Finally Home (trip stats)

We started this trip on 2 July and ended it on 8 Sept. 9 weeks. We stopped and made camp 30 times. 15 State Parks, 2 National Parks, and 2 Corps of Engineer campgrounds. There were 38 visits to a gas station. Prices ranged from $5.89 to $3.13. We took the MP into our mechanic today. I had 2 pages of write ups. We took a rock in the windshield in Idaho that left us with a 36" crack. We stopped at a campground in Washington that had bad power. It fried our surge Protector and screwed up the inverter. The # 1 slideout didn't work from day 1. The # 3 slideout quit about 3 weeks ago and the # 2 slideout was showing signs of failure for the last few days. Sounds like we have a slideout problem. Our holding tank dump hose for some unknown reason developed several leaks. Duct tape was somewhat effective, with the emphasis on Somewhat. There are a few more items that need attention and I'm hoping our guy can get things back in working order. The odometer went over 50,000 miles on this trip. From the bottom right corner of the country to the top left corner of the country and back took us 9,410 miles. The trip was frustrating, awesome, enlightening, and educational. Our meet up with the kids and Grandkids at Yellowstone was a highlight. I think everyone enjoyed that get together. I've been looking at all the pics we took and I'm already nostalgic. Davejennyjournal will be on vacation for awhile. This trip is in the can. 

Saint Mary's GA

This will be our last night on the road for this trip. The border between Georgia and Florida is the Saint Mary's river. We crossed over that river and then immediately existed I-95 on exit # 1 to get here. This is a KOA. We have covered so many miles and been to so many different places this trip that it's nearly impossible to keep it sorted out. Our goal was The North Cascades but our link up with the kids and Grandkids at Yellowstone was a memorable adventure. The MP has some very significant problems that will probably take months to get sorted out. We have one more leg tomorrow and we're hoping she'll hold together for that. I'll post some trip stats as a final post for this trip in a day or two. No pics today but I'll post some of the 100's of pics we took while on the road. 

Holt FL.

We are in the Florida panhandle, almost due north of Hurlburt Field where I was stationed for 3 years from '79 to '82. There have been several C-130's flying over the campground this afternoon. This park is called "Rivers Edge". The Yellow River is the river whose edge we are on. We went for a exploratory walk after we got set up and a couple of signs got our attention. Not sure what Damges are but everyone is apparently responsible for their own. Georgia tomorrow. 

Lafayette LA

We drove  400 miles today. The slog has begun. This park is a KOA in the midst of a love bug explosion. They are everywhere. We've got two more, one night stops, at commercial parks before we get home. One in Florida and one in Georgia. We have been out over 2 months now and we will have put nearly 10,000 miles on the MP when we get home. It has got some significant issues that have been exacerbated by this trip. It will be in the shop for awhile for sure. This pic is the MP at rest in our KOA campsite. 

San Antonio (Jenny's dad driveway)

When we got set up I tried the slideout reset procedure for the bedroom slide. It wouldn't go out normally and we were to afraid to fiddle with it for fear we wouldn't be able to get it back in. Since we are finally in a city we figured we could get some help getting it back in if it was stuck in the extended position. The instructions for the reset procedure say nothing about extending it if it's stuck in. The procedure is used to get it back in if it won't retract. I nervously did the procedure and then Jenny and I held our collective breath. I pushed the extend button and------and (pretty suspenseful wasn't it) it extended. We only extended it a few feet. Just enough so that we could get at our stuff that was trapped under the bed. We will be leaving here with the Holiday hordes on Monday. (Labor Day). This Afternoon we are having a small celebration for Jim's birthday. Larson is pretty frail and increasingly incoherent. His care givers are having a difficult time coping with his volatility. I do not envy them. I will see if I can get a few pics of the party.