My families Great American Adventure

[After irth 1,243]

22 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

23 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

My long story short. 
the boy left the water turned on in the outside kitchen. Didn’t realize it.  Ended up running the water tank completely dry. And completely flooding the sink and storage area. And filling the gray tank. Which backed up. And, I let the wife hook up the stinky slinky, she didn’t get it on there right enough to the hook, so when I emptied the black tank and grey tank the slinky came off. Big mess. And I got to get under the rv and remove the drain from the outside kitchen storage (with a manual screw driver and 6 screws) while it pissed ester all over me through the screw holes before dumping all over me when I twisted the drain around after taking out the screws. 
so, black tank and gray tank issue, drainage in sink issue, broke camp, set up camp, drove from NY to Boston disgusting ness, lost outside fridge stuff. Lost stuff in outside kitchen storage and a partridge and a pear tree 
when I suggested to my wife that perhaps she stop ducking around with the cable and get me the fucking screw driver as a means of prioritizing what was important she called me a mother fucker. So, yeah, this was a fun day on the road for sure. 
also, got out of the shower and she’s like- can you go into town and get some beer, I don’t feel like going. 
cool babe, you read my mind. That’s exactly what I wanted to do, get back on the road at 8:30 at night after all that I just described. But the upside is, at least now I do have beer and am drinking that. 
also, my 5 year old daughter got called a pussy by one of the local kids. Massholes indeed. 

Read more  

This is the shit I've been waiting for. Fuck yes.

The time has come. I just assumed the whole trip would consist of this. 
 

He’s held it together for so long...

[HornOnTheBayou 8,945]

5 hours ago, HornPhD said:

By the look of the guy in the background, we won’t be hearing from Wulaw anymore

That is Blake Gideon's little brother. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by HornOnTheBayou

[zork 629]

10 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Waiting for our lobster rolls on the dock at Plymouth Rock


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https://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f16/where-is-main-circuit-breaker-on-georgetown-351-ds-152111.html

read through the link.  find the circuit/fuse box in the bedroom, perhaps?

Edited July 20, 2020 by zork

[CycleTex87 2,981]

CSB/ Just an aside, but my Dad owned an Onan dealership back in the '70's and '80's, maker of many if not most of the RV gensets.  I worked in the shop at the time, and we lots of folks come in with idiotic problems on their gensets.  One time, Eddie Hill's RV came in.  Eddie Hill was a drag boat racer and later a top fuel dragster racer (he was the first to record a sub 5.0 second 1/4 mile in top fuel).  So his crew knew engines and whatnot.  Except for his gasoline powered generator on his RV, which was filled up with diesel. / CSB

Edited July 20, 2020 by CycleTex87
punctuation bro

[davidg 4,038]

On 7/19/2020 at 12:13 AM, RPM said:

Check the and see if there are circuit breakers on the generator itself. You probably overloaded a circuit for the gen, but not enough to trip a main panel breaker.

This is what you need to be looking for.   Is your genset an Onan?

See 2:45 on this video

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by davidg

[davidg 4,038]

Also, don't know how much you are running your onboard genset but don't neglect the need to change oil and filters at the recommended interval.

[Incredulity 11,682]

On 7/18/2020 at 6:50 PM, Wulaw Horn said:

This is the set up inside the storage that the plug is supposed to be plugged into to complete the circuit when it runs on generator power. It’s 3 prong- like a dryer. Can’t be a problem with the male end I wouldn’t think, since everything works when plugged into the shore power at camp. Same reason I wouldn’t think the problem could be with the interior circuits,  right?

Shot in the dark here.

Two things I have run into when we have rented class A motorhomes that had similar symptoms.

1.) battery bank. I believe if even 1 of the batteries is not recharging it will fuck the whole system.  We had to have them replaced one year.

2.) On the FR we have rented there is a “power changover” button directly on the left at floor level that facilitates switchover to battery power.  I have had that button be janky and need attention to make sure it functions and work automatically on different rentals.

[davidg 4,038]

2 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Shot in the dark here.

Two things I have run into when we have rented class A motorhomes that had similar symptoms.

1.) battery bank. I believe if even 1 of the batteries is not recharging it will fuck the whole system.  We had to have them replaced one year.

