RV #3 !

Hi from upstate NY!

Herman and I took the plunge about a month ago and bought a used 2011 Tiffin Allegro Breeze 28Br, class a, diesel pusher. We're the 3rd owners. The 1st owners from Florida put 11k miles on it. Then, they sold it to a dealer in Florida and it ended up being bought by a couple in Vermont. They put just 8k miles on it and sold it. It's only got 19k miles on it.


It's the smallest class A, diesel pusher made. I've spoken with the original owner. He says that people buy a small RV at first and then quickly realize they want something bigger. 28 ft (inside length) isn't that big. Our first RV was the 21.5 ft long Rialta. Then we went to the 24.5 foot long Winnebago View and now we're up to a 28 footer.



Maybe we should skip all this upgrading nonsense and just go buy a 45 footer with 7 TVs, a washer & dryer and 450hp Cat engine!? Anyone got a 1/2 a million dollars we can borrow?














Our new RV is awesome but it is slow, heavy and underpowered compared to our Winnebago view. We've put a few hundred miles on it & slept one night in it so far. I'm getting used to driving it. Driving a wide, diesel pusher is quite a different than driving our last, smaller, class B+ RV.

We're getting a few issues worked out (under warranty) and then it'll be ready for serious use.

1. The air leveling system isn't working properly. Instead of the hydraulic arms that get stuck in the mud, :) It has airbags on each wheel that are supposed to blow up and deflate depending on the terrain it is parked on. I think the system has come out of adjustment because it doesn't seem to know where level is.

2. The RV sort of wanders around the lane while driving. This should be solved by a full alignment and airing up the tires to 85lbs. It's in the shop today having that done. They're going to check the front end over closely for any other problems.

3. I'm having a certified international service center check the engine for any issues that might cause low power. Even though it runs great, I'm convinced that something is wrong. My scanguageD is telling me that the max horsepower it is seeing from the engine is 175hp and max turbo boost is around 25psi. The engine is supposed to be putting out 215hp and I'm not sure what the boost number is supposed to be. The scangauge could be inaccurate but I doubt it is 40hp off in its reading. On 6/13 we will know for sure.



Movie night in the RV

I think we'll probably get out to the west coast this winter. It's been almost 3 years since we did that last. That's just too long. I'm getting the itch to travel. See you all out there!

LL Bean = Made In China = Crap products

LL BEAN = Made in China now. According to a story I read on the internet, 97% of the items sold by LL Bean are NOT made in the USA. 3% are made here. Sad. I can tell you that the made in China stuff is super cheaply made and wears out really fast.

My mom got me these $50 slippers for xmas 2013... the stitching is falling out and the cloth beneath the heels is already worn right through. It's been less than 3 months and it's not like I wear my slippers that much! How can they be falling apart like this? Because they're cheaply made in China!

LL Bean you should be ashamed of yourself for sacrificing jobs and quality for profits. Boooooooo!

AmyPower Amysystems.com AmyLior Inc (rebranded as SUNRISE QUICKIE wheelchairs) Horrible customer service

(888) 453-8458 & 1-800-333-4000

 

This blog is also not only a travel blog but is becoming my way to get the word out about horrible companies with even more horrible customer service.

My 70 year old dad is going through some health issues and has become unable to walk. Since he's not wealthy, doesn't have a lot of time to find the right chair and HATES bureaucratic medicaid red tape ...I went on ebay and found a like new, but slightly used, 2013 power wheel chair made for bariatric (heavy!) people.

The chair was $26,000 when it was sold new a few months ago. It did almost everything my dad needed it to. Thankfully, We paid a fraction of the new cost and had my dad sitting in it before a medicaid worker probably would have found their pencil and paper.

 

Before purchasing it, I phoned the company to try to find out more about the chair. Evidently, these companies that make medical products don't want to deal with the general public. They only want to deal with distributors and insurance companies. And, NOTHING IS URGENT TO THEM. NOTHING!

