FMCA at Gillette Wyoming

On Sunday July 15 we left Colorado and headed north into Wyoming.  Diesel is about 20 cents cheaper in Colorado than Wyoming, so we topped off with 73 gallons in Fort Collins CO before crossing the state line.  This day was rainy and cool with temps topping out in the mid 50s.  It was a refreshing change.  We stopped at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center on I-25, which is perhaps the nicest state welcome center we have ever visited.  There are some very nice exhibits, and they had free coffee and fast wi-fi.

Bootleg photo from the internet

Dorcas with an original American RV

Giving my knee a break

Big Buffalo on I-25

At Douglas WY we saw a sign that said "Caution Cattle Drive on Access Road". What???  Well, shortly we came up on the cattle drive.



Click HERE to see a video of the cattle drive.  Leaving Douglas WY we saw this sign on WY 59 north towards Gillette.

I'm glad we have a 135 gallon tank

We stopped for lunch at Penny's Diner in Bill WY.  This is pretty much all there is on the 75 mile stretch between Douglas WY and Wright WY.

Penny's Diner

Today was National Ice Cream Day.  Dorcas had a sundae. 

Downtown Bill Wyoming

In the afternoon we arrived at the Cam-Plex Multi-Event Facilities in Gillette for a gathering of FMCA's (Family Motor Coach Association) 98th International Convention and RV Expo.  The Cam-Plex is a huge event and entertainment facility.  Among other things they host the national High School rodeo championship.

We have attended ~10 FMCA national conventions since we began RVing in 2004.  In the past we have always chosen not to purchase an electric site and have relied on our generator and solar to get by.  When we registered for this event we signed up for no amenities.  However, as we followed the weather forecasts, we were concerned that it might be too hot to leave Matilda in the coach for long periods during the day, so we upgraded to 50A electrical service.

Camp Gillette

There are approximately 1800 RVs attending this convention.  There are hundreds of very informative seminars, commercial vendors and live entertainment.

Dorcas and I signed up to volunteer with the security crew. We each performed about 10 hours manning security posts and helping lost and confused campers.

Attending the security volunteers meeting

Dorcas and I attended the following seminars:

• Early Morning Workout (daily)
• Aqua-Hot Troubleshooting and Maintenance Tips
• Clean out that Closet and Have More to Wear
• Better Diesel Driving Through Silverleaf
• Suspensions Roundtable - Ride and Handling
• RV Rooftop Air Conditioner Maintenance
• Understanding and Testing RV Air Brakes
• Top 10 Maintenance Tips Every RVer Should Know
• Cummins Engine Maintenance
• Cummins Onan Generator Operation and Maintenance
• Insider Cleaning Tips for your Home on Wheels
• Understanding Absorption Refrigeration
• Pet Safety Technology for RVs
• Orthopedic Principles and Applications
• Purge, Purge, Purge (this seminar refers to things in the coach, not an eating disorder)
• Improving RV Refrigerator Performance in Hot Weather
• Campbell County Sheriff's Office K9 Demonstration
• Canada’s Eastern Atlantic Provinces

We also attended these other special events:

• Coffee and Doughnuts each morning
• FMCA Ladies' Luncheon
• Diesel RV Club Chapter Meeting and Chuckwagon Pizza
• Ice Cream Social
• Volunteers Dinner

There were four nightly concerts, and we attended them all.   Thomas Michael Riley from Austin TX performed country, western and Americana tunes.

New Odyssey, aka "3 Men and 30 Instruments" performed a number of pop tunes primarily from the sixties.  All three members play horns, keyboards, percussion and strings, often playing several instruments simultaneously.

Towards the end of the show the lead drummer donned a Sgt Pepper uniform, and the band performed the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  The uniform was outfitted with percussion devices such that every time he slapped his knee, stomped his feet, smacked his chest, etc. it played a different percussion effect. Really cool!  I enjoyed it to so much that we actually spent $$$ for their DVD.  Click HERE to see a short clip of the percussion suit.

