CRChurch

We made it to Deer Run RV Resort in Crossville, TN, without incident! We're early arrivers [new word], along with Steve & Gail (who were already here), for the 2015 ECR; and, we plan to remain here 'til ~27 Apr 2015. Also, Carl & Donna are supposed to arrive tomorrow (Monday) as early arrivers, too. We stopped at Exit 320, I-40, in Crossville and refueled at the newly opened Speedway (truck refueling island); their price for diesel fuel is $2.399/gal; but, because Speedway is celebrating their new station, they offered--if you accept one of their rewards cards--a $0.10/gal discount for any fuel on top of their posted price. So, we loaded 106 gal @ $2.299/gal.; fuel mileage since last fueling: 7.34 mpg ($0.313/mi)--even though we were running about 65 mph (1,500 rpm) on the Interstate nearly the entire distance (except for the short, in-town routes through Little Rock, Memphis, and Nashville). Hope to see y'all here, or down the road! Raymond & Janet

We departed from Summit Vacation & RV Resort (Sattler, TX) about one week ago, after parking there for four months; traveled as far as Rainbow's End, Livingston, TX, for a three night's stay; then, moved to Texarkana, TX, for a three night's stay (tonight will be the third night). So far, we've had a lot of overcast sky and rain since leaving Sattler. We'll be putting the smart to bed, ready to depart tomorrow morning, heading to Deer Run RV Resort, Crossville, TN, for about a month; so, we'll be there for the 2015 ECR. It will be, for Janet and me, a two-overnight journey to Crossville. We plan to stop in Forrest City, AR, and in Hurricane Mills, TN. We had to stop for refueling between Livingston and Texarkana; it was a fairly good run, averaging 7.7+ mpg. Since we've owned our Volvo, we've averaged just a little more than 7.5 mpg, which may, or may not, be so bad; it's just not what I'd hoped we'd see in overall fuel economy. Safe travels to those traveling and we hope to see ya down the road! Raymond & Janet

Ouch! Really sorry to read about your misfortune in BC. But, happy that you both are okay and that you enjoyed the whirlwind tour of Alaska. Congratulations on your new "home!" After two trips to Alaska, you're the expert! So, how long does it take to get all the dirt & grim off (out of) the rig? Even all the crooks and crannies? Janet & I will have to return to Alaska so that we can visit the Kenai Peninsula (We did get to Seward for a week, though). When we arrived in Fairbanks, unloaded the smart from our Volvo, and drove it to a parking area, the smart refused to start--it was an electronic issue. So, we reloaded the smart on the Volvo, where it remained until we arrived in Bellingham, WA, about 19 Aug. There are no smart car dealers or repair shops in Alaska; so, we waited 'til we returned to the Lower 48. The ESM (electronic shift module) had failed; but now, that's fixed and the smart shifts better than it has in the past two years! I found the temperatures in Alaska to grow much more pleasant during our stay--the temperatures were about the same while we were there, but I grew to enjoy them. So, during the summertime, I could definitely live there...but, during the wintertime, maybe not! Likewise, Janet & I hope to see you & Norma again before too long!!!

Time has gotten away from me and I haven't posted in quite a while; but, here is our current location: Janet and I are overnighting in Lincoln Road RV Park, Helena, MT, on the way to Yellowstone NP. We plan to be in Yellowstone NP for six nights! Previously, we were in Columbia Falls RV Park (near West Glacier NP) for a couple of nights. We toured Going-to-the-Sun Road (Eastbound) as far as Logan Pass. It was very scenic drive on a clear, sunny day with balmy temperatures in the higher altitudes. Actually, I was happy to be in the smart, since the roadway is narrow--very narrow in more than a few places. The roadway climbs from about 3k feet elevation to about 6.6k feet at Logan Pass. [i noted on the way up that the smart wanted to run in 2nd gear; so, for the downhill trip, I manually shifted to 2nd gear and all was well with the smart maintaining ~35mph. I did have to lightly apply braking in a couple of places though.] Then, we moved to St Mary KOA Campground in St Mary, MT, for a couple of nights. We toured Going-to-the-Sun Road (Westbound) as far as Logan Pass, to complete the tour of the entire road. Although the day was one of nearly constant downpours, the sun did show itself a few times; however, the mountain peaks were completely enshrouded in clouds. The eastern side of the GTTS Road is not paved as well as the western side; and, with the rain and construction work on the roadway, every part of our smart was caked with a clay-sand grime! The drive is scenic, but but shorter and very different from the western side.

