On My Way

[chockwald]

Left Ontario at around 2:30pm, and arrived Las Vegas, NV around 7:30pm...staying at the Circus-Circus KOA right on the strip. They have about a dozen Airstream trailers here for rent....pretty cool. I'm pulling a 29' car trailer with our 2002 T-Bird, and Cannondale bikes...took them a while to find a pull through long enough for my 65' rig, and I barely fit.

The drive was uneventful, for which I am extremely grateful! This is my first time pulling something this heavy, and long with the Newell. I pulled El Cajon pass around 45-50mph. The Prodigy brake controller has worked flawlessly. Elaine will be done with her week long company meeting tomorrow morning (she's been here since Monday), and we'll head south to Kingman, AZ and pick up I-40 and head east to Miami, OK. Weather is nice and cool, which is great for the 6V92!

[prarieschooner]

Glad to hear that the 1st leg of the trip was uneventful! How does the Coach handle that long, long, long trailer? The 'bird looks good behind the bikes.
I will check my notes later today to identify the wire color for the brake signal.

[chockwald]

Arrived in Kingman, AZ around 4pm and checked in at Zuni RV Park.....BBQ'd some New York steaks....sitting here listening to a little Frank Sinatra on XM radio's "High Standards" whilst composing this update....I was concerned with pulling the big trailer with all the extra weight, but the 6V92 pulls like a champ up the 6% grades. Picture was taken at Zuni RV Park in Kingman, AZ. This is the market we got the New Yorks at. Got a longer day tomorrow...we'll head to Gallup, NM...about 350 miles.....

[Richard and Rhonda]

Glad the trip is good so far, keep the post coming.

[chockwald]

Left Kingman, AZ in a driving rain storm and began a steady climb in elevation to 7300 feet where the rain turned to snow! Wow..that was the last thing I was expecting today. We had snow from just before Williams, AZ to just past Flagstaff, AZ, and then rain again until about 50 miles west of Gallup. We are in Gallup, NM tonight at the USA RV park off exit 16...very nice park that can handle long rigs like mine. A totally uneventful day....just like I like them.....had the front chassis heater on full bast for a while...it was around 30 degrees for a 100 miles. Turned on the chassis heater for the tankage, and it kept the tankage at a comfortable 50 degrees. We'll aim for Tucumcar, NM tomorrow....just before the Texas border. Got several thumbs up from other coaches passing, and a big air horn honk from a Prevost. Every time we stop people to up to ask about the Newell. Trying to keep daily mileage at just over 300....did 338 today. I'll try to post pictures, but I have a very slow connection, so we'll see!

Here is a link to a YouTube video I made of our trip today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkKmQ4MkwSk

[prestadude]

What a fun video. Probably not going to reach viral status, but it sure is interesting to RV folks. Keep up the good work and do post some videos from the mini rally for those of us unable to attend.

[RoyG]

Pretty neat in deed. Looking forward to a like experience someday. Hopefully the Newell shopping pans out. Let us know what you find at the Newell factory. Like the video too. Its got my wife a little more excited.

[chockwald]

Hey guys...thanks for the comments. Will definitely do a video of the mini-rally with shots of all 15 coaches. We'll be leaving Gallup in about 2 hours....it's 7:30am, and 38 degrees. Glad I have the basement heating for the tankage area, because it got down into the 20's last night.

[zcasa]

Clarke,

How fun. Loved it. Can't wait to get on the road as well. We leave Denver, CO probably Wednesday. Getting a few water drips worked out with Michael's help. Safe travels today. We visited the Factory a couple of years back. Very interesting. Toured a dozen or more slightly preowned coaches and several in various stages of production. Fascinating.

David and Denise

[encantotom]

fun to see the trip Clarke. so are you going to pick up one of the newer coaches while you are there?

tom

[chockwald]

David.....hope you get the water drips worked out resolved before you leave....Tom....right...looking to upgrade to a 2008....maybe all of us could go together and make a time share out of it...LOL!

Got up around 6am, and it was around 28 degrees. Turned on the coffee maker, and turned on the block warmer....burrr! Warmed up to 48 around 9:30am, so I turned over the 6V92 and it started immediately....thank goodness for the block warmer. On the other hand, I had lowered the rear suspension to level the coach the evening before, and it would not come up to ride height after 10 minutes, so I raised the trailer off of the hitch and it finally came up, but didn't seem to want to stay there....as it warmed up more the rear finally stayed up, and the pressure reached its normal level.....whew!

Our drive distance today was 310 miles.....very, very pleasant. Mostly flat and really straight.....headed directly east most of the day. Intermitent rain showers, but more sun than not. We ate lunch in Albuquerque (bet you thought I couldn't spell that!), and reached Tucumcari around 4:30pm. I love travelling without reservations and just making it up as we go. We found a great little park called Cactus RV Park on the east end of town with 80 foot pull throughs, perfectly level, 50 amp, sewer, water and cable TV (very clear,sharp cable TV) for $17!! We're going to watch the Amazing Race at 7pm tonight (6pm Pacific Time) instead of the usual 8pm Pacific Time. No restaurants open today as it is Easter Sunday, so Elaine made a great dinner out of not much, as she always does!

