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Old 11-22-2009, 12:47 PM   #1
chockwald
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Default Into the frozen tundra...

We are now 640 miles into our 3 week trip....we are courtesy parked in front of my brother's home in South Jordan, UT. Temps got down to 30 last night, so it was good to have the plug in to keep the water bay from freezing. Just turned on the block heater.....couldn't have both the electrical bay heater on, and the block heater on at the same time with only 15 amps available. Now the gas furnace is heating the bay while the block heater comforts our 6V92.

Our first day out we drove as far as St. George, UT where we dry camped behind the local Cracker Barrel Restaurant....very nice, safe place. Had breakfast there yesterday morning, and then continued north toward Salt Lake City, where we are now (just a few miles south, actually).

Today we will head to Idaho Falls, about 230 miles north of here where the temperatures really will be seriously low tonight. Tom has referred me to the Snake River RV Park which is owned by a former neighbor of his in Mesa, AZ. From Idaho Falls, we will head toward Missoula, MT to meet Jennifer, and her coach, then on to Spokane for Thanksgiving.

The trip has been so delightful so far....all systems functioning well, and the weather has cooperated so far....no snow, or rain....just miles and miles of dry interstate!
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1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
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Old 11-22-2009, 02:27 PM   #2
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Uneventful is good. Dry Interstate is good. All systems working is good. Great start to your trip, Clarke. Pictures look very nice. Looking forward to the rest of your journey.

David and Denise
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Old 11-22-2009, 02:30 PM   #3
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yea but I miss the singing.
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Old 11-22-2009, 09:51 PM   #4
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Well, the snow started coming down with a vengence about 70 miles south of Idaho Falls.....we are overnighting in Idaho Falls at Snake River RV Park....recommended by Tom....his former neighbor owns it. Snowing as I write, but supposed to clear up tonight...no snow for 3 days. Other than snow, it was an uneventful drive.....having that same issue with the right rear slow to come to ride height....never quite got there, but it was never over 30 all day, so that's probably my issue....just like Gallup, NM last April when it snowed there, but it warmed up to over 40 eventually and the ride height did too. Watching Sunday afternoon football, and thanking God for working electric heaters...we're using 40 of the 50 amps available to us to run the block heater, and the three electric heaters (including the water bay one).
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Clarke and Elaine Hockwald - FULLTIMING!
https://whatnewell.blogspot.com
1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
2 Terra Trike Tadpoles
Intense 5.5 mountain bike
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Old 11-23-2009, 12:53 PM   #5
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I have a question. In the last picture of Clark's coach in the RV surrounded by snow, how do you drive it out from the site when departing for another destination? Do you have to dig it out with a snow shovel? Does the RV park help you dig it out?

Keep in mind that I am from Louisiana where it rarely snows.
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Old 11-23-2009, 02:09 PM   #6
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Tuga, these rigs are not any different than the 18 wheelers or buses in the snow. Driving out of an RV park should not be difficult with up to 6" of snow. If you get drifting due to wind that is a different story because it can be 6" of snow with 3' drifts and thats trouble.
One of the benefits with our coaches with tag axcl's is to let the air out of the tag so that all the rear weight of the coach is on the drive axcel and once you get going put the air back.
Most of the prevost's can lift the tag and that is probably even better.
In the north buses and trucks do not alter their schedules due to weather and driving in snow and even heavy snow does not hold them back.
Our coaches are made to go in any kind of weather we just have to be careful. It is not advisable to use your cruise control when driving in snow and if you brake and start sliding you should leave up on the brake, stabalize the coach and pump the brake at short intervals.
If not experienced at driving in the snow or ice drive very slowly or park it and wait for the salt trucks to get the roads in better driving condition.
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Old 11-23-2009, 08:57 PM   #7
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Thanks Wally for the great explanation. I have always wondered how driving in ice and snow would work out in a MH. We are planning a snow skiing trip this year in Angel Fire, NM. We are going to drive in my Honda Pilot from Louisiana to Albuquerque and then on to Angel Fire. The Pilot has 4 AWD so this will be our first trip in the snow. I'll take your advice and drive very slowly in snow and wait for the salt trucks to salt the roads.
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Old 11-23-2009, 09:17 PM   #8
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Tuga, the thing about the wonderful feature of a 4WD vehicle, is that it gives us tremendous confidence. Here in CO, we have a lot of experience on snow and ice. What happens to many people in a 4WD vehicle is that we get overconfident and go go go. However, what each of us will ultimately find out, is that, it takes just as long or maybe longer, to stop an overconfident 4WD. This is where most people get into trouble. Too much speed for the conditions. I've met you, and you are a good cautious guy. You will do fine. We always say here in CO, speed controls everything. Have a great ski vacation.