We have arrived at the Pioneer RV Park in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, CA--yesterday evening, actually (Wednesday 2014-06-11). The site is a pull-through, 70 ft in length, but was a little bit of a tight squeeze getting into--the gravel roadway on either side of the site is about 15-20 ft in width (estimated). However, there are no clear delineations between the site boundaries and the roadways, or between the sites either. The sites for big rigs are very near the highway; so, there is road noise, which is clearly perceptible but not annoying (to me, anyway). One downside, here, is that we are experiencing extreme voltage drop; when the heat pump is running (~16A), the voltage drops to about 105V; turn on other loads, and the whole-house, surge protector shuts down at voltages less than 104V! Fortunately, we have a 50A Hughes Autotransformer to boost the voltage and are having to use it at our site (Site #75); but, even with the Hughes in the circuit, the voltage still drops enough that the Hughes drops out (cuts off) to protect our coach's circuits; then, we have to wait several seconds after the Hughes resets for the Progressive surge protector to reset--any loads exceeding about 20A, total, produces excessive voltage drop! [Just be advised.] Since leaving Dawson Creek, BC, we traveled to the Triple G Hideaway campground in Ft Nelson, BC. It rained most of that day, but stopped raining about 40-50 miles before arriving in Ft Nelson. Unfortunately, there are two, long downhill grades of ~9% and, both, having a left-hand turn either part way down or nearly at the bottom of the grade; both grades were negotiated during downpours--YIKES! [speaking as a flatland driver before this trip! The grades and curves we negotiated in Montana were but a very small preview of these two.] With all the rain, there was little opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Northern BC. Triple G Hideaway assigned us a 75 ft, pull-through with 50A FHU; however, the cable TV connection provided a degraded signal on all channels and, while we (and everyone else that we spoke with) could connect to the WiFi, we could not connect to the Internet. The next morning, bright and early, we departed Ft Nelson, BC, heading for a 300+ mile drive to Nugget City, YT (Yukon Territory), which is, simply, the Baby Nugget RV campground about 15 miles beyond Watson Lake, YT. The drive was, almost entirely, with a beautiful clear sky and a few scattered, cumulus clouds and good roadway conditions--and only a few rough spots (repaired frost heaves). The drive, also, included many slowdowns due to wildlife--Janet captured in photos the moose and many bears w/cubs [see Janet's blog, ForksInTheRVRoad.com; since I was driving, I took pics of only a few animals and mountain scenery during the drive.]. BC is a beautiful land offering a lot of the natural beauty that God created in this world. The Baby Nugget RV campground has a lot of sites, but the campground was mostly empty (less than a dozen campers overnight); they assigned us to a 50A w/water site that is 100 ft in length; none of the sites have sewer connections. The work camper with whom we spoke told us that they use a huge sand pit for dumping the tanks--I didn't try that, did not even go look at the area, nor did I quiz him about whether he meant the gray water only, or the gray and black water. Janet and I, both, were exhausted after 600 miles of travel in two days; so, we slept in and departed Baby Nugget RV campground about 11;00 MDT (in that part of YT, they use MDT for summer and PST for winter...go figure). The drive through YT, though beautiful, does not really compare with the previous day's drive through BC. Also, there are several sections of highway that are gravel, rather than asphalt surfaces--one section is approximately 11 miles in length, where we slowed to about 30 kmph (~20 mph); that section was very rough (and even had, at least, one steep downhill grade), but the other sections of gravel weren't nearly as bad (I did slow to 60-70 kmph [37-43 mph, though]). Unlike the day before, we saw no wildlife along the route. However, about 30 miles from Whitehorse, a few, light rain showers peppered us 'til we arrived at the Pioneer RV Park, very close to downtown Whitehorse. We plan to take a couple of days downtime--necessary for an old-timer, like myself--to do a little exploring and to recharge our bodies' batteries, so to speak. While we are here, in Whitehorse, we'll plan our next set of stops between Whitehorse and Anchorage, AK.