Here's the YouTube link for today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spCiopjkUiQ

[chockwald]

Left Tucucari, NM at 8am this morning as we had a 380 mile day to Oklahoma City to put us in striking distance to the Newell factory tomorrow morning. The day was totally uneventfual as we travelled from New Mexico through the Texas Panhandle (stopped in Amarillo at the Super Walmart) and into Oklahoma. The roads were great, smooth, and uncrowded. We continued to find ourselves in the middle of a Ford Mustang rally. It has been intertaining to see so many fine Mustangs in one place....all the way from beautifully maintained 1965 Mustangs to 2009 Mustangs...saw a Roush Mustang, a few Shelby's, some beautifuly mid 70's Mach 1's, and California Specials. No rain today, and a nice tail wind most of the day as we pointed straight east on I-40. We are at the Twin Fountains RV Park off I-44 (63rd NE Ave. exit) which has wonderful 80 foot pull throughs. Today was almost like cheating.....no stress, and after 9 hours on the road I am still totally relaxed...I am really in vacation mode now!

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke:

Thanks for the great videos. I was ready for the one of Easter Sunday. I got the popcorn out before I started the show lol. Anyways, always great to be safely tucked away in an RV park after a long day of traveling. The Mustangs were great. We were heading from Albuquerque to Denver one time right before the Balloon Festival, and got to see dozens upon dozens of Motorhomes and Coaches heading towards us going to the Festival. Helped the time pass more quickly, as I'm sure the Mustangs did for you. Thanks for the good wishes on the couple of water leaks. I've worked on installing a new water heater and haven't gotten to the small leaks. One is in the kitchen faucet which I can just pull into the sink and the other is in the shed and it will take a little bit of work, so I replenish a towel now and again and I will have to deal with it in Austin as I have run out of time. Hope to see that I have hot water tomorrow. This will make me a hero to the Mrs.

Enjoy the Factory. I look forward to the pictures of the Newells. You'll have a lot of fun there. We stayed in the Newell campground. Very convenient.

Safe travels, see you in a few days.

David and Denise

[chockwald]

Working on today's video, and will post it shortly....looking forward to staying in the Newell Campground. See you in a few days.....

Here is the video for April 13th.....Tucumcari, NM to Oklahoma City, OK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFGn8thyfnU

[Richard and Rhonda]

Enjoying the progress reports very much indeed. When will we see video of Elaine driving?

Seriously, glad all is well so far. I find I have far more air leaks in really cold weather. Those slip in fittings tend to leak when cold. If you look at the tubing inserted in the fitting you will see that over time it takes on a "set" and there is a little ring. If you have enough tubing simply snip about 1/2 off and put it back in, and that usually fixes the leak.

[prarieschooner]

me too. I especially like the parts where Clarke does the "sing alongs". Looking forward to the next up-date.
PS I needed to get back to Yuma unexpectedly so we picked up the door latches.

[chockwald]

Just arrived at the Newell Factory, and snagged a spot in the RV Park...I didn't realize they had a park with hookups (no sewer, but water and electricity). Had to drop the trailer to back into the spot. Richard....you're right..I only have a problem when it is super cold...like in the 30's. Was in the 30's again this morning in Oklahoma City, and it took a while on the road for everything to level out properly. Everything else is working well now. Averaged 7.7 mpg on the last tank pulling the 5,000 lb. load up over 7300 feet elevation in New Mexico. Paid $1.98/gallon in Oklahoma City at the Flying "J". The drive up Interstate 44 was uneventful except for a few construction zones. Interstate 44 is a toll road so it cost us $17.50 from Oklahoma City up to Miami in tolls. Have been taking pictures of all the Newells....the RV park is pretty much full except for 2-3 spaces. There is even a Classic here with a tag. I'll post my pix later.

Steve...thanks for picking up the door latch. I'll get together with you when I get back the end of the month and settle up. I have to remember not to sing along when I'm running the camera....hahaha! Richard...you won't see a video any time soon of Elaine driving.....she likes her co-pilot position, and is grateful I like to drive. She used to drive the Class "C", but wants to take driving lessons from someone other than me before she drives the Newell....I wonder why??? I have a wonderful disposition when teaching others how to drive...just ask my kids....LOL!!!

[zcasa]

Nice work, Clarke. Good picture of the other Classic. You are going to have a lot of fun there. Are you having any work done while there?

When do you leave for Austin? The weather forecast beginning Monday looks ideal. We should have some good bike rides.

BTW, are there any joggers amongst the group attending Austin?

David

[Wally Arntzen]

Everyone going to the rally in Austin,

Here's hoping for a sage trip for everyone and be carefull.
Tom and I are traveling together from Arizona and will see there.

Wally Arntzen

[chockwald]

Took the "tour" this afternoon around 4pm. James from the design department took us on our tour, and proved to be a gracious host. He spent about an hour and half with us, and took us through all the departments (the frame department is completely empty right now...no new coaches being started right now) and gave us a tour of several "show" coaches, and other coaches for sale. James indicated that they built 44 coaches last year, but are gearing down to 26 this year due to the economy. I'll post a few pictures here, and put the rest in my daily YouTube video. I didn't realize they had an RV park here, so that is a total bonus!

Will be heading for Tyler, TX tomorrow morning for the family wedding this Saturday. We'll spend 4 days there, and head down to La Hacienda Sunday morning.

[zcasa]

Great that you are having a good time there. Yes, the Newell folks are very gracious to us all. That is what is truly remarkable. We can be owners of Classics, the 2000 model and the newer ones, but the Newell philosophy of treating everyone with class is what sets them apart from the crowd. It is no wonder that Karl and Alice Blade are number one in this business and the people that work with them are competent and loyal. Let's all hope that the economy comes around and continues to reward this great company and their leadership.

Safe travels to us all tomorrow.

David

[larryweikart]

Very nice sequence of your trip Clarke. Looking forward to updates on the Rally. Sure wish I could be there to meet all the Newell owners. Next best thing? Watching your updates. Did I hear some Elvis in the background? Thank You for your posts!

[Richard and Rhonda]

Cheapest diesel I have seen in Texas is 2.15 right now. Thought I would pass that on, so you can make your fuel stop at the border if needed.