2.) On the FR we have rented there is a “power changover” button directly on the left at floor level that facilitates switchover to battery power.  I have had that button be janky and need attention to make sure it functions and work automatically on different rentals.

The power changeover would only be applicable in units equipped with a manual or automatic transfer switch, similar to what you would install in a home with a generator backup.  With the outlet plug setup, you just move the shore power cord from the generator outlet to the campground power pedestal.

If his setup works on shore power, it is 100% an issue between that outlet and his genset.  97% sure its the breaker on the genset per that video.  If not, he's got lots bigger problems.

[Incredulity 11,682]

My only experience is dry camping,  so we have run the generator a lot to keep the batteries charged.  I know the RV’s that I have rented have shore power connections, but the site we go to doesn’t have power available.

[Buzzrock 14,936]

This is what you need to be looking for.   Is your genset an Onan?
See 2:45 on this video
 
 
 

Sorry I didn’t see this sooner and chime in but this is what I would have recommended you check first. The RV I use has a little black circuit breaker switch like that on the generator. Ours is easier to access than the one in that video, so ymmv.

Also try and figure out which devices put the biggest load on the power. The biggest culprit we have is a little one-cup Keurig.

Google image search for Onan circuit breaker.

[Sbbruin 21,866]

25 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Also try and figure out which devices put the biggest load on the power. The biggest culprit we have is a little one-cup Keurig.
 

 

Yeah, my Honda eu2000 can't even handle making a single cup with that Keurig.

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

 

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

Thank you so much to all of you guys for your suggestions. I’m going to look at the generator video and get into that before I look at the plug I think as that seems to be the consensus. 
Will post how that goes tomorrow when I try to get after that tonight. If I don’t electrocute myself. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

7 hours ago, davidg said:

This is what you need to be looking for.   Is your genset an Onan?

See 2:45 on this video

 

 

 

Fixed. Thank you so much. It was simple and I fixed it!  Wouldn’t have known where to start without y’all. 

[Buzzrock 14,936]

Awesome!

So when you said you’re spending more money than you expected, what’s eating up your cash? Gas and groceries?

What do you think your dollars per mile is adding up to?

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

9 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Awesome!

So when you said you’re spending more money than you expected, what’s eating up your cash? Gas and groceries?

What do you think your dollars per mile is adding up to?

All of the above. 
it’s costing me between the 2 vehicles $1 to go 2.5 or so miles. I thought it might be $1.00 per 4 miles. 
food is more than i thought- thought it could be $150-200 per week but it’s more like $250-$300. 
finalky- I thought we could do $50 a night at camp grounds. Closer to $70-$75 per night. They. Charge extra for my kids- $3-$7 w night, which I was not expecting. Added up I was about $1500 a month light on budget. 
will try to start boondocking more to make up for that I think. Or just grin and bear it. 

[CycleTex87 2,981]

So need to just do more bidness from the Walmart parking lot.

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

31 minutes ago, CycleTex87 said:

So need to just do more bidness from the Walmart parking lot.

That would be a combination of grin and bear it and more boondocking. 
life is really irritating. I keep waiting for my ship to come in financially, and keep thinking it’s 30-45 days away, but it seems like it’s perpetually there. My pipeline is really solid but something seems to happen all the time. I’m fine, but I want to be thriving and kicking Ass. Just 39 more days. 

[Buzzrock 14,936]

Why did you decide to drive the truck instead of tow it?

You might be picking up on the fact that I’m strongly considering shoving off this weekend and heading west from Atlanta for the next three weeks. The chase car is one of the biggest wrinkles to sort out. You can’t flat-tow a Honda Pilot and I don’t want to trailer it. So that means the wife drives or I find a cheap Toad.

I think I’d likely be out $5000 for three weeks heading to Yellowstone and hitting stuff along the way.

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

3 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Why did you decide to drive the truck instead of tow it?

You might be picking up on the fact that I’m strongly considering shoving off this weekend and heading west from Atlanta for the next three weeks. The chase car is one of the biggest wrinkles to sort out. You can’t flat-tow a Honda Pilot and I don’t want to trailer it. So that means the wife drives or I find a cheap Toad.

I think I’d likely be out $5000 for three weeks heading to Yellowstone and hitting stuff along the way.

