Sitting In Red Bay

     We made it to Red Bay, AL, the home of Tiffin Motor Homes, early on Saturday, Dec 1 and got in on our scheduled date of Dec 3. It took most of the week just getting the things fixed that didn't work right  (like lights that were out, shades that wouldn't retract, outlet that didn't work, etc.) We did splurge and have a sound bar added to our outside TV setup. The TV's speakers are in the back and you had to really crank up the volume just to barely hear the program. We tried to rig an external wireless speaker, but eventually we decided that this was the best way to go. We are now waiting to have our big slide out room removed and the floor replaced. Seems we are not the only ones having this issue. In fact, they have two repair bays dedicated strictly to floor replacement and that's all they do. Even with that, we are looking at Thursday or Friday of NEXT WEEK before we come up on our turn!! After that, we still have paint issues and that will necessitate waiting our turn for the paint shop. The plant goes on Christmas break on December 22 - January 1 and we sincerely hope we are done before that happens.

     We think that a sign of the times can be seen in the number of units here for repair. When we were here in December of 2010, we got right in with no appointment. There were probably only 10 units in the parking lot and we were out in a week's time.  The motorhome market had kind of crashed at that point, and the plant was pretty quiet.

Tiffin repair lot - Dec 2010

     When we arrived last weekend, the lot was almost full to overflowing. In fact, we were told that just recently it WAS full and there was only room for "dry camping" in the parking lot. (Dry camping means no water/electric/sewer hook ups are available. Kind of like parking in a WalMart parking lot.) There have been several coaches leave this week, but the lot still is pretty full.

Tiffin repair lot (same point of view) - Dec 2012

The picture above only shows one line of coaches. There are three other lines beyond them and they are equally as full!

More coaches in the lot (this is the view from our front door)

I don't think that Tiffin is making a product of lesser quality than before; I believe that there have been that many more coaches sold in the last couple of years.

     So far, the weather has been unseasonably warm. Back in 2010 when we were here, we had freezing rain and it was so cold that the water had been turned off in the park. Today, it is almost 70 degrees and sunny. But that is due to change. Next week they are predicting freezing temperatures and fall will be a distant memory. One more reason to get things done and get back out on the road.

     I'm still working on the Mediterranean trip pictures and blog. It should be out soon. I put some pictures out on our Picasa Web Album site (Cunningham Web Photos ) if you're just needing something to look at.

Back on the highways!

Just a short note... We are packing up the motorhome and getting ready to head out on the road again. Our next stop is Red Bay, AL to visit the Tiffin Manufacturing facility. We are scheduled to have some work done on the coach and will be there for a while. As usual, you can get in touch with us via Facebook or e-mail while we are traveling.

Touring the Mediterranean.

     Well, its been a while since my last posting (and we've been pretty busy)! After visiting friends and family we took off on a Mediterranean adventure. We flew to Rome and spent three days just wandering around the city. From there, we hopped a train to the cruise port of Rome (in a town called Civitaveccia) and boarded the Celebrity Equinox for a ten day cruise. Destinations included Messina, Sicily, several stops in Greece, Kusadasi in Turkey, Naples, then back to Civitaveccia. Along the way we saw some amazing sights both from modern days and ancient times. Barb took a little over 1,000 photos, so it may be a while before I can get some of them published for public viewing. I kept a short journal during our visit, and that will become several blog entries but will have to wait for me to go through the photos to find just the right ones. In the meantime, I will publish a few teasers...

     Above you see the Coliseum in Rome just as the sun was setting. I really liked this picture.

     This was a shot of me earlier in the day while we were wandering around. Not bad considering I have just been on an airplane for 18 hours, getting settled in our B&B, and then wandering around the streets of Rome for another 2!                                                                     

     Here is a good shot of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens.

     Just to show we were there.

     This is the ancient library in Ephesus in Turkey.

     Part of the largest walled Medieval city in Europe in Rhodes, Greece.

     The breathtaking view from Santorini, Greece.

     These are just a few of the great shots that Barb took documenting our trip. Hope you enjoy them!

Pulling up stakes!

   
     Look out World, we're on the loose again!!!

