Red Bay we have lift off!

The Smitanic was made ready for an early AM call to the Mechanical bay as indicated by the techs from the Express Bay. But by 10 AM it had not been summoned! Anxious to hit the road to get a jump on the 3 day trip back to NC, Kevin and Theresa walked by the Mechanical Bay and noted all 3 were occupied with other RVs. Theresa inquired with one of the Techs there where the Smitanic fit into the wait queue? “there is one more in front of you, you may get in today, but no promises.” The priority of repairs once again perplexed the two eager nomads. How can one go from first thing in the AM' to 'maybe today' ? Lunch was at a local Steakhouse that had a Wednesday lunch special of a hamburger w/side and a drink which was shared between the two. The waitress asked where home was? She approved of NC even if it had North in the name, “y'all are really southerners. Don't know what to do about the ones from New York', as she shook her head in disgust. No comment to that.

Still awaiting a call for a turn in mechanical, Theresa decided to kill time in the Customer Lounge working on a 1000 piece puzzle some other ladies had started while Kevin returned to the RV to catch up on emails, news and other triage. Finally, in early afternoon, it was the Smitanic's turn!

Once in the bay, four wheel jacks were locked in to the wheels of the rig. Then all lifted the 18 tons of machine about 6ft in the air. Kevin described the leak issue to the mechanics, Sandy and Kyle. Armed with mirrors and wrenchs they examined the underbelly and began to tighten up all suspect bolts and fittings. Kevin then described and issue he noticed with one of the leveling jacks slipping down a bit after a days drive. Kevin continued his description by saying he lubricates the jacks with silicon. As soon as Kevin uttered Silicon, both Sandy and Kyle in unison said, “Never Use Silicon!” Again T.9 BoeShield was recommended as the only thing to use on all moving parts on the RV.

Kevin continued on his list of mechanical issues and told them that another repair place had also found a small leak in the cooling fan. The mechanics teamed up to examine up in the the left rear of the bus behind the duelies. They then called Kevin over to show him the location of the leak and validated it was indeed a gasket around the cooling fan. “we got not parts for that”, “Chris over at the diesel shop can get it, might take a while, and between you and this small country boy I think he charges too much”, Sandy offered. “Do you think I can drive it back to NC about 700 miles?”, Kevin inquired. “Cant rightly say, you might be good to a long while, or you might loose all the hydrolics a block from here”, Sandy replied with confidence. Kevin pondered the options, he new the leak had been detected a few weeks ago and made an executive decision. Since it was a slow leak, it would be OK to get to NC to the Freightliner repair place so they could fix it and leverage the extended warranty to help minimize the cost. 

With Kevin's list finally exhausted of items, the Smitanic was lowered back to ground floor. Sandy, with the Smitanic paperwork in hand, escorted Kevin and Theresa to see one of the 'Ladies in the Office' who would take care of billing for all the repair work. Lisa quickly entered the pages of work items logged by each technician into a computer! This was the first evidence of business technology! It does exist! A detailed print out was handed to Kevin and Theresa for their validation. To their surprise the bill was about 1/3 of what was expected! Good news! Payment was quickly made before any discrepancy was found.

It was mid afternoon before a decision was made to check out of this parking lot and get down the road about 150 miles to a 'real' campground. The bill for the weeks worth of full hook up was only $120, not bad. Kevin and Theresa looked at each other and agreed this pilgrimage was a great value and would become a regular event! Just do not be in a hurry, and bring something to entertain ones self.

A call to Rick at Triple T Freightliner was made to validate they would be able to fit the warranty repair of the cooling fan leak into their schedule. Since the Smits were off to a wedding in LA, the Smitanic could be left at the Wilmington repair location. This would allow more than 10 days for the repair to be completed. Should be enough time. Awesome! 

The Smitanic slide into Triple T early on the 3rd day of travel. It was a Saturday and the service department was minimally staffed. “I had called earlier and talked with Rick who told me to bring it in before 11 am today”, Kevin told the technician behind the desk as Kevin handed him the extended warranty paperwork. “I will make copies and give these back”. The technician completed that task and said “You are good to go”. “Do you want my name or number?” Kevin asked. “Na, you are in the system.”