I was surprised when the lady at AMYSYSTEMS gave me a less than helpful attitude about answering my questions about the chair. As soon as I told her that I was considering buying it used from an ebay seller, she tuned out. She wanted nothing to do with me since I wasn't BUYING a NEW chair from one of their dealers. I guess AMYPOWER wheelchairs doesn't realize that people do pass on and their very expensive wheelchairs will eventually be sold on the used market by the grieving family?

Fast forward a couple days and I bought the chair from ebay. I had it delivered to my dads house. It arrived a week later & worked well. He was slowly getting used to piloting the gigantic chair around their small living room.

A few days ago he tried to tilt the chair back and ended up hitting a table behind him. He didn't realize this and kept trying to tilt the chair back. Doing so, broke the linear actuator (made mostly out of plastic) and the 2 guide rods (made out of weak pot metal), making the chair all but unusable.

I called the company that built the $26,000  wheelchair (AMYLIOR, AMYPOWER, AMYSYSTEMS... they have 3 names?!) hoping to buy the actuator and rods. Again, I was met with kind of nasty attitude. My subsequent calls were routed to voicemail. When they realized I would keep calling back and wasn't going away (my dad needs help!)... finally I was connected to a parts guy that first said he could sell me the parts and later emailed me saying, and I quote...

"Hi Donald,

After talking to my superior, I was reminded that we cannot sell directly to end user or chair owners. You will need to find a chair repair shop in your area. Sorry.

Best regards,

Paul Leroux

AMYSYSTEMS

Technical Support

T: 888.453.0311 x262

F: 877.501.8458

pleroux@amysystems.com "

I had already explained to Paul on the phone that we didn't need a wheelchair repair shop to install the part. We just needed the part so we could install it ourselves. Time was of the essence.

It shouldn't be too much of a hassle for them to offer some sort of parts availability to "regular Joes" who have bought one of their incredibly expensive (and kind of cheaply made) chairs on the used market.

After much communication back and forth, Paul Leroux told me they can only sell parts to their dealers (which are few and far between) still staunchly refusing to sell parts to "average joe" who foolishly bought one of their chairs on the used market.

I am really disappointed in this company and would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend buying a chair from them. There are too many other reputable wheelchair builders (with large dealer networks and ample parts availibility) to choose from that will offer advice and parts (without attitude) after the sale.

Do yourself and your family a favor and stay far away from AMYPOWER, SUNRISE & QUICKIE wheelchairs. The AMYPOWER wheelchairs are rebranded and sold by Sunrise Medical as QUICKIE brand chairs.

LL Bean - YOU SUCK!

I grew up in Maine and have been going to LL Bean since back when they had that really long staircase up to the front door. I'm talking like 40+ years ago. They've always been pretty good but recently I returned 2 Victorinox "signature lite" knives that had been on my key chains for years and were broken.

LL Bean returns dept called me a week or so later and said they no longer offer this knife (probably because it has a light and a battery in it as well as a pen. Eventually ALL of these knives would stop working when the battery dies or the pen runs dry of ink) and they would give me a store credit.

I agreed and they said they'd email the gift card. I assumed it would be for around $60 since the knives were $29 each back when I bought them. http://dev.gifts.com/products/L-L-Bean/L-L-Bean-Victorinox-Signature-Lite-LED?p=6654:62059-1032442:395

The email gift card arrive in my inbox and I was surprised to find a store credit for only $8.95 x 2!

After at least an hour emailing back and forth with LL Beans customer service, I was unable to convince them that whoever processed this return made a mistake. A blantant and obvious mistake as far as I could see. But no, not obvious to them! They would not admit to a mistake.

They gave me credit for 2 of the "Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife". According to the LL Bean CSR, The original price was $12.50 and the last sale price was $8.95 when the knife was last offered in 2006. I looked it up and found out that the current version of the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife is item #TA247024 and cost $18! Yet, LL Bean decided it would be OK to give me store credit for just $8.95? What the heck LL Bean?