    Yes, I remember how to post a blog entry!!! It has obviously been a while since the last post, but not a lot of things happened over the summer. This blog will try to sum up our activities and get everyone caught up with what's going on. So, here goes...

     This summer was one of the hottest and driest on record for our part of the world! Amazingly, with 100+ temps and no rain I still had to mow grass in the parks?!?That prairie grass is some tough stuff. Anyway, as followers of this blog may recall, we needed to be in the Manhattan, KS area this summer in order for Barb to help her brother deal with and sell her Dad's property. (Her dad passed away in January.) Having no good place to park the motorhome, we decided to work as camp hosts for the Tuttle Creek State Park. The good thing, this gave us our site and we got paid a little for our efforts. The bad thing is that we were hosts at Randolph and Fancy Creek campgrounds at the far north end of the reservoir some 30 miles from town. Needless to say, we have racked up the miles on the new car.

     One of the events early in the summer is the Country Stampede. This is a "country Woodstock" where several big name country entertainers come for three days and nights of music. The event is held at the River Pond campground area at the south end of the reservoir. We drove by and were kind of glad that we didn't have to contend with the crowds!

     We met some really nice folks during the summer and one group of them turned us on to a little restaurant in Barnes, KS. This place, called Our Daily Bread is a great place to eat. Not only is the food good but the bakery makes some of the best pies and cakes I've ever eaten. You would never know this place is there, it is tucked away along main street but the storefront is small and unassuming. Check out their website: Our Daily Bread

     Believe it or not, even with next to no water we had a bit of a washout at the end of the boat ramp. One of my tasks was to take some of the fill gravel that the park dropped off and repair the ramp. It was a little challenging to do with only the tractor and bucket and they delivered wayyyy more gravel than was needed. I made a good access way but had the backhoe come up later and improve the approach. 

 
    Later in the summer, after Labor Day, we had a cool snap and woke up to an interesting atmospheric phenomenon. A fog bank had formed but only just above the river and stopped along the hills in Fancy Creek campground. On the Randolph side we were bight and sunny but Fancy Creek was socked in.

     A new addition in Manhattan is the Flint Hills Discovery Center. This is a very interesting hands on exhibit spotlighting the Flint Hills area of Northeast Kansas. It is very informative and I learned things that I never knew about the area. We took the grandkids there when they visited us this summer and they had a great time with all of the hands on exhibits and the fantastic multi media, multi sensory presentation that talks about the Flint Hills throughout history. Click on the link if you want to see more about this place!!  Flint Hills Discovery center

     While in the area, Barb and I took the time to drive over to Fort Riley, the home of the 1st Infantry Division and the former temporary home of the 430th PSC and its commander, MAJ Cunningham. We visited some of my old haunts and tripped down memory lane. We got Barb's ID card updated and made sure that all of our paperwork and information with the Army was in order. We spent quite a bit of time at the US Army's Cavalry museum. Ft. Riley was originally a cavalry outpost in Indian territory and up until WW II still trained all of the Army's horse cavalry troopers. In fact, LTC Custer left from here with the 7th Cavalry on their trip to Little Bighorn. The Custer house on post is now a tourist destination. In talking with the lady in the gift shop, we found out that the Army's National Cavalry Competition was taking place that very day! Seems that most every major post in the country has a mounted color guard and that they are outfitted to a specific timeframe in the cavalry's history. Ft. Riley for instance is outfitted in the style and uniforms of the army in the 1870-1880 time period. Well, these groups come together annually to compete in individual and group events... kind of a Cavalry Olympics. Well, I was branched Armor/Cavalry when I first was commissioned and served with a few  Cav troops in my time so how could I resist. It was very interesting.

     We wrapped up out stint with the State of Kansas on October 1st. In the meantime, we worked very hard to leave the parks in a better condition than when we found them. We mowed, trimmed, and painted. We cleaned, picked up, and repaired. All in all, I think that we were successful.

   We have to say that we really enjoyed all of the people we met and especially the folks that we worked with at Tuttle Creek. They made our time as fun as it could be and really helped me out when I needed something at the Park. We have made some new friends and our lives are better for it! Towards the end of our stay, we sat out around a campfire and nature blessed us with a spectacular sunset. We thought that we'd share.