With the final (for this round) repair item pending, the Toad was loaded with refrigerator items, dirty cloths, electronics and the dog. Cary would be the final destination for the day. A break from the repair vortex and a promise of hot showers awaited the road weary travelers as they asked Siri to get them to Home.

This post will be the last one until early September when the next part of the nomadness gets underway.

High Anxiety

Priority had little to do with your sequential assigned number from 1 to 1000 (then repeated as new campers arrive) and was kept a guarded secret that only Wanda knows. Last Thursday upon the Smitanics arrival at Red Bay, the estimate was for a Monday or Tuesday Express Bay time. After waiting in line outside her office, on that promised Monday, Kevin and Theresa were summoned to the office to watch as Wanda thumbed thru an orderly stack of paperwork for all those who awaited repairs. After a pause Wanda then estimated “Maybe Tuesday or Wed'. “You have 6 ahead of you”, “We have only 2 express bays and can do two or three a day in each bay”. “You also have the need for some mechanical work that needs to be done”. “Once you are done in the Express Bay you will then be put in a queue for the Mechanical bay work”. 

“We had some folks that did not show up for work, and we have some folks that took vacation”. Kevin and Theresa did not recognize this as a good reason for a change in the estimate. All businesses plan ahead for employee vacations and unexpected illnesses.

This did not sit well with Kevin. Theresa recognized the signals of Kevin beginning a slow burn of disappointment in his mind. This information along with the fact that all work is planned using plies of paper and note pads. No scheduling software or computers had yet to be utilized added fodder to Kevin's slow burn of disappointment.

That evening, prior to bedtime, Kevin optimistically set his phones alarm for 6:30 am in anticipation of a call to be at one of the Express Bays first thing in the morning.

Morning came, Kevin was sipping coffee before his alarm announced 6:30 am. 7 am came, 7:30 came, several RVs had already left the campsites to make their way to one of the 40+ service bays. 8:30 came followed by 9:30 am. Kevin as pacing and having a conversation under his breath. 10:30 came and went. Kevin had been calculating the number of RVs that could be serviced in the Express Bays just as a call at 11AM rang on Kevin's phone go to Express Bay 8. Express Bays host repairs that can be competed by 2 technicians in a 3 hour time frame. In anticipation of getting only the highest priorities completed in the limited service hours the Smitanic list had been honed down and prioritized to meet that limitation.

Like an Indy pit crew, the Smitanic team quickly unhooked all water and sewer lines, stowed items and were at the bay in less that 15 min! 

Kevin piloted the Smitanic slowly into Bay 8. Once the vessel had drifted into position, 2 technicians requested permission to come aboard. The shore crew then reviewed the list with Kevin and declared they would start at noon as it was just about the technicians lunch time. Kevin and Theresa decided therefore it was time for them to also grab some lunch. Customers are encouraged to hang around and watch repairs in hopes to learn, ask questions and advise on the priority of repairs. Kevin and Theresa wanted to absorb as much as they could from the 'experts'.

 

Promptly at high noon, Kevin and Theresa returned to the Bay. Adam and Sequoyah (yes his name) went straight to work on the top priority, the Fresh water indicator had quit registering since the new Wet Bay was installed last week. Armed with a flashlight and mirror the two experts could see all the wires and discovered that one wire had been pulled out of the assembly. A new wiring assembly was retrieved from the nearby parts dept and easily installed. Theresa noted to Kevin that a new repair tool should be added to the toolbox, a mirror, how handy! 

Next the two technicians split up to take on the next 2 items, Adam checking the batteries and Sequoyah replacing the exterior window seals. A Third dude, that looked remarkably like Theresa's nephew Mike Waldron, came inside the coach to inspect the AC.

Adam was done with the batteries and gave them a thumbs up thanks to Kevin's diligence in keeping the distilled water level full. Adam lamented, “On many occasions when we go to open the cap and look in at the level, the batter is so empty, you can hear your voice echo inside”. “If you keep the water levels up those batteries will last for YEARS”. He congratulated Kevin on being very diligent in his attention to not just batteries but his focus on recognizing and then getting items serviced as needed.