See ya on Friday.

[chockwald]

Left the Newell factory in Miami around 8:30am and started our trek south to Bullard, TX (just south of Tyler) for the family wedding this Saturday. Got back on I-44 down to Big Cabin, OK where we left the Interstate for HWY 271 which we followed all the way to Tyler. We had around 400 miles to drive and knew his would be a long day without Interstates to bypass the local towns, but we enjoyed the change, even if it did take us 9 hours of driving....er, I should say it took me 9 hours of driving while Elaine kept me plied with snacks, fruit, soft drinks, etc. I got off the highway in McAllister to take a break and check the oil and spied a Supercuts, which is my "hair salon" of choice. So, I walked over and got the haircut I should have before I left Ontario. Got back to the Newell and drained 3 quarts of 40wt into the 6V92 and got back on our way. We also stopped at a Wallmart for about an hour earlier in the day (just off the highway) and did some bill paying while Elaine took care of a conference call she had scheduled. Arrived in Bullard around 7pm.

Here are some pictures of our temporary "home" for the next 4 days

[Neweller]

It's sure nice to have ample Coach parking. Hope the wedding is a nice memorable one. Thanks for all the great posts and pics.

It really pumps us up in admin to see the "Livin' it up in a Newell" forum getting put to its intended use.

[chockwald]

Here's the YouTube link to the video and still shots taken on Tuesday on our way from Oklahoma City to Miam, OK, and our tour of the Newell Factory. Wednesday's video will be uploaded later today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKz9mYMZsA

[zcasa]

Hey Everyone:

Well, we don't have the cool videos nor Mustang rally to report on, just a very windy drive south so far. We have made it to Lubbock, TX and are holed up with heavy hail and wind and rain. Could be an interesting night. Hope to make Austin by tomorrow evening. 303 is purring like a kitten and no problems encountered, just scenery and small towns. We have taken south from Limon, CO and enjoyed the history along the way, mostly two lane roads. John Clark, in charge of almost everything except sales and production, I think at Newell, told me to take the side roads less traveled. He said the Newells are built for that and it is quite interesting. So far, he is right on. See ya'll in a few days. As you can see, we are picking up some of the lingo already. LOL

David and Denise

[fulltiming]

We made it to Kerrville tonight. Will be in Austin tomorrow.

[chockwald]

Got a call from Tom McCloud this afternoon. He, Michael Day and Wally Arntzen are travelling together to the rally. They are overnighting tonight in Kerrville, TX, probably at a Walmart, and will be at La Hacienda tomorrow sometime. We'll head out from Bullard, TX Sunday morning and hopefully be at La Hacienda early afternoon. Will probably take us 5 hours of driving. It's been nice taking a day off from driving. We covered around 2,000 miles in 7 days, and I was ready to stop last night! See ya'll in a few days...see I'm already getting my Texas groove back on!

[encantotom]

Michael, Wally and I left Arizona Wednesday afternoon. we traveled together and it has been a ball. we talk like kids on the CB's and compare how things are going with temps, and everything else you can think of. spent the nite in Las Cruces last nite and we are in Kerrville Texas tonite doing almost 600 miles today.

the pictures are of the 3 of us. mine is the bergundy, michaels the white and wallys the gray.

be in Austin Friday morning

tom

[smagown]

Good morning:
I'm packed and ready to roll. Can't wait to get to Austin! My living area 6 Cat AGM 8D batteries are toast. I left the merge switch on trying to charge my starting batteries(which I have now replaced) and thought that the temp sensor between my Outback inverter and upper middle living area battery would turn off the charger. Wrong! I'm glad we'll have plug-ins at the resort.

[chockwald]

Looking forward to seeing Wally's coach....good to see another classic out there!

[chockwald]

The rain started (with lightning/thunder) around 12pm today here in Bullard, TX....supposed to get 3" by tonight, and it will rain all day tomorrow...why does that always happen on wedding days??? Had to drive into Tyler to the Verizon store to get my Blackberry fixed...stopped getting e-mail in New Mexico. "They" say that just happens sometimes....now I know how to fix it. Had 267 e-mails, and text messages to wade through...ugh!!!

Elaine and I took a 12 mile road bike ride this morning before the rain started.

[prarieschooner]

Hot and Sunny in Yuma, AZ

[tuga]

Karen and I are leaving Sunday morning about 8:30 AM and should arrive at about 6:00PM that same day. Matt & Connie Russo (express1) will be traveling with us. The weather forecast is warm and clear so we are looking forward to a great day traveling.

Matt is in the market for a Newell (1990-1995) so if any of you are in a selling mood let him know. He is going to take his time looking simply because there is so much to see out there. I'm sure he will be asking a lot of questions like we all did when we were newbies.

We all are excited about meeting everyone and putting a face with the name/user ID.

[chockwald]

Hot and Sunny in Yuma, AZ


Thanks a lot Steve......LOL!

[chockwald]

We all are excited about meeting everyone and putting a face with the name/user ID.

Same here, Tuga....looking so much forward to meeting you and all the others!

[ccopel]

Good Morning from Corpus Christi,
I left Houston through rain, thunder and lightning back to Corpus Christi to pick up the family. We will see you'all in Austin tonight. Also, Sunday is Debbie,s birthday. We will have cake and coffee at 2:00pm for anyone thats wants to stop by

[zcasa]

Hello Everyone:

Safe travels today and tomorrow to all. There are about 7-8 Newells here already and we are anxious for the rest of the group to join. The RV park that Tuga chose, is very very nice. The infrastructure is first class and the weather is going to cooperate starting later today.