     So now we're sitting back where it all started. Back in the Wichita area at the farmstead we used to own but sold to our son. We will be here for a month and a half and will take the time to relax and visit with friends and family prior to hitting the road in late November.

    There you have it, the summer in a "Readers Digest" format. I know that I left a lot out but we didn't do a lot of touring and many of the days were a routine of mow, clean, or repair, then hide in the motorhome the rest of the day to escape the heat. It feels good to be out and about again and soon we will be back on the road.

Getting Into a Routine

     Just a quick post. There is an unbelievable amount of grassy area in this park!! I have spent a lot of time on the mower and just recently finished both of the parks. Now it's time to do it again to get ready for Memorial Day weekend. I finally got some transportation. A former Army vehicle that pre-dates the Hummer. It has been modified with a large flat bed so I can carry around the stuff that I need to do tasks to keep things looking "spiffy" Its diesel engine is quite noisy, which means that campers know well in advance when I'm making my rounds.

     So far, I've made a few small repairs on things but have had to call out help with a break in our main water line to this campground. It broke the other day and we had to shut off the water until it could be fixed the next day. Made things a bit tough for folks, as it is the only water between both parks and many use our shower facilities. But it is up and going now and ready for the summer. I asked for, and got, a flagpole for the park. It was put up last week and now we proudly fly the flags! We have to take them down every evening because we don't have a light installed yet, but that is in the plans.

     Speaking of summer, the forecast for this coming weekend is 99-100 degrees all weekend!!! It's far too early for it to be this hot. Can't wait to see what it will be like in July...NOT!  Misty even got a haircut today to help her cope with the heat... (but she still likes to lay in the sun, go figure???)

     The rest of the coming week will be spent on sprucing up the parks and making them their best for the camping public for the holiday weekend. After that, we will settle into more of a routine and spread out the chores into something more manageable and less hectic. With little to no rain and temps near the century mark, mowing should not be much of an issue.

Kansas for the Summer

     Well, we departed LazyDays in Tampa on Saturday, April 28th and headed back to our friends at Bella Terra in Foley for a couple of days. While there, we got to say proper "good bye's" to our new friends and took some much needed time to get the motorhome ready for travel once again.
     We left Foley on Monday, April 30 and started our 3 day marathon drive back to Wichita. We traveled mostly on interstate and overnighted in Rest Areas. The first day we trekked through 4 states (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas) spending the night in Orange, TX!! The next day we went straight up through Texas to a rest stop just outside of Thackerville, OK. Day 3 saw us pulling in to my son's place (formerly our old homestead) and parking for a couple of days. We visited with friends and family and also got several errands out of the way that we had been needing to do (things like Doctors, Dentists, and Vet visits).
     Then on Monday, May 7th, I drove the motorhome up to Manhattan's Tuttle Creek State Park and camped in River Pond campground. Here I met with the Park manager and began a quick orientation on my new duties. We took a 25 mile drive around the reservoir to see our new summer home. (25 road miles to cover 14 miles as the crow flies from Manhattan to Randolph, KS). Our new home is in the South Randolph campground. We are Camp Hosts responsible for both North and South Randolph CG's and Fancy Creek CG that lies 1.5 miles east of us (across the Randolph bridge).

     That's the bridge in the photo above. We sit on a hill surrounded by prairie grass and Cottonwood trees (along with many Cedar and Pine trees). The campgrounds are at the far north end of Tuttle Creek Reservoir whereas the Park Office and two other campgrounds are located south of the Reservoir's Dam in Manhattan.

     Our site is brand new to the Park, having just been built over the winter. We have a fairly level gravel pad with all of the needed hook-ups. Since it is new, the grass has not had time to get established so it can be a little muddy when it rains. The Park has given us a large bag of grass seed which we have liberally sowed. We water daily and are anxiously watching for small blades of fescue to rise up out of the Kansas Prairie!
     So far it is still early in the season. Up until last night in fact, we have been the only occupant of South Randolph. I'm sure that will change for Memorial Day weekend but I have been told that it stays pretty quiet during the week out here.

     Misty is getting used to the large areas to roam and explore. When nobody is around we let her off the leash and let her go. During the day, she sits on the back of the couch and watches things out the window. We can always tell when someone comes into the park, as she sits up and intently watches them as they drive by.