Next, after a swing by the garbage barrel for a spit of tobacco, Adam opened up the basement bays to inspect the driver's side slide. This had been previously repaired during the Smitanic Northern exposure in South Dakota and Montana last year. (Recall the 2 bit fix?) All looked good and Adam even sprayed some special lube, T-9 BoeShield made by Boing, on the mechanism as well. Kevin noted this must be added to the purchase list as well.

Inside the RV, Sequoyah reviewed with Theresa the issues with the day-night blinds. He reviewed how the blinds are installed and removed and advised her to go to Bay 29 and speak with Stebon (this was what they called Stephen with a wad of tobacco in their checks). “He'll give you some parts and you can fix those yourself”. Theresa then marched down to Bay 29 were Stebon was repairing a plastic refrigerator tray. Theresa interrupted his work and explained her mission. He generously grabbed a hand full of spare parts and put them in a container and handed it to her. She also asked his advice on how best to install these parts as well as reattach existing end-caps that had come loose. With new found confidence she returned to Bay 8 with her spare parts and assignment.

Back at the RV, the AC was given an A-OK and Kevin was assure it did not need Freon. Kevin remarked how the new RVs have 3 AC s to cool the space vs 2 so that must keep it nice and cool! Sequoyah remarked “the new AC s are not nearly as good as the ones you got here!”. Michael's twin chimed in “These older units are much better built than the new ones”. One more reason to resist New RV envy and keep the Smitanic even thought it is 10 years old.

Next Sequouya re-glued the frame on the dinning room window that had come loose and then headed outside to continue to replace all the window seals on each window. Adam inspected the slide seals on the slides where Kevin noted there had been some metal on metal rubbing. Adam determined that the gaskets should be replaced. As the two technicians went to work replacing all the Smitanic window and identified slide seals, Theresa was reminded of the Emerald City makeover scene before meeting the great and powerful Wizard! “Stuff stuff here, ... buff buff there, …. That's how they play the day away in the very own land of OZ!” 

The Smitanic was almost ready! It had only been 2 hours. Kevin challenged the technicians to consider replacing all the seals on each of the slides as he further identified other areas of concern. Upon further inspection the technicians agreed that they all should be replaced. A new order for additional seals was placed and once the parts arrived the team attacked the remaining seals.

One final item, a small Hydraulic leak, would have to be scheduled with Mechanical a different bay. The Smitanic physical paperwork was hand delivered to Mechanical, who indicated that they had completed all their work for the day and were completely caught up, so they might just be able to get the Smitanic in yet that afternoon. However looking at the clock it was very close to quitting time so perhaps it will be first thing tomorrow.

Kevin and Theresa shook hands with the Technicians and thanked them for thier wonderful effort for the day. The service was as top notch as claimed! Everyone worked together and were encouraged to answer questions, explain things and give advice. Even with a very non-computerized process they were very efficient and were able to address lots of issues in a very short time!

Hurry up and Wait

On Friday morning Kevin checked in with Wanda in scheduling and she reconfirmed the Monday or Tuesday estimate for the (Express Bay) EB. 

The day was free to catch up on emails, FB and other social sites as well as publish the latest Mr opinion podcast for Kiehl. On Saturday a long walk, with cloud cover, allowed the team to meander the outskirts of town covering about 4 miles. The route consisted of a combination of rural acreages, small town family ranch homes and multi-family apartments. Very few roads had sidewalks but there was little traffic. Anyone who passed did it cautiously and always with a friendly wave! One older gentleman in a woody PT cruiser actually made a u-turn and slowed down just to strike up a conversation. “where y'all from?” as Mr Thompson introduced himself..”Who you goin' to vote for for President?” Not wanting any confrontation, Kevin replied “who knows, we are waiting for the debates”. “were y'all from” Kevin explained they were currently from NC however both grew up in the Midwest. “I thought so cus you got no accent” Mr. Thompson then advised both Kevin and Theresa to “make sure ya say Y'all once in a while so we can tell yr from NorrthCaroliinaa”. After a bit more small talk Mr. Thompson wished the team good luck on the repairs and safe travels. Later Kevin spotted a establishment named “Thompson Gas” and wondered if it was the same dude. More than likely “yes”.