So I decided to drive it (wife drive it) because gas was selling for $1.43 a gallon in Texas and I didn’t want to have an extra 15 feet pulling behind me everywhere, and the cost of buying the tow, and the chance of ducking something up, and the hassle of setting up and breaking down everywhere in camp. Plus, I figured the wife could use a day apart from the kids every week. 
I don’t regret the decision. It’s easier and less chance of fucking something up. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Wulaw Horn

[Buzzrock 14,936]

Fair enough. It's definitely going to be the easy button for us since we're talking pretty last-minute.

Just found these guys' channel, they have some really good videos on all things RV, including some routes:

 

[troph 24,905]

Fair enough. It's definitely going to be the easy button for us since we're talking pretty last-minute.

Just found these guys' channel, they have some really good videos on all things RV, including some routes:

 

We don’t rsvp anywhere. Hoping for another two weeks in CO next month. Hipcamp and national forests are our go to spots so far. Generators, solar panels and 3 batteries to make it anywhere. Had some power challenges but think we’ve got it ironed out.

[horn4life 3,781]

Here is the holy grail link to ALL your questions. https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f17/.  I tend to find a forum for things I am considering buying and reading a little there has saved me from making purchases I thought were good, that would not have been.  But once you are in on a particular model, find a user specific forum and take advantage of their experiences.  A LOT of things I never thought of, I learned on these vehicle specific forums.  Knowledge is power.

One thing I have realized, and my trailer is still in the driveway... almost a month, is that understanding dc/ac electrical in RV's is somewhat of a necessity to understand in order to troubleshoot. I have done a lot of research on solar, batteries, inverters, generators, etc.  

WuLaw if you are not a member of the forum above,  join now.  And keep posting about shit covered, red sea wading experiences...

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by horn4life

[orange dream 1,256]

19 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

life is really irritating. I keep waiting for my ship to come in financially, and keep thinking it’s 30-45 days away, but it seems like it’s perpetually there. My pipeline is really solid but something seems to happen all the time. I’m fine, but I want to be thriving and kicking Ass. Just 39 more days. 

Unfortunately that just seems to be the way things go as often as not.  Looking back sometimes it's easier to understand / accept why the ship never seems to come in but it can be very frustrating in the middle of it.    You, your wife and kids will look back at this time for the rest of your lives  with fond and funny memories. If 6 months ago someone told you you would get to watch your wife drop the F-bomb on some drunk yankee bitch or that you would be buying a tent for the express purpose of having sex you'd have laughed and called them crazy. Dude, you are living peak Wulaw life right now whether you recognize it or not.  Well worth 1500/month in the big scheme of things.  I and most everyone else on this thread are living vicariously through you and pulling for you.  All gas, no brakes!!

[Rougarou 594]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rv-costs-expensive-travel_l_5f16259dc5b615860bb6384e

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

Provincetown Massachusetts with one of their cousins. My brother has 4 kids so my mom and dad are taking them one at a time (brother is a pilot so his kids and my parents fly free so it’s no big deal for them). Had fun.


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[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

Provincetown Massachusetts with one of their cousins. My brother has 4 kids so my mom and dad are taking them one at a time (brother is a pilot so his kids and my parents fly free so it’s no big deal for them). Had fun.


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[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

3 hours ago, Rougarou said:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rv-costs-expensive-travel_l_5f16259dc5b615860bb6384e

He ain’t wrong. This would be a lot cheaper if I didn’t have a $4500 but back home to crack every month even though I’m not living there. 
All that said- it has been a lot of fun so

far. We are going to spend the next two weeks boondocking and then reassess campsites versus boondocking going forward. 
The camp sites are fun. My kids have had friends that they play with at every site- normalizing things for them. Which is important. But, if the other goes well who knows. 

[troph 24,905]

Unfortunately that just seems to be the way things go as often as not.  Looking back sometimes it's easier to understand / accept why the ship never seems to come in but it can be very frustrating in the middle of it.    You, your wife and kids will look back at this time for the rest of your lives  with fond and funny memories. If 6 months ago someone told you you would get to watch your wife drop the F-bomb on some drunk yankee bitch or that you would be buying a tent for the express purpose of having sex you'd have laughed and called them crazy. Dude, you are living peak Wulaw life right now whether you recognize it or not.  Well worth 1500/month in the big scheme of things.  I and most everyone else on this thread are living vicariously through you and pulling for you.  All gas, no brakes!!

