11 for full hooks and was reasonable for a quick over night stay.  This part of Texas is very bleak and flat.  I thought at times we were in the middle of the Grapes of Wrath movie.

 

  

AOK Campground (Passport America)

The next morning we left early and had only traveled a few miles when our tire monitoring system alarmed.  John pulled over and found out that our right front tire on the jeep was shredded.  We had no indication that anything was wrong.  None of the passing traffic had noticed it either due to the tire being on the inside.  Our tire monitoring system was our only indication.  It could have easily caught on fire or bent the rim in no time.  We have monitors on all our tires including a toad. We'd highly recommend some type of system for all RVers.  There are many types on the market.  They are a bit of a hassle to set up and maintain but we would not travel without them.   

 

John was able to quickly change the tire and we were on our way.  A State Trooper stopped and he also was impressed with the monitoring system.  He said that he's seen some terrible damage to motorhomes due to the driver not being aware of a flat tire. 

Our stop for the night was Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. It is a popular famcamp and many of the sites look over a fishing pond. It was $19 a night for a full hook up site. The laundry on site was spotless and only 50 cents a load for the washer or dryer. It is very well maintained, but not very peaceful. One morning we woke up to three riding lawnmowers and four other folks weed eating this small campground. It was nuts! 

Speaking of grass...Jimmy was so happy to see the green stuff again.  He rolled and rolled in the grass.  The desert was rough on him with all the sticky "goat heads" and cactus.  He is a happy dude!



Tinker AFB Famcamp (fishing pond)



Tinker AFB (our site)

Our next stop was at another Passport America campground called Laura Inglis Wilder RV Park in Mansfield Missouri.  We stayed for three nights ($36 total, 30 amp) and they honored the rate for the entire stay.  The park is not very well maintained and the grass was high.  It is currently for sale and would need a lot of work to get it back in shape. 

We stayed here so that we could visit John's Air Force buddy.  They were stationed in Alabama when they were 18 years old and have remained friends.  Tim's wife had recently died and we wanted to spend some time with him and his daughter. It was a nice visit and we enjoyed being out at their home in the country.  Sara and I had fun shopping at a local mall.  She loves escalators!

Tim and Sara

Laura Inglis Wilder Campground

Our last stop before arriving in Indianapolis was in St. Louis Missouri.  We stayed at Elks Lodge in O'Fallon.  They have two sites with electric only and it was near our friends Chet and Chris.  They ask for a donation to the lodge instead of a nightly rate.   Chris and I worked together at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital.  They have lived in St. Louis for several years now and love the city.  We decided to visit the St. Louis Zoo for the day.  What a great zoo and the admission was free.  It was fun to wander around and see all the animals.  Spring had sprung and all the blooming flowers and trees were so beautiful. 

 

 

We saw the new baby elephant name Kenzi that weighted 300 pounds at birth. She is a cutie.  

New baby elephant-Kenzi

There is an Insectarium exhibit full of bugs.  We especially liked the butterfly wing. 

 

 

Baby giraffe

There is lots to see at this zoo.  Be sure to have good walking shoes.  The weather was perfect.  Afterwards to went the Jewel Box, a beautiful green house in Forest Park.  Unfortunately we were not able to go in due to a wedding.  Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to come back for another visit. 

Jewel Box

Chris and Chet

We are now in Indianapolis staying the KOA in Greenfield (suburb of Indy).  This is where we first workamped two years ago.  As we drove up we were so happy to find Gay and Danny had arrived. They are working here again this year and have been our workamping mentors. We also met Wayne, a new workamper this season.  He has been doing a great job getting the place ready.  The owner greeted us warmly and we all got together for dinner and campfire the next night.  It sure is great to be home. 

Our