Roadrunner Review: Recent Campgrounds June 20, 2013

We have put over 1,400 miles on the Roadrunner since we left Tennessee.  We are now in Ft Worth Texas, leaving tomorrow for Oklahoma City.  I thought I’d do a recap of the places we’ve stayed and the campgrounds we’ve been in:

(A) Maynardville, TN – Mike and Joan’s     

Overall rating:  10
We have a gravel pad on their property with water and electric.  The company is great and the grounds are always well maintained.

(B) Red Bay, AL – Tiffin Service Center 

Overall rating:  7
Sites are adequate.  $10 / night for full hookups and we always enjoy our time there.  Lots to learn and we do the factory tour every time we are there.

(C) Tuscaloosa, AL – Y’s Acres / Habitat for Humanity Build

Overall rating:  6
Full hookups on a converted basketball court that is not in use.  Cost was $10/night.  Worked out fine for full hookups including water, sewer and electric.  We enjoyed our time there immensely despite the campground.

(D) Vicksburg, MS – Ameristar Casino RV Park

Overall rating 8:
$27/night for full hookups.  Nice facility and great stop over to see Vicksburg National Battlefield.  Daily trash pickup outside the coach.

(E)  Livingston, TX – Rainbow’s End Escapee’s Park

Overall rating:  5
$23 night for full hook ups seemed like it was overpriced.  We went there to get some business done (including getting the coach weighed).  Campground was adequate, not our favorite.

(F)  Katy, TX – Westlake RV Resort

Overall rating: 7
Was a very nice park with 50 amp/water and sewer.  Nice concrete pad, new fitness center, pool and club house.  Would have rated it higher but it was above our budget at $45/night.  Had a nice gazebo / community barbecue that was first class.

(G) Austin, TX – Oak Forest RV Park

Overall rating: 7
Full hook ups and sewer with 50 amp.  Had a nice office and pool.  Daily trash pickup.  A little older campground but was good place for a few days.

(H) Fredericksburg, TX – Fredericksburg RV Park

Overall rating:  8
We really like this place.  It was a good price at $23.33 (Passport America).  It was well maintained, had a decent amount of space between sites.  Full hookups with water/electric (50 amp) and sewer.  The laundry was nice.  The groundskeeper was mowing grass, cutting limbs, watering, adding gravel to sites and leveling…lots of maintenance.  The office staff was nice and friendly and the campground was not too far from the downtown area.  We’d come back again!

(I) Ft Worth, TX – Cowtown RV Park

Overall rating: 7

We liked this place and its facilities.  Got the weekly rate at $25/night.  It is 5 minutes away from my brother’s house so we definitely be back.  It has 50 amp/water and sewer with grass between sites.  The sites are level though most are gravel.  The laundry was only $2.00/load so that was a bonus.  With a nice office staff and a pool it could be even better if they worked harder on the gravel roads.  Not too bad though and they do a nice job keeping the grass mowed.  Also have trash cans nearby for daily pickup.

That is a recap of where we have been staying for the last couple of months or so.  We will be on the road a lot this summer, so there will be lots more campsites to experience.  Not to mention more friends and family and interesting places.  We hope you’ll join us and thanks! for checking in today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Friday Night in Red Bay June 5, 2013

Our last evening in Red Bay we decided to go to the Rattlesnake Saloon for dinner.  It is not in Red Bay.  In fact it is about 22 miles away in Tuscumbia, AL.

The Rattlesnake Saloon is a regular hangout of locals and RVers like ourselves that spend time in Red Bay.  It is definitely a unique and ‘one of a kind’ place.

The Rattlesnake Taxi was waiting for us when we pulled into the parking lot.  You can walk down to the bottom of the hill, but taking the taxi is more fun.

The drive down is a bit steep but that adds to the experience.

Most tables are set up outside under the opening of a large cave.  It is really a fascinating place.

The band sets up in the middle and there were about 15 tables and a area for dancing.  On one end of the cave is the entrance to the saloon and bar.  You can also eat inside.  But most don’t.

 It is very well done.  And off to one side is a porch/over flow area of folks to hang out with some great scenery and flowers.

Things were a bit slow on the dance floor until two couples got up and did the two-step.

 (I think it was the two-step but ?)
I didn’t get the name of the band, but they were pretty good.

It was fun to sit there and listen.  We had some pretty good bar food, too.  Pam and I had the hamburger which hit the spot.

After a couple of hours, we boarded the taxi for the return trip up the hill and stopped off at the gift shop.

We didn’t see anything we couldn’t do without, but it has a good supply of T-Shirts and hats and other stuff.

Fun night and a good way to spend our last night in Red Bay.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Remembering Tuscaloosa Tornado 2 Years Later May 27, 2013

A few days before we left Tuscaloosa, we took drive around the area near Holt which was close to our work site.  We were near the Alberta area building houses.

We took some photos of the area.

This is where Alberta Elementary School once stood.

And over in the Holt area more effects of the storm:

We saw only one storm shelter:

And a house with a pool and garage – only the garage left

The devastation and destruction of these tornadoes is hard to comprehend.  We have never been through one or experienced it.  Two years later, things are a lot better, but their lives have changed and they have endured a lot.

When we see the recent tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma our hearts go out to them also.  But for now I think about what one homeowner said to us while we were in Tuscaloosa, “Thanks for remembering us”.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Two Weeks in Tuscaloosa May 26, 2013

We finished up two weeks at the Tuscaloosa Habitat For Humanity Disaster Recovery Build.  It has been another great experience.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here.  We met a lot of new people and got to do some fun things at the job site.  The work has been pretty much the same as other HFH builds.

