GMC Motorhome, Closer To Rolling

Oh yes!!! I passed my cholestrol test this morning. Had been studying for 2 months. Teri rewarded me with a half gallon of ice cream and home made cookie dough. I shoveled it in.
I was switched to the 6 dollar Walmart program. The knock off of Zocor. I was afraid it would not work for me but it did. I am hard to keep the cholestrol in check for some reason. Can't be my diet.
We are getting closer. One day next week we may hit the road. I aired up all of the GMC tires today and re installed my tire air sensor monitor. We sent the system in for an "allignment". Id been having a few problems and I wanted them fixed. Will re install the sendors on all ten tires tomorrow to make sure all is working. Found a gas leak today and replaced a 6 inch piece of fuel line. Will check it tomorrow to make sure that stopped the leak. We need to get a few things out and stock up the coach. Think we will work on that tomorrow also. I want to be ready to roll when the time comes. Will be watching the weather next week and try to catch 2 good weather days so we can get across Arkansas and Texas. Once we get to the Midland area we pretty much can forget about bad weather. Getting the oil changed in the Vibe, Wednesday, and need to rotate the tires. I think we will tow it to Az. as we normally do a lot of driving while we are there. Should we decide to head to Tucson or Phoenix I will feel much better in the Vibe.
I guess thats it for tonight. I have the heat on in the coach. They are forecasting teens again tonight. Hope everyone is having a great week. Hang with us, we will be on the road very soon now.
Dan

A Toad Towing A Toad

These two folks, Larry and Karen, are the ones responsible for making sure our bug was painted. They own Topeka Graphics, an rv painting shop. They paint new trailers and 5th wheels and motor homes for owners that want a new look. They have painted over 200 GMC coaches and know how to do it. I have seen many of the coaches. That was why I had confidence in their work. Two great folks. We will see them again. Larry wants pictures of the Mustang so he can give me a quote. Who knows, maybe we will take it up for paint. Not in winter though. Learned our lesson on this time of year. Thanks Larry and Karen. Lots of these in Topeka and all around the area.

We left Topeka Graphics yesterday and almost got to our daughter's before the sleet started. Really messed up the new looking VW. Below, a shot of the wind turbines we passed while were trying to get out of the blinding snow. Headed south before we made the Illinois line.

This picture does not do justice to what we were in. For a while I could not see 50 yards in front of us. The wind was 50 mph. I could barely make 50 mph towing the bug with the Vibe.

We stayed south until Terre Haute. I was prepared to keep south til Evansville but we looked to be out of the worst stuff so jumped on I-70. Wind kept us running about 50 mph all the way to Effingham. It was rough. At Effingham we headed south on I-57 and I could drive whatever speed I wanted.

We were really nasty but I did not care what the cars looked like, I just wanted to get home. There is "something" about being on the west side of the Old Mighty Mississippi. I was doing my best to get there. This stop was near Marion. One fella nearly broke his neck trying to decide whether or not we were hooked together. I had to laugh. We had no cb radio but I could hear those truckers in my head as we pulled past them at 70 mph plus. "Did you see that? What was it? Were they tied together?" I laughed in my mind. This Vibe GT has plenty of power to tow the vdub. As long as the wind is not 50 mph blowing right into its grille, anyway. We did tow it from Az. to Mo. last year, 1400 miles.

Home at last. Whew, it sure felt good to get home and wash all the road grime off the cars. I think the newly painted VW will look great behind the GMC. We may put some striping on the doors of the VW to kinda break it up a little.

The colors on the bug are the same as the GMC and the Vibe. Teri and I are very happy with the way this paint job turned out. Makes the bug look a little more classy. As soon as the weather warms up a little I will get the new headlight rings and headers on. Too cold today. Nearly got frost bite washing and then drying these cars. We pulled in a little before 3 pm. We left our daughter's around 730 am. Not bad timing for 400 miles, considering what we traveled through. I am glad we had the internet so Teri could keep an eye on the weather. We could see that the storm was blowing south to Terre Haute and then sweeping north. It worked for us.

The tracker was running the whole trip, WD0AFQ-1. We are glad that some of you rode along. If you want to see our path, go to the website and click on "2 days".

Thanks for those who said prayers, they worked.

Let me know what you think. I got several emails last night and a couple of "comments".

Time for church, see you in a day or two.

Dan

The Bug

What do you think? I like it.

Only my opinion counts.