Another must see novelty in Red Bay was the Rattlesnake Saloon. This establishment warned that you must park at the entry and let the 'taxi' take you to the saloon that was embedded in a cave! How unique! 

The drive was a mere 20 miles away and was well worth it. Shortly after parking, a truck with seating in the back bed pulled up and took the tourists down the steep dirt road to the saloon opening. 

Tables were set up under the cave overhead as well as a stage where a band was setting up for the nights performance. Each of the round tables seated at least 8 people, so Kevin and Theresa claimed 2 seats on an empty table with hopes to meet some others as the night rolled on. The menu was an assortment of artery clogging fried options. Kevin order the snake eyes and tails which was a combo of fried green beans and jalapeno peppers. Thank goodness the main entree, a rustler burger, was shared between the two. 

Just as the burger was finished a party of 2 couples approached the table asking if they could join the two tourists. Of course, but they may regret that decision as Kevin immediately began to banter with the new table-mates. As the band began to play, the conversation continued and covered not only the rattlesnake menu but technology, marital bliss and the obligatory kids and grand kids inventory. Awesome folks! Great venue and the band was good although country is not a preferred genres they were a nice mix of traditional with a touch of blues. Once all seated at the table were done with the evenings meal the checks were paid and the new acquaintances said their good-byes.

The weather on Sunday only allowed for a walk in the AM as rain moved in from the drenched and flooded LA area. This left the team confined to quarters to do mundane financial tasks and catch up on the Blog write ups and the final Mr Opinion Podcast for the session.

The team will be anxiously awaiting a call for their turn in the EB early in the week.

Kevin Shows Restraint

The technician arrived at 8AM and reviewed each item on the list. He quickly determined that the Express Bay (EB) would handle most of the critical issues. A few like the battery replacement would be deferred to the Mechanical bays if not covered in the EB. He estimated a Monday or Tuesday for the Smitanic turn in the EB. This was awesome news! Kevin and Theresa were comfortable with the time frame. Now all they could do is explore the area while they waited their turn for the EB.

One of the must-see local attractions, was a tour of the Tiffin manufacturing plant. This started at 9:30am. Kevin and Theresa were one of the first to arrive at the visitor center to check in for the tour. “please sign in and be sure to get your safety glasses” said the host, and in the same breath, “where y'all from?” Kevin immediately was tagged as a trouble maker remarking that he was a Winnebago owner. “Just kidding we have a 2006 Allegro Bus, can we get a discount on a new model?” They had seen his type before and were ready.

After 20 or so people gathered, a short film was shown with a greeting from the Tiffin family, a father and 3 sons, who still own and manage the company.

Next the group walked in to the woodworking shop where there were mounds of real cherry, oak and other hardwoods with very impressive sanders to mold all the interior cabinets and décor of each of the models of the Allegro line of RVs. Next was the assembly line where all those pre-constructed components were applied and affixed to the base chassis. First the plumbing, engine, electric, then walls, appliances, furniture and lastly the walls and slide outs.

Theresa and Kevin were amazed at the details. Each RV model was spec built. All of it's pieces down to the wiring was identified with the model. Work assigned to an individual was labeled with their name. Tiffin rolls out 12 completed units per day, so each station had 12 bins for the daily product quota. Theresa just could not imaging the analytics and detail that went in to planning each unit and all the components. It was also impressive how much handwork by humans that went into each step. Sanding, calking, wiring, polishing... all by hand. And quality was at every step, even on the more completed coaches, notes were left on the door about what punch list items needed to be addressed before the RV left the building. Very impressive! Good thing all these RVs were spoken for, otherwise Kevin would be negotiating for a trade in ;)

It was amazing that the tour took 20 some-odd visitors into and around the manufacturing areas in the mist of where folks were working. Occasionally the workers would look up and give a nod or a wave, but most were very engaged in their assigned task.

The tour guide did reveal that Tiffin employs 1500 and that the hours are from 6AM until 2:30 with a simultaneous 40 min lunch. She also noted that sometimes overtime is required to meet the 12 bin quota. See all the pictures here 

The only disappointment was there was no Tiffin family member spotting... may be next time.