The Flashback Boyz performed 50s and 60s pop hits.









"Ricky Nelson Remembered" featured Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, the identical twin sons of the late teen idol Ricky Nelson.  They played all Ricky's hits and told stories about growing up with Ricky Nelson and Ozzie and Harriet.  They dropped a lot of names.  They talked about their next door neighbor Uncle George (George Harrison) and the long-haired singer that hung out at the house (Bob Dylan). Their baby sitter was Mama Cass Elliot. Their mother is the sister of Mark Harmon, Leroy Jethro Gibbs of NCIS fame.  They put on a really great show.

Gunnar Nelson

Matthew Nelson

Gunnar and Matthew

We could have had our photo taken with the brothers, but it seemed kinda cheesy. 

In addition to seminars and entertainment we had some service performed.  Roadmaster cleaned, lubed and rejuvenated our tow bar.  It was a mess and had seen little maintenance since before we went to Alaska last summer.  Hendersons' Line-Up Brake and RV Inc, a highly regarded RV suspension company from Oregon, performed a chassis inspection.  All was well underneath, but they did make some suggestions about suspension upgrades and modifications that would improve handling and safety.

Finally I had my alternator replaced.

Brandon trying to remove the alternator pulley.  No go. 

Faithful readers will remember that my alternator has not been functioning properly since we left home, and probably for some long while before that.  It was producing only about 12.1-12.3 volts, enough to limp along and run the chassis systems, but not enough to charge the staring battery.  I had ordered a new alternator, and it was delivered at the convention on Thursday.  I had considered replacing it myself but, in hindsight, it was a good thing I didn't.  There were several companies here that were performing service, and I scheduled work with Spartan Chassis to replace the alternator on Saturday.  The new alternator is supplied without a pulley, so the pulley on the original alternator needed to be removed and installed on the new alternator.  Brandon from Spartan Chassis spent about 45 minutes trying to remove the pulley without success.  No amount of pulling, pounding, lubing or cursing worked.  He finally gave up and suggested that the Cummins folks were doing repairs, and maybe they would have better luck.  Afraid that time was running out, I quickly biked over to the Cummins truck.  It turns out they were able to get to me pretty quickly.  Stanley came over and quickly removed the old alternator, but then he too was unable to remove the pulley.  Finally he decided to carry it back to their trailer and get some "more heads" to solve the problem.  When I went over there Stanley the mechanic, Bob the service manager and Pete the engineer were all working on our alternator.  Finally with the help of a propane torch and a heavy-duty gear puller, they were successful, but not without some damage to the pulley.  They buffed out the nicked pulley and assured me it would not damage the serpentine belt. As Stanley was putting it all back together he noticed that the seal on the belt tensioner was cracked and suggested that it be replaced as well.  I made a quick dash to NAPA for the part, and Stanley replaced that part as well.  When done I fired up the coach, the alternator voltage registered 14.1 volts.   YEAH.  I'm very glad this worry is behind me.  Spartan Chassis did not charge for their failed attempt and the labor charge for Cummins was only for 2 hours.  Considering that, and the fact that I was able to get it fixed on-site, I guess things worked out pretty well.

Stanley of Cummins Inc trying to remove the alternator pulley.  He had a bigger hammer.  No go. 

New alternator with pulley removed.  Finally. 

Ironically the damage to the pulley was caused by the gear puller, not the sledge hammer.

New alternator with damaged pulley

See my shiny new alternator and serpentine belt tensioner

Success!

Pretty graphics on the local Supercenter

Freightliner also produces chassis for the motor home manufacturers.  This model is designed for minimal wind resistance.  Wear goggles. House is extra. 

Fancy Americana paint job on the Freightliner chassis.

This is a Spartan chassis

Would you call this a recumbent bike?

I enjoyed watching the Outlaw LED folks load their Jeep

Today, Sunday July 22, we leave Gillette and double back south to Colorado.  The forecast today predicts highs in the mid 70s and a 22 MPH wind from the north.  Wow a rare good tail wind!  We expect to spend Sunday night somewhere on the road and arrive at our next and final rally on Monday in Colorado Springs.  Dorcas and I and the coach are all healthy.  Life is good again. Stay tuned.

