#@*&%#$&@%!!!!!!!!

Well, we are here in Canaan, Maine in a KOA RV park where the trip will start. Today did not go well. We pulled into the park and Barry and Terry Klein, our leaders, were already here…but that’s not a bad thing. We pulled into our assigned site and started to level the rig. It wouldn’t level correctly so I moved it slightly to a more level spot on the pad. It still wouldn’t level and the jacks would only go down, not up. I couldn’t retract them. The right side wheels, both front and rear, are off the ground. To make matters worse, the jacking apparently twisted the frame to where we now have a new crack in the windshield which, additionally, is starting to pop out of its frame…which is not a good thing. We called the coach service hot line and they couldn’t figure it out either. There are four valves on the leveling system manifold that are supposed to release the pressure when opened. They didn’t! So, we are stuck for the night at a weird angle until we can make a phone call to the factory in the morning. After reading the service manual, I think I have it figured out. My theory is that a little thingy called a “shuttle valve” is bad. We shall see.
In the meantime, I have some figures for you. We have travelled 3,944 miles so far and have purchased 532.4 gallons of diesel fuel at a cost of $2,483.14 which averages out to 7.4 MPG. We have more than contributed to our nation’s economy and will, unfortunately, continue to do so, even more than expected with this jack problem and the cracked windshield. CRAP! I need a cocktail!


After a cocktail or three, we settled in for an uncomfortable night in a more than slightly cattywampus vehicle. Morning came with the usual clouds after the usual evening thundershower. I hit the computer early and googled the Internet for fixes to our problem. I found one that appeared to be right on. After conferring with the company that makes our leveling jacks, I ventured forth into the unknown with a 5/8” socket and unbolted a cap nut to a hydraulic reservoir and released the pressure to the shuttle valve. I guess good things happen to good people because it worked! The jacks retracted. We now have a level coach and a new shuttle valve is on order. It will be replaced on Wednesday or Thursday right here in the campground. Things are lookin’ up!

I fulfilled my duties as chief engineer and mechanic by replacing a few lights and switches in some power panels, did a few other various chores and took a very relaxing hot shower. Now that I smell better, Claudia and I are headed out into the countryside to explore, seek and destroy.

The only thing I destroyed was my figure! We went to the Post Office and then went searching for auto parts and a place to have dinner. Since we are pretty much “fish”ed out, we opted for Chinese. Thanks to “Karen”, we found a great Chinese restaurant. They had a buffet and a half…two full steam tables on both sides, a single table full of desserts, plus soups and ice cream. It was huge…and only $9.35 per person. It’s only $7-something if you arrive before 4:00. I am uncomfortable, but happy! Claudia is asleep on the couch! I couldn’t possibly eat another thing…until tomorrow!

Today is our last “free” day so we are doing our final shopping and getting the last of our honey-do’s done. We are also practicing smiling so we have a happy front when we are with the guests! We got to Wal-Mart, filled a shopping cart and then went to a couple of auto supply places for stuff to repair the exhaust pipe heat shield and a wiring loom cover. We returned to the rig and put stuff away. I had to do a safety and quality control test on a half gallon of black raspberry ice cream before putting it away. It passed! After that, I got busy on the heat shield repair.

When doing the jack work, I had noticed that the fiberglass wrapping around the exhaust pipe was half gone and that the heat coming off the exhaust pipe had melted the wrapping around a wire loom bundle. I put a new wrapping around the wires and attached some high-temperature shielding around the exhaust pipe. As I did so, I noticed the exhaust pipe was loose. After I finished the job, I went under the rig to pick up scraps of insulation and wire and noticed a pretty good stream of liquid coming down from the engine. I crawled under and found out it was diesel. To make a short story long, I determined that the exhaust pipe had slid down and was resting on two fuel lines. It had burned through about 99.9% of one hose and, when I was working on the insulation, the pushing on the exhaust pipe finished breaking the hose the rest of the way.

I clamped off the broken hose with a set of vise-grips which stopped the leak. We are now going to be towed to the Freightliner dealer at Bangor (41 miles away) tomorrow morning for repairs. We expect it to be a two-day job. If so, we will be staying in a motel about a mile down the road. That way, we can do our jobs during the day. I’ll just run down and pick the rig up when it’s done and we’ll be back in business. The good thing (if there is such a thing) is that it happened now and not out on the road up in Canada.

So, I am sending this blog out early to let y’all know what’s going on and that we will be out of touch for a couple of days. If you need us, try the cell phones but coverage is spotty at best. More news, hopefully good news, later in the week.