2014 Winnebago Grand National Rally - July 16-20

John Canfield said:

Ah Dar - didn't make a run to Farm & Fleet  .  Jane found a small spray bottle of 100% DEET we bought in Alaska in 2006 and said we need to use it up.  Maybe if you and Bill stay between us, the skeeters will leave you alone  .

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No problem John. But just remember your offer so when we stick between the two of you we are not pegged as stalkers (or lunchmeat), but users of the second hand deet  ;D.

Good luck at CDI

Grrrrr..

We spent the night outside CDI and when we were ready to let them take it in I looked under the engine and here's this puddle of oil about two feet in diameter  : .  As soon as we pick up the coach from CDI we're headed back to Freightliner in Clear Lake.  They are going to work us in so that's the good news.

The Meet 'n Greet is still on even if I have to drive back to Forest City from Clear Lake.

So sorry to hear! I hope they get her fixed up real quick, easy and cheap. Hopefully they just overlooked tightening something up (not that we don't want to think they aren't competent) and therefore they will get you on your way today.

Actually we were at Freightliner because our side radiator fan was running all of the time, they had to order a fan switch.  This is a new issue unfortunately.

John Canfield said:

Grrrrr..
The Meet 'n Greet is still on even if I have to drive back to Forest City from Clear Lake.

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John, the Meet-n-Greet is Wednesday at 3pm, do you think they'll have your motorhome that long?  I would think they just didn't get a hose fitting tight, or a bolt(s) not torqued when they worked on it a few days ago.  Should be a quick fix....God Willing and it doesn't freeze in Iowa tonight.

We checked in this morning at 9 am with the greatest of ease.  No line, just two of us rigs. 
We are in California Row.... sec C, row 8, space 28. 

Bill

Hey Bill,

Jacks are down at Freightliner in Clear Lake - they have a 50 amp and a 30 amp hookup at the N.E. corner of the building, going to need the heat pump tonight!  They have to work us in so no telling when we will get the coach to rally grounds  :.  I was just under the coach and the only thing I can see that has leaked oil is the oil pan drain plug, the service writer girl said the plug might need a new o-ring or gasket (or maybe it's just loose.)  It's very tempting to grab a wrench and scoot under there but if it is a the o-ring or gasket, I'd just as soon as see it fixed right.  (Thinking to self.. check to see if it's loose anyway...)  At this point, I'm very encouraged that the problem isn't anything life-threatening. 

CDI did a great job of refinishing the radius with new clear coat and I imagine they had to put down some new color.  I was expecting just the sidewall to roof radius redone but it looks like they resprayed the front and end caps.  It looks great!

Had a nice chat this morning with my buddy in Owner Relations who is moving on soon to be manager of compliance (Winnebago is very careful to make certain every part and system that goes into a unit fully meets and complies with all requirements and specifications from every appropriate standards body - I was impressed when I heard this.)  Steve Evenson, manager Director of Parts and Service popped his head in my buddy's office and we chatted for a minute or two. 

Earlier in the day we had a nice huggy reunion with Denise Yeager in the WIT office.  Denise was a brand new employee who interviewed us in the fall of 2006 for the WIT magazine when we returned from Alaska.  She later confessed she was scared but we had fun talking to her about the good times we've had in our Horizon and we put her at ease.  A few years later we introduced her to Geocaching and took her on a trek to find a nearby cache.  I like to think that might have had something to do with Geocaching being a GNR activity at the 2012 GNR.

It's really great to be back up here and I'm really annoyed we aren't at rally grounds.

John Canfield said:

We've stayed at Lakeside a couple of times.  When you are lined up to register (If coming from the south on US 69. make the right turn immediately after the railroad tracks and then the next left turn - look for the GNR signs), there will be a sign asking you to stop and unhook the toad.  There will be a guy with a radio and a flag that will tell you what to do, so no worries - it's all a very efficient process.  I think the coach and the unhooked toad will be led to the coach parking site, and then the car will have to be immediately moved to the closest car parking areas. 

Yup - looking forward to the meet 'n greet!

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Everything went exactly as you said John.  Man what a windy and cool day.  Those volunteers earned their pay ;D today.  Brought  a couple of light jackets and glad we didn't need our winter parkas.  Staying in the North Dakota row (C-8-35) and the husband of our state leader if a former state snow plow driver (if needed - hope not).  Hope your oil problems get fixed fast and see you at the M&G.

Good deal Bill, glad it went well for you.  My Winnebago buddy has been here 14 years and says this is the coldest summer he ever remembers.

Looked under the engine this morning and not a drop of oil on the catch pad. 

All-righty then.  We're parked at rally grounds very close to the bath house in the Texas row (B-4-31.)  Our name is on the door so if you're in the area, stop by and say hi.

Freightliner took us first thing this morning, in fact we were eating breakfast, jacks down, antennas raised, slides out, etc.  Made a mad dash to get the coach ready to move in the shop.  Started the engine and looked under it a few minutes later and here's another huge puddle of oil  .