     Part of my duties includes mowing all of the grass in the parks (N. and S. Randolph and Fancy Creek). To do this, I have my choice of a large tractor and bush hog (for the wide expanses) and a zero turn radius riding mower. I also have access to some college students in the AmeriCorps program who help out throughout all of Tuttle Creek's Parks. Last week, four of them came up and we all mowed and trimmed. Working all day we were able to do all of Fancy Creek and most of S. Randolph. Gives you an idea of how much mowing I will be doing this summer!! We also make sure that the bathrooms are clean and well stocked and that the shower house located in S. Randolph is kept in good working order. We make daily runs through the campgrounds to make sure that campers have paid their fees and to answer any questions that they might have. New this year is an online reservation system for reserving campsites. Administration of this program is still in the learning phase, so we are trying to find the best way to make sure that sites are properly marked as "Reserved" or "Available". The rest of the time, we enjoy the wide open spaces and beautiful night skies filled with more stars than you think possible. If you're up this way, or plan on coming, let us know... We'd be glad to see you!

In For Some Service

     Well, we left our "winter home" of Bella Terra last Monday, April 16th, and headed east towards Tampa, FL. After a quick overnight in Lake City, FL, we arrived at LazyDays RV (where we originally purchased our coach). We have scheduled some repair work to be done while the warranty is still in effect. We had considered going to Red Bay, AL where the coach was manufactured, but the wait for service was too uncertain and we need to get things repaired and get on to our summer camp host position. On the upside, LazyDays has a fantastic service area for Crown Club members (which we qualified for when we purchased our coach)!

     Above is the Crown Club clubhouse. It is here where you can spend your time while your coach is being serviced. They have a pool, lounge areas with big screen TV's, and they offer breakfast, lunch, and "Happy Hour" with drinks and snacks. All the meals are prepared by the onsite chef, Archie, and his staff  who make sure that your stay with LazyDays is as comfortable as it can be. 

     When you are waiting for a service bay to open up, or be assigned to you, you are put up in some lovely campsites. Nestled between the trees on level asphalt pads with full hook-ups, you wait for your services to be completed. Your technician comes out around 9:00 am (after you have had time to partake of the complementary aforementioned breakfast prepared by Archie) and takes your coach to its assigned location for the day. In the evening, your coach is returned to a site (but not necessarily the same one that you left that morning). 

     The Crown Club has its own set of technicians and repair bays separate from the other LazyDays service facilities. Here the work is performed on mechanical aspects of the coaches. There are other bays specifically for woodwork/cabinetry and paint/body shop. There are even several bays where a 45' coach can be completely repainted! Our coach is the second one from the right in the photo above. Sometimes, due to the nature of the repairs, your coach has to stay in these bays overnight. When that is the case, there is a full set of hook-ups in the bay for your convenience. Water, electric, and sewer are all available to you. Obviously, satellite TV is not effective, but you can get a good set of digital, over the air TV signals from the local Tampa broadcast stations. As I compose this blog entry, we are sitting in the above pictured bay and have been here the last couple of nights. 

     The LazyDays complex is huge! There is a Cracker Barrel restaurant, Flying-J fuel station, Holiday Inn Express hotel, and a campground with all the amenities and well over 100 sites all on the property! In addition, there is the largest selection of RVs, from small pop up trailers, to towable or fifth-wheel trailers, to gas powered coaches, to the big diesel "beasts" all displayed in tree covered lots. Above is a glimpse of some of the gas powered coaches that you can feel free to look at and walk through. 

     Some of the more compact units on display. Notice the huge live Oak tree "dripping" with Spanish Moss. It's a nifty place just to sit under and enjoy the day. (There is even a park bench strategically placed underneath it.) If you are in the market for an RV of any size or type, this is the place to come. Beats driving around town looking at a bunch of units crammed together in a parking lot! 

     There are pedestrian walkways all through the area and in the evening, after dinner, we usually take Misty on a long walk. She loves to "hunt" the squirrels and lizards, we enjoy a nice stroll. 

     So, I'm not sure how long we will be here. I hope to be on the road by this time next week but we'll see. In the meantime, I will kick back, enjoy, and probably gain 5 pounds. Oh well, I'll work that off when we get back to Kansas!!