We just arrived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia (BC)--Saturday 2014-06-07. We left Whitecourt, Alberta (AB), this morning before 09:00 MDT and arrived in Dawson Creek, BC, about 15:00 PDT. Dawson Creek is MILE 0 of the Alaska Highway! The drive was scenic, travelling though the dense forests of Northern Alberta; then, dropping down to a huge plain of lush farm land at Grand Prairie, AB. Interesting (to me, anyway), Cochrane, AB, is ~4,600' elev. and Dawson Creek, BC, is ~2,100' elev; yet, the scenery looks similar--maybe, a few less rolling hills nearby. Janet and I plan to go out exploring this afternoon and tomorrow; depending upon what we discover (or upon how much exploring we actually accomplish), we may spend one extra day here. Tip for the day: It appears that most truck stops (at least, in northern AB and northern BC) use the "Card Lock" system (Card Lock means that the driver can use the "card" to unlock and pump his/her diesel fuel and never has to visit or speak to the attendant); also, most, if not all, of those Card Lock truck stops are unattended during the weekend! Plan your fueling stops for weekdays only and during normal working hours! We plan to refuel in Dawson Creek, BC, and the question remains whether those Card Lock truck stops will even accept credit cards or will accept only Card Lock cards; we'll let ya know, as soon as we find out (probably, Monday). Safe travels to all who are traveling. Raymond

Last weekend (Sunday before Memorial Day in the USA), we departed St Mary Glacier Park KOA, MT. About 1/2 hour later, we arrived at the Canadian border post. That took about 1/2 hour to fill out the paperwork and pay $25 (Canadian) to register our shotgun to transit Canada--it's good for 60 days; so, if we were to travel through Canada to Alaska and return through Canada in less than 60 days, we won't have to re-register and pay another $25. The drive through the rolling hills and view of the Canadian Rockies in the distance was really beautiful--especially, if you are from Florida and are not really accustomed to seeing such landscape! The ride through Calgary was uneventful and we arrived at the Bow RiversEdge campground in Cochrane, Alberta. Of course, we did have some drama: The Volvo DID (driver information display) flashed a message that the Climate Control Unit had lost communications. So, on Monday, we visited the Volvo dealer, Transwestern, and scheduled for Tuesday morning at 07:00 to have their technician "triage" the problem and we could be out the door! The next morning, about 06:15, Janet was in the smart and I followed in the Volvo; just as I was turning onto route 1A off route 22, the DID flashed, "Check Engine ECU at Next Stop!" and suddenly, it sounded as though a couple of cylinders were not functioning! My guess was that an injector had failed--and I was facing a climb up about an 8% grade. I could only muster 60km/h up that grade (110km/h, maximum, speed zone). We finally got to Transwestern and added that issue to the other and waited while the mechanic took and checked the Volvo. A few hours later, the service writer appeared in the waiting lounge and said the communications issue was a blown fuse, but the check engine ECU was from two injectors that failed and "were pulling down the others" also the injector harness was blowing oil and need to be replaced. The earliest he could schedule the work is June 5 and "guessed" that it would take two days. [As of now, I don't have a written estimate for cost or for scheduled completion.] The campground is full--especially on weekends--booked months in advance; furthermore, the site where we are located is booked for a Class A for the next two months, so we have to move (without a truck)! In addition, they only have a 30A FHU site available to which we can move...for two days...then, boondock for the weekend and move to another site through the following weekend. Hopefully, we'll get the Volvo back on Friday (06 June), but Saturday is more likely. [if they start working on the Volvo on 05 June and it takes more than two days, we won't get it back until Monday or later.] The good news is that Calgary--at least, what we've seen so far--is a beautiful city, with many attractions (parks, museums, zoo, botanical gardens, etc.). Furthermore, the campground is situated adjacent to the Bow River and has a running/bike path along the banks; so, we can get some exercise to help prepare for our participation in the Mayor's Midnight Marathon/Half-Marathon in Anchorage, AK on 21 June. The International Production Facility for RVHaulers.ca is also located in Calgary; so, we may pay a visit to Gregg and crew, who have been working night & day, lately. We will have no lack of things to do to keep occupied for the next 12-13 days.

