Currently in Belton MO (Low 63 Partly Sunny and Nice High 80)
With all the stuff in need of repair we decided we needed a diversion, a fun night out. We also needed a win and we got one (more on that later).
Saturday night we went to an Elvis Tribute Show. Bobby Simkins was the Elvis Tribute Artist. He started out with "CC Rider".
He sang for over 2 hours with one break. It was a great show with songs that Elvis sung including rock, gospel, and country. We even got a Christmas song. We were also treated to Elvis singing the National Anthem which he will perform at a home game on August 13th for the minor league baseball team in the KC area, the T-Bones. Here is Elvis on stage.
While in the crowd there was a great silhouette that Bob was lucky enough to catch.
He ended with an iconic Elvis pose. He really looks like Elvis in silhouette and in this pose.
As diversions go this was a great one. As wins go right now any win is a good one. Another annoying thing we have dealing with is the tilt out drawer on the island. Going down the road has loosened the mounting screws a few times. The trip to Belton was the trip of all trips for breaking stuff and the door gave up the ghost. Bob used the old matchstick trick gluing them in the enlarged holes. Remounting the door was difficult due to very tight working conditions and some contortionist like positions. Does Bob look like he is having a good time?
The good news is we were able to reattach the door. The bad news is that Bob needs a trip to the chiropractor 😏
We needed a diversion and a win and we got both.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 64 Partly Sunny and Nice High 80)
Original subject of the post: IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING - THIS TIME IT'S THE INVERTER. Then we had to add "Hail" then "Battery Charger" then "Transfer Switch" then a "Leaking Roof".
To paraphrase Michael Corleone in Godfather 3, every time we think we have all the bugs worked out, we get pulled down by another one. Or in this instance pulled down again and again.
This time started with the inverter/charger which converts the 12v in our battery bank to 110v when we are not connected to shore power. This is mainly for our residential refrigerator to keep it cool traveling down the road. When connected to shore power the inverter/charger then charges the batteries after our trip and keeps them charged to run all of the 12v lighting and other 12v accessories.
When we were setting up in Belton Jo realized that the refrigerator wasn't working. The air conditioners and microwave had power so we knew we were connected. We reset the 110v breakers but still no working refrigerator. We then went on a hunt to find out where it was plugged in. We finally found that it was plugged in behind the kitchen drawers but then had to learn how to get the drawer out. This was more difficult since the drawers almost hit the island when fully extended. Bob figured out the secret handshake and got the drawer out and tested the outlet which was dead.
The inverter is wired so that if you spent some time without shore power you could have a cold refrigerator, have coffee in the morning, watch television, charge your electronics, and have a fan in the bedroom. We checked and everything associated with the inverter was dead so Bob went and checked on the inverter in the forward storage area. Here it is with the cover off so Bob can do some troubleshooting.
The first thing he noticed was the cooling fan was not working which normally runs for a while after our traveling. He found and pressed the reset button and went back inside but everything was still dead. The refrigerator then became the first priority so we ran an extension cord from the microwave outlet to the refrigerator plug. With us you have to know that television was the next priority so we ran an extension cord to the TV and another one to the DVR. Eventually we ran an extension cord from the shore power 20a outlet through a window to the microwave and moved the Keurig to a working outlet.
When Bob was doing the troubleshooting one of the screens on the inverter display showed 14.1 volts so he thought the charging portion was working but after a couple of days the lights were getting dimmer and sure enough the charging side wasn't working. So we added yet another bridge from shore power to inverter/charger and manually hooked up a battery charger to our battery bank. We can't wait until things are back to normal. Here is a photo showing the extension cords for the microwave.
If that wasn't enough we had a bad storm coming in so Bob closed all the exterior doors which unplugged the battery charger and microwave. If that wasn't enough when it rained we had a leak. Thank goodness for sham wows as we used them to control the water inside. If that wasn't enough when Bob reconnected the battery charger he reversed the polarity and fried the battery charger. So off to Walmart for a replacement.
