Maiden Trip! - Dayton, OH --> Biloxi Beach, MS

Preamble -So after 6 weeks of working like crazy on my NTM RV I got enough done to declare victory and start the trip. It was down to the wire - Lots of Chassis work and the purchase of a bike hauler and refurbishment of that. But no chores this week and a week of sun, beach and relaxing ahead...

I started out of Dayton with a first fill stop just south of Forence KY. Lots of traffic put me about 40 minutes late on the very first leg - target for a sleepover was the welcome center outside Huntsville, AL.  I used the Love's app to make pitstops at Love's travel centers. I like their coffee and the outfit in Dayton was where I go my Propane and weighing done. I wanted to use truck stop type places so as to have little chance of needing to back up.

Love's - The rear view camera is awesome! Even at might it's better than the mirrors. In 2 outta 3 Love's congestion was terrible and maneuvering was tight. I had to actually back up twice - the camera really helped with that.. I'm gonna try Pilot stops going home.

I figured out that I have a 3 hour bladder and Marvin has 6 hour tanks - LOL.  So I did 400 miles the first day. Stopping at a rest stop in between fill ups for a leg stretch.  The captain's chair is comfortable enough but it is about 3 inches too low for me. I was sitting too much on my tail bone and after 2 8 hour days I was sore.  I put a memory foam pillow under my butt the last leg and that helped.  I am gonna try and find a good stadium seat cushion type thing while I am here.

First "Cooked" Meal - Night before departure I cooked up some simple beans mushrooms and sausage with dijon mustard sauce. All week I had been doing micro cooking - Yummy!

Leg Stretch - Me looking happy that nothing has broken down on Marvin.  Somewhere in Southern Kentucky or Northern Tennessee. I hit another bad patch of traffic south of Louisville that added another 15-20 minute delay - Why is it on a Friday afternoon every city in America decides to put road crews out at 3pm and turn a 4 lane freeway into a one lane freeway - sigh...

Night Stop - Pulled into the welcome center at about 9:30.  Whipped up a micro pot pie and crashed.  Cool rocket at the welcome center.  I had been to Huntsville years ago and they have an awesome museum with a whole Saturn V rocket laying on it's side in pieces. Also have a space shuttle. Very cool place if you ever have time.

I used Campendium to find free overnight stops and this one is great - there were at least 4 other RVs, lots of space and a really nice grounds.

Ocean in Sight! - The last 15 miles took over an hour.  The GPS took me along some narrow beach streets from the east. In hindsight an approach from the west would have been less stressful.

The Last 500 Feet - Literally took 15 minutes.  The beach front was super crowded - However if I had come down the beach front from the west I could not left turn into the park.  Definitely have to come down the street to the east. The final blessing was that there was no one behind me and I could pull through and not have to try and maneuver the trailer or drop it. This put me real far forward in the slot and ultimately a need for a longer sewer hose.

The Eagle Has Landed! - The park seems nice - very full but this morning (Sunday) about 1/3 are clearing out.  I hope the coming week while I am here is a bit quieter and I can drive the beachfront all the way to Pensacola and Destin one day.  It's hot as heck with temps in the high 80s-91 or 92.  But I got out early this morning to Walmart - needed a sewer extension - and the ocean breeze is awesome while riding the Bike.  Local Barney Fife yelled at me for no helmet (Doh!) so I pulled over and donned my skull cap.

Post-Op - Marvin did great.  When the roads were smooth it was effortless and he cruised along happily at 65.  When the roads were bad (thanks southern Tennessee!) he'd like to rattle some teeth out - but he's old.

I did the first leg at 60 and got 8.5 mpg. I did the second leg at 65 with the generator and house A/C on and got 8.4 mpg - So - when it's hot I am cruising in comfort - LOL.  It wasn't unbearable and with Chassis A/C and dash fans I was warm but not uncomfortably so. But when it gets super hot I won't hesitate on the genset.