Loveland CO - Rocky Mountain NP Part 1

Things have been looking up for us since my last post, which as you may remember, was quite a downer.  Dorcas and I both are healthy and feeling well.  While still very hot, the weather has improved to the point that it is not terribly uncomfortable.  The nighttime lows are even hitting the mid-60s.

On Sunday July 8 we arrived at Riverview RV Park in Loveland CO.   Our camp is at about EL 5100', nevertheless the high temperature this day was close to 100 degrees.  But it's a dry heat.   Right.  We seemed to have good power, and the coach was cool and comfortable inside.  But then the power went out for many of the sites on our end of the park.  CRAP!  Whatever the problem was, it was not an easy fix, and an electrician was called.  In the meantime the temperature in the coach rose very quickly.  We fired up the generator and restarted the A/Cs.  I kinda resent running the generator and burning my diesel when we are paying for 50A electric.  The park was full and I was afraid that perhaps the electrical infrastructure could not handle the load of every RV operating 1, 2 or even 3 air conditioners.  If that was the case, it would be a long week.  But apparently the electrician was able to make repairs.  The power was on after about 2 hours, and there were no other electrical problems the remainder of our stay.

My two best friends

We had a nice shaded site, but also good satellite reception, a rare combination.

Our camp at Riverview RV Park

The park is on the Big Thompson River and Matilda enjoyed playing in the river.

Come on in Mommy!

We are here to attend a rally of the Diesel RV Club, an FMCA chapter that promotes education for diesel RV owners.

A motley band of vagabonds

During the rally we enjoyed 3 three-hour seminars on all topics diesel.

Bone yard of diesel engine parts

We even had live entertainment.

The Gunnison Drive Band

On Tuesday we attended a production of Mel Brooks' "The Producers" at Jesters Dinner Theatre in Longmont.  I think this showing actually represented a dress rehearsal of sorts, because the production officially debuted on the following Saturday.  The production was fairly amateurish .  A lot of mistakes were made moving props and changing scenes, but some of the actors were very talented, and it was a lot of fun.

The rally also featured a photo contest for photos taken during the week of the rally.  I got lucky and swept all three categories: people/animals, places and things. For that dazzling feat we scored three $25 Walmart gift certificates. YEAH!

Our camp is only about 25 miles from Estes Park and the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. We made two drives into the park during our stay here.  Actually, this is just a preview to the park for us.  We will be back in mid-August for a week at Glacier Basin CG inside the park.

The road from our camp to Estes Park passes through Big Thompson Canyon.

Big Thompson Canyon

Big Thompson Canyon

There were long lines at the entrance station to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait .........

We made it!

We found wildlife, including Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

These guys didn't think much of the tourists

Old Fall River Road is a narrow winding gravel road that leads into the interior of the park.  It was originally the only road into the park. We drove this road to the Alpine Visitor Center where we intersected with the Trail Ridge Road, which we followed on our return.

Waterfall at the Alluvial Fan

Switchback on the Old Fall River Road

Views from the crest of the Old Fall River Road

We ate a lunch of chili and a ham sandwich at the Trail Ridge cafe.  At elevation 11,796' we could feel the altitude.

I wonder why nobody has biked up to the Cafe?

There was some interesting wildlife at the Alpine Visitor Center

Even the natives are affected by the altitude

Oh shit!

The pika is in the rabbit family

An alpine meadow

Near the summit of the Trail Ridge Road we found a herd of elk.

Bull elk in velvet

Elk family

What are you looking at?

Descending the Trail Ridge Road

Black-billed magpie

Mule deer

The original American RV

At every rally of the Diesel RV Club a local charity is chosen, and the club raises some money and donates it to that charity.  For this rally the chosen charity was the Hearts & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center, an organization whose mission is to promote the physical, cognitive, emotional and social well-being of people with special needs through equine-assisted therapy.

