Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Duncan/Gerber Collision & Glass, Elkhart, Indiana

August 5, 2019

Temperature 86 Degrees

Time Out for Repairs

Time to take Graybeard in for planned repairs.

We decided to let Duncan/Gerber Glass and Collision do the work we needed done.  They had excellent reviews on the web.  Then when we got here we met two customers who really put us at ease.  The first stated that they live in Tennessee but when glass or body work or interior remodeling is necessary they come back here.  The second said the same thing.  He had had an older coach which they completely remodeled inside.   Having sold that coach he was now back with another one for some interior upgrades.

What brought us here?

For quite some time now we’ve been noticing rust particles on the dash every time we move from one home to the next.  This is a known issue with Winnebago Class A rigs.  The windshield sits in four tabs on the bottom and on the top there is a steel bar that goes across the entire top to which the windshield is glued.  Above this bar is a gasket which in time dries out and lets water in with the result that the steel bar begins to rust.

The normal fix is to remove the windshield, grind out the rust, treat it with a rust inhibitor, re-glue the windshield back in place, and then seal the top so water can’t get back in.  But as I’ve come to find out with Graybeard in the past nothing is normal.

In order to get the windshield out would have required removing the hood, two inner panels, two side wings and the entire windshield wiper assembly.  Then you can finally get to the windshield.  Of course while doing this you keep your fingers crossed that nothing breaks as you remove it.  Not easy with a 12 year old rig.    Time for plan B.

The tech assigned to us has been doing these repairs for over 12 years so after a bit of poking and prodding and checking this and that he suggested we leave the windshield in place.  He was confident that the rust was at a very early stage and not that bad.  What he would do instead would be to pry the windshield out a bit from the top, insert as much rust inhibitor that he could and then he would reseal everything from left to right.  Works for me.

While he was at it he checked a few other things for us.  He found the top front marker lights full of water.  So he drained and then resealed them.  Yes, they still work.  He then resealed both top  front cabin windows.  Finally he found the correct gutter extensions and installed them for us.  Amazing how many people had tried to find the right ones and he was the only one who did.  Then he turned a hose on everything for about 30 minutes.  No leaks.  Yipee!

Now it’s my turn.  He pointed out two projects that he suggested I tackle as soon as possible.  Which I will do just as soon as we get to the Escapees Park where we’ll be staying for two weeks.  As he said, why should I pay him to do what he knows I can do.  I like that.

Repairs done we’re here for the night.  We’re level,  have 50 amp and water so we’re comfortable for the night.  Tomorrow we hit the road again.

Of course while Graybeard was being attended to we decided to go off sight seeing.  A little teaser, we went to

An absolutely fascinating place where we spent the better part of three hours.  A detailed tour will be coming up within two to three days.  First I have hundreds of pictures to sort through and put in order.  Stay tuned.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Repairs have been made.  An added bonus was that our bill was only one third of what we were expecting.  We had a great day of sightseeing.  To finish it all off we have a decent place to call home for the night.  Life is good.  Thank you Lord.

Thanks for joining us again.  We always appreciate your company and comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Elkhart Campground, Elkhart, Indiana

August 4, 2019

Temperature 82 Degrees

RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum, Part Two

Before we pick up again on our tour of the Museum can I ask everyone reading this blog to just pause for a moment and remember those in Austin and Dayton

Pray for comfort for those who lost loved ones

Pray for healing for those who have been injured

Pray for comfort for those who have been traumatized by the violence.

Thanks

Back to the Museum and our tour of the RV Founders Hall, Say Hi to Barbara as she prepares to head in.

Time to travel down memory lane.

We’ll begin with a 1929 Wiedman Housecar.  The body of a Wiedman Housecar was built in upstate New York, and then shipped to a purchaser for self installation, or to the factory to be installed by them on the buyer’s chassis of choice.

A driver’s seat was a $35 option, but apparently any comfortable chair would do.

The one bed is oriented front to back, pillow in the back.

The large panel on the drivers side was for a additional canvas covered fold down bed.  As of now it is bolted in place and cannot be opened.

This is the 1931 Mae West Housecar.  In 1931 Paramount Studios presented this custom-built House Car to Mae West to entice her to leave Vaudeville and join Paramount to make movies. Mae West used this housecar for several years as transportation between her home or hotel and shooting locations.

This Housecar was designed as a chauffeur-driven lounge instead of a camper — it features a small hot plate, icebox and a small table to enjoy a meal.

Mae West had a rocking chair on this back porch to enjoy fresh air when she had the opportunity.

This is a 1933 Ford Kamp Kar.  Henry Ford introduced the V8 in 1932, so this is one of the first housecars to be powered by a V8 engine.  The Kamp Kar was built by Walter Runkle, a home builder who created these custom vehicles for local customers from 1915–1940. This particular example was used from 1933–47 for yearly winter trips from Illinois to Florida.