When Bob had the shore power off to test the inverter we decided it was a good time to exercise our generator. We rarely use our Onan 5500 generator so we follow the manufacturers recommendations and every month or so we run the generator under load for about 20-30 minutes. We quickly noticed we were not getting any power from the generator so added the transfer switch to the list.
As mentioned before the night we got hail and a fair amount of rain we had a small leak in the roof. Bob got on the roof and found a spot that might have caused it and caulked it. The hail storm was on a Saturday. The following Wednesday we had the mother of all storms, rain wise. The small leak in one spot turned into a gusher out of one of the ceiling lights and more leaks on top of that. We had sham wows and bowls and crock pot and anything that could catch water. Bob added caulk in more spots on the roof and with no rain in the forecast for a while we hope he's got all the spots taken care of. After it cures we will use the hose and see if it is still leaking and yet another thing to add to the list.
We have a mobile service tech coming and we have an extended warranty so we shall see how all this plays out.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 77 Mostly Sunny and HOT and HUMID High 96 Feels Like 106)
Subtitled: Satan called and wants his weather back!
It is hot and humid here in Belton and we are under a "Excessive Heat Warning" until Saturday night so needless to say we haven't been doing much.
We recently bought a Dyson V8 Animal and could not be happier. For us this is the perfect vacuum for an RV because of no cord and because of the small space battery life is not an issue.
The V8 has almost twice the suction power of the V6 Animal that we also have, with less noise. We also recently purchased the Heat/Cool fan which we use in the bedroom.
We have been buying Dyson products for awhile and have the original handheld DC34 and the DC35 which was their first powered beater bar. The V6 Animal then improved upon the DC35 and the V8 Animal improved upon the V6. We are anxiously waiting for the next big thing from Dyson.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Belton MO (Low 68 Mostly Sunny Hot and Humid High 92)
We left Waukee Iowa yesterday and headed to Belton Missouri, the state we lived in for many years.
It was approximately 220 miles, this is the route we took down Interstate 35.
We are 'moochdocking' at a friends place and we will be here 5 weeks visiting family, friends, and a vet today for our 3 cats.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Waukee IA (Low 70 Partly Sunny Currently 76)
Heading to Belton MO (Currently 70 Mostly Sunny High 91)
Timberline Campground in Waukee Iowa is our go to campground when we are in the area. It is a little expensive, about the same as a KOA, but its closeness to Des Moines and to Bob's family and friends make it worth the $.
As it usually turns out when we have been somewhere before our GPS devices agreed on the route and brought us right to the campground. Sometimes, someplace we have never been before we might have issues, but not today.
We were surprised to learn at checkin that as of May the campground has new owners. So far things appear to be as they were before which was encouraging. The interior roads are gravel as is the site. There is a concrete patio. This was the first time for us in the trees but it all worked out. We backed up enough in our pull-thru to get on the patio but still be in the trees somewhat with great satellite signal strength. We balanced all that and we are glad we were in the trees as we had some 90-90 days, highs in the 90s and humidity in the 90s. Just a typical summer day in Iowa.
We had some rain and wished there was a little more gravel as the site got a little muddy. And we wished the sites were a little further apart. The hookups were convenient once we settled on our stopping point. The free park wifi was fairly good except in high traffic times. Since we are so close to Des Moines the Verizon 4g and cellphone signal strength was pretty good.
Here is the Lifestyle in the trees from the front.
To the right.
To the left.
From the rear.
As mentioned before this is our go to place in central Iowa so we will definitely stay here again. We depart today for Belton Missouri.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo.
Currently in Waukee IA (Low 77 Storms and Heat and Humidity High 91)
On our way to the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Ashland Nebraska we had a hit and a miss. The hit was lunch at Over Easy in Omaha. We liked the 'Breakfast-Lunch-Drive Thru' sign.
After we sat down we saw this sign that sums up our dining philosophy.
We split a Reuben sandwich with hashbrown rounds and Grilled Gouda with sweet potato tots.
