Surprises abound!

Well, here's a synopsis of the last couple of days....it was cold the night we spent in Centerville on the way to Dallas area. So cold that the propane "froze" and we ended up without heat (since the generator runs on propane, no electric and needless to say no gas heat). Surprise number one....

We were both up and wide awake by 4:30, did a little computer work and hit the road by 7-ish. First sunrise in a LONG time...LOL! The trip was short and we arrived at the condo and got registered before heading to the dealer in Rockwall (the condo is in Flint, TX). We were about 30 minutes away when we heard a POP. Just as we started to ask each other what that was, the Pressure Pro alarm went off. We had blown a tire. (Thanks again to Mike & Pat McFall for helping us get the system up and running while we were all in Mission. The situation could have ended in a fire if we hadn't realized that it was our tire that blew.)

Stu pulled over off the interstate as much as possible and we got out to look. The tire was off the rim, whole but the rubber was melted where it had been on the rim. Smoke was still coming out...something was hot, VERY hot. Stu pulled out the fire extinguisher (just in case) needed tools, took down the spare, got the rig up on chocks and a bottle jack and pulled off the bad wheel. Seems the wheel bearing froze. Fortunately for us it was the center wheel and we weren't all that far from the dealer and we limped in (without mounting the spare). Surprise number two....

Our dealer had told us to bring the rig in without an appointment since they hadn't been busy. Needless to say since Stu had emailed them.....they had gotten VERY busy, in fact there were 8 rigs scheduled ahead of us before they could even look at KaZy. Surprise number three....

After taking a very thorough look at what we needed done, they promised to try to get it looked at as soon as possible. We tried not to worry about the unexpected cost of a new wheel & tire, new bearing and hopefully nothing more than that (plus getting all the wheel bearings packed). We headed back to Flint and the condo after a side trip to Tyler and dinner at Outback and grocery shopping at Sam's Club & Wal-Mart. We had tried a new beer at Outback, Newcastle Brown Ale, and both liked it. Since we needed both beer & wine, we figured Sam's would be a good stop. Well, after visiting both stores we realized we were in a dry county. Surprise number four....

Tuesday we slept in (after about 15 hours of travel & "surprises" the day before), spent a leisurely morning and then headed off for a one hour tour (i.e. sales pitch) in exchange for $50. The condo complex is a timeshare and we did really like it, just not buying into anything right now, but hey, $50 is $50. After that we did a little sightseeing of the local area in Freddie since it was still pretty cool. We visited an Atwood's Farm & Ranch store and Stu found several things he was looking for, including an electric winch to help load BRAT onto the BRAT rack. We also found the county line liquor stores and stocked up.

Today the weather was gorgeous and we headed out by 9am, off to find a good breakfast spot before doing more sightseeing. Perfect day for riding, and ride we did...from 9am till 7pm. Good meals, nice Harley stop in Longview where we both found hats we liked and I also managed to snag a great western style shirt in Tractor Supply...50% off. Surprise number five....

We were ready for some pie and ice cream but the first diner we hit in Longview had just closed. As we headed back to the bike Stu checked his phone and saw voicemail from McClain's RV. They had a few questions about some of the items on the list but had already talked to KZ about most of the warranty items as well as the fact that the bearings are sealed....no packing to be done. KZ is shipping out a new axle, wheel & tire...under warranty. Phew! Surprise number six...

Of course there is always the other side of the news....it could take up to three weeks to get the new axle! We have to be in Maryland by April first for Stu's daughter's wedding. Surprise number seven....

Tomorrow we find out if we can extend here at the condo for another week. If not then we'll look into something closer to Rockwall (about 90 miles from Flint). But all in all, the good surprises outweighed the bad!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

The best laid plans....

Yada, yada, yada.....LOL! Our initial intent was to hit the road on Saturday morning which would put us in Dallas on Sunday. When we found out about the Mission Classic Car show and the weather forecast looked good so we decided to stay over one more day for the show. Since we had to move KaZy twice during the week, we were well "de-oozed", making the final departure an easy one.

When we got back Thursday night Stu did all the final prep items, all except loading the bike (and once again loading BRAT and the rack). Friday was our final chore day and we spent it doing all the last minute things always tend to accumulate. Factor in record high temps (101 at the airport) and we tried to stay inside.

Saturday we woke fairly early, ate and dressed to head out on the bike. It was a bit overcast but it had been on Thursday and soon cleared. Just as we headed out to get on the bike...it started to rain. Just a drizzle first, then heavier and finally the wind hit. Oh boy, did it ever! I think it was sustained in the 25-30 mph range with higher gusts. Not riding weather...but we thought it might pass quickly. Well, the temperature dropped from 73 to 57 in about 10 minutes.