Now we come to Covered Wagon.

This is a 1929 Covered Wagon Travel Trailer.   It was this design that gave the company its name.

This is a 1935 Covered Wagon Travel Trailer.  The exterior is leatherette over a thin plywood wall and the roof is coated canvas stretched over tarpaper.

This is a 1955 Spartan Imperial Mansion Mobile Home.  A little more than a typical RV, the Spartan Imperial Mansion was built by J. Paul Getty’s Spartan Aircraft Company at the end of WWII, taking advantage of surplus production capacity. The wraparound front window was considered to be a Spartan trademark.

The Spartan featured an all-aluminum exterior with aluminum wall studs and an all-birch interior.

This is a 1955 Ranger Crank-up Tent Trailer.  Less than 200 of these pop-up campers were built, and this one has customized upper bunks that fold down when the roof is lowered. This design was the first use of fiberglass in a trailer body.

Ranger was the first brand to use the term “slide-out” to describe the extendable section which provided space for the rear bed.

This is a 1966 Mustang Travel Trailer.  The Mustang was one of the first travel trailers to feature a “bunkhouse” design that incorporates a second-story bed layout.  

The upper bunk is behind that big brown wall and is accessed thru a walkway on the left in the picture.

This year and model also marked the first year that RV’s began to incorporate built in bathrooms and showers on a wide spread basis.  At first most were wet baths.

This is the beginning of the Class C Motorhome.  Up until now most truck campers slide into the truck bed in the back.  This is 1969 Sites Truck Mounted Camper required that the truck bed be removed and the camper was permanently mounted to the front cab portion.

Now we come to Airstream.

We move now to Coachmen.  This 1964 Coachmen Cadet Travel Trailer is the first production trailer from Coachmen.

The Cadet features a unique bed stowed up against the ceiling, and is manually lowered into position above the dinette when ready for use.

This is a Coachmen that has gone the distance.  This is a 1978 Leprechaun that was purchased in 1979.  This RV was used for 24 years by four generations of one family.  It has traveled through 48 states and 9 Provinces of Canada.  In 2013 it was donated to the museum with over 64,000 miles on the odometer.

Now we come to Fleetwood.  This is the 1950 Fleetwood Sporter.  This travel trailer marks the beginning of Fleetwood Enterprises.  

This is Fleetwood’s first motorhome.  

This is the 1985 prototype for the Fleetwood Bounder.  When it was released in 1987 it was the first motorhome to offer basement storage.

Moving on to GMC.  They built motorhomes from 1973 to 78.  Though no longer in production it was considered a fresh new approach to RV’s.  This RV features a front-wheel-drive system from a Cadillac Eldorado as well as an airbag suspension system for better ride and handling — an advanced feature for its day.  The story goes that the corp brass killed continued production of it because they didn’t believe there would be a continued market for it.  Today it is one of the most sought after vintage motorhomes for restoration.

 This is a 1974 GMC Motor Home. Keep in mind the following pictures for right after this you’ll see a full on restoration of one of these RV’s.  A restoration, unfortunately, that went terribly wrong.

Now for that restoration that went wrong.  This is a 1977 GMC Motor Home
It may look great now, but this GMC motorhome was discovered parked next to a dumpster with flat tires, a rotten awning and animals living in the wheelwells. Bob and Janet Prince sold their 45 foot Prevost and then socked more than $500,000 into restoring this RV beyond its original form to be a fully modern recreational vehicle.  The paint job alone cost over $10,000.

I climbed up in the captain’s chair, up there you really do feel like the captain of your ship!  Comfortable beyond all belief.  What an impressive view out the front windshield.

The couch converts into a bed.

A separate storage space for your wine glasses.  It also has an induction cook top.

 

Tight quarters, shower to the left in this picture.  Again absolutely beautiful.

Separate washer and dryer.

Absolutely stunning isn’t it.  So what’s wrong with it?  It can’t be driven.  It’s owner claims that each time he drove it, it tried to kill him.  Others who own similar vehicles have absolutely no problems with the handling.  Is it overloaded?  Was something done wrong when the running gear was upgraded?  No one knows and no one will buy it.  So it’s owner donated it to the RV museum.

Let’s jump over to Jayco now.   This is a 1968 Jayco Jayhawk Camper.  Lloyd Bontrager founded Jayco in the 1960s, and this camper was the 40th trailer he built. The crank-up roof system was unique at the time.

Let’s look at a Scotty Trailer.  This is a1957 Serro Scotty 12-Foot Travel Trailer
Serro Scotty trailers stood out for their unique low silhouette with a rear entry door and drop-down floor. This design allowed owners to store the trailer in a typical residential garage.