I learned to "lead" the hills with my foot and not rely on the cruise. The cruise would slow too much fall behind and downshift.  I found by leading the grades, even accelerating up to 70 at the start, there was a lot less downshifting.

I got used to being passed (abnormal behavior for me - LOL) but I wasn't the slowest rig out there - I passed at least four other rigs and a few gum wrappers blowing down the freeway...

With OD off the RPMs are good at 60-65. On one or two grades he downshifted to 2nd and that wants to be below 50 mph or he hits the rev limiter and I don't like to rev that high.

I spent the first half of the trip freaking out at each rattle thinking he was gonna break. I even got underneath the front suspension after hearing a clank while maneuvering in a gas stop - I had changed shocks and damper and checked nothing was loose. I spent the second half of the trip thinking, "Yup. That's just a noise Marvin makes - get used to it.  Engine temps stayed rock solid, oil pressure rock solid and amps rock solid for 800+ miles - Nice shakedown!

Looks a lot you have gotten most of it figured out. 

Except for buying all that fuel, it is a lot like cruising, isn't it?

Matt

Matt_C said:

Looks a lot you have gotten most of it figured out. 

Except for buying all that fuel, it is a lot like cruising, isn't it?

Matt

Click to expand...

Yeah - Fuel... But at least it's cheap right now. I now know his range is like 500 miles to tank dry so I am gonna plan 400 mile fuel stops. I ended up putting in like 80 gallons and the last stop was only 100 miles from here. I wanted to leave outta here with plenty of gas and get some miles in before the first stop.  So counting the first top up yesterday was like $230 in gas.

TBH - The thing that has me intimidated the most is the awning - LOL.  I didn't get a chance to try it out at home and don't want to look like a dumbass letting it out.  I also don't know if it will roll up afterwards - but as Dad always said, "God hates a coward" so I will try it in a little bit after reading the book again. Lots of clips, locks, hooks and a pull down handle to play with - LOL...

Dan,

Find a Flying J instead of Pilot on your way back.  Flying J has dedicated 2 gasoline aisles for RV's.  The aisles are located to the side of the gas pump area and separate from the diesel (trucker) section.  Flying J also tends to have long spaces marked for RV parking so you might even be able to find a space to rest a spell after getting gas  . 

The following is the Flying J south of Montgomery off I 65.  The RV islands are on the left  away from the car islands.  You can see the long parking spaces to the right.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Flying+J+Travel+Center/@32.194695,-86.4198705,180m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x1edd97aa03deb40d!8m2!3d32.194557!4d-86.420349

Jennifer

ferfer said:

Dan,

Find a Flying J instead of Pilot on your way back.  Flying J has dedicated 2 gasoline aisles for RV's.  The aisles are located to the side of the gas pump area and separate from the diesel (trucker) section.  Flying J also tends to have long spaces marked for RV parking so you might even be able to find a space to rest a spell after getting gas  . 

The following is the Flying J south of Montgomery off I 65.  The RV islands are on the left  away from the car islands.  You can see the long parking spaces to the right.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Flying+J+Travel+Center/@32.194695,-86.4198705,180m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x1edd97aa03deb40d!8m2!3d32.194557!4d-86.420349

Jennifer

Click to expand...

That's nice!  Do they do that at all the stops? I'll take your advice on this and try them going back.

So - I did the awning thing. Other than the pull cord loop being broken wasn't too much of a drama. I just had to "jerk" hard on the diagonal supports and it grudgingly unfurled.

Good news it's not shredded but is was still wet inside and moldy from being rolled up wet. If I was home I would powerwash it. As is the sun should do it some good.

The diagonal slides could use some WD40 as they were a bit sticky. I didn't know that putting the uprights on the ground and staking them was "optional" - the book didn't mention that but I figured it out looking at what everyone else around here is doing. Pretty simple actually...

Nice to have the bike in the shade so the seat doesn't get too hot...