The rain lasted maybe two hours but the winds continued. Stu finally gave up and loaded Big Red and the BRAT. Since the truck was all connected we opted to not unhook and head out to the car show. We also figured it would be pretty small since it was an outdoor event. Well, seems like we figured wrong (so what else is new...LOL!). So far I have read at least two friends blogs with pics of the show. Check one of them out here, Donna & Jake. (give it a little time to load)

So, we got up early today and headed north towards Dallas. The RV dealer is in Rockwall and the condo we are staying at is in Flint...about 100 miles away. We're hoping to unload Big Red at the condo and then head to the dealer, coming back Freddie. This gives us use of both vehicles for the week. The only downside is taking Freddie over to pick up KaZy and then heading back the 100 miles back through Dallas since we plan to head up into Oklahoma when done.

The trip today was uneventful....being a Sunday the traffic was light until we hit the Houston area. An accident slowed us down for a bit but we were MUCH better off than the southbound traffic we saw north of Houston. The accident site had 4 tow trucks and traffic was so backed up we had at least two vehicles cross the median, race across the road in front of us so they could cross the median over to the frontage road. Idiots!

It's going to be cold tonight...we're asphalt parking beside a DQ in Centerville, TX. We've got short day tomorrow, we're less than 2 hours away from Dallas. Now we just hope the dealer can get all the repair stuff done....always a challenge.

Lastly, if there are any RVers out there that are using the Wii Fit, we would love to hear how it works, how you use it inside, any tips...we are thinking about seeing if it would help us in our quest for a fun way to exercise.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

The "BRAT" Rack

Well, a major hurdle is done. We now have added another 5 feet to our overall length. Yup, the rig is now a total of 59 ft long. Are we nuts or what? LOL! When I said to my late wife, "I like to get a motorcycle" I had no idea where it would lead. We needed a way to carry it...OK, we'll get a toyhauler...that works.... Oops, need a bigger truck....gee, that Freightliner will do it.... How about some longer trips on the bike...OK, let's get a cargo trailer on eBay... Now how the hell we gonna carry that thing? Aha, the "BRAT" rack.



Our collection is complete: FREDDIE the Freightliner, KAZY the toy hauler, BIG RED the trike, BRAT (Big Red's Attack Trailer) and finally the BRAT RACK.

The BRAT rack is a fairly simple affair. A couple of ramps welded to some square tubes that slide into receivers in the rear of KaZy. Some pins and straps and we go down the road. Sounds pretty straight forward. We contacted a local company in nearby Pharr TX, Camco Wheel and Axle. These folks were recommended by 2 other RVers and by Camping World. After an appointment and some brainstorming by yours truly, the owner and his "free" engineer, we decided on a design.



The first day of the installation, we dropped KaZy off in the shop. Donna and I hopped in Freddie and headed off for some breakfast and later a movie. We saw The International, an adventure/drama with plenty of action. Good movie, we enjoyed it. We returned to Camco to check on progress and take KaZy back to Retama Village. The receivers were just about finished and the rack was "tacked" together. We would have to come back on Thursday to complete the project, something we knew was likely. Here are some pics from the early stages of building the BRAT Rack.



While the crew finished the receivers, James (Camco owner) showed us some of his "toys". He has a couple of street rods that were absolutely fantastic. His brother also works on motorcycles. The pictures here don't do them justice. He told me what the original cars were but I sure can't remember all those details. I only know they were beautiful. After some pictures and drooling, we hitched up and returned to base. [see all photos at SmugMug]



On Thursday we were up early and back to Pharr for the completion of the rack and installation of the receivers on Freddie. Of course, as the project had progressed, I added some some things to the list. I had quickly realized that the rack would be a bit heavier than Donna and I could handle easily, so I had them add trailer jacks to 3 points on the rack. This was so I could roll it to the back of KaZy and slide it it the receivers. I also decided to add identical receivers to Freddie. This added some versatility to using the rack with Freddie as well as KaZy.



We dropped KaZy in the yard and backed Freddie in the shop. Donna and I fired up the generator in KaZy, tuned the satellite and settled in for the day. Periodically, I would be summoned for some last minute decisions on details and by late afternoon we were ready for test fitting and final installation. And....oh yeah, gotta pay the bill. LOL!

First time we tried to put the rack on we were met with some fit problems. The tubes would not go in all the way and once in got stuck. Jesus ("worker bee") and I struggled a bit. The tubes needed to ground down and lubed up...then the whole assembly slid in with ease. The ramps were put down and the BRAT rolled into position. Some straps and a few other storage chores and we headed back to Retama village...a few bucks less in the pocket but we were pleased with the end result.



We arrived at the campground, backed in and rolled BRAT off the rack. Easy enough. Next we slid the pins out of the rack and rolled it out of the receivers, stored the straps etc. and set up the rest of the rig. It was beer-thirty, thank you very much. Oh, all the photos are on SmugMug.

Keep rolling...we will...
Stu