Easy to poke fun but this guy is absolutely correct.

[horn4life 3,781]

I can't decide if the older cousin is in "shaka bra" mode with his hand, or itched his butt with his little finger just before the photo.  He seems like he's grinning a bit to hard...

[ChickenSandwich 9,849]

Cousin reminds me of

[DaysOff 7,968]

Es un bandido

[UTexasFight 9,523]

Girlfriend and I left out of Austin on our Great American road trip adventure last Wednesday, with Glacier as the main course. We finish the final leg of this tomorrow.

Will post a few more when I get a chance

 

[RPM 26,339]

3 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Will post a few more when I get a chance

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

Out in Plymouth at a state park on the Atlantic. It’s hard to describe how beautiful the place was, in total harshness- but for $5,000,000 or so you could have one of those houses with one of those views.
There were seals all throughout this place. I swam out about 50 yards and was going to give one a high five, but stopped about 15 feet short and treaded water for about 5 minutes while the seal and instated at each other. I chickened out and decided to let the wild animal do wild animal things. I don’t think he’d have hurt me (there were
5 or 6 but he was alone apart from the group) but figured- yeah- close enough.
Had the best value meal I’ve ever had with my family- for $75 we had 2 whole lobsters, fried clam strip plate, fried combo plate with shrimp, fish, scallops and mussels, clam chowder bowl and lobster bisque bowl. It was really good, a ton of food, and yeah- $75 it was like they were giving it away.
Going on a history walk in Boston today.


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[After irth 1,243]

26 minutes ago, Wulaw Horn said:

Out in Plymouth at a state park on the Atlantic. It’s hard to describe how beautiful the place was, in total harshness- but for $5,000,000 or so you could have one of those houses with one of those views.
There were seals all throughout this place. I swam out about 50 yards and was going to give one a high five, but stopped about 15 feet short and treaded water for about 5 minutes while the seal and instated at each other. I chickened out and decided to let the wild animal do wild animal things. I don’t think he’d have hurt me (there were
5 or 6 but he was alone apart from the group) but figured- yeah- close enough.
Had the best value meal I’ve ever had with my family- for $75 we had 2 whole lobsters, fried clam strip plate, fried combo plate with shrimp, fish, scallops and mussels, clam chowder bowl and lobster bisque bowl. It was really good, a ton of food, and yeah- $75 it was like they were giving it away.
Going on a history walk in Boston today.


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Maybe just a bad angle on the photo, but it seem the past week has aged you terribly. Too much stress?  Not enough restorative tent therapy?

Kinda hungry for seafood now, though. 

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

5 minutes ago, After irth said:

Maybe just a bad angle on the photo, but it seem the past week has aged you terribly. Too much stress?  Not enough restorative tent therapy?

Kinda hungry for seafood now, though. 

Ha!  I was taking pictures of the houses and shoreline and not the rando out there. 

[UTexasFight 9,523]

Let’s try again

 

[RPM 26,339]

2 hours ago, Wulaw Horn said:

 There were seals all throughout this place. I swam out about 50 yards and was going to give one a high five, but stopped about 15 feet short and treaded water for about 5 minutes while the seal and instated at each other. I chickened out and decided to let the wild animal do wild animal things. I don’t think he’d have hurt me (there were 5 or 6 but he was alone apart from the group) but figured- yeah- close enough.

Dumbest move followed by smartest move you ever made. Seals will fuck you up.

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

1 hour ago, UTexasFight said:

Let’s try again

 

That’s beautiful country man. I want a couple recommendations from you as you clearly know how to do it. We will be out that way in 2-3 months. 

[BevoSwag 272]

1 hour ago, UTexasFight said:

Let’s try again

 

I like to take that exact trip but I'm too old to go much more than 300 miles per day.  How long in hours between points A-B, B-C. C-D,  and D-E?  That E to G drive has to be a bitch.  That's the part I'd like to avoid.