Back to the campground to do some laundry, catch up on the blog and Mr. Opinion podcasts and cook dinner. And settle in for a long weekend of waiting.

Jump Start

The Smitanic exited the KOA around 8:30AM. The early departure, a change to central time zone and light traffic thru Atlanta allowed for easy extra miles with a late afternoon arrival. As the days miles glided by Theresa charted out the days destination of Lakeside Landing Marina and RV Resort just east of Birmingham, AL. This completed 300+ miles and only left a mere 157 miles for Wednesday. 

The RV 'resort' was on a lake and had several docks and boat ramps. Most of the RVs seemed to have made this park a summer (if not longer) home with permanent steps and decks as well as patios and gardens. The water front sites had access to several docks where boats, jet skies and other water toys could be launched and tied up overnight. 

Once again only electric connection was hooked up, as water was not functional due to the Saggy Bottom leak, and sewer was not being used in a limited fashion l because of the leak, and soggy bottom. 

The team slept well knowing it would be a short drive in the morning. It as an easy exit from the resort at about 9:30am, destination Kimbrough RV service in Tuscumbia, AL in 127 miles, just 30 miles from the final destination of Red Bay. A call was made to the RV service center to let them know to expect the Smitanic around noon, a day earlier than the appointment. “Good”, they replied, “ We might right just get you in for your wet bay repair this afternoon!” Whoa! that was unexpected good news! 

The repair place was a very small and rustic service shop with 8 or so bays, a rundown office area and a fairly nice customer lounge. The mechanic, Chris, instructed Kevin to drive around to the back so that all the holding tanks including the fresh water can be drained prior to the new Wet Bay installation. Kevin showed Chris the issue with fresh water drain being plugged. His reply was “I know how to take care of that”. Chris quickly took a hack saw and sawed the pipe to let the fresh water flow! Kevin also discussed the issue of the city water connection leak. The Chris replied, “I have to take the tank out so I will look at that as well. It will all look clean and pretty when I am done”. With the fresh water tank still draining, Kevin drove the Smitanic around to the assigned bay and parked it just outside as instructed. It would take 2-3 hours to replace the Wet Bay, this would allow Kevin and Theresa to drive the 30 miles to Red Bay and check in at the Tiffin Campground. 

The Town of Red Bay is not much more than a small exit off a 4 lane state HWY 24. The downtown

had maybe 2 stop lights and active railroad tracks passed one block off the main drag thru town. Small signs guided visitors to the Tiffin Campground on the NE side of town. The check in was busy and the white board out front said “No sites available”.

Theresa approached the front desk looking quite overwhelmed. The receptionist recognizing the dismayed look, took control and handed Theresa a registration form to complete for the Smitanic to be put in the repair queue. Theresa filled out all the required info and returned it to the lady. To Theresa's, dismay the well practiced clerk then returned a copy of the form with a assigned camp site # and more blank forms for what repairs are needed to be completed and returned by 7mp tonight! Wow, they have got this down to a science!

Kevin and Theresa then returned to Kimbrough to see how that repair was progressing. The Smitanic was still in the bay and the mechanics where just finishing up the last few items to call the job done. The rotten 'saggy bottom' was now laying in pieces on either side of the RV. Man there was really not much holding it together, it is a wonder that it did not just fall apart during one of the previous journeys.

 

Kevin inspected the new sparkling Wet Bay and asked Chris if he had found the leak. He hand not looked for it but he did tighten up all the connections and tested them and there were no leaks now. Ok well guess that solves it. With the Smitanic complete, it was quitting time for Chris. Kevin and Theresa went to the office to settle up with Kayla, the cashier and office manager. Glad Tiffin was paying for all but the parts on this repair!

With now only minor items left for Tiffin, the Smitanic pulled into the campsite and took it's assigned site. The list of repair items were filled out on the provided form and then returned to the office before the 7pm cut off.

Kevin and Theresa then took Zin for a tour of the 'campground'. It was nothing more than a parking lot for RVs, but did have full hook up, a laundry room, showers and restroom facilities as well as a nice lounge divided into pet friendly and no pets allowed. There were close to 100 sites and 46 service bays that occupied what was once a municipal airport.

