Well, I’ve gotten the license plate mess cleaned up and they are on their way to my drop mail box, but I still don’t physically have them…all I’ve got is the temp tags, good until Dec. 10th.
Lately I seem to be determined to subconsciously piss off all my friends. Everyone is mad at me lately and I seem powerless to stop it. Perhaps I’ve mentally moved on and don’t know why they haven’t? I guess I have some apologies to make soon.
Peace,
Jim
I’m still here in Gresham waiting for my license plates for the RV. Oh, and my title! My temp tags expire in 2 days. Getting a little nervous about getting a ticket.
Meanwhile, here in Gresham it’s cool and last night my propane turned itself off so I had no heat. Lucky that I have two very comfy and warm blankets for the bed. Found that I must have parked at to much of an angle because when I went to refuel today, the tank that acted empty last night only needed 11 gallons, and it’s a 20 gallon tank.
One of the benefits of the RV is that if I’m at a bar, I won’t always have to leave the parking lot. Friday night the OLCC waltzed into LT’s where I hang out and promptly ticketed Danny the bartender for serving a visibly drunk guy. The cops told the guy if he went outside he’d be arrested for public intoxication. Then the cops picked up someone who knew they were around and tried to drive. Dumb. Anyway, three of my female friends that were in the bar all decided it would be better to stay in my RV then try to drive home. I didn’t get to bed until 4:30. Great time.
Talk to you guys later, with pictures, I hope.
Jim
I got my Merc sold for $175, after I put almost $200 into it in the previous week, it wouldn’t pass DEQ and I didn’t want to bother anymore. It’s only worth $400-$500 and a friend really wanted it, otherwise I would have used it as a tax deduction.
I’m in Walla Walla now, sitting in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Got online with my hi-gain wireless antenna onto ‘Enterprise Wireless AP’, whatever/whoever that is. But they don’t have any security so I like them. So I’ve got a free high-speed connection for now. There are 2 other local sites I could use too; one of them is the local grade school.
Tonight I will go and visit my sister and meet the woman she’s been trying to get me to meet for weeks. That will be a kick in the pants, I’m sure. Maybe she speaks Spanish.
My plans will be to start drifting down to Mexico. I’d like to winter there, maybe buy some land and camp out 6-7 months per year.
I’m basically waiting for winter so I can go south. I think I’ve got my car sold, I’ll know later today. It’s having problems so I’ve offered it for $175 (down from $400) since it didn’t pass DEQ yesterday.
In the last several weeks I’ve gone fishing up at Lake Billie Chinook with Gordon and his girl friend, caught 5 Chinook, ate them for dinner (hmmm), made two trips to Walla Walla to visit Maria, got a new muffler while I was there. Got a new refer cooling unit here in Portland, new front tires in Hermiston, and gotten some little things fixed. Came back down through Pendleton and Pilot Rock, spent the night at a small (3 pull through spaces) RV center, the next day I visited the fossil beds in central Oregon, got back on the road and spent the night near the Prineville reservoir. Got back here in Portland a few days ago and I’ve been goofing off since.
Meanwhile, I’ve also gone to Salem for the ‘Bounders Usergroup’ rally. Didn’t stay because it would have cost $200 to join the group ($35) and then the rest was for the rally itself. Didn’t seem to me, after talking to several people and wandering through the vendor area, to be worth $160 or so.
I’m getting the traveling bug again and want to get that car off my hands so I can take a long trip, like down to visit my brother.
But first, damit, I’ve got to get me a camera!
Got every thing sold or given away at the house by the 21st of August and got on the road around noon. Went down to Flying J and filled up the tank, headed east on I-84. Four hours later I’m in Walla Walla and it’s getting dark so I stop at the only RV place in Walla Walla. Not bad but over priced for not having wireless internet. Cost was $25 per night.
Made some calls and went over to see Maria the next day. She is interested in going for a little drive about but can’t go for a whole week like I wanted. We settle on 3-4 days. The next day is all about waiting for her nurse to get the prescriptions she needs and order them in little envelopes so she can take them at the right times. Maria has brain cancer that has spread so she’s on a treatment regime that requires all the pills. Since it’s taking so long, I end up in the Wal-Mart parking lot for the night. Comfy.