[UTexasFight 9,523]

1 hour ago, Wulaw Horn said:

That’s beautiful country man. I want a couple recommendations from you as you clearly know how to do it. We will be out that way in 2-3 months. 

Would love to once we get back and settled

we barely scratched the surface in our 3.5 days there but I was very pleased with our itinerary and what we saw/experienced 

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

20 minutes ago, UTexasFight said:

Would love to once we get back and settled

we barely scratched the surface in our 3.5 days there but I was very pleased with our itinerary and what we saw/experienced 

Please post man. We will spend probably a couple weeks in the fall and the a couple months next spring/summer. 
what was the temperature like? 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Wulaw Horn

[UTexasFight 9,523]

1 hour ago, BevoSwag said:

I like to take that exact trip but I'm too old to go much more than 300 miles per day.  How long in hours between points A-B, B-C. C-D,  and D-E?  That E to G drive has to be a bitch.  That's the part I'd like to avoid.

I’ll post the stops/ drive times later but yeah, E-G I hoped to avoid too but at that point in planning the trip, decided we would be ready to just get the hell home (and didn’t want to retrace our steps)....point F where we stayed last night was near Plainville, Kansas...Plainville. True on so many levels.

About to crossover the northern oklahoma border. Pray for me that I can hold my breath until we make it across the Red.

[burns_312 353]

I’ll post the stops/ drive times later but yeah, E-G I hoped to avoid too but at that point in planning the trip, decided we would be ready to just get the hell home (and didn’t want to retrace our steps)....point F where we stayed last night was near Plainville, Kansas...Plainville. True on so many levels.
About to crossover the northern oklahoma border. Pray for me that I can hold my breath until we make it across the Red.

Shoulda hollered I’d have bought you a beer! I’m in Hays.


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[UTexasFight 9,523]

19 minutes ago, burns_312 said:

Shoulda hollered I’d have bought you a beer! I’m in Hays.


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Holy shit. The reach of surly never ceases to amaze. 
I had an Airbnb picked in Hays. Gf overruled with a room in a house on a farm near Russell.

At current pace, I make it to Hays, KS once every ~40 years so will definitely take a raincheck on that beer for 2060.

 

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

On 7/24/2020 at 12:30 PM, UTexasFight said:

Holy shit. The reach of surly never ceases to amaze. 
I had an Airbnb picked in Hays. Gf overruled with a room in a house on a farm near Russell.

At current pace, I make it to Hays, KS once every ~40 years so will definitely take a raincheck on that beer for 2060.

 

 

 

Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska--did you stop and see it? I didn't know if your route was exact above and Alliance is west. I saw it two years after the guy made it and before the cars were painted. Not quite like the real thing but it was weird and wonderful. It's probably touristy now, but back then nothing...nothing....nothing. Hey! It's carhenge!

@Wulaw Horn sounds like you all are having a great time, RV malfunctions not withstanding.

[UTexasFight 9,523]

16 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

 

Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska--did you stop and see it? I didn't know if your route was exact above and Alliance is west. I saw it two years after the guy made it and before the cars were painted. Not quite like the real thing but it was weird and wonderful. It's probably touristy now, but back then nothing...nothing....nothing. Hey! It's carhenge!

 

Ha

is that what that is?

saw the signs for it but didn’t exit or stop

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Yes. They've painted the cars apparently, perhaps for longevity. When we stopped on our way to South Dakota they were the way any car is. We were going to the Black Hills, so it was an easy stop. I saw you visited Mt. Rushmore. Did you hike any in the area? We climbed around the Sylvan Lake area and hiked Harney Peak. There are some neat caves in South Dakota, but my guess is with the virus they may be nogo. My husband did a very challenging spelunking tour of Jewel Cave (I think it was Jewel and not Wind Cave--he's been to both) but that was with his buddies before we were married.

[Wulaw Horn 19,147]

I just watched my 7 and 5 year old punch, kick, scream at each other and cuss each other for 25 solid minutes without lifting a finger. It was simultaneously amazing and terrible and funny as shit and sad. Then they reconciled and told each other they loved each other and forgave each other and cried for 15 more minutes while curled up in bed together. I think that gets me best parent of the year or worst of the year. Not sure which. First time I've ever taken that tact with them. Boondocking at the Walmart- what a world.