Then a table next to us got one of their cinnamon rolls and from the oohing and aahing we got one to go. We had it later that night and it was wonderful. This place has been added to our favorites.
Our miss was after lunch. We had heard about the Holy Family Shrine between the restaurant and the SAC Museum. Google maps took us down a gravel road and then we came to a road closed sign. We could see the shrine in the distance and the fact that the road was also closed coming in the other direction.
The hit of the great food more than made up for the miss of the shrine. Then the bigger hit was the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum we visited after the shrine.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Waukee IA (Low 76 Very Warm and Humid with periods of Clouds and Sunshine High 92)
We departed Greenwood Nebraska yesterday and headed to Waukee Iowa. Back to Bob's home state of Iowa. Here is the welcome sign as you cross over the Missouri River.
It was approximately 155 miles, this was the route we took.
We are staying again at Timberline Campground and will be here a week visiting friends and families.
Bob also has to track down a tire problem, probably one of the dual wheel valve extension inflators have gone bad.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 66 Sunny Currently 74)
Heading to Waukee IA (Currently 73 Partly Sunny High 91)
Our GPS devices brought us right to the park. The front office was courteous. The roads and sites and pad were all gravel with a grass patio. We were in a long pull-thru and the hookups were convenient and the spacing between sites was pretty good. There is free wifi provided by the park with some caveats. For one week you get 3 days free and then you have to pay. The signal was fairly strong but it was slow. The Verizon cellphone signal was fairly weak and there were a number of dropped calls. The Verizon 4g signal was also fairly weak. so we had a somewhat limited connectivity week. We had a great line of sight for our roof mounted satellite dish so our television watching was good. Although close to the interstate we didn't have that much road noise probably because we were in the row furthermost from the highway. The first part of the week the furthermost row was a good thing. Then on Friday night it became a bad thing as we were the closest row to the I-80 Speedway and they had races.
Here are photos from the park. The Lifestyle from the front.
To the right.
To the left.
From the rear.
We have had some great sunsets while here.
We leave today for Waukee Iowa.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 63 Mostly Sunny with afternoon Storms possible High 90)
Yesterday we toured the newly named Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum near Ashland Nebraska.
Yet another change for this facility in a long line of changes. The Strategic Aerospace Museum (always to the public the SAC Museum) was dedicated in 1966 at Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue Nebraska. It was an outdoor museum and showcased bombs and the aircraft that carried them. In 1992 the name was officially changed to the Strategic Air Command Museum and in 1998 it was moved to the Ashland location. Then the name was changed to the Strategic Air and Space Museum and now it is called the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum to reflect a more restrained post cold war situation.
Whatever it is called it is a great museum. As we were driving there it started raining and we were glad that most of the planes and exhibits are now indoors in two main hangars. We saw a movie on the SR-71 Blackbird during our tour and a SR-71 was on display at the front of the museum.
Here is Hangar A.
There was a Doolittle Raid exhibit since one of the pilots, Richard Joyce of Lincoln Nebraska, was one of the copilots. Here is a model of the USS Hornet and B-25s on board for the mission.
They also had a model of an airborne command plane. Enlarge and zoom in on the photo to see the different sections of this plane.
And of a cargo transport. It was neat seeing how the planes were laid out.
There was a Tuskogee Airmen exhibit.
A Russian MiG
Here are some more photos.
This was a great museum and we highly recommend that you visit if in the area. Allow a fair amount of time because there is a lot of printed material and films to go along with these great planes.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 65 Partly Sunny and not as Hot High 84)
As we have blogged about before Bob really likes his Diet Mountain Dew. Readily available in the Kansas City area and the midwest are all varieties including Diet Code Red and Diet Caffeine Free, although Diet Caffeine Free is rarer to find than the Diet Code Red. In Lincoln Nebraska at a Phillips 66 U-Stop Bob found something he has never seen before, a 20oz bottle of Diet Mountain Dew Caffeine Free.