So Marvin also had a brand new patio mat so I did a bit more homey stuff. Might get the camp chairs out later when it cools off...

Lots of folks cleared out today - I'd say about 1/3 - Looking forward to a quiet week...

One hint on the awning: A sudden strong wind gust can wrap it up in a ball, so be sure it's stowed before leaving the rig. Otherwise it can get expensive, not to mention the hassle.

Not all Flying Js have RV lanes and dedicated RV parking spots. On the awning. A caution:  I have seen awnings blown over rhe roof and ripped out of the wall, and bent to crap. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts and bring the awning in if high winds or thunderstorms are possible.

Flying J made a comment to serve the RV community so almost all Flying J's have the islands (know of at least 1 without but within ~10 miles was another Flying J with).  You may have to wait for one but it is worth it.  Use google maps confirm if islands present and the layout and location of pumps.  Pilot generally does not have dedicated pumps.

Warning on that broken strap.  You need to control the speed and force of that awning closing.  You should have a Awning Pull Rod (Google for picture) which would insert into the strap handle so you can control the awning closing and opening.  If you can not find yours you could borrow one from a neighbor and perhaps tie your broken strap for the L shape tip.

Jennifer

A note on Flying J & Pilot... if you have a Good Sam card, you can get a discount on fuel. It used to be 3 cents but I recall seeing 5 cents sometimes.

It adds up.

Quick update on the trip so far.

Living spaceI had been hanging out mostly on the dinette but decided to organize the "living room" a bit.  I picked up this cool collapsible ottoman at Walmart. It serves as a footstool when sitting on the couch or the recliner - Bit of a mess (lived in) and this is the area that I plan to remodel. I am going to install a folding desk behind the blue chair and either put in a proper computer desk chair or keep the blue chair but relocate it slightly inboard. I am thinking more along the lines of a high back computer chair that also reclines. I am also going to mount a TV bracket above that will do double duty as the TV and second PC screen.

Bad Bike I took a run over to see the USS Alabama - about 80 miles and when I pulled up to the guard shack the bike died ;-(  No electricity. The battery is new as of last week so I am expecting it is not charging. The shack lady was really nice and loaned me here "emergency bosster" to see if I could get enough charge to start it. I had called a bike shop who were gonna look at it for me. Ultimately I couldn't get enough charge in so I Ubered to Uhaul and rented a truck.  I have decided to charge the bike each day so I can run around rather than drop the bike at a shop and be stranded at the park. I had bought a come along to winch the bike up but fortunately there was a groundskeeper there when I got back and he and I and the booth lady made loading a 2 minute job.  I have the bike plugged into Marvin to charge him up and the Uhaul in the background gets dropped off this morning.

USS Alabama After loading the bike I decided to go see the Alabama - I mean I already had paid the $4 to park - LOL.  Definitely worth seeing.  They had an aviation display inside and outside as well as the USS Drum (submarine). I am glad I went on a weekday as there was very little crowding and social distancing was pretty easy. Even at that I think I sanitized my hands like every 2 minutes.

I am a big history and monuments guy as well as tech and cars so always arrange my trips around military sites, car museums, train museums, fire house museums and other historical stuff.  With the bike on limited radius I gotta rethink my next couple of days. I had planned to get over to Destin but that's off the agenda now.

Thought I would give an update on the remainder of the maiden trip. Biloxi was fun and the time passed quickly. With the bike limited I looked for a few more things to do in the immediate vicinity.

Souvenir Shop & Slap Ya Momma This was kind of a cool souvenir shop. I went in mid-week after I dropped off the Uhaul so it was really uncrowded. Lots of typical stuff but I only bought a shirt and a sticker.  I really wanted to eat at Slap Ya Momma (BBQ fanatic) but I was disciplined about no restaurants. I also had plenty to cook in the RV. I hoofed it from the souvenir shop to the park. About a mile walk I guess.