The diagnosis/solution:

Leaking oil filter.  The tech tightened the filter and it still leaked.  Removed it and discovered the surface the gasket sealed against was dirty.  He cleaned the surface, new filter and it's good to go.

Leaking oil pan drain plug, tightened it - good to go.

So why didn't it leak when parked?  I suspect it's because when the engine is running and cold, the oil pressure is much higher than when running and hot.  We had our last service done last fall at Tolleson Freightliner (~3,000 miles ago) so I'm pointing the finger at them.  So why did it take 3k miles to start leaking - I have no idea.

Next week, back to Freightliner to get our new fan switch installed  .

We're in Section B, Row 9, hookup/site 19. Colorado row. Reyo. High on blocks because our site is the steepest we've ever been on.

Monday left Denver at 3, arrived Grand Island, Neb., KOA at 9:30 MDT, 10:30 CDT. Did 75 mph most of the way, averaged close to 70 mph with two 10-min. stops for driver change and fuel/driver change and snacks, etc.

Tuesday, left Grand Island 6:35 a.m. CDT, arrived Forest City 2 p.m. CDT. Drove 75 mph most of the way (both Susan and I). 3 stops for driver change, fuel, visit to favorite Ames, Iowa Starbucks/WSJ/NYT.

This evening had dinner with Colorado contingent at The Branding Iron restaurant in Thompson. Lots of fun talk

Navions on each side of us. Dealers displays across the row from us. Left our checkbook home, but fun to tour the motorhomes and watch people shop.

After dinner, I toured the dealer displays. Talked for half an hour with a couple who are looking at the Reyo/Via. Gave them a strong pitch on the Reyo (T). We love our unity. Driving at the 75 mph speed limit is incredibly comfortable for both of us even though this is the first time we've done so in the two years we've owned our unit. Averaged about 13.7 mpg vs our usual 15.2 mpg average.

I didn't have time to wander around yesterday afternoon since I was so far behind on e-chores but I'll do so today.

Oldedit said:

...Driving at the 75 mph speed limit is incredibly comfortable for both of us even though this is the first time we've done so in the two years we've owned our unit. Averaged about 13.7 mpg vs our usual 15.2 mpg average.

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Our 2014 Passat RDI (diesel) will do about 50-55 mpg at 65 mph but at 80 mph (on I-10 in west Texas) we dropped down to ~35 mpg, this was before the engine was broken in.

It's pretty easy to get on the internet on the GNR public Wi-Fi from my Mac. But I can't connect to Wi-Fi from my iPhone.

On our coach, I have two wireless routers, one set up for our satellite Internet (ssid JaneAndJohn) and a Ubiquiti radio tied to another wireless router (ssid JaneAndJohn2).  When we move to a place with free WiFi, I log into the Ubiquiti radio, do a scan for access points, lock on to one, and then we're all set up.  Any device in the coach (we have a tablet, desktop PC, laptop, phones, Ecobee smart thermostat, printer, etc, are set up to access either JaneAndJohn or JaneAndJohn2.  Greatly simplifies networking and we can print without having to jump through hoops.

Setting this up requires some networking familiarity, actually it took a bit fiddling to get it working correctly but it's a slick way to use a park's WiFi (or whatever).  The Ubiquiti radio is directional and transmits a strong signal.

Thanks to everybody for attending our Meet 'N Greet yesterday, I think Jane counted about 30 under the big top.  Thanks also for at least pretending to be listening to me  .  Have fun all.  For the First Timers, be sure and check out the activities downtown.

Oh, a few days ago when we were downtown I was disappointed to see a tractor-trailer backed up to the old-time Hansen's hardware store and loading the last of the stuff and probably fixtures into the trailer.  It's sad to see the traditional hardware stores go out of business  .

We're leaving GNR this (Friday) morning. Relatives and friends are waiting (we hope) to see us, and we have attended some great workshops. I've especially benefitted from talking to the technicians in the Sprinter Van, Ford, Cummins and Blue Ox booths. More on that after we get to our next stop where I hope to find better Wi-Fi connections.

GNR is a great place to get questions answered, see new Winnebago products, meet old and new friends and watch people have lots of fun partying. I'll offer some GNR thoughts later.

Enjoyed meeting and chatting with you, safe travels and maybe we'll see you somewhere down the road.

Enjoyed the entertainment last evening "Tina & Lena"
And another picture at the Meet-n-Greet

Jefferson Starship tonight!  Whoo-hoo!

Pulled out of Jefferson Starship during the second song.  We were not alone.  I have bad hearing in one ear and didn't feel the necessity to lose it in the second.  Best news was the GNR  next year will be July 21-25 (Tuesday - Saturday) AFTER Puckerbrush Days. Despite all the wireless repeaters on the grounds, access has been practically impossible until tonight when many had left and others were having their hearing aids tested by the Starship.  Congrats to John Canfield on winning a ribbon in the Arts and Crafts show for his Whirlagig.