I am somewhat of a knife buff/collector and own many knives. I happen to have a "Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife" (that they gave me credit for) and a "Victorinox Signature lite" (the knife that I returned to LL Bean) right here on my desk. I took photos and emailed them to the CSR and still I get this reply...

"I have researched the Victorinox Swiss Army Signature Lite Pocket Knife and am sorry to say we have no history of selling this particular knife, either by catalog, online,or in our stores.
The knife that was returned was identified as the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic Pocket Knife. The original price was $12.50 and the last sale price was $8.95 when the knife was last offered in 2006. The current version of the this knife is item #TA247024.
Please let us know if you have any other information on when this knife may have been purchased, if it was in your name or purchased as a gift for you by someone else, or any additional information will be happy to research this further and correct the refund.
Sincerely,
Diane"

The black knife is the knife they currently sell for $18 but gave me $8.95 credit for. The red knife is the knife I paid $29 for & returned 2 of recently. They no longer sell this model but it is still made by Victorinox.

I replied with an old link to the "signature lite" on their own freaking website! It's obvious that they did sell this knife in the past. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/62059?page=victorinox-signature-lite-with-led

I am left beating my head against the wall, wondering why LL Bean is fighting me when they supposedly have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.

LL Bean you really suck!

I'm thinking about returning this $135 lawn chair I bought from LL Bean this summer. The reason I paid big bucks for a lawn chair was because I thought if I ever had problems with it, I would be covered under their 100% satisfaction guarantee. But now I am finding out they aren't really very good at honoring that promise. God help me if/when I have any problems with this chair. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63601?feat=recliner-SR0&page=bean-s-camp-recliner&attrValue_0=Paprika&productId=1066460

Almost a year ago...

Wow, has it been that long since Tigger and I returned home from out last RV journey? It doesn't seem like it but it has been almost a year.

We've all gotten a bit older and our bones a bit more creaky since then. Tigger sleeps a lot these days.

Things are good for Herman and I. He's still working for Goldman Sachs (11 years & counting) and I'm still buying and selling things at auctions around the northeast.

I bought a used 1998 Chevy K3500 dually 4x4 truck and 8x16 enclosed trailer to make it easier to pick up and deliver auction items. I can haul pretty much anything now. ;)

I hope everyone that I personally met on our trip and everyone that I got to know through the blogs is having a great year. There's still a ton of stuff to see and we will be "out there" next winter for sure.

ENJOY!

-Don, Herman & Tigger

Troy NY

Afterward

I've been home about a week now and slowly getting back to non RV life.

I am pretty sure that my "RV legs" have turned back to normal legs now.

After a while you start to not notice the movement but it's true... when you (or your dog) move around inside a winnebago View RV, it moves with you (ever so slightly). The movement is obvious enough at first but it becomes second nature to your body after a month or so.

When I moved back into a home that doesn't move when I (or Tigger) do, it was odd. I took a little getting used to.

My brain still isn't 100% convinced that I'm not living in the RV anymore. The other night, I arose from bed not fully awake. In a foggy sleep haze, it wasn't evident to me where I was. I stepped from bed and immediately touched the floor. I knew this was wrong because I'm supposed to climb down a 4 rung ladder before touching to the floor.

I stumbled around in the kitchen and after a few seconds, I woke up enough to realize where I was.

I AM HOME!

I went back to bed and fell right to sleep.

Herman asked what was the best part of the trip. I have to say that Carlsbad Caverns was the most amazing thing I saw throughout the trip. I'd love to go back again because there was much I did not get to see there.

Worst traffic? No doubt, it was on the way home trying to get around Washington DC. What a nightmare that is. I'd rather drive in and around NYC or Los Angeles than Washington DC.

If anyone has any questions about the trip... feel free to ask in a comment below.

One night in the Bayou Cafe in Savannah Georgia

This will be my last travelling post of this trip.