Hey Clarke, any way you can bring some of the wedding cake?

David

[chockwald]

Will be happy to bring some wedding cake, if it doesn't get soaked by the downpour....it's 11am and it has been raining steadily again for the past 2 hours. Looking forward to some good weather tomorrow on our drive down to Austin! Should take about 5 hours.....we're aiming to get out of here by 8am tomorrow, which would put us in Austin around 1-2pm.

[tuga]

Hello Everyone:

Safe travels today and tomorrow to all. There are about 7-8 Newells here already and we are anxious for the rest of the group to join. The RV park that Tuga chose, is very very nice. The infrastructure is first class and the weather is going to cooperate starting later today.

Hey Clarke, any way you can bring some of the wedding cake?

David

David,

Actually Michael Day found LaHacienda. He and I were trying to get sites reserved at Buckhorn in Kerrville, but they were having a Marathon rally on these dates. I think Michael stayed there before.

Thanks for the update; glad to know 7-8 coaches are there already. We would be there now but we have a committment Saturday night in New Orleans. We'll leave Sunday morning.

[zcasa]

Thanks Tuga. Seems like I am always thanking Michael for everything. Just thought I'd thank someone else for a change. LOL. Michael and Georgia are here and we are enjoying them very much. Safe travels. Weather is now perfect...reasonably on the warm side and humid...beats 20 inches of snow in Denver right now.

[chockwald]

OK, David....I've got that piece of wedding cake in the fridge.....just got "home" from the wedding....tomorrow we're moving our home to a dryer climate...hope it's not too humid.....it's really humid here right now at 11pm...at least it won't be raining!

[chockwald]

Well, it's now Wednesday, April 22nd, and the rally has been a whirlwind. Had an informal potluck Sunday evening around 7:30pm (BYOB), and then a great presentation by Richard Entriken on cataract surgery and lens implants (he makes the lenses)....really very, very informative and interesting. Monday evening we had the formal potluck in the La Hacienda Club House with amazing entrees, and desserts, followed by a history of the Newell Corporation by Michael Day, with Powerpoint...very interesting. Every day I have been here Michael Day and Tom McCloud have been moving from coach to coach helping owners solve problems ranging from electrical (mostly) to whatever. Yesterday was my turn. I've had an on going problem with my dash A/C...the evaporator seems to run all the time, whether or not I turn on the A/C. A more recent development is that after about an hour of turning on the fan I begin to lose air volume. Richard (after he had left the rally) posted that he thought I might be low on freon causing it to run cooler and freeze up the condenser. Well after some trouble shooting by Michael and Tom we determined that the rheostatic temperature control was non functioning resulting in the system running continuously and never cyling, which also causes the freezing. Now the difficult problem of finding a 27 year old rheostat with a thermocoupler sticking out the side of it. Michael has come up with a "temporary solution to a permanent problem" (only permanent if we can't find a new rheostat). We are going to install a toggle switch today that will allow me to manually turn off the evaporator when everything begins to freeze, and allow it to thaw out.

The temps are up into the middle 90's through today, and dropping off tomorrow into the 80's again. Tom and I will depart tomorrow and begin heading west. Elaine and I will spend at least one day at their home in Mesa, AZ before heading home to Ontario. There are 6 coaches left as of this morning. We had a high of 12 on Sunday.

[chockwald]

OK...here are the two YouTube videos I have been a slacker about getting uploaded.

Miami, OK to Bullard, TX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlWi-TWyK9U

Newell Mini-Rally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCG0M1eqAIc

ENJOY!!!

[chockwald]

We left La Hacienda with Tom and Darlene around 9:20am, and arrived in Ft. Stockton at 5pm (took a long lunch). The A/C works great now that I can manually turn off the compressor/evaporator and let the ice melt...thank you so much Tom and Michael!!!

Getting a little rain here as I write, but the smell of wet mesquite is wonderful! Will post more tomorrow.... promise!

[prarieschooner]

looking forward to it! it is great t follow along, I need to be able to do the youtube thing.

[chockwald]

Left Ft. Stockton around 8:30am this morning on a crystal clear windy day....had a wind off the port beam for about an hour, and then it settled into a gentle head wind for a while. Tom fueled up in El Paso at the Flying J, and we ate at their restaurant. I'll fuel up near Tom's home tomorrow, and then top off when we get home Sunday. It has been a lot of fun travelling with Tom and Darlene...we have had a blast talking back and forth on the CB radios. Saw a late 90's Newell in a rest area (going east bound) on our way into Lordsburg, NM where are staying overnight at the KOA. It was nice gaining back one of the hours we lost 10 days ago on our way east.

Getting ready to BBQ some steaks, and enjoy the balmy evening air. Darlene even drove Tom's coach for about 3 hours. When I mentioned to Elaine that maybe she might try that, too, she said "Tell that to your other wife!".....LOL!

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke, Elaine, Tom and Darlene:

Sounds like a lot of fun traveling together. Wish the rally would have continued to San Antonio. This place is a lot of fun and full of history. We will take a very similar route beginning Sunday to Tom's house on Thursday eve. Where did you stay in Ft. Stockton? We will probably do the KOA in Lordsburg too. Maybe you could leave a couple of steaks there for us??? That'd be cool and very nice of you. lol. Safe travels tomorrow, maybe you and Elaine should stick around next week and wait for us to get to Tom and Darlene's???

Safe travels.