David
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Old 11-24-2009, 12:42 AM   #9
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Thanks David, looks like we will just go slow and enjoy the white stuff!

Comments are greatly appreciated!
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Old 11-24-2009, 04:10 AM   #10
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As Wally said these coaches are made for all weather....had no problem pulling out of the spot....no slippage at all. Drove well on the highway in the snow yesterday and today. Check out my blog for pictures and the story:

http://whatsnewell.blogspot.com
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Cannondale Bad Boy
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Old 11-24-2009, 01:36 PM   #11
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Clarke, your blog and pictures are awesome. We are soooo jealous of your adventure and courage. Great job. We have 5 weeks to go before we get to start having fun again with the Coach. It is great to live vicariously through your travels and adventure for this three week period. We look forward to your postings every day.

Safe travels.

David and Denise
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Old 11-24-2009, 11:17 PM   #12
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Thank you David and Denise.....we arrived in Spokane safely this afternoon around 1pm.....after a stop at the giant Cabella's on the Washington/Idaho border. We are courtesy parked in front of my sister's home....there is just a big enough flat space to put the coach and get it level. We have access to two separate 15amp circuits so we will have no trouble with power. Temp is at 40 at this writing (4:15pm). Elaine and I are wrapping up some work for our respective jobs on the more than adequate 5 bars of WiFi from my sisters wireless router. Will update the blog later with pictures, etc. We'll be here until Saturday when we will take 2 weeks to reach home again.

Met Jennifer Stackpole and her 1987 Newell on our way through Missoula, MT. Jennifer is a very interesting person and a wonderful addition to our family. We were able to spend about 4 hours together talking about Newells, of course, and everything else under the sun. She is a true Renaissance Woman who has pursued more interests and occupations than most of us put together. Some of the more interesting occupations are blacksmith, musician, dancer, and welder....what great skill sets to have as a Newell owner. Wish we would have had more time, but we will return, I promise!
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1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
2 Terra Trike Tadpoles
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Old 11-24-2009, 11:53 PM   #13
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Great Clarke. Now you can relax and enjoy a few days of R and R. Well done. No worries for a while that is good. Pictures look great, Jennifer's coach looks very nice. Enjoy your well earned holiday with family. Nice to have your own bedroom with you.

David and Denise
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Old 11-25-2009, 06:07 PM   #14
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BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR looks cold.
Drive Safely guys.
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https://newellshowcase.com/thumbnails.php?album=214
2007 Yukon, 1981 CJ7 Laredo, 2002 Honda CRV, 1955 Thunderbird, 1952 Pontiac Sedan Delivery, 1952 Ford 8N, 1958 Airstream, 1959 Glasspar 16' Avalon, Cabin in the Woods........what will I work on next
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Old 11-30-2009, 03:26 PM   #15
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After a wonderful 5 day visit with relatives in Spokane we headed westward on US Hwy 2. What a great 2 lane secondary road. Well maintained, and almost no traffic until west of Steven's Pass. Had no rain yesterday, but saw the aftermath of all the snow last week as we crested Steven's Pass in the Cascades....probably 4-5 feet minimum, but the road was clear. We overnighted in Mt. Vernon, WA at Mt. Vernon RV Park, which I highly recommend. Found them on campgroundreviews.com, and were not disappointed. We will travel the final 50 miles down to Coupeville, WA (on Whidbey Island) to visit with our friends for a couple of days before heading over to the Olympic Peninsula for some exploring. It's a little rainy this morning, but temp is as high as we have seen in a week at 45...it was over 50 when we parked last night at 6:30pm....man the sun goes down a little after 4pm in these northern latitudes, and comes up after 7am.