Club members conducted a tour of the facilities at Hearts & Horses.  Our silent auction and the 50-50 drawing raised $1000 which was donated to the organization.

The horses wear hoods to keep the bugs and the sun out of their eyes

We saw this unusual rig as it was checking in here at Riverview RV Park.  I'm not sure I have ever seen vintage VW bus being towed behind a vintage RV.

Me and Mini-Me

We extended our stay at Riverview RV Park 2 days past the end of the rally. Tomorrow, Sunday July 15, we will move north to Gillette WY for another rally.  Stay tuned to the continuing Adventures of Myron and Dorcas.

Photo of the Week: One Bighorn to Another

Two bighorn sheep in Rocky Mountain National Park:

If you thought this guy was talking about anything other than his horns, your mind is in the gutter.

Sometimes You Eat The Bear, and Sometimes The Bear Eats You

"Sometimes You Eat the Bear, and Sometimes the Bear Eats You"

We departed St. Louis and continued west on I-70 across central Missouri.  Before getting too far we stopped at an O'Reilly Auto Parts store to have them check my chassis battery and alternator.  I am still getting readings on my digital engine monitor of between 12.3 and 12.5 volts.  This may be high enough to limp along and run the chassis systems, but it is certainly not charging the battery.  At O'Reilly there was a sales associate who said he would check it out, since he needed to go outside and take a smoke anyway.  Dorcas said suggested we cut off the propane. He put a diagnostic tester on the battery (without disconnecting the battery terminals) and the results were:

Alternator Diode:   pass.
Alternator Voltage regulator:   fail.
Battery:  Indeterminate, not fully charged (no shit!)

Diagnosis: bad alternator

They didn't have an alternator in stock, and even if they could get one, it would be at least a day, and would be an aftermarket model.  I'm not certain they could even get the right type.  RVs use a DUVAC (Dual Voltage Alternator Control) designed specially for RVs with dual battery systems.

In the meantime, I had been talking to Northland Truck Service in Kansas City, about 4 hours east along our route.  They said they could look at it as soon as we got there, and probably get the part and install it that day. They are open until midnight, and we could park at their shop.  Cool!  We checked in and Andy was very helpful.  We put fans on the engine to cool it off so he could check the alternator at its terminals.  Bad news: the readings only showed 12.37v, indicating a bad alternator, as I had expected.  He did pull the terminals from the battery and did a load test on the battery.  We had apparently run the generator enough to charge the battery, because it passed the diagnostics.  Andy then went to the TruckPro store next door (a major truck part supplier) to check on the part.  SETBACK!  The part could not be delivered before next Tuesday, 5 days hence. DANG!  Since we had an event on Sunday near Denver, and had been able to limp along so far, we decided to continue on.  Consequently, I have found my OEM alternator on Amazon for a much cheaper price and free 2-day delivery.  As soon as I decide whether to replace the original 160A alternator with one the same size or whether to install a larger one, I'll have it shipped to either Loveland CO (our next event) or Gillette WY, the event after that.  It should be easy to find someone to install it, or I may do it myself.  The only good thing so far this day is that there was no charge for either diagnosis.

Bad news!

It had been a long hot day and we were looking forward to spending the night in a real RV park, with real 50A power, water and sewer hookups.  Dorcas did some research on the web and found Cottonwood RV Park in Bonner Springs KS, which was right off the interstate and close enough that we could stop early and enjoy some rest.  The only negative is that they received only 1 star out of 5 on the RV park review sites.  But, as they say, what the hell.

The office at Cottonwood RV Park - Not very inviting

When we arrived the sign said no vacancy without a reservation.  When I asked for a site and said we had no reservation, Lucy, the lady behind the desk, laughed at me.  But she did manage to find us a site.  It was very shaded and a pull-though, and the price was right ($33.00).  When I asked about internet and cable, Lucy laughed at me.  Later, when I asked about buying some ice, she laughed at me again. Lucy is a funny gal.  The only really bad part about our site was that is was extremely close to other RVs, but that was OK for one night, and we didn't expect to spend much time outdoors anyway.  Most of the park seemed to be filled with seasonal visitors and transient construction workers.  It was fairly trashy.