David and Denise

[encantotom]

the fort stockton rv park right off the freeway exit. it was ok and the little restaurant there was quite good.

in lordsburg there is only one rv park and it is the koa. it is not very nice, but the weather and company was perfect. we ate and visited and enjoyed the evening. the park is all gravel so missy got white with gravel dust so she got a bath tonite when we came in.

look forward to seeing you guys in mesa.

darlene drove and did fine.

later

tom

[chockwald]

Hey Dave and Denise....would have loved to have seen San Antonio again! Like Tom said the park in Fort Stockton is called Fort Stockton RV Park, and is right off the freeway...easy off, easy on....no real freeway noise. Nice little park, and restaurant. It is exit #264.

Wish we could hang around Mesa, but I've got a busy schedule on Monday that I can't put off, otherwise I'd be there waiting with a couple of steaks.

Be safe and enjoy the drive.....

[zcasa]

Good info, thanks. Safe travels today as you make it home. We can't wait to visit as well. I have been speaking with Michael, as we are losing our salon basement air conditioner. I'll troubleshoot soon, but it makes a racket when the air is on and not when just the fan is on. Michael is pretty sure it will likely be the motor or compressor. Let's hope for the motor, or better yet, some loose screws.

Anyways, no worries, the weather is cooler and cloudy, so no need for it right now. We will begin heading that way tomorrow and want to stop by the Kirchner Caverns that Tom told us about.

Funny Elaine's response to driving the Coach. Denise thought that I should go pound salt when I mentioned to her the idea of driving for ten minutes. LOL.

David

[encantotom]

we can have a look when you are at my house later in the week if you have not figured it out

tom

[chockwald]

We left the KOA at Lordsburd, NM this morning around 8:45am......turning on to HWY 70 I started to use the east bound I-10 onramp (freudian?), but quickly corrected and headed for the west bound onramp....Tom, on the other hand, could not resist the temptation and started up the east bound ramp...got a call on the CB from Darlene who laughingly recounted their misadventure. Otherwise, our drive today into Mesa, AZ was totally uneventful, just like the previous 2 days. The scenery was beautiful, and we arrived at Tom's around 1:30pm. My only concern for the day was when I observed in my driver side mirror my trailer license plate dangling by a "hair"...we exited at exit 185 and removed it....it is now reinstalled with nylon bushing nuts, to be sure they don't come off this time. Darlene is making home made pizza tonight, and even bought some anchovies just for me...I feel very special right now...LOL!! I'm sitting at my computer in my coach in front of Tom's home....the temp is around 78 with a gentle breeze...hope it's still this pleasant, Dave, when you and Denise arrive in a couple of days!

We'll head out for Ontario, CA tomorrow morning around mid morning....it will be a little bittersweet...we have had such a great time the last 18 days on our longest Newell trip to date...3600 miles! We made many new friends, and look forward to reaquainting as soon as possible...do we have to wait a year??

Got 7.58 mpg on the last tank...filled up at the Flying J in Eloy, AZ (about an hour from Tom's home). My best on this trip was 7.77, and worst was 6.7....all that driving from Miami, OK to Tyler, TX on back roads and too many red lights through towns. Diesel is $2.07 there ($2.06 if you have the Flying J card and pay cash). They have two RV lanes there you can fuel up, take on water, and propane.

Safe travels to everyone still on the road......

Michael and Georgia....let us know when you are back in town and we'll get together!

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke:

Lovin it. Thanks for all your blogs. Life is good. We had a great 20 mile bike ride today to all five missions in San Antonio. We stayed at Travelers RV Park about 3 miles from downtown and right on the mission trail bike path. Awesome. Wally told us about the Missions and he has stayed here. We would recommend this park to all our Newell friends. The Niosta festival is concluding tomorrow here and it is quite an event. Loads of fun.

Glad you guys got to Tom's safely. Homemade Pizza sounds perfect. I think we are having leftovers. LOL. We will begin our trek following your successful trip tomorrow. Hope to be at Tom and Darlene's Thursday with no additional issues.

We have enjoyed these three weeks of following your adventure and to meeting all of our Newell friends in Austin and to adding some memories to our own experience. This is a great lifestyle and, yes, there is no need to wait a year to get together. We are going to be in CO all summer partying and then off to the east coast and then winter in FL. Think about it. It is easy to sell insurance on the road. LOL.

Thanks for all your postings. Hello to all in Mesa.

David and Denise

[Wally Arntzen]

Hello to all of the rally travelers.
We just stopped at Lawerence, Kansas and got in 750 miles today on our trip to Sioux Falls, SD. We were on the front end of all the storms coming up I35 and stoppet at Topeka to stay the night. We informed of a strong possibility of tornados and went another 70 miles to Lawerence which seems be fairly safe for the night. I left my key to the Liberty on all the way and my battery is completely dead. Going to jump it in the morning when I take off and let it run while I'm driving to Sioux Falls.
Maybe these storms will get me out before I get to Minnesota and I will be going the opposite direction.

Hope everyone gets home in good shape and be ready for another day.

Wally and Phyllis

[chockwald]

Dave and Wally...thanks for your individual updates......Dave, your bike ride sounds like it was a lot of fun....bike riding is a great way to explore a town....that's what we love to do when travelling....stop in one place for a couple of days and do day tours around the area. Wally, you are the iron man....just thinking of doing 750 miles in one day makes my eyelids heavy! Sounds like you'll be home sooner than us....Elaine and I had a great visit again this evening with Tom and Darlene....got a tour of the McCloud Victorian...what a great home!

Here's a link to the video for the La Hacienda RV Park to Ft. Stockton, TX segment of our trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhCroBz5-sI

[zcasa]

Yo Clarke and Wally:

Crazy, 750 miles?>?? I just put 450 on the coach today and Denise thinks I'm a light weight. Seriously, we are in Van Horn TX for the night. Talk about the twilight zone. Geez, I have all the doors and windows locked. We will make it to Tucson tomorrow for three days of exploring the desert and National Parks in the area. Can't wait to meet up with Tom and Darlene Thursday. Our day was uneventful. 750 is the most I've ever heard of. Wow. We saw about 8 Newells today. 4 were in a convoy heading east on I10 and they were the big boys. Many Prevosts and Marathons today. Must have been a rally nearby.