All is good....all systems are doing their individual jobs to make our travels more than enjoyable. As David says....."life is GOOD!!"
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Clarke and Elaine Hockwald - FULLTIMING!
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1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
2 Terra Trike Tadpoles
Intense 5.5 mountain bike
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Old 11-30-2009, 06:28 PM   #16
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Great to hear that you journey is continuing and I can sense the anticipation and excitement in your postings. We took our bikes on the ferry over to San Juan Island and toured around. If it is warm enough and you are able to do that, you would enjoy for sure. BTW, your blog of Thanksgiving is wonderful. By chance, do your in-laws refer to you as the Griswald's? lol. That is some house. Be safe and enjoy everyday. Life is soooo good.

David
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Old 12-02-2009, 05:25 AM   #17
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Departed Coupeville on Whidbey Island early this morning and 2 ferries later was on the Olympic Peninsula. Getting on and off the ferries was a snap, and way easier than I expected. Our timing, though not intentional, was impeccable today. We arrived at each ferry within minutes of departure, so no long waits. In between the two ferries we took on 126 gallons of diesel. We'll pass the 2,000 mile mark tomorrow with another 1,600 to go. Tomorrow we'll continue westward on US 101, and then south toward Oregon....we'll be on the Peninsula for a couple more days....finally have a window of three straight days with sun, and no rain and/or snow. Life continues to be good....got out the BBQ for the first time on this trip this evening. Enjoying a beautiful full moon this evening...a few shots of the Olympics for your pleasure.
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Clarke and Elaine Hockwald - FULLTIMING!
https://whatnewell.blogspot.com
1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
2 Terra Trike Tadpoles
Intense 5.5 mountain bike
ALBUM: https://newellshowcase.com/thumbnails.php?album=213
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Old 12-02-2009, 01:56 PM   #18
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Sure looks good, Clarke. Here in Denver it is 15 degrees right now with overnight low of 2. They refer to this as an arctic blast. Going to last 4 days. Your pictures look awesome and we are very happy for your adventure. It is going quickly and you are having such a good time. Building memories is what this life is all about. Cheers!
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Old 12-02-2009, 10:17 PM   #19
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Clarke,

Thanks for the update, we're also getting some of that arctic blast. It snowed in Fort Worth this morning. Brrrrrrrr.

Keep the pics coming. That's a nice way to let us see your trip.
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Old 12-03-2009, 01:08 AM   #20
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It was C-O-L-D last night (Port Angeles).....frost on the ground, and on everything not covered. We had all 3 electric heaters going full blast all night (3rd one is in the water bay) plus the block heater, thus using a significant portion of our 50 amp allowance, and we were very comfortable, as we have been the entire trip. We were the only ones in the Port Angeles KOA last night. They were closed for the winter, but provide three sites with power that you can self register for, and pay for. We were grateful for every single amp we had access to last night. We got out of camp around 8am.....we had about 170 miles to drive today....our original destination was Aberdeen, WA....down in the southwest corner of the the fair state of Washington. The scenery was amazing as we drifted first west on US 101, then south on the same. We took a small detour into the Hoh Rain Forest, which was so cool.

We hit Aberdeen around 1:30pm, and I was hungry.....we spied a rare Mexican restaurant on our left, and swung around the block (101 southbound is one way in this part of town), and pulled into the parking lot......just to the right of the parking lot Elaine spied a small taco place, which looked empty....she said "we always have great luck with these little 'hole in the wall' places....what do you think?"....she is right, and we went in and had some of the best carne asada tacos I have ever had. If you are ever in Aberdeen stop in at Taqueria Y Mariscos El Mar!

After vanishing the tacos I felt revived, and asked Elaine how far the next town was....she says "Raymond"....about 27 miles. I pulled up the internet on my Netbook, opened campgroundreviews.com and found the one park there...right on the Willapa River....what a view! We called ahead, and the owner said to take the first spot on the left...the only pull through...$20 for 30 amps. We arrived, set up, and then took a mile walk along the river on the bike path....now I'm waiting for the great chili and cornbread dinner Elaine's loving hands are preparing as I type. Life is great.....
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Clarke and Elaine Hockwald - FULLTIMING!
https://whatnewell.blogspot.com
1982 Newell 36’ DD 6V92 TA
2002 Thunderbird Retro
Cannondale Tandem
Cannondale Bad Boy
Cannondale F600
2 Terra Trike Tadpoles
Intense 5.5 mountain bike
ALBUM: https://newellshowcase.com/thumbnails.php?album=213
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