We’ll end our tour of this hall with Winnebago.  This is a 1967 Winnebago Motor Home.
Winnebago had been a travel trailer manufacturer until the mid 1960s; this is an example of the company’s first motorized RV. Priced around $5,000, the Winnebago started the trend towards affordable motorhome production.

That was then.  How about now?  This is a 2019 Winnebago Vista
This is one of the latest models to come from Winnebago. It includes features that weren’t even thought of when the first RVs were coming to market, including LED lighting, Primera-covered furnishings and a powered patio awning with LED light strip.

That’s the end of our trip down memory lane.  There are still other vehicles on display but some of them I didn’t get pictures of.  By the time I was to the end I was on picture overload.

There are two other halls in the Museum.

Then these two.

The Hall of Fame.  Pictures of those who have made a significant contribution to the RV industry.

That brings us to the end of our tour of the Museum.  I could have spent hours in the research library but I knew better!  The museum is absolutely fascinating and I would encourage you to put it on your bucket list of must places to visit.  There is so much more there then I could every include in one or two blogs.

That brings us to the end of our day on The Road of Retirement.  We went to church – what a joke it turned out to be.  More like the personal political views and beliefs of the preacher.  Our laundry is done.  Time to have a glass of wine and and sit back and relax.  Tonight I’ll separate us from the mother ship so that we’re ready to roll over to the repair shop first thing a.m.

Thanks for joining us again.  We always appreciate your company and comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Elkhart Campground, Elkhart, Indiana

August 2, 2019

Temperature 86 Degrees

RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum

Today it was time to cross another attraction off of our bucket list.  Today we were going to the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum.  By the way, the MH we discovered stands not for manufactures but manufactured homes.

The museum was only 10 minutes away and it was open until 5 pm so we saw no need to rush out at dawn’s early light.  One day of that was more than enough for the both of us.

Breakfast first, eggs on toast, sausage, juice and a couple of cups of coffee and we were ready for the day.

Off we went.  A few turns this way and that and we were there.

Entering the lobby you noticed a few things right away.  Such as this guy.

 

Regarding what Charlie is sitting on it is quite neat.

Then there was this picture taken by Time Magazine of Main Street in Elkhart in 1998.

Time now to enter the first exhibit hall.

The Go RVing Coalition, formed in 1994, consists of RV manufacturers, component suppliers, dealers and campgrounds. Go RVing works to provide the public and media with pertinent information about the benefits of RV travel and to foster customer satisfaction with the RV experience through customer research conducted by the Committee on Excellence.

 

 

 

Time now to move to the real center of attraction at the museum.

About that big chest sitting in the middle of the entrance.

 

First thing you notice as you enter the hall is the floor and what’s on it.  Painted on the floor is a “road back into time” with dashed highway lines, snaking its way through tent trailers, travel trailers,  house cars, truck campers and some really neat motorhomes.

Let’s go.  First up is a 1913 Earl Travel Trailer with Model T Ford.  This was the last year for choice of colors for the Model T Ford so the blue is authentic.  This is reputed to be the oldest travel trailer in the world, custom made for a Cal Tech professor by a Los Angeles carriage maker. The trailer was restored in 1980.

The trailer features a dining table that seats four and can convert to a double bed.  There is storage under each seat.

This a 1916 Cozy Camp Trailer Tent At the time most trailers like this were homemade — this one was built by Habig Manufacturing in Indianapolis, Indiana, making it one of the first examples of a manufactured trailer.

This is a 1916 Telescoping Apartment or as we dubbed it the coffin car based on the coffin like space for the bed.  Built on a 1915 Ford Model T, the Telescoping Apartment was built as an aftermarket camping accessory for early trucks. Both side cabinets and the rear section would slide back into the vehicle for travel. There is even a shower with warm water provided by the truck’s radiator. This particular example was built in San Francisco and sold for $100.

Maybe there is more space here than meets the eye, but with no windows it really looks and feels closed in.

  This is a 1931 Model AA Ford Housecar.  This custom housecar was discovered in a barn in Athens, Alabama, in 1999 and was fully restored by 2003. The Ford AA chassis was used for a variety of vehicles, from ambulances to school busses to vehicles like this camp truck. The 40-horsepower engine gave this early RV a cruising speed of 25–30 mph. The owners say that the engine ran fine the day it was found, even after being in storage for more than 40 years.

The seats were added by the restorers.  Originally, there was just a bench for the driver.

The floors are made from yellow pine, while the cabinetry uses oak and yellow poplar.

This is a 1932 Gilkie Kamp King Tent Trailer.  Founded in the mid 1920s, Gilkie was one of the first successful manufacturers of tent trailers.

A unique feature of this trailer is an icebox and pantry that can be accessed from inside or outside, making it possible to load up the trailer for an outing without opening it up, as well as opening the pantry for a roadside meal without popping up the entire tent.