Nice to blog with all of you. Fun to hear about your travels and adventures. Keep it up.

Have a good night to all and safe travels tomorrow.

David and Denise

[chockwald]

We saw a lot of Prevosts on the highway, and one late 90's Newell at a rest stop as we passed by. Left Tom and Darlene's yesterday (Sunday) around 10am, and arrived at our home around 6pm. Took a number of stops along the way, including one just west of Palm Springs at a rest area due to high winds, which delayed us a little. Just needed a break from the pounding we were taking....within 10 miles after that the winds abated enough so that it wasn't so tiring. The weather remained cool (in the 70's) all the way to Indio where it heated up a little, but cooled own again west of Beaumont to high 60's....no heat wave here right now! Topped off my fuel in Ehrenberg, AZ (1 mile before California border) at $2.05/gallon. Averaged just over 8mpg (8.14) on the 29 gallons I used from Eloy,AZ to Ehrenberg, AZ. Right now diesel is $2.17 here in Ontario, CA.

Woke up during the night to go to the bathroom, and tried to leave the room to find the bathroom...took me a second to remember I was home after 18 days in the Newell. Elaine and I both agreed that we would have loved to go on with our adventure for another month....at least. Envying David and Denise as they continue their travels for several more weeks. Hope you guys will continue blogging here, or start another thread to report on your travels, and maybe include a few pictures!

Be safe out there!

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke:

Wow, awesome trip. If you can take care of your business in a day or two, come on to the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell with us. We would have a blast. We are 70 miles outside of Tucson at a truck stop waiting for Denise to have a conference call. Should hit Tucson mid-afternoon for a few days of R and R. We will figure the picture thing out and give some updates as we go along. Good idea.

Have a good day, glad you two are safe at home.

David

[chockwald]

Just noticed your comment about Van Horn...we had heard it was a little bit of a "pit", which is why we stopped in Fort Stockton...LOL! There is a lot too see in the Tucson area.....call, or e-mail Tom and he will give you all the details...as we were passing through Tucson Tom spent around 10 minutes on the CB detailing all the sites to see when we visit Tucson next time. We would love to head back out on the road this evening, but the next few weeks will be very busy for me....this is the beginning of my "busy" season in my insurance brokerage....lot of customers to call on face to face. Won't be able to get away for a long trip again until after October. We'll look forward to following your adventures!

[encantotom]

hi david,

a few places that i think are cool in tucson. the first is the Titan Missile Site. it is the only missile underground command center you can go in. it is decommissioned,but is really cool. outside of tucson.

next is pima air and space museum. old planes up to SR71. old air force 1 etc. on the side of town away from phoenix.

next to it is the AMARC military place where all the old military planes go. the jet airplane boneyard. really cool. the F111's i worked on in the 70's are there. thousands of planes.

Biosphere. look it up on the internet. pretty interesting place.

later

tom

[Wally Arntzen]

Hi guys,

We got to Sioux Falls, SD yesterday and it was raining just like it did all the way from Austin.
Today is a better day but very cold. It is 44 right now at 7:45 PM and going down to 31 during the night. Sure do not like it at all. Have to turn on my engine heater tonight so we can get out in the morning to head to Minnesota until I get called out to work.

The 750 mile thing was really not a big deal when your running ahead of a bad storm and managed to beat it. Last year I drove 900 miles a day on the way down to Arizona from Minnesota and did the 1800 miles in 2 days. You gotta loosen up a little and take on the fear of getting there in a hurry. Phyllis does not like to run like that at all and I'm am starting to slow down and enjoy the trips a little, but staying out of the way of the storm was a different story.

Glad that most have made it home safe and the others still on their way are having good travels.

Wally and Phyllis

[zcasa]

Thanks Guys,

We finished 425 today and got to Tucson at 1:30 PM following a one hour stop in Wilcox for a conference call that Denise had. We set up and headed out to Saguaro National Park and enjoyed that. Tomorrow we will have a busy day doing some of the things Tom has recommended and some more like the Karchner Caverns and Coronado National Forest etc. Just so much to do. The RV Park is nice and on the south side which will make the Titan site, Air Park etc. very convenient. Hope we can get all of it in. The blooming Cacti in the Desert are awesome. Well, off for a bike ride. Lots warmer here than Wally and Phyllis are experiencing. Tomorrow 88 and then into the 90's and dry. Loving it. Didn't take camera today, sorry Clarke. We promise to do better.

David and Denise

[chockwald]

Well, sigh......I drove my "baby" back to the storage facility yesterday afternoon where she will await our call for our next adventure. I still have a few minor projects to finish, such as installing 2 electrical outlets nearer to the front of the coach....right now the kitchen area is where the easily accessible outlets end. We use our laptops near the front of the coach. There is one outlet up in the overhead cupboard on the right side of the TV, but it looks like a "Rube Goldberg" setup when we string the extention cord over to the dinning table. I'm going to install one outlet next to the light switch which is about 3 inches above the table top, and then one on the outside of the liquor cabinet just behind the drivers seat. The other minor redo is the XM antenna cable that I need to move a few inches so it doesn't interfer with the curtain track.