 

Electric, non-leaking Water and Sewer were all hooked up in preparation for a multi-day stay. Alarms were set so that at least the first coffee could be consumed prior to a technician arrival 'after 7am' to go thru the punch list. The technician would then determine if the list could be done an Express Bay which gave you 2 technicians for 3 hours to address your priority of the listed items or if your list would require a more extended scheduled time frame. Kevin and Theresa only had until the following Friday before they would need to start their return trip to NC in time to fly to the wedding in CA. Express Bay needs to be the answer!

So far, Tiffin has lived up to it's reputation for service and quality. Expectations are high that most, if not all of the repair items will be resolved or at least deemed critical or not.

Reroute to Red Bay

Theresa was up before 7AM in anticipation of calls on Monday to determine the plan for repairs of the underbelly of the RV. At 8am sharp, the preferred local service center was called with only an option to leave a voice message. Several more tries where attempted with the same result. The second choice in local service was called they replied they had no openings for 2 weeks. Argh!

The next option was a call to Tiffin in Red Bay, Al (manufacturer of the Smitanic) to get their suggestion on A) was the RV drivable or will all the tanks fall out if the diaper burst? B) is it OK to fill the fresh tank and use the water pump for travel? C) where and when can this be repaired?

While waiting for the 8:30AM CT opening of Tiffin, Theresa and Kevin did some online searches of this issue. This led to some threads on RV forums that discussed a common issue with the Wet Bay on several Tiffin models including the Allegro Bus aka the Smitanic. The discussions indicated that Tiffin had installed a less than adequate flooring known as a Wet Bay under the holding tanks and Tiffin a)would be able to fix it and b)would be able to discount the cost. This excited the two stranded and homeless nomads. They dialed the Service number for Tiffin in Red Bay 30 min before the advertised CT open hours and surprise a real person answered! The issue was explained and the call was immediately transferred to a Service Technician! In less than 30 min with the knowledgeable service person a plan was determined that a) Yes this is a common issue and we have another service provider in the area that can fix it b) the freshwater and all tanks are strapped to the frame and will not fall out while driving c) you should be able to fill the freshwater tank for use while traveling d) if you can get here by Thursday and schedule the Wet Bay repair for that day and check into the Tiffin Campground the same day then hopefully on Monday or Tuesday the rest of the issues can be addressed in Express Service. e) since the Smitanic was 2 years past the warranty on this item, Tiffin will cover the service hours to do the repair, only parts will be the owners responsibility.  Two years earlier it would have been no cost!

The next call was to Kimbrough RV service to schedule the Wet Bay replacement. This service center was about 30 miles east of Red Bay and to Kevin and Theresa's delight they could get the Smitanic in on Thursday!

Theresa Quickly mapped the miles to Red Bay, AL. It was at best 3 days of travel. 

All doable. Yes there will be no Leeney reunion nor camping with Theresa's sister in WI. The hope will be that the repairs get done in time for a return to Cary in time to hop on a plan to LA for Theresa's nieces wedding at the end of August. Red Bay has always been a target destination for the Smitanic, so no better time than now! Other RVers ranted and raved about the experience and customer service that is offered to Tiffin Owners, making this a must do mecca for anyone who is “Ruffing it Smoothy”.

With a destination of Red Bay determined, it was time to finish loading and make some headway on the 660 miles that needed to be covered. By 2pm the toad was hooked up and the Smitanic hit I40 heading west.

By 4pm the Gaffney, SC peach was visible. A recollection that this was the the House of Cards, President Underwood's home town. Hummm looks much like a peach, but I guess some folks with their minds in other places see something else.

Theresa found a KOA in the area that had a pull thru site available for the night. Only electric was hooked up to make for a quick exit in the AM. 

The team lamented at the current dilemma and resolved to always do a check out trip prior to any lengthy trip plans in the future!