It does look good. Will get more pics up when we get home. Verizon internet is slow here. We are staying the nite at our daughter's in Logansport, In. Towing it home with the Vibe gt. We have driven over 600 miles today. The last 100 we were towing the bug. 400 more miles and it will be home again. I have some stuff to do to it. Got new chrome headers and new headlite rims. One is missing and the other one is well worn. Wow, don't it look great? Will really look nice behind our GMC motorcoach.

Pray that this sleet stops and the temperature rises. We want to get home before dark Wednesday.

The tracker worked pretty good today but we are in the boonies now. No reporting stations. Will pick us back up tomorrow when we get a few miles west of here, over toward I-57.

Thanks for riding along. About time for a nap. I got up at 215 am after 2 hours sleep. I am pretty much worn out.

Dan

Loading Up

Trying to load the Vibe with everything we might need, even extra clothes. Pulling out of Dexter at 3 am. Trying to get up there and grab the bug before weather gets too bad. They are calling for snow. We want to at least get the car and get to our daughter's before we get snowed in. She lives in Logansport. Ride along or check in when you have time. The tracker will be on in the Vibe.
Say an extra prayer for our safety tonight.
Will take pictures and hope to be able to put some up on the blog Tuesday evening.
See yall later,
Dan

Tuesday Now

We got emails with pictures of the car. Teri wanted a little more black thrown in there. So, a little more black it will be. Moved our pick up date to Tuesday. That is fine. No more yellow bug. I hope the kids like it. I kinda feel like we have gone from a t shirt and blue jean car to a coat and tie ride. Oh well, will enjoy it and it will be looking good behind the coach. Plus, I can touch up all three of our main rides with the same two paint sticks. How cool is that?
Ride with us Tuesday if you can. We will have the tracker running in the Vibe. WD0AFQ-1. Have one in the bug too and it is WD0AFQ, no other identifier. I have mapped a route over and up from Indy. Never been through Kokomo so this is my chance. Topeka, In. is just south of the Michigan state line. The only part of the trip I am not looking forward to is getting up and leaving here at 3 am. I want to make sure we get through Indy mid morning. That is a bear during lunch or quitting time.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Our departure date for Quartzsite, Az. is getting closer.
Dan

Got The Call

The painter called me yesterday. Said the vdub should be ready to pick up on Monday. Friday I will place a call just to make sure. Whew, ready to get it home. It should look good. Will tow it home with Teri's Vibe GT. It rides back there very good. We towed it from Az. to Dexter, some 1400 miles. We will leave here around 3-4 am so we get through Indy before the noon traffic. Ride along with us if you can. We will be WD0AFQ-1 on the tracking system. Don't forget that is a zero in my ham radio call sign. Will leave Topeka, In. and head down to Logansport for the night, staying with our daughter and grandsons. I am hopin for good weather but one never knows on a trip there this late in the year.
I hope everyone had a great holiday last week. We were very fortunate to have my younger brother and his 4 tiwns stay 4 nights with us here. Always good to see them pulling in from Monroe, La. We will stop by and see them in March on our way home from The GMC gathering in Montgomery, Tx. There were about 50 of the Gregg family present Saturday for our noon meal. Was great to see everyone.
That's about it. Just wanted yall to know we have not fallen off the face of the earth. the GMC is ready to travel so when I get the word from Teri we are heading west.
Dan

GMC Motorhome House Batteries

This post is for my GMC friends. House battery replacement in our GMC is not an easy task. We had to get these from here, up and into here. This is no easy task. The inner fenders have to come out. Not that bad getting them out but is a real bear getting them back in a lined up. This is the new Ragusa 3 battery tray I got from Jim K. It holds two house batteries and the engine battery. We did not have to remove the engine battery to get the house batteries in. That was a good thing.

Well, we are half done. Finished the passenger side. I push up from the bottom while TerI pulls from the top side, with a rope.

Now, over to the driver's side. We got to do it all again.

These two must be heaved up and into their resting place.

And, here they sit. Whew, that was a chore. We got out early this morning and got these girls up and in. They ride there with nothing holding them in. Kinda scary but have never had a problem. Not enough room for them to bounce out. Hooked them all up and presto, got our coach ready for a week of dry camping in the rain. As long as the sun shines every other day, or so, we have electricity to run everything in our coach. I like being self sufficient. In Az. the sun rarely misses a day so we are good to go.

The worst part of the entire deal was getting those inner fenders back in there. I am going to figure out some way to make that much easier. I know there is a way.

Well, that was our biggest accomplishment for today. The last thing on my 10 item list of "to do s" before we head west.

Teri and I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving, with family and friends. We are extremely thankful for the friends that we have, many of them have come into our lives because of this old GMC motorhome.

Dan