So I have been a bit distracted since I have been in Idaho. Beautiful late spring/early summer here. A bit wetter than normal, but perfect hiking/biking weather.
So here's the report:
Left Virginia on Thursday June 18th and took five full days to make it to Hailey, with stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana. So what did I learn...
Technical:
The Sightseer and F53 chassis performed well. I had no problems whatsoever maintaining whatever speed I deemed appropriate for conditions. I averaged 59-64 on the interstate depending on road and traffic conditions. With approximately 50% generator usage, we averaged about 7.2 MPG, including a full day in very windy rainstorms in Indiana/Illinois, and a fairly stiff headwind across South Dakota. Not too bad. I am hoping for a couple tenths improvement on the return trip due to the change in prevailing winds, but we'll see.
The only "issue" that cropped up was an intermittent problem with the Dash A/C blower. This is a problem that I had fixed via factory warranty last year, and was quite frustrating to see it reappear. Since I am several hundred miles from the closest service location, I went ahead and pulled the dash out to look at the switch as I first believed the problem to be related to the fan speed switch. After a few minutes playing with the multimeter and various connectors, the problem became apparent. The main power supply to the dash A/C switch panel was loose. Now imagine a connector clip with NO CLIP!! It was held together by friction only BY DESIGN!! There was no broken clip, so I have to believe this was by design...a major oversight by Winnebago or RVP (A/C Manufacturer). Anyway, a $0.03 zip tie cured the problem.
Handling:
I have chronicled some chassis issues with my F53 on this forum. I am happy to report that the firestone airbags, ultratrac trac bar, and redistribution of battery weight resulted in an excellent handling chassis. I had to consciously slow down in corners to not throw dishes out of the cabinets it turns so well.
Rough interstate pavement is still the bane of this chassis and the Pennsylvania and Minnesota interstates did not make my forget my latent desire to upgrade to full air-ride diesel chassis sometime in the future. All things considered it performed admirably.
Trip:
Badlands: We met up with an old friend in the Badlands who is now an interepretive Park Ranger and got a private tour of the park, which was amazing...i'll post pictures soon.
Rushmore: Spent a long morning at the monument and thoroughly enjoyed the Fathers Day festivities at the Park.
Yellowstone: Truly amazing...no way to do justice of this park in the limited time we had to see it. Saw moose, elk, bison, fox, hare, bald eagle...all from the RV in less than 12 hours in the park, amazing.
Return:
We leave to return to Virginia on Wednesday. As dissappointed as I am to leave, I am eager to get back home and settle into a routine. My neighbor reports that the hydrangea and gladiolas are in full bloom and I am missing the lush greenery of the Virginia countryside. I'll report back once all is said and done. Pictures will be posted once downloaded from the camera.
Regards,
Christian