Thursday night, I was parked pretty close to River Street and the Bayou Cafee in Savannah Georgia. Bored with TV, I decided to stroll down to the bar and have a drink or 10. What a blast I was having... until I got up to leave... Someone either slipped a roofie into one of my drinks or I just ended up drinking waaaaay too much. It was probably the latter.

It didn't help matters that I had eaten a basket of fried catfish and french fries while at the bar. Never eat fried catfish while drinking copious "Cape Codders" . Trust me on this.

Here's a video I shot of the entertainer that night... Don Coyer. He was really good.
Try to ignore the loud, out of tune drunk guy singing along. LOL.

A short time after I took this video, I stumbled outside and headed for "home". For the next few hours, I proceeded to stumble in and out of the RV "getting air" and then usually puking. You know you're in a bad way when people are asking you if you're alright.

That's all I'm saying about this night.

It will not happen again.

Headed home

Tonight should be my last sleeping night in the RV... on this trip. I am about 8-9 hours from home now. I really can't wait to see Herman and be HOME again.

For me, home isn't anywhere I lay my head (like the Metallica song says). Home is with Herman & Tigger in Troy NY. I miss home.

I am excited to get home and sleep in my own bed again. It's going to be nice.

over and out

Title Pawn ?

Every small town or city I drive through down here in the south has these sleezy "TITLE PAWN" shops.

I actually stopped at one recently and found out it's not a real pawn shop... it's a TITLE pawn shop. The only thing they want is rights to your vehicles title.

Oddly, if you own a vehicle, you can pawn your title. Who came up with this?

Who would would buy a vehicle and then pawn the title to it?!

TITLE PAWN   <---- these places are everywhere down here in the south.

Downtown Savannah Georgia

Here we go. Driving in to any downtown area is usually challenging in an RV. Savannah is no different. Worth it? YUP! Fo’ Sho’

You know you’re near the center of the city when you see the city hall. I couldn't find parking so I ended up parking in front of a yellow curb near city hall. I carted my 26 pound box about 2 blocks to the FedEx office. They helped me ship the eBay item out to my buyer in California using my Fedex account. My WORK here is done. Now, it's all fun & sun & relaxation. Yeah right.


On Hermans recommendation, I went to dinner at Tubby’s on River St. I met a cool couple from Plymouth Mass. They're driving to Florida. They have a vacation home in Lovell Maine near Shawnee Peak ski area. They were seated one table away and we chatted throughout our meals.

 

This is a busy port. Lots of cargo container ships coming from Hong Kong heading here.


We have an interesting parking spot. We pulled in around 3pm and paid for 2 hours parking. You have to pay from 9am to 5pm but after that, I guess it’s up for grabs? Free? See the RV?


The view out the window. We are a stones throw from the bayou café on River St.

River St.
  

Some other crazy RVers traversing Savannahs city streets.


A badass Toyota FJ Cruiser


Cool mossy trees.


Busses look like trolleys here. Lots of cities do this to create a different vibe. It works.


I must say that the 2nd person I had contact with here asked me for money... $3 to be exact. I was talking with a couple asian students trying to find the local FedEx. They helped me but then an older black guy pretending to help me with directions came on the scene. After I told him I was all set, he asked if I could help a veteran. Bums always try to tug at your heart strings. Yeah, ok... I believe that you're a veteran. Ummmm, NOT!

That's not a good start to my Savannah visit. You know I hate BUMS.

Meet Al – Proprietor of POJO’s Treasures & things in Midway GA.

Today, I was driving through Midway Georgia looking for interesting things to see and do.

I first came across this cool, early 1950's, double sided, neon GULF gasoline sign. It was attached to an equally cool 1950's gas station that was just begging to be restored back to its 50's glory like this one had been.

Then, I spotted a thrift store on steroids and had to stop. It was more than a thrift store. It was like a goodwill, a salvation army, eBay, craigslist and an auction house all rolled into one. If that wasn’t good enough, the owner Al, is one cool guy. He’s originally from Guam and is very affable.

