Preparations for the BIG Retirement TRIP

Well, here we are, less than a month away from leaving on our big retirement trip of a lifetime and Debbie and I have been organizing the stuff we need to load aboard Knot At Sea, cooking accessories, tools, clothes, batteries, phone chargers, first aid kits, etc.  While we were parked up in Hutchinson Island last month, I decided to take advantage of a nice clean slab to crawl under the coach and see about changing the oil and filter for the big Cat diesel engine in the back.  A couple of calls around the Stuart area and I located the oil filter at a NAPA store.  I looked up the capacity for this big beast and it holds 19 quarts, 17 in the pan and 2 for the very large filter.  That means I needed five gallons (20 qts) and that left one gallon spare to carry with us on the trip.  Then it dawned on me that I needed an oil drain pan that held five gallons to drain the used oil.  Equipped with all this information, I made a trip to the NAPA store and bought the drain pan, oil, filter & wrench and cleanup rags to get the job done.  It was a cinch, drained the oil after a short engine warm up run and the filter had easy access from underneath.  Mind you, I've changed the oil in a lot of cars over the years, even changed 10 gallons of oil in the big 47' motor yacht we use to own, but having to crawl around on my back up under this big beast wasn't as easy as it use to be when I was younger.

That task was now complete and I decided to wait until the next day to do the auxiliary generator.  So more phone calls around town and I found all the oil, fuel and air filters at NAPA.  Off to the store again and will all the parts in hand I drained and changed the oil and filter, fuel filter and air filter, once again crawling, this time, under the front of the coach and completed the job easily.  The only problem was dealing with the sore muscles from the day before, but a little rum toddy made me feel a lot better and I was happy that job was complete.

Debbie and I decided not to plan any trips in the month of June to get everything done before we leave on July 1st.  Being the techno guy I've always been, I wanted to equip our coach with some technology to make our trip safer and more convenient for being on the road for four months and traveling more than 10,000 miles all across America.  We were originally going to tow our Chevy HHR, all four wheels on the ground (4 down) and have been towing it for the past 6 months.  Since we retired, we were looking for ways to trip our budget and looked into trading our Ford Flex for a new car that could be towed 4 down.  I did a lot of research and the list is long, but budget wise, we ended up trading for a new 2017 Ford Edge SEL with the 3.5L V-6.  Some of the other engine/transmission configurations don't allow towing 4 down.  We made a good trade with towing in mind and that started a whole new process of equipping our brand new car for towing.

More research on who would be the best shop to install a base plate on a brand new car.  After watching several YouTube videos on what it takes to install Blue Ox base plates on the Edge, I realized I wanted someone who had done this before and was a good car body shop, this install requires the whole front bumper assembly and headlights to be removed.  I left a few messages on the Discovery Owners Forum, and one of the members suggested I contact American RV and Marine in Fort Lauderdale.  After discussing it with them and talking to others who had work done there, I had American RV order the base plate and made an appointment to get it installed.  They told me it would take most of the day, so I planned on driving down and spending the day there at the shop to watch over the install.  Five hours later, I had the base plate installed that would hook up to my Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar and there was another task complete.  Here's a few photos of the install:

















I also had planned on replacing all the tires on the coach, considering all the things I've read about RV tires and what could happen with a blowout, especially on the front.  I looked at the DOT stamp on the Michelins and they were 7 years old, still good tread, but I was worried about dry rot from the inside and who knows how many times the side walls hit curbs and such.  So off to the Tire Store and I made an appointment with Callighan Truck Tire shop just a few miles from our house and they quoted me $325/tire plus $550 for install and balance Sumitomos, a brand several RV'ers have recommended.  I made sure they provided valve stem access for the inner duals and allowed for tire pressure monitor senders on the stems.

Here we go again, more research on tire monitoring systems.  I scoured the RV Forums and read and watched lots of YouTube reviews and being the all Apple device nerd that I am, I selected the TireMinder Smart TPMS that displays tire pressure/temperature on my iPhone or iPad.  I ordered this system on Amazon for six tires and added four more to monitor the tires on our new Ford Edge.  I received the whole package in a couple of days and installed the Smart TPMS on my coach and I was really surprised how easy it was to config this product.  I mounted the included Rhino Signal Booster underneath the cabinet that houses the Xantrex Inverter/Charger for a clear view of all tires, including the towed vehicle, as recommended by TireMinder instructions for diesel pushers.  I suppose that big chunk of iron diesel motor could block the signal from the tire transmitters.  Everything works as advertised.  I have a higher level of comfort being able to see tire pressure/temperature on all wheels both underway and every time I get ready to hit the road, no more checking each tire with a manual pressure Gage.  Here's a photo of the system:

And now, after reading and studying more about towing a vehicle that many miles, and with a brand spanking shiny new Ford Edge back there, we were worried about gravel, rocks and dirt chipping up the new car, so I finally decided to order the Blue Ox KarGard II Protective Shield that mounts on top of the tow bar that stretches from the back of the coach to the front bumper of the towed car.  I will be receiving it the end of the week and have plans to install this weekend.

That should do it, hopefully I have thought of everything, but I'm sure Murphy's Law will strike when we least expect it and I will of forgotten something.  We will deal with it as Murphy sees fit.

