Heading North 2018

Thursday morning, Cherokee Farms took the AquaHot out (major work and took hours) and found a bad weld on one of the fittings resulted in us needing a complete new unit. Bobby sent the info to Cornerstone (our extended warranty) and arranged for an adjuster to come out the next day. The cost was going to be approx. $10K. The adjuster sent in everything before the end of the day and Bobby went to work getting a replacement. John had talked to Tiffin and they were able to overnight one to us at a reasonable cost. Getting one from AquaHot would take well over a week and more expensive. Glad we own a Tiffin Motorhome ! Bobby cleared the following Thursday to install the unit. That took all day and then bleeding the air from the lines took forever. They ended up attaching an additional pump and the job finished much more quickly. They then installed the pump for us at a reasonable cost. Plus they moved the unit a bit to give easier access in the future. By Friday all was complete and Bobby from Cherokee Farms sent the bill off to Cornerstone. Excellent service and would recommend them to anyone in future. In 21 years of RVing this is the first time we have ever purchased an extended warranty and were unsure about. Tiffin has looked after us for the past 11 years that we have owned a Tiffin. We are lucky that the first time we needed it was Cherokee Farms looking after us. We not only have hot water again but the heating system works better than it did when the coach was new.
While in Foley, we stayed at Anchor's Aweigh RV Park. Excellent stop. Showers across from us were great. Friendly, clean and let us pay by the day as we were unsure of timing for the repair. Previous years when we have stayed in that area we stayed at Gulf Shores State Park. Tanger Outlets was across the road from the RV park with great sales. Landry's, home of the thrower rolls, was across the road. Lots of eateries and short drive to the beach. Big music festival was happening while we were there so a big part of the beach was closed off. Not our kind of music tho. We did go to FloraBama near Pensacola Beach to see a friend of Wayne and Debbie's play. Big Earl. The band has a great sound and we enjoyed hearing them.

Dog Park at Gulf Shores SP

Dinner at Bahama Bob's on the beach.Excellent food

Heading North May 2018

Topsoil SP was just down the road from Geronimo RV park but was full. Staying there is on our bucket list but not this time. Most CGs were full. We were still close to the same beaches.

The floating playground at Destin harbor was cool. Floating water toys for kids and bars for parents. We passed this on the highway after leaving Destin area and traveling to Foley Alabama to get the AquaHot fixed. Coolant was leaking out the bottom of the unit. John spent hours searching and testing for leaks in the lines but could find nothing. AquaHot sent us to Cherokee Farms RV Repair for service. They told us to just drop in and they would analyze the problem and look after the extended warranty for us.

On the Road Again ! Spring 2018

Geronimo RV Park, Marimar Beach, FL

It’s hard to believe we left Davenport less than a week ago. We travelled to Panama City and stayed at Emerald Isle for 2 nites. Upscale resort and a little on the pricy side but beautifull. We ate on the beach at Harpoon Harry’s where the food, service and prices were great. On our travels  we found out our ‘Smart Wheel’ steering wheel was not working properly and the Aqua Hot was not working. So no windshield wipers, if caught traveling in the rain, and no hot water. Next stop was to Commercial Truck in Fort Walton Beach where they diagnosed the steering wheel problem and ordered the part from Tiffin. Campgrounds in the area were busy but we found Geronimo RV Resort,  Miramar, FL. Small resort, no pool but friendly and clean showers. And 1/2 mile walk to the beaches. Tiffin covered the cost of the module to fix the steering wheel problem and Commercial Truck gave us excellent service at a reasonable price. After we left the Destin area, the steering wheel stopped working again. John popped out the module and put back in. We talked to someone in a Newmar in Desoto SP, AL
that the same thing happened to. His mechanic told him to pop the module out starting at one end and then plug back in starting at the other end. Easy fix and good to know.

Harpoon Harry's on Beach at Panama City

Westward Ho 2015

Last stop Ho Hum RV Campground to a grand finale to a great adventure.