A tight squeeze

The park obviously didn't spend much money on upkeep and maintenance of the park.  The office looked terrible and the restrooms were atrocious.  I'm not very picky, but I was afraid to go in and pee.  There were wooden steps leading down a bank in front of our coach that must have been built by a drunken CCC worker in the 1930s.  After one trip down the steps, I was afraid to use them again and walked around.

The "death steps" are worse than they look

OK, we're only here one night, the air conditioners are running great, we're getting good TV reception out of Kansas City, so we can deal with it.  We have actually stayed in worse places. But then bad luck.  About 2:00 am that night I began feeling nauseous.  I won't go into the gory details, but for the rest of the night I was hugging the john.   The next morning diarrhea set in.  I was weak, dehydrated and miserable, and in no shape to drive.  So, with no other option (Dorcas, do you want to drive today?)  Dorcas walked the long way around the deadly steps, and had Lucy sign us up for a second night.  I spent most of the day napping and feeling sorry for myself.

 It can't get any worse, right? Au contraire!  I'm laying on the bed mostly asleep, when the whole motor home shakes violently.  Of course I holler at Dorcas and asked what the hell she has done, but it wasn't her.  I run outside and see the mower guy heading away and an ugly scrape on the right rear corner of the coach.  I chase after him (in my weakened state) and get him and his zero-radius mower stopped.  No easy feat, cause he was moving fast. He claimed not to be aware of hitting the coach, and complained about how hard it is to mow and weed-eat and trim around all the RVs.  I don't know why he was mowing anyway, because it hadn't rained here in 6 years and there was no grass.  Why not fix the "death steps" or upgrade the restrooms instead?  Long story short: Roy, called Lucy and Lucy called Margaret (the park manager) and Lucy said Margaret and the park will take care of the damages.  I was too sick and miserable to talk to Margaret and find out exactly how they are going to fix it.  I doubt she knows how much motor home body work costs.  I'll call her in a few days.  I do enough damage to our coach by myself; I'm getting sick of other people doing it too.  Click HERE and HERE to read about body damage on our trip to Alaska last year.

What? Not again!

After 2 nights at Cottonwood RV Park we hit the road relatively early for us, at least a bit before noon. We needed to make up some time after our unplanned layover in Kansas.   While still not 100% I was feeling much better.  Dorcas and I debated why I got sick, and she didn't, but we couldn't come up with anything. We had both eaten the same foods, and we didn't take on any water at Cottonwood RV Park until after I became sick. Maybe I caught something from someone in the confines at the top of the Gateway Arch.   But lightning does strike twice.  About half way across Kansas, almost 36 hours after I became ill, Dorcas came down with the same thing.  I told her I felt her pain. Sincerely. But I don't think she really cared.

The drive through Kansas is long and dull

As we drove across Kansas we gained about 3600 ft elevation without crossing any perceptible mountain.  Central Kansas is like a big sloping table.  Unfortunately, the daytime temperatures in eastern Colorado were no cooler than those in Kansas.

As sick as she was, Dorcas was able locate what appeared to be a decent overnight stop just across the Kansas border in Stratton CO.  It had the unusual name of Marshall Ash Village RV Park.  We actually entered through a Conoco truck stop and the RV sites were out back.  Oh no! Not again!  But actually it was pretty decent for a short overnight stop.  Again, it seemed to be filled with transients, this time wheat harvesters from Oklahoma.  Good power, cool night, quiet.  Dorcas was trashed and pretty much slept through our stay there.

Our camp at Marshall Ash Village RV Park

The next morning Dorcas was feeling somewhat better, and we got another early start.  Our destination today is Loveland CO to attend a rally with the Diesel RV Club.

OK ... So what is next in store for our intrepid adventurers?  Will the bear eat them again or will their luck change?  Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of "The Adventures of Myron and Dorcas"