We get on the road Monday at about 2pm and head northish. Four hours later we pull into the camping spot at Fishtrap lake outside of Spokane. Built in the ’30’s, the buildings are showing their age but the lake is still a beautiful & peaceful place. Steep walled canyon, volcanic, with a lake in it (duh…) of about 3 miles by 2 miles. The owner raises buffalo on the rim so we bought T-bone steaks for dinner. Yummy. That night and into the next morning is rains like crazy, so no fishing.
Next day we head for the Grand Coulee Dam. The weather clears up some but it’s cloudy and cool…just how I like it. Not much to say about the dam, it’s huge but basically uninteresting. Hit the road and headed for Dry Falls, which was the worlds largest falls 16,000 years ago but is dry now. Now this was interesting, so we spent about 2-3 hours going over the exhibit and looking at the view. Really neat stuff.
Next we headed for Moses Lake and points south. Traveled along a river for a while, can’t remember it’s name. Stopped south of Moses Lake and spent the night in a camp ground. Not much happening there but there was a lot of long-term stay overs at the park that had really dug into the place. Even had their own lawn mowers and yard tools. Didn’t get a chance to ask any why they seemed to like the place so much…must be contractors.
The following day we head back towards Pasco and Walla Walla. Some interesting ground to see and we did find a roadside farm fruit stand that had delicious apples and stuff. Back on the road, I start wiping the apple off on my pants and Maria says, “You should wash that”. I don’t want to stop the rig for that so I just wipe. Later that day, I see the lead article in the paper is that local farmers have been using a banned spray on their apples despite the ban, because it works so well to stop a fungus…the spray is also known to cause lung cancer. Other then that not much to much excitement or things to see.
We get into Walla Walla late in the day, and go visit Maria’s mother on the family farm. They have a 50 year old fuel tank on the property that has about 100 gallons of gas buried underground that hasn’t been touched in 30 years. The fuel is rotten, smells like turpentine. And the tank is 100 yards from an artesian well and 100 feet from a neighbor’s pumped well. So the next day I call and leave a message for the EPA. They call me back and say, “There are no local or national laws that cover that. It would be hard to get a loan on the property when they sell, oh, and they could be sued by their neighbors if the tank leaks, but no laws to worry about”. Hmmm.
I spent the next 4 days up at Gordon’s above lake Billie Chinook. Now I’m in Gresham.
Today I have lots of people coming over to pick up all the stuff that hasn’t sold at the yard/garage sales. I’m giving some of it to Salvation Army and the rest is listed at ‘Freecycle’. Portland has the nations largest Freecycle group with nearly 9000 people ready to drop what they are doing and run out here to pick up something free. I should get rid of nearly everything today. Which is good since I’m trying to get out of the house by Friday, noon.
The funds came through yesterday, it was cool carrying a check with that large of an amount to the credit union.
I’m still figuring where to put stuff, I’m living in the RV now, just using the house for laundry and showers (I don’t have a shower curtain yet). I ripped out the dinning space bench seats but left the table. Now I’m using that space as my shop/computer station. I did give up a twin bed for the space, but I still have room for 4 people to sleep. I’ve got the space set up with two computers now but 1/3 of the space is taken up by a refer I borrowed until I can get my built in refer fixed. Later today, if all goes well, I want to get down to Fry’s and pick up a Kodak EasyShare digital camera so I can show you folks some pixs. Cross your fingers.
Talk to you later.
I won’t get as much from the sale of the house as I’d hoped but…it did sell fast and that’s important too.
So, I guess I will have to work on the road after the first year of bumming around. We will see. I should know in a matter of months. Meanwhile, I’ve been studying Central America and find that crime is really out of control down there, especially in Mexico and in Belize, two countries I’ll be traveling through to get to Panama. Maybe I’ll give it another year to cool off before I head down there, or I’ll have to find a caravan to travel with (ick). Anyway, this week end I’ll be on my way over to Walla Walla to pick up Maria (a traveling buddy for a couple weeks).
I’m trying to get everything out of the house by Friday @ 6:00pm. Might be a sqeeker.
1994 Fleetwood Bounder 36.5′
190HP Cummins Diesel Engine
96,000 miles
Previous owner was a RV rental place in Alaska
Home has had many miles from Florida through states that use salt on the roads in winter or it tended to be near the coast (rusty chassis).