Westward Ho 2015

Oct 19 Spent a quiet night at Gulf Coast RV Resort in Beaumont TX. Passport America $20. Cement pads, very clean and nice people. After free breakfast this morning, we are heading to Hollywood Casino in Bay St Louis, MS for couple nights. We have noticed this Fall that most campgrounds are full at night so are pre-booking our stays. Something we haven't had to do as much in the past. Last night was last time Chuck and Ruby joined us. They are off to Baton Rouge for couple of days. We are all getting closer to our winter homes.

Oct 21st Great stop at Hollywood Casino in Bay St Louis. They had my favorite, Mr Cashman. I was surprised to find penny machines and I ended up ahead by $80. Fun time. Now on to Ho Hum in Carabella Beach. Looking forward to grilling fresh fish on the beach tonight.

Westward Ho 2015

SAN ANTONIO

Next stop Economy Inn RV Park, Ozona TX on our way east. Not much but okay for the night to rest. 

Then on to Pioneer River Resort, on the river in Bandera, TX to check out the 11th Street Bar and Grill.  Live band under the stars and Chuck & Ruby and Greg and Kathie were not disappointed. Ghost town with not much else to do but an interesting stop on the way to San Antonio.

While there we took our friends to Luckenboch, TX. Willie Nelson sings about and another fun stop for a cold beer. Couple pickers played songs including some by Willie Nelson while we enjoyed our beers outside. Always a fun stop. They still have big names entertaining there every month. Last weekend was Miranda Lambert. Gotta say "been there, done it"

 

 We stayed at Braunig Lake RV Park at the south end of San Antonio while we explored the Alamo, the Riverwalk and the history of the area.

Howl at the Moon

Westward Ho 2015

Oct 10

We continued south in New Mexico stopping at Boot Hill RV, Alamogarda NM for a fun stop. Chuck and Ruby’s RV broke down but they were lucky to find a knowledgeable repair service, excellent service from their extended warranty and a great little campground with the best burgers in NM nearby. 

We bought a saucer and headed into the sand dunes to sled. Whooohoo !

Oct 12 

We had such a fun day in Cloudcroft yesterday. Now we understand the endless hours George and Sandi have spent reshaping and remodeling their chalet in the mountain. It is beautiful. Kathie and I loved shopping in Cloudcroft and did luck out on some clothing and accessories. Lots of laughs, great food and great time with good friends. Now time to hit the road again. Heading to Bandera, Texas to dawn our cowboy hats and boots for a stomping good time.

Westward Ho 2015

When finished exploring the Grand Canyon, we have been getting our ‘kicks on Route 66’ in downtown Williams, AZ

An unscheduled stop in Gallup, New Mexico worked out great. After we arrived we zipped off to the local movie theater and watched 'Intern'. Lots of laughs. Then Sat. we got up and scooted down Rte 66 to do some errands and enjoy a late lunch at Jerry' Cafe. Line up at door the entire time there. Mexican food was worth the wait. Today we are moving in to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta.

We travelled east from the Grand Canyon on I-40 stopping at USA RV Park, Gallup NM on our way to the Balloon Festival. This was John and my third trip to the Balloon Festival but it was fun seeing it thru new experiences of Greg & Kathie and Chuck & Ruby. We stayed at the Leisure Mountain RV park which was adequate for touring the area. Nearby at Tijeras on old Route 66, Dept of Transport had put in a stretch of road with grooves that plays ‘America the Beautiful’ when you drove over it. We did hear it  clear as a bell and had to do u turns while driving back over it 8 times. What a hoot. This stretch was originally paid for by National Geographic.  We were up at 4 am to be on the road to the balloon festival for lift off at 6 am. Over 500 balloons took off all around us. Cold but totally amazing.  

Did some touring on the Turquoise Trail and found the town of Madrid where movie, Beer for My Horses was filmed in 2007. Part of ‘Wild Hogs’ where they were suppose to be in Illinois or Missouri the first night was also filmed here in 2014. Ate at Mine Shaft Tavern which was fun.

How wonderful that schools were out today for kids day at the Balloon Fiesta. When we got here at 6 am the fields were already filled with families. Then the squeals of delight filled the air as hundreds of their favorite characters rose above them looking down to enjoy their smiles.

Westward Ho 2015

From Bryce we headed west thru Kanah on Highway 89 through mountain country to Williams, Arizona where we booked in to the Grand Canyon Railway CG so we could tour the Grand Canyon.