We have a short trip planned for Memorial Day up to Ventura where we will spend a few days on the beach with family and friends, and then an even shorter jaunt to Canyon RV Park located on the banks of the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda, CA, which actually flows 12 months out of the year....that is about 15 miles from our home. We're trying to set up another trip with Steve and Tricia Ward in August, or September, but the details remain to be worked out on that one. Otherwise, the next long trip will start in mid November when we travel up to Spokane, WA for Thanksgiving, and then over to the Olympic Peninsula and down Highway 1.

Still looking for some photographic evidence of David and Denise's adventures...LOL!!

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke:

Yeah, we have an appointment with Olin Mills on Friday. We think we will invite Tom and Darlene to be in the photo. Tom says he needs to buy a tie. lol. We will probably choose the book shelf background. Very classic.

No worries, we will get the pics figured out and around Sedona and Grand Canyon we will post a few.

Have a good day. Your future adventures sound great.

D and D

[encantotom]

you said the "tie" word. you will see what i mean tonite by that.....

tom

[chockwald]

Well, Tom, we'll look forward to seeing the picture of you with a tie and cargo shorts....LOL!!! Finally getting back into the "work mode" after 4 days back in the office.

[prarieschooner]

Clarke,
what happened to 70 degrees? Spokane, Wa in November? sounds too cold for us but I will be looking forward to the videos!
we on the other hand are thinking about being at the Sea of Cortez for Thanksgiving, out of the snow and in shorts.

[chockwald]

Hey Steve....well, the 70 degree thing kind of goes out the window when it's Thanksgiving....LOL....last year we spent Thanksgiving down in Octotillo Wells....very, very nice temps. The Sea of Cortez sounds great....how many miles south of the border is it? No doubt it will be the right temperature!

When you get back from the "river" let's talk about a road trip.....where should we go??? We could head up to the Eastern Sierras somewhere for a few days....what do you think?

[Wally Arntzen]

I seen Tom in a tie going to church last sunday in Austin. He looked like a preacher going to do his job of servin the Lord. Have him suit up for the photo's.
I'm sure you guys will have a ball when Dave and Denise get to Tom and Darlene's today.

Have fun and give us a report.

Wally and Phyllis

[chockwald]

I guess I arrived at La Hacienda too late to see Tom in his " Sunday Go To Meetin' " clothes.

[encantotom]

David and Denise came this afternoon. we had a ball tonite. Darlene made home made pizza with fresh made crust. deep dish and thin crust. david and denise are delightful wonderful people and we have enjoyed having them in our home. the neighbors keep asking me how many coaches i am going to buy as there has been a constant stream of them parking in front of the house over the past 3 weeks.

with them and all the other newell friends we have made the past 18 months we feel like we have known them for many years. the newell brought us together and being great people has made us friends.

and yes, i do wear a white shirt and tie a couple of times a week......and give the sermon at church fairly often.

later

tom

[chockwald]

Tom, when I think of how close you came to being a Blue Bird owner.....had any of those deals worked out everything would have been different.....you would have a whole different set of Blue Bird friends. We're glad you bought a Newell, because our paths would probably never have crossed, and our lives would have been the less for it. It's obvious to me you were supposed to be a Newell owner.

David and Denise....isn't Darlene's pizza terrific?!

[zcasa]

Very kind words from a most gracious and generous host. We pulled into Tom's neighborhood around 4 yesterday afternoon and as we came around the corner, there is Tom standing holding an electricity cord. Loved it. Talk about a warm welcome. The tour of the magnificent home is so much fun. We could never find all of the rooms again. We met Tom and Darlene's girls and both are very successful and full of energy. The last one remaining home, is off to college this summer and is a most talented future Broadway actress and singer. The other, is a very loving mother of two and we had tons of fun with the little ones. It did look like Grampa was getting a little tired as the evening wore on. LOL. The Pizza was amazing. We had our choices of any combination desirable. Really, a one day stopover is not enough with these folks. Michael and Georgia do it right by staying longer and enjoying the company. I could go on and on but the best way to experience this is to get to know Tom and Darlene.

More later, 15 amp is no problem, we have found out. Opens up a whole lot more options for us. Clarke is right on, this Newell experience with fellow owners will end up being one of our life's pleasures. While not inexpensive to do, if we can stop in and get some deep dish pizza occasionally, it really helps. lol.

Have a good day everyone.

David

[chockwald]

You're right David....I wish we would have had more than one night to spend, too. Did you need to run your A/C on the 15amp, or is the weather still mild there? It was in the 70's the day and a half we were there. I've run my rear A/C unit while plugged in at home on a 15amp outlet. Tom was saying some coaches that plug in the front GFI plug trip the breaker before anything is even turned on. Mine didn't, but of course I don't have much to run...LOL!

[encantotom]

i told david that i am pretty sure his coach is not going to start so they can leave today. and that i am pretty sure he will not be able to find out what i did to make it that way....and that it will mysteriously start up in a few days....

here are a couple of pic's of them in front of the house.

they went to bed at 9:30....light weights.....but were up at 5:30. i went to bed at 12:30 and was up at 7. we operate on different ends of the clock.

any of you are welcome here when you travel though arizona.

tom and darlene

[chockwald]

Ahhhh....I see the "Newell gremlin" has been at work....I'm somewhere in between you two.....ususally in bed by 11pm at the latest, but still wide awake at 5:30am...ugh!

[encantotom]

David and Denise left for Sedona a little while ago. The weather was very nice here for them. Thanks again for stopping by guys!

tom

[chockwald]

"We'll be back..."....you can count on it.

[zcasa]

What a great great time at Tom and Darlene's. Thank you Tom for posting the pics. Clarke, the 15 amp didn't trip while we were hooked up. We used the water pump, lights, coffee maker, fan, and the fridge. We were very happy and I know we could have used more, but I didn't want to wear out our welcome. When we come out to visit you guys, it will be a tall order to compete with our Mesa friends. 30 amp would help. lol.