Mickey: Great hearing from you. Are y'all visiting family or friends, fishing, relaxing, or work camping in Altoona? We, too, have had some strong headwinds (and cross winds) during our drive along route US 2 West. You and Bonnie take care; Janet and I hope to see y'all again during our travels. To get caught up with our travels: On Thursday (2014-05-15) we departed Grand Forks AFB in ~60F temperatures and arrived in Minot, ND in ~70F temperatures--what's with that? a new trend...I hope! We decided against Minot AFB campground because Janet read some reviews that the electric available was only 30A, rather than 50A; so, we pulled into Roughriders Campground (a Good Sams' park). We got a pull-through site, ~80 ft length. The park was full of oil field/pipeline workers with their families; and, it was a little noisy until the children were put to bed (~21:00), after that, it quiet as could be, although you could hear trains blowing at the intersections off in the distance, is you listened closely. Daylight showed up ~04:15; so, we were both up early and pulled out of the Roughriders Campground near 09:00 heading for Glasgow, MT. The drive along route US 2 West produced views of huge farms/ranches and Indian reservations (actually, I think it may have been a single reservation). Our failure along our travels is having a schedule, rather than stopping at the multitude of historic markers, landmarks, and other points of interest along our route. Anyway, we pulled into Glasgow, MT about mid-afternoon--with temperatures in the mid-60s!!! We stayed at the Cottonwood Inn & Suites and RV Park; it is a really nice park--50A FHU and 90 ft pull-throughs and smaller back-ins. The town is small and the RV Park is very close to "downtown;" so, Janet and I walked to the Ace Hardware store and to the grocery store (about 1.6 mile, round trip). I'm really not accustomed to daylight showing up so brightly about an hour before sunrise; so, Janet and I, both, were up fairly early; but, even taking our time having breakfast and performing a few chores before getting to the process of buttoning up for travel, we were out of the park about 08:30. Janet decided to drive the next leg of our journey to the Pilot Truck Stop in Shelby, MT--about 5 hours away. All along the drive--we really regret, again, having a schedule that does not allow us the luxury of stopping frequently to see the POI (points-of-interest), especially within 50 miles, either side, of Glasgow--the folks seem to have a knack for creating sculptures out of metal (scrap?) of all kind of things; e.g., dinosaurs, birds, and other creatures living and extinct and erect them along the roadway. There are, also, frequent historic markers, small parks, and areas in commemoration of local heroes or historic events. After refueling in Shelby, I drove the final leg of the day to the St Mary Glacier Park KOA along routes US 2 West and US 89, passing through Cut Bank and Browning. Mostly the speed limit is 70 mph; but, the 31-mile drive between Browning and St Mary, MT, is along US 89 having a narrow, two-lane roadway with none-to-tiny shoulders and many (mostly?) S-curves and switchbacks as it ascends and descends the hills to the base of the Rockies. It took me about an hour (+/-, probably +) to drive those 31 miles, but most of the time was during the last 19 miles, where the majority of the curves are located and where I averaged about 25 mph (estimated). The KOA park is beautiful; after we just got parked and set up for the week, a strong rain storm roared through; but, it only lasted about 1/2 hour and left the area much cooler and clear. Janet and I went for a walk, then, and spotted about a dozen deer grazing both in the RV Park and in the fields and roadway just outside the park perimeter. We'll be here for five-days...per our schedule!

Last Sunday morning (Mother's Day), we departed St Ignace, MI, (temperature was ~55F) and were heading toward South Range, MI--a delightful, long drive along US 2 West with many scenic views of Lake Michigan and it's clear, blue water as far as the eye could see. But, we had a change of plans during our drive: the RV campground at South Range was "under water," meaning that the amount of rains recently had saturated the soil to the point that the manager will only allow small Class C RVs or small pull trailers and the like. So, we drove to Saginaw, Minnesota, instead. And, we stayed at Ogston's RV campground--the temperature was about 40F when we arrived. On Monday, the weather was not what I like--temp was ~45F, rain, and strong gusty winds--so, Janet and I stayed indoors, getting caught up with some chores and trying to keep warm. Tuesday, the weather was slightly warmer and less rain; so, we unloaded the smart and drove into Duluth to do some grocery shopping, sight-seeing, and having lunch at the Duluth Grill (which had been featured on Triple-D, aka Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives). By the time we returned home, the temperature had dropped and the wind had increased; so, we put the smart to bed (loaded it on the bed of our Volvo). True to form, Janet and I departed from Saginaw, Minnesota, this morning (Wednesday)--I'm convinced because it warmed above 50F--and arrived at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, this afternoon (temperature was ~43F; tonight's forecast: 28F). There was a constant, strong wind blowing nearly the whole trip today. We couldn't really feel the crosswinds...however, the headwinds seem to have affected (negatively) our fuel economy a little (per the DID). Our plan is to depart tomorrow morning for Minot AFB, North Dakota--we may be breaking our trend: tomorrow's temperatures here at Grand Forks are supposed to be in the 50s, but so is temp in Minot! Our smart is still "to bed," ready to continue our trek along US 2 West tomorrow...Lord willin'!