Recent problem: After picking coach up at the consignment dealer, ran fine, restarted several times.
Got it home, parked it on a 3-5 degree slope, nose down.
Next day started fine.
3rd day would not start, strong batteries, just not getting fuel. Would not start for the next week.
Neighbor and #1 son worked on coach and gave up, but did notice that an air release banjo screw on the engine was striped, would not seal and allowed air into the fuel delivery system.
Hired diesel mechanic who did some magic involving removing the output hose from the water separator and dipping it in a can of diesel fuel, pumping the lift pump, cranking it for many seconds several times, etc.
Mechanic decided that the banjo screw assembly needed replacement and that the in-the-tank fuel pump wasn’t working or was weak.
Ordered and replaced banjo screw, two washers and the sealing screw, $39 worth of parts, $245 for labor (including trip charge) @ $60/Hr.
Since I had a backup out-of-tank in-line fuel pump ($55, cheap insurance) with a 5-9 GPM output, I went ahead and plumbed it in near the engine while we were waiting for the parts to be delivered, bolting it to the frame and rerouting the fuel hose. Additional parts needed were fuel hose ($3.60 per foot! needed 8′) brass couplers and adapters to mate the 1/4″ pump with the 1/2″ system ($20 or so), clamps, and electrical connectors. Got lucky and found a nearby live wire that is live during ‘run’ and ‘start’.
Starts great now! All I need do now is place a fuel filter for 1/2″ hose in front of the pump.
Here’s what it looks like…
This is the best pix I could find, it is a 36′ with a 190hp-diesel Cummins engine. It does have some problems, like it won’t start today though it did several times the day I picked it up and the next two days, the refer isn’t working, and there is a slight icky smell in the basement.
It cost $27,770 plus another $800 to fix the mirrors and back up camera plus taxes and license to drive it off the lot but I’ve got a lot of wiggle room since I budgeted $30,000. This was like the lowest cost diesel I could find this new (a ’94). And the price is about $5,000 to $9000 less then I could find anywhere in the US so I’m happy. Now I’ve got to get JP to get it running again. Meanwhile, it’s fun just sitting in it and watching TV.
After spending 100’s of hours on the internet gathering info about RVs, I’ve decided that a Fleetwood Bounder of around 34′ would be best for me. Then the choice is engines and I’ve heard that the diesels are the most reliable, getting 200,000 to 300,000 miles before needing expensive repairs, whereas a gas model with, say, a Ford 460 engine will get you about 100,000 miles before you need to replace the engine. What I don’t know is how much maintenance is needed on a diesel.
I did find a consignment dealer out in the boondocks south of here with 2 models that I like.
The first choice is a ’94 Bounder (Fleetwood), 36′, with 190HP diesel with 96,000 miles. They are asking $31,500. Currently owned by a smoker, you can still faintly detect the odor of cigs. When it gets into damp weather, it’s gonna stink. There is a large burn in the molding near the bed and the interior uses a darker scheme. It does have the double paned windows I’m looking for. But I would have to tear out the booth type dinette in order to have a place for my shop and computer station. It also has solar panels, a generator, levelers, etc. The problems are the smell, the batteries need replacement, and the decals are peeling. No URL for this one.
The second choice is a ’93 Southwind (Fleetwood), 35′, with a Ford 460 engine with 35,000 miles. They are asking $30,000. This one is unusual in that it has a custom cargo door next to the standard entrance door. It would be great for lifting heavy computers or equipment right on the kitchen tile in what would become my shop area. It’s light, bright and cheery and would work great for my shop. Right now it just has a folding table and a folding chair. (See the rig at http://www.topohillrv.com/index-1042.htm). It also has a 7KW genset (larger then usual), leveling jacks, drivers door, etc. The major problem with this one is a large water stain around and near the skylight in the hall. I’d have to really check that out before purchase to be sure there is no wood rot. There probably is though.
I’m getting ready to make an offer to both these sellers. It’s a great time to buy because RVs are not selling well with the gas prices up around $2 per gallon. Maybe I’ll get a buy or at least a good counter offer.
Wish me luck!