Saggy Bottom

Early Saturday morning Kevin and Theresa dropped Will and family off at the airport for their trip back home to KS. The Muller's vacation was packed with a Golf Tournament in Pinehurst, hikes in the NC mountains complete with a splash down a natural rock slide, shopping and exploring downtown Boone and Blowing Rock, a tour of the UNC Chapel Hill campus and a trip to the beach!!!! Kevin and Theresa loved showing them all that NC had to offer and hope to see them back very soon!

Once back at the house it was time to start assembling items for the upcoming trip as well as make the house ready for the new occupants. Clothes, shoes, hiking boots, electronics, drone were all staged in the living room. Sheets were washed and bathrooms cleaned in all bedrooms. After 9 am, Kevin and Theresa began to make noise in the cul de sac as they opened up all the basement bays to remove unneeded items, vacuum left over debris from the last trip and repack just the essentials for this trip. This step was completed by noon. With a sense of great accomplishment, they took a break for lunch.

Next it was time to load up the staged items and find stowage space for all items. Items not needed until Toronto for Kiehl and Madison were put under the bed. Any items needed during travel would need a spot that was still accessible when the slides were pulled in. With 5 years now of travel experience the task was swiftly executed by the duo.

The heat of the day summoned another break and a chance to work inside assembling some of the more perishable items. With very little left to load into the home-away-from-home the afternoon would be focused on other tasks. 

Torreen, Kevin's sister, had called a few days earlier saying that she had ran over her phone with her scooter and it was no longer working. This seemed like a good reason for an upgrade for Theresa so she can hand down her old phone to Torreen. Boom … Theresa Scores! This task took the remainder of the afternoon and left the evening for final prepping of the Tasman abode for it's new residences arrival on Sunday. 

One last task on the RV was to hook up the water line and be sure that system is fully functional. Kevin drug out the hose from the house and connected it to the RV city water hose. Theresa opened a facet inside the coach, as instructed, so any air pressure could be released as the house water was initially turned on. Kevin looked at his connection and realized that he had not included the filter nor regulator that is normally part of the hook up. Water was turned off at the house while he included the missing items and once again was ready for any leak check in any of the connections. All looked solid, so the RV was locked for the night. Kevin and Theresa headed in for one last night in their house, from now on they would be guests.

With coffee in hand, Kevin made his first trip out to the RV that Sunday morning to unlock the beast for loading of the final items. Perhaps a Monday departure could get them a jump on the miles to the East of Chicago destination? His eagle eyes spotted a small puddle underneath the water and holding area. Looking under the coach he noticed a small drip, drip, drip coming from what appeared to be a connection to the fresh water holding tank. He then laid down on the street and shimmied under the coach and felt the underside of coach where the drips were coming from and discovered it was soaked and mushy. With a stream of expletives he quickly turned off the water from the house to avoid any further saturation. 

There were more expletives as he explained the situation to Theresa. He looked under the coach again and this time looked all the way across the coach where the other holding tanks are and noticed that all three sections of the floor that covered the tanks were bulging and sagging like a full diaper. Not good, not good at all. Not sure where the leak was exactly, and fearful that the bottom would just fall out, Kevin was ready to call off any departure of any kind until this issue was resolved. Theresa was noticeably upset at not making the Leeney jamboree and even more upset about adjusting any of the numerous reservations and pre paid tickets that were already made! By afternoon, she did settle down and was resolved to the fact that there was nothing that could be done until Monday when service places and the Tiffin HQ were open. 

There was only one thing left to do … Party with the neighbors and share the woes of RV ownership over some wine and appetizers. Steve was the first of the Sparano's to arrive just as the shade took over the cul de sac and chairs were positioned in an ever expanding circle. Zach would show up late that evening and Carolyn, Samantha and Zoe(the dog) will arrive on Monday.

Under Pressure

Before the Sparano's move in day, Kevin's cousin Will and his family were visiting for a week in NC.

In conjunction with a trip to show them the NC beaches, the Smitanic would be retrieved from it's storage location near Holden Beach, NC. After a nice lunch at a beachside burger place, Kevin and Theresa left their visitors to explore Carolina Beach on their own and planned to meet them back at the Tasman homestead with the RV.

Theresa had emailed the cul de sac neighbors warning them of the impending Smitanic dockage for Thursday and unfortunate obstruction to any pickleball play. She did assure the group that the Smitanic would indeed depart the next Tuesday AM.