Our Retirement Celebration

Our kids planned this big retirement celebration party and over a hundred people showed up.  It was a day we will remember forever.

 

 It was less than a week after our last day of work and we drove up to Flagler Beach in our motorhome and parked right on the ocean. A long time high school friend of mine had contacted me awhile back and told me he was going to be in Florida with his brand new 5th Wheel camper, so we coordinated our trip to meet him there and talk about old times.  The stories that we shared can't be repeated here.

 

The weather turned bad for one day, but we had several beautiful sunrises and the view was outstanding.  This was a 3 day, 2 night trip and a great way to celebrate our retirement on the beach. Debbie's Aunt from Pennsylvania was visiting and she really enjoyed the RV lifestyle.

We had planned several trips in advance of our retirement and we were on the go pretty much through the month of April and May, I'll see if I can recap all the places:

Okeechobee KOA - Good Sams Spring Rally

Last Fall we joined a local RV club (Jupiter Lighthouse SAMS) and attended the Florida Good Sams Spring Rally.  There were more than 300 RV's in attendance and our good friends Pat & JoAnn joined us in their new travel trailer to see what the Good Sams Club had to offer.  Jupiter Lighthouse SAMS members were assigned adjoining lots and we held Happy Hour every evening under the big tree between our campers.  There were lots of ceremonies and entertainment at the big convention hall and we spent our leisure time visiting with everyone, enjoying the beautiful Spring weather, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures were mild.

 

John Pennecamp State Park - Key Largo, Florida Keys

Several of our RV club members go down to Key Largo every year, and one of our members couldn't make it, so we decided to fill their spot for a week in the Florida Keys.  What a great place to be in May when it's not so hot, to enjoy the island lifestyle.  Our friends Norm & Diane came down to stay with us for a few days and we explored up and down the Overseas Highway, stopping at every seafood shack and restaurant along the way.  We went snorkling and swimming at Bahia Honda State Park and played in the beautiful waters of the Florida Keys.

 

After they left, our Son and Daughter-in-law towed the boat down on the trailer and stayed with us the rest of the week.  On the first night, our good friend Tom had fished a tournament and caught a big bull dolphin that day and invited us to join him at a local restaurant that cooks your catch.  It was prepared Key Largo style with key lime flavored sauce that was to die for.  We took advantage of the opportunity of having our boat docked at the campground marina and did Dinner By Boat at a local seafood restaurant, and of course, we all had some kind of seafood dish that was delicious.

One of the days, we planned a snorkeling trip out to the reef on the edge of the Gulf Stream in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef underwater State Park.  The weather was perfect, without a cloud in the sky and the ocean was smooth.  Our first stop was at the famous underwater statue Christ of the Abyss (click the link). There are buoys all around the reef to tie up to so you don't have to drop an anchor and damage the coral.  Scott and Halle were first in the water and swam all around the statue and the beautiful coral reef and tropical fish.  From there we went South to Molasses Reef Light and took a peek in the water, but the sea was a little rougher there so we headed back in to the North end of Islamorada to have lunch at the world famous Tiki Bar and Post Card Inn, formally know as Holiday Isle.  Fish sandwiches and Rum Runners were in order before heading out to the sandbar along Whale Harbor Channel for a swim.  We made the round trip back from the ocean side through the Snake Creek Channel into Florida Bay and back North up the Intra Coastal Waterway to Key Largo and passed through Adams Cut back to John Pennekamp Marina.  We ended the day with a beautiful sunset while dining at Pierre's Marker 88 restaurant at the South end of Islamorada.

Hutchinson Island - Jensen Beach, FL

Holiday Out / Venture III

We are blessed with so many friends who share their little piece of paradise with us and again this year, Craig invited us to occupy his RV lot at Holiday Out on Hutchinson Island at Jensen Beach, FL. We were there last year and enjoyed hanging out at the beach with our friends Norm and Diane.  This year we stayed for a week and really relaxed for the first few days, but then I took advantage of my new found free time as a retiree and decided to do some much needed maintenance on the motorhome in preparation for the BIG TRIP starting on the 1st of July (more about that in the next blog).  

We took a short trip up the beach to Fort Pierce for lunch with one of Debbie's co-workers who retired just before her, and once again, it was a Tiki Bar perched right at the City Marina, my kinda place.  I walked the docks and admired all the trawlers and sportfishermans before we left and reminisced of our past boat ownership before we took to land yachting.  While we were in the area, I wanted to see the Navy Seal Museum, but Debbie had to stay in the car with Chewy, they wouldn't let a 12 pound Wookie inside.

We finally returned home with no more trips planned and now the preparations begin for our BIG TRIP across America.

 

    

Here's an update about another short trip I forgot about after we returned from Jensen Beach.  As we do every year for Memorial Day Weekend, we drove over to Lake Placid, FL (Sebring Area) to attend their annual BBQ feast to visit with the usual cohorts that show up at this event.  Again, the stories of past Lake Placid BBQ's is not fit for publishing here.  There's always the traditional gathering in front of the TV to watch the Indianapolis 500 race and closing out the evening with NASCAR's Coca Cola 600.  There's always an argument that breaks out about which kind of auto racing is best, but no matter what they all say about me, I'm an IndyCar fanatic through and through.  NASCAR is for red necks....oops, I mean country folk.