Final Packing

April 23, 2009
Peoria, AZ

Well, we're almost ready to hit the road. We've got most of the maintenance tasks done, packing and loading has started, and the house is almost ready to be closed up for summer.

The big-ticket items on the coach are behind us. The chassis is lubed, the oil and filters are changed, the fuel filters are changed, and the generator has had its 1,000 hour service. We were a little ahead of schedule on that (about 890 hours on the unit) but it was preferable to have the work done now as opposed to find a place and take the time (it's an all-day process) while we're on the road.

The Range Rover is serviced, although that turned out to be a challenge. Remember the $500 worth of parts? No email with a tracking number after almost a week, so a phone call brings the message "Oh, your credit card didn't go through". Really? And, when were you going to tell me this? Suffice it to say that order was canceled and the vendor black-flagged. Unfortunately, the same parts at the local Land Rover dealer were over 100% more, but I was in a bind of my own making, having waited too long on the Internet order to place another and have parts shipped in time. So, I've taken solace in the notion that I still saved myself over $1,000 by doing it myself and managed to get the job done in one day with minimal problems. The only issue was that I had to stop in mid-job and run to Sears for a floor jack, since none of my hydraulic bottle jacks have enough "throw" to get the Rover's wheels off the ground and the scissors jack that came with the thing gave up the ghost after one lift (stripped the threads right off the shaft). Of course, now I need to find a suitable replacement for that, not wanting to be caught without a jack (or to carry a floor jack around with us). Other than the brakes, it also got an oil and filter, air filter, pollen filter (can't have the passengers breathing unfiltered air!), tire rotation and fluid check. Not a bad day's work!

The coach also got a bath last week, starting with the roof. To economize, the manufacturer doesn't paint or clear-coat the roofs, and the fiberglass tends to get chalky over time. One solution would be to have the roof clear-coated. A cheaper option, albeit a temporary one, is to use household floor wax, applying it 2-4 times per year as needed. I was overdue, having last done the roof in July in Connecticut, and it showed (the "chalky" stuff tends to make white/gray streaks on the side of the coach when it needs treating). So, I was up on the roof by 7 AM giving it a good scrubbing with car wash, then back up with knee pads on applying good old Mop 'N Glo. It works well, but you don't want to get any on the sides of the coach (requires wax stripper to remove, and that's not cool for the paint), so hand application is best. Once I got the roof done, I decided to wash the rest of the exterior, and finished up around 7 PM. I still have to Rain-X the outside of the windows, and the interior still needs a good cleaning, but we can do those things on the road if need be.

Part of the reason for the early start is that we've had a bit of a heat wave this week, with our first 100° days of the year on Tuesday and Wednesday. Of course, it was 95°+ on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, but it's the "triple digit heat" that gets all the attention on the evening news. Coping strategies are pretty straight-forward: get outside stuff done before 10 AM, and walk the pups before 9 AM and after dark. It's cooling off to the lower 80s by the weekend, so we should have a good couple of days for loading up and shutting down.

I'm still working on our trip plan, and will post separately on that soon...