The Smitanic was unlocked and protective wheel and AC covers being removed. Kevin awoke the sleeping beast with a turn of the key and she fired up with out hesitation. Theresa removed the aluminum foil that had been placed on the inside of all exposed windows to help reduce affects of long term sun exposure. Kevin brought up the leveling jacks and continued his inspection of all systems to ensure the craft was road worthy.

In his inspection, he noticed that the rear air pressure would make it to the recommended 120 psi but then would drop slowly again below 90. Once at 90 the compressor would engage to bring it back to 120. This cycle was observed several times in hopes that it would finally stabilize at the desired 120 and hold. It did not.

Kevin was fearful that the pressure would fall below 60 while driving. This would cause the breaking system to lock up an the RV to come to an immediate stop. Not good. Several repair places were called with no availability for weeks. Finally, Triple T Frieghtliner in Wilmington (about 40 miles away) said they would be able to look at it after the weekend and that it could be dropped off after hours tonight. Great News!

The team pulled up anchor and headed towards Triple T in Wilmington. The Smitanic pulled in just minutes past the closing time of 5:30 pm. Theresa was greeted by an exiting employee that stopped to inquire about the nature of the problem. He did not work on those components. He did suggest “you might be able to catch the service folks I think the door may be open”. Kevin rushed in and was able to discuss the pressure issue and time frame needed for full repairs with the surprisingly friendly service manager. The Smitanic was now in good hands as Kevin and Theresa headed back to Cary in the Toad to finish visiting with Will and family. Friday hopefully will bring a diagnosis and remedy for low pressure issue.

Kevin made a morning call to Triple T to get the status. The analysis indicated that a plastic washer had decayed and should be replaced to fix the issue. This was currently in process. The service manager went on to explain that they also provided at no extra cost a 26 point inspection. They had noted two issues that need consideration. One – there was a small hydraulic leak with the cooling fan, Kevin had noticed a leak but he and other repair shops could never locate the source. Two- the serpentine belt was frayed and needed to be replaced. After discussion it was determined that the Serpentine belt could be replaced and should be completed before 4pm. Great News! The Hydraulic leak will need to be dealt with later.

Kevin and Theresa drove the Toad back on that next day, Friday, to Wilmington to pay the surprizingly low service bill and finally bring the Smitanic back to the Tasman Ct loading zone.

The Plan

The first part of the Smitanic adventures would include the Leeney Jamboree in Waterman, IL, to see Kevin's some-how-related cousin and family for a long weekend of fun, games, visiting and entertainment on the Leeney farm. After that Kevin and Theresa would re-coop in Wisconsin for a few days and join Theresa's sister Mary Jean to explore some biking and hiking trails. 

The Smits would then return to Waterman, IL so Kevin and Theresa could leave the Smitanic and Zin with the Leeney's and fly back to Cary . Once back in Cary they could pack and fly out to LA for Theresa's nieces wedding. (yes it was actually cheaper to do this than to change the already purchased tickets to LA). After the wedding the jet setters would return to the farm via Cary and another flight to Chicago to make way for the next stage of the adventure.

Part 2 of the plan was to venture from the Chicago area to Toronto now home for Kiehl and his wife Madison. Reservations were made for 3 weeks at a nearby Toronto Campground.

Part 3 of the trip would be a flexible route to return to NC in time to cast votes on November 8th. This stop would also allow for a quick restocking of the Smitanic for the next leg of the trip.

Part 4 of the trip would be a leisurely journey to central FL to spend a few weeks around Thanksgiving with Kevin's Mom and Sister.

Part 5 of the trip would be the all to familiar 2-3 week cross country trek to Hemet, CA. The same site at GVP had been reserved for the Smitanic the previous year. Several months would be spent here, visiting Theresa's mom and sisters and friends in the area. Kevin and Theresa were looking forward to hone there pickleball skills in preparation for Tasman court challengers that await their return.

Part 6 of the trip will be the return trip to Florida for March 15th Birthdays (Kevin and his Mom)

Part 7 of the trip is unknown at this time as it depends in part on the Sparano's remodel project completion. Any Suggestions?