Model Trains Wednesday I went to a small model train museum. I love tech, history and unique stuff like this. They had 21 layouts and a couple of ride on trains outside. Definitely worth the $5 "donation." I considered trying to fix the bike but decided to wait until getting back home.

Visitor Center & Seafood & Maritime Museum Roadtrippers identified this spot and I went to the website and it looked like a restaurant - turned out it is a museum and the photos were just some gala function they had put on. I almost passed but I had visited the visitor center and decided it was only a couple of blocks away so I pressed on. The visitor center wasn't much to write home about but the light house was kinda cool. 

The Seafood & Maritime museum was great.  The main theme was all about the shrimping and oystering industries and covered all the way back to the early 1900's. Man it was a tough life if you worked in a factory back then. They didn't have a lot of boats but what they had was really good. There were two theaters running hurricanes (Camille and Katrina) in one and Leisure and Industry in the other.  I didn't have a lot to do so I stayed in the cool and watched everything all through.  Of course this means I left in the late, late afternoon and got to ride the bike home in the rain at the edge of a thunderstorm. At least that was the coolest I had been outside all week - LOL...

Heading Home I was up early as usual on Friday and did bits and pieces of breaking camp in no hurry. Check out was 12pm and I had a target to hit the Alabama Tennessee border for my night stop so didn't want to arrive too early. Everything packed away as planned and I hit the road at 11:30. Based on the trip down I set the cruise at about 67 and that was a comfortable speed. I stopped north of Mobile around 1pm for a leg stretch and a quick lunch followed by the first fuel stop. The next fuel was planned Just north of Birmingham, then the night stop.

I have to admit I got tunnel vision about the fuel stop and ran the tank quite low convincing myself I had 500 miles range and had planned an almost 400 mile leg. I had decided to run the generator after the 1pm stop so as to run the house air during the hottest part of the day. My first clue was the generator cutting off about 20 miles to the fuel stop.  The needle eventually was bouncing at empty and I debated stopping at every exit but I made it in to the fuel stop and put in 47 gallons.  I had been under the assumption the tank was 60 gallons but I think it is probably 50 - Lesson learned...

So at this point I am about 300 miles in or so with 500 to go and was feeling pretty good.  The gel pads I put on the driver's seat really helped the tailbone so I decided to press on. I eventually stopped just north of Nashville around 9pm. Saturday morning I turned on the key and heard an awful squealing sound - I quickly traced it to the driver's side dash fan in which the bearings have apparently given up the ghost. I had already been googling replacements as well as fans for the dinette and bedroom so that's a soon to purchase item.

I fueled up just south of Louisville and made the last 2.5 hour push into home.

All in all I am well pleased with Marvin's performance. Going down and heading back there was not one real mechanical glitch. Afternoon temperatures were in the high 90's and oil pressure, electrical output and water temps were solid for 1600+ miles.

Over the whole trip he averaged about 8.3 mpg.

I noted after a fuel stop on the way down that the generator would not restart when it was hot. I leaned the mixture out and it was better but when heading back after the fuel stop in Birmingham the generator again did not restart when hot.  I may put a carb cleaning and tuning on the to do list. Thankfully it did start easily at the night stop north of Nashville or cooking a pot pie and cooling the place down to sleep would have been a problem.

Next Steps Aside from the dash fans and the generator tune the big jobs are to build the galley counter extension - I have all the bits for that.  The other big item is to build the workdesk folding table and rework that area. The electric step has never worked so that's on the troubleshooting list as well. I have some USB outlets to install all over the place and some battery monitoring electrical gauges to add but none of that is critical.

My wife has been locked down in Colombia taking care of her mom.  She is real excited about the RV and we hope she can get out of there by late summer and we'll do another big trip. I am not sure what I do next but I might start exploring local lakes and RV places with some 3 day weekends - I still want to get a double kayak or two singles - we haven't decided what's best for us yet. After being locked down at home since March 3rd it was nice to get out and looking forward to doing it again...

Some nice shots there -- thanks for sharing, and for updating us on your trip.