One more for the night and then we’ll pick it up again tomorrow.  Not really an RV but just to neat not to include in the exhibit area.  This is a 1937 Hunt Housecare known as the Star because of the star on its grille.  It is all original and found exactly in the condition that you see it here.

Cook a burger while you’re driving?

The table drops to form a bed.

I have no idea how this toilet works.  On the plus side, it is believed to be one of the first RV’s with a working shower.

Going to call it for the night.  I’ll be back tomorrow with much more.  Including a million dollar RV restoration that resulted in a motorhome that can not be driven.  So they donated it to the RV museum!

But before I go, a quick comment about our lunch stop.  Our usual custom is to find someplace that the locals would recommend and give it a try.  No different today.  When we asked around at the museum they recommended this restaurant.

We had a beautiful setting on the porch looking out at the lake.

It had some interesting items in unusual places.  Riding high?

A face like that only a mother can love.

Dig those glasses!

The menu looked interesting.

Unfortunately, the food did not deliver.  The promise of two steak patties sounded so juicy, so over the top.  Well, the two together were not even as thick as a whopper at Burger King.  The fries were cold and hard, I even asked for another batch and got the same thing.   The only good thing I can say about this place is that their craft beer is excellent.  Actually, one more thing, the waitresses are great.  Super service all around.  Suffice to say, sadly we will not be going back.

We found a place, however, to chase our blues about lunch away.  Always good, never disappoints.

That was our day on The Day of Retirement.  We were able to cross another attraction off our bucket list and enjoyed every minute we spent doing it.  Tomorrow we’ll finish up our tour there.  Lots of interesting things yet to share with you.

Thanks again for joining us, we always appreciate your company and comments.  Have a good night, catch you again tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2019

Home Is Where We Park It:  Elkhart Campground, Elkhart, Indiana

August 2, 2019

Temperature 84 Degrees

Newmar Factory Tour

Oh yes we wanted to do this.  Why else would we even consider getting up at 6:30 am?  We where up this early inorder to make the 8:30 am Newmar Factor Tour.

 

This tour ran 4 hours and took us through every building.  Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed.

Pictures or not let me share some observations with you

• there is little automation when it comes to building their coaches.  No computers guiding routers, saws, etc.  Everything is done the old fashion way, measure three times and then cut by hand.
• the factory floors are as clean as clean can be.  There is one individual assigned to follow up and clean every work area as soon as a coach is moved out of the area.
• the coaches don’t move down an assembly line, rather the wheels of each coach are on pads that are powered by air and float just above the floor.  When they need to move a coach to the next area, the pads are aired up and the coach is pushed sideways to the next work bay.  Easy, quick and efficient.
• quality control inspectors are constantly roving the floor, easy to spot by the clipboard and inspection list they hold.  It begins when the coach is in welding and continues through to the very end.  I saw one coach moved out of production and to repair/touch up because a flaw was found in the side wall.
• once the water, black/gray tanks, and all sinks and showers, and water lines are installed all of the tanks are filled with water and all lines are pressurized and left like that to the end of the building process to determine if there are any leaks.
• each coach is built with aluminum studs in the ceiling and wall that are 16 inches on center.  The floor, sidewalls and roof are also insulted with a bat like insulation that is made of recycled material.
• at the end each coach is subjected to what amounts to a monsoon rain storm for 30 minutes to determine if there are any leaks in any seams, around windows, etc.
• midway through the build process and then again at the very end each coach is completely cleaned.
• once the slides are installed they are run out and in countless times.
• they have a new paint process for all coaches, if you now run your hand over the finished coach you’ll feel no lip between the graphics and the painted wall.  It is all one completely smoothly painted surface.
• they have just completed a new campground at their repair facility.  It has a total of 65 sides, FHU, some back in and some pull-through and all are level concrete pads,   It is really impressive looking.  The repair facility itself is equally impressive.  It is so clean, each coach is assigned to one tech and to one bay while being worked on.

I know I’m missing a lot more but suffice to say we both came away absolutely impressed with the way Newmar coaches are built.  We’ve always said if the opportunity presented itself we would absolutely love to have a Dutch Star.  This tour only reinforced our desire to someday, hopefully own one.

What else is happening?  I’ve been slowing working my way through the location spots on my map updating each with dates stayed, site number, attractions we visited and up to ten pictures for each.    One by one I’m updating them.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  We’re not used to such an early hour for wake up so we came home and took a nap.  We have two more attractions we definitely want to see before we leave here – The RV Hall of Fame and The Studebaker Museum.  We’ll have to get them in quick since as I said earlier we’re moving over to Geber on Sunday afternoon.  We’ll do it.

Thanks again for coming along with us today.  We always enjoy your company and your comments.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s two human soul mates.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!