So Bob is now stocked up for awhile with Diet Mountain Dew products, including a very rare find. Today we plan on visiting the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in nearby Ashland.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 68 Mostly Sunny and Very Warm High 97)
Subtitled: it never makes the noise when you take it into the shop for repair
We never received any printed information during our walkthrough
about the electric cord reel so Bob first went out and took a picture of the faceplate. Then he was
going to take the switch off so he could show the parts folks what he
was talking about. Here is a photo of the electric cord reel and switch from the web.
When we were trying to retract the cord when we were leaving the switch worked intermittently. So Bob tried it and guess what, it worked, so Bob pulled the cord from the basement area and then retracted it onto the reel. All this time the switch worked. Figuring we would need a spare in case it failed for good Bob still planned on visiting the RV parts place. Then Jo had the great idea to call first. Bob called the reel manufacturer and it turns out our switch is discontinued but the new switch for the next generation reels will work on our model. The manufacturer doesn't sell direct so Bob called a RV parts place in Lincoln.
With the holiday we weren't sure we were going to get the part in time so Bob then called a RV parts place near our next stop in Iowa. The switch will be there this week in time for us to pick up next week. That way if the current switch fails we will have a spare on hand.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 66 Partly Sunny High 90)
26 years ago today we were married in the historic court house in Independence Missouri with our friends Mark and Margaret as witnesses.
It was 105 degrees that day with no air conditioning in the historic building. We are not sure if it was because of the heat or nerves but Jo to this day claims she doesn't remember getting married. Bob to this day cannot believe how lucky he is.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 70 Humid with variable cloudiness High 89)
Happy Independence Day!!!
Whether you think we should celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, as we currently do, or July 2nd, as John Adams thought we might, Happy Independence Day to all.
Remember that we are the land of the free, because of the brave.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Greenwood NE (Low 66 Humid with times of Sun and Clouds High 88)
After a week in Kearney Nebraska we departed yesterday and headed to Greenwood, also in Nebraska. Our departure wasn't without drama. The switch for the electric cord reel failed and we had to stow the cord in the rear basement area. We didn't take the tour but we did see the Archway at the start of our journey yesterday.
It was approximately 150 miles to Greenwood. This is the route we took.
We will be in Greenwood a week and are staying at the Pine Grove RV Park. Looks like we are in for some more storms.
We will be visiting family in the area and hopefully will find time to tour the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in nearby Ashland.
But first thing today we head to Lincoln and a RV parts place for a new electric cord reel switch.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
Currently in Kearney NE (Low 62 Partly Cloudy Currently 70)
Heading to Greenwood NE (Currently 69 Clouds and Sun with afternoon Severe Thunderstorms High 90)
This is a really nice park, once you get to the correct one. The same people own the Kearney RV Park and Campground and the Kearney RV Park, if you go by what was on our GPS devices. We input the first park and both of our GPS devices brought us right there. Turns out that is the North Park and the office, and our site as it turns out, was in the second park, or the Getaway Bay Park. Times like these make us glad we now go on much shorter days than when we started.
Once we made it to the Getaway Bay Park the gal in the office was not there. Luckily we were behind another RV that did the same thing we did. She called the number on the sign and we were both told to go setup and then pay later. The roads, our site and our parking spot were gravel with the pad being concrete. The hookups were reversed from our rig with water at the back and power in the front. We have a long power code and plenty of fresh water hoses so it worked out just fine. We had a good line of sight for our roof mounted satellite dish. The Verizon cellphone signal was strong as was the 4g. The free park wifi for the most part was pretty good so we used that a lot.
Here is the Lifestyle from the front.
To the right.
To the left.
To the rear.
If you enlarge the photo to the left you will see the park geese. Some campgrounds will have a camp dog, here we get geese.
They were heading to Getaway Bay right across the road from our site.
We were surprised how big Kearney was and how much it had to offer. It was a week well spent and if we ever are in this area we would not hesitate to stay here again. We also had a great sunset.
We leave Kearney Nebraska today for Greenwood, also in Nebraska.
Till next time,
Bob and Jo