Last Thursday (2014-05-08) morning, we left Grand Haven, Mi, and arrived, mid-afternoon, in St. Ignace, Mi, at the KOA Campground. It was cold and very gusty winds--I think the average was about 26 mph, gusting to 35 mph. I think, also, that, just like in Grand Haven, we are the first travelers to arrive in the campground; although, in Grand Haven there were seasonal and annual residents. Yesterday morning, with cold, foggy, and light rainy conditions, Janet and I took the high-speed ferry to Mackinac Island. Along the docks, the shops are very touristy, selling trinkets and apparel emblazoned with "Mackinac Island" and the like. But, our first stop was to the Joanne's Fudge shop for hot beverages to warm us--Janet had a Turtle Mocha, I had a hot chocolate--but, they weren't sufficient. So, Janet and I began a trek along the roads to see the rest of the island; we had walked only a couple of miles when we arrived at the Grand Hotel. Cold and wet, we decided to pay the $10/person admission to the hotel. We spent a couple of hours touring the inside and, even, had the lunch buffet. Sufficiently warmed and very stuffed from lunch, we returned to the docks for the ferry ride back to St. Ignace. The ferry line provides free, shuttle service to the campground. The smart is loaded and ready to travel tomorrow. We plan to travel, tomorrow morning, along US 2 West to South Range, WI--Lord willing--where we'll spend a few days. Safe journey to other travelers!

Welcome, Jim & Wilma! In looking for a rig, don't overlook those rigs for sale by HDT'ers--who have chosen, or been forced by unforeseen circumstances, into a different lifestyle. Hope we'll see ya in Hutch, October 2014! Raymond

We drove a grueling 123 miles, yesterday! [Well, actually, it wasn't grueling at all; but, it was raining and the high temperature was 44F!] We left Indiana Interstate Enterprise (Paul and Kay Cross) in Lagrange, IN, about 11:30 and arrived in Grand Haven, MI, yesterday. We'll be staying at the Grand Haven Campground for about a week before continuing our journey to Alaska. While we're here, we plan to enjoy a little downtime--after 10 days of having to be out of our Mobile Suites from 07:00 'til 16:00, daily, for upgrades (MOR/ryde SI suspension and other stuff) and repairs--to wait for our mail to catch up to us, and to do some site seeing (the Tulip Festival, in Holland, MI, begins tomorrow and lasts for a week and to check out touristy thing in the Grand Rapids area). If it will warm up some (currently 44F, 90% relative humidity), I can finish a couple of installation items; e.g., re-connect the shore-power plug in the Volvo, that I haven't had time to do.

Today (2014-04-16), Janet & I will be leaving Deer Run RV Resort (Crossville, TN - Home of the ECR) and will be heading north about 75 miles to Raccoon Valley RV Park. It was about 20F this morning about 06:15 CDT when I awoke; but, it is supposed to warm today and tomorrow.

We've moved out of our S&B and into the Mobile Suites! We're parked in Yukon RV Park, Yukon, Florida (a part of Jacksonville), located just west of US 17 (Roosevelt Blvd) and the FEC (Florida East Coast) railroad tracks at the end of the Naval Air Station Jacksonville runway. We plan to stay 'til middle of March, when we plan to head for Deer Run RV Resort, Crossville, TN, current home of the ECR. Jeff and Cindy Brett stopped by for a few, wonderful days to visit before heading farther south--we enjoyed their time with us more than I have the ability to write. Since today is the first day of 2014, Happy New Year to all!!! Safe travels (or, safe parking, as the case may be) and may this be a most wonderful year to begin the rest of your days!

Janet (jags1fan) & I are attending the HDT RV Rally in Hutchinson, KS 'til Saturday (13 Oct 2012); then, it's back to Florida (home base) 'til the 2013 Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa (Jan); then, back to home base until the 2013 ECR.