Well, we are now in Sedona. Uneventful ride up here, and we are in the only RV park in Sedona. Very centrally located and enjoyable. We should get some good pics up here and we will figure out the posting procedure. Won't be tough.

David and Denise

[chockwald]

David, we are looking forward to visiting you and Denise in Colorado next year whether, or not a mini-rally is organized. I see that you are suggesting August for the mini-rally at Mountain Views Rv Park, Creede, CO. What week in August have you booked, and is that this year, or next year???.....let me know so we can book the same week....LOL!!

[fulltiming]

David, if Tom plugged you into the outlet near the light at the front of the garage, that is not a GFCI circuit and as long as you keep your power usage down, which you obviously did, it works great. I reset my inverter/charger to indicate I was hooked up to only a 9 amp circuit so it would keep the batter charger on trickle charge rather than suck up 11 AC amps just recharging the batteries (My ProSine has a built in 105 amp DC battery charger).

We did find that plugging into a GFCI circuit resulted in an instant trip of Tom's circuit. I don't remember you have any kind of power management on your coach (Tom's does, mine doesn't) but Tom's coach will not trip a GFCI and mine will.

[zcasa]

Hey Clarke: Fantastic, can't wait to have a get together in CO. Right now, we are scheduled into Creede early Aug this year, but we may have to change as a result of needing to be in Atlanta. May need to change to mid-late June. A couple more weeks and we will know. Next year, yes, we can coordinate a time and invite all to participate that would like to. Tiger Run in Breckenridge is another idea. Nice park, but beginning to see a lot of Beetle kill with the trees. The thing with the Creede Park is that they require full prepayment 7 days after reservations have been made for July and August and after the 7 day grace period non-refundable for any reason. We will keep in touch on that.

Michael, thanks, yes I believe we were plugged into the one on the front porch closest to the garage. I appreciate the info on the charger etc. I have no idea if I can do the same.

Be good I'll try and figure pics out today sometime for posting.

David

[Richard and Rhonda]

Rhonda has already expressed interest in the next rally. Since we still have kids in school, June through mid August works best for us. We love the higher country in the summer for the cooler temps. We have all the sunny weather we need in Tejas.

Perhaps we should start a new thread contemplating the next rally?

[encantotom]

there are some neat places in the tall pines in northern arizona as well. way out of the heat....

tom

[chockwald]

I have uploaded the Fort Stockton, TX to Lordsburg, NM portion of our trip to YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIVp3cChiBA

I promise to upload the final two segments shortly (Lordsburg,NM to Mesa, AZ and Mesa, AZ to Ontario, CA).....I promise!!!

[encantotom]

the video is a hoot. that bergundy and silver coach pulling that blue crv has got to be about the prettiest newell i have ever seen!

tom

[Wally Arntzen]

I'm glad I was not driving on the highway while this film was being made for a thousand miles or more, with the two of you making your hollywood movie. lol

The backdrop was cool with a sneeze coming from someone at one point, not sure who it was but I have an idea.
Looks all of you had a good time, and the best thing is that you made it home safe. I'll be waiting for the next movie.

Wally

[prarieschooner]

again, I especially like the sing along. Can someone please add a bouncing ball so that I can join in?

[chockwald]

Steve, Elaine wishes I would stop singing along, and has thrown the "bouncing ball" at me on several occasions...LOL! Tom, that was great footage of your beautiful coach...oops, I gave it away....lol!

[prarieschooner]

I like the singing along, her sneeze wasn't nearly as entertaining.

[chockwald]

Her sneezes can be quite startling....she gets her money's worth....lol!!

[chockwald]

OK...at last I have finished the last two video segments of our trip home from La Hacienda. Here are the links:

Lorsdburg, NM to Mesa, AZ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY-O9QC_1cc&feature=channel_page

Mesa, AZ to Ontario, CA - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQmCrJQxM3g

Enjoy....and please forgive me in advance for my singing....LOL!!

[zcasa]

We left the mountains 40 miles NW of Ft. Collins, CO on Tuesday morning, June 30th. We are now in Little Rock, AR and making our way to the Panhandle of FL for a few days with family. Then on to Atlanta for a trade show and back to Denver, CO around July 18th. The Coach is purring like a kitten and we had the front air conditioner worked on before we left. The mechanic dude, said all is well and have a good trip. The air conditioner lasted exactly three miles and quit. So, here we are, in 98 degree heat, hoping the other two keep on running. He'll get an ear full when I get back to town. Glad to hear that we are up to 22 people and 10 Coaches coming to visit us in Creede, CO in early August. Wow, this is great. We will have a great great time. We visited the Oklahoma City, OK memorial and the Clinton Presidential Museum. Good to see some interesing and very informative places on our way. Just sooo very much to see. This is the way to do it. Since none of us can sell our Coaches, and most of us do not want to anyway, we may as well build as many memories as we can and meet as many people as possible. Life is good.

David

[Richard and Rhonda]

David


Call me about the AC, and maybe we can help via phone. Ate 1 sevin too too 3 too zed five 6

[zcasa]

Thanks so much, Richard. I'll give a shout probably on Monday when I can do some troubleshooting. Today, just finished close to 400 miles and tomorrow 220 will finish our 1,700 mile trip to the Panhandle. No further issues which is very nice. Reading with great interest the air/brake supply postings and can't wait to visit with all the guys about that in Creede.

Please, everyone, have an enjoyable 4th of July and safe travels to all.

David

[zcasa]

To all of our Newell Friends and future Newell Friends, safe travels and we wish you all a most enjoyable Thanksgiving.