I was trying not to monopolize his time talking about the business. Al knows a lot about a lot of different things. I think I spent a good hour roaming around his shop listening to the vinyl records he was playing on the vintage stereo system in the back. 

I sold him the Texas Longhorn, a box of 1960’s slot cars, a set of 5 old truck cab marker lights and the safari hat. All of which I had been carting around (and tripping over) since the Conroe Texas "megapick". A quick google maps search says that’s 980 miles. I sold the stuff for exactly what I paid for it. It’s not always about making a profit.


Here are a bunch of pictures from AL's shop. He’s got a good eye. I especially liked all the vintage metal toys and his huge selection of vinyl LPs.
 

I was like a kid in a candy store


Quite the collection eh? It goes on and on and on !!!


He got really busy with customers coming in, one after another.

So, we wrapped up our own swapping/buying/selling and I headed on toward Savannah. I drove away with $63 more dollars than I arrived with, a nice swiss army knife (which I used to open a can of beans tonight) and a lot more floor space in the RV. Tigger HATED the Texas longhorn so he's pleased that it disappeared.




If Al wasn’t so busy I could have stuck around & talked with him for hours.

You'll have to go see the manager in the office

This shack was across the river from where we camped last night. The tide is low right now so the shacks pilings are visible. I wonder if the "manager" ever came across the river to view his "office" at low tide? I think he'd be surprised to see that his main supports are about as thin as a toothpick.

From all the boats, you can tell this business and dock is still in use

You can see the "office" and "manager" signs on the shack. I bet they sell bait.
 Notice how thin the pier supports are. YIKES

No See Ums - a short video

Herman says my videos are not long enough. It takes quite a while to upload them to youtube so that's why I keep them short.

Last night while watching TV, I killed 4 blood filled mosquitos inside the RV. Was it my blood or Tiggers? Who knows?

They were attracted to the light from the TV so it was easy to find them. All the windows were closed so I must have brought them in during the day? Or Tigger did. I have killed 2 more this morning.

In this video shot this morning, I was filming out the bathroom window in the rear of the RV. The bugs were SWARMING trying to get in. It was crazy. I know it's hard to see them because the camera was focusing on the sky and the trees. You can see them in a few frames though.

EDIT: The way I am itching tonight, I am certain that the 4 mosquitoes I killed last night in the RV were in fact filled with MY BLOOD. I hate biting bugs.

Harris Neck - part 2 - Alligators

Through this trip I've been hoping to see a gator or a croc in the wild. I've seen plenty of signs saying not to feed them but until Harris Neck wildlife refuge, I hadn't seen any.

I saw this sign and rolled my eyes ... "Sure, there's live gators here. Yeah right."
I walk up the bank and look around and I saw my first gator in the wild. He was not a man-eater yet but still was awesome to see.

sunning itself on a log

Gator #2 was about 20 feet long. Not really. More like 4-6 feet long?

They're really cool beasts. They completely ignore humans.

Sleeping?

 Off in the distance I see something almost as interesting as wild gators...

Way off in the distance

enroute

there it is

I'm guessing it was 50 feet tall.. just enough to see over the tree tops

It had ladders instead of stairs like some firetowers

Not sure why they needed 4 boats? Maybe to play bumper boats on the park rangers day off?

It was locked. The locking device really only keeps out fat people. Anyone less that a foot wide could slip between the bars and around the device. I'm sure 100's of kids have climbed this. I could have but chose not too. My motto is... "It's easier to ask for forgivness than it is to ask for permission". But, I imagine that it would be really hard getting any forgiveness if I'd been caught scaling the locked tower.

Firetowers usually make great hiking destinations. Here's a website of FORMER TOWER LOATIONS throughout the USA. I'm sure there's one near you to go explore.

Here's a bunch of tower locations in the Adirondack mountains near where Herman & I live.

Lots of towers are being restored now. People are understanding the historical significance and that they make great healthy tourist destinations.