The first week we worked on outside trim and siding.  This week we have been involved with framing, raising walls and sheathing for the sides and roof.  And installing some tornado strong tie-rods and a building a safe room.

While here, we have seen some interesting things:
– A University of Alabama BCS Championship ring –

Leon is a student at U of A and the team Equipment Manager.  He has volunteered on site for a few days and let us take a peak at some of his hardware.  He let Dee Dee try the ring on for size.

– Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Angels –

Bill Beverage is the CFO and one of only 30 individuals across the country.  His son and daughter in law, wife and a contingent of 19 from Tucson were here for the second week.

– Safe room –
We had never heard of a safe room before we arrived here in Tuscaloosa.  HFH uses a FEMA design for this and is building it in all their new homes.

There are hundreds and hundreds of screws securing this inside of the home which has its own foundation.

Some high-wind/tornado/hurricane straps, rods and bolts:

And work accomplished on week two:  the group started with a couple of walls up

and by the end of the week most of the windows were in and the black tar paper on the roof was installed.

We also made it a point to go see the Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Museum –

The Bryant-Denny Stadium at the University of Alabama –

And two college groups, one each week:
– University of Georgia –

– University of Arizona –

And Peter –

A great guy to work with.  One of the best we have worked with!

And somewhat unexpected: we ate at a great Thai Restaurant on campus:

If you are thinking about joining a Habitat for Humanity Build – the affiliate in Tuscaloosa could use your help.  And they have some great work going on and know how to make it a fun and productive time with their volunteers!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles ~ until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

We Are Not the Only Ones May 17, 2013

There are all kinds of volunteers at this site!  We have a whole lot of folks from different parts of the country who are volunteering and doing Disaster Recovery work in Tuscaloosa.  We are part of the HFH RV Care-A-Vanners group.  And there is a steady stream of other volunteers who are also on site.

The Mennonites are here with about 5 men.  They have their own trailer and equipment and ‘sign up for  a 6 or 12 month stint.

And a group of college men and women who are here from Georgia.  This group we found particularly interesting.  It all started with Mercedes.

Mercedes (in sun glasses -below) recently graduated from the University of Georgia.  Two years ago after the tornado hit Tuscaloosa she was drawn to get involved.  She drove out here by herself and found a group of people that were taking in volunteers and getting ready for recovery work.  She followed up with a second trip with about 20 other volunteers.  They were housed in the local Nazarene church.  Since then she has made it back to Tuscaloosa each year after school lets out and brings friends with her.

Here is a shot of the group:

This is a great group: Janine, Kelly, Mercedes (first row); Howell, Kari, Justin (second row); Monica, Alex (back row).  This group knows how to work and have fun doing it!  

And they are polite!  I haven’t heard as many “Yes Sir”, “Yes Ma’am”‘s in years.  

One day we had a local group from the Capstone Hotel in town.  They included folks from HR and the Event Planning office.

In addition to working on site all day, they had lunch: large chicken wrap, Gatorade, pear and two chocolate chip cookies.

Down the street the United Methodist Church (UMC) Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is building a house.

There have been thousands and thousands of folks who have been here to help with the recovery.  With  the destruction of over 5,000 homes, there will be a lot of work to do for some time.

That is all for now — thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Mostly Painting for Now in Tuscaloosa May 15, 2013

We have been on the job site in Tuscaloosa Habitat for Humanity and are off to a great start!  We love it when the affiliate knows how to farm out the work and keep everyone busy and involved.  The first couple of days, we have been painting the house on Juanita Street.

We started off with introductions in the team meeting/form up at the beginning of the work day.

Brannon is the site construction manager and he gets a lot of help from Joe who is our house leader.  Peter our campground host and HFH staff member keeps us busy too.

The scaffolding was up all around the exterior of the house which made it very nice.  No extended ladder work reaching high places which is fine with me.  We always learn and see new things at different places.  Here we saw scaffolding rails for the first time.

Scaffolding is heavy, takes a lot of time to set up and take down – but once it is in place it is great.  And safe.  HFH is making a concerted effort to step up its safety emphasis and the rails on the scaffolding are a good example.

Some worked on getting the trim up and caulked and then we all got into painting it.

It carried over into Tuesday and we gave the whole exterior two coats.

And we accomplished our goal of finishing the house painting so we could get the scaffolding down.

It has been a good first two days here and we are looking forward to the rest of the week.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Feel free to drop a note/add a comment – we always love those!
Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Lunches in Alabama March 9, 2013

One of the great things about this RV full timing lifestyle is being able to see friends and family.  Because we were in the military, we have made friends from all over the country.  And while we have been in Florida the panhandle / lower Alabama area we have been able to get together with some friends.

It has been great.

We have been friends with Bill and Linda since 1979.  They were missionaries to U.S. servicemen and women in Korea in Kunsan.  Pam and I were stationed at Kunsan AB and both on active duty at the time. Over the years we have kept up with them and have seen what a wonderful impact they have had on people’s lives over the years.

They are in Pensacola for a few weeks while on furlough from Korea and we wanted to get over here to see them.  We had them over to the Roadrunner for dinner one night and then we attended the first night of their home church’s Missions Conference.

They had a display set up and had a session where they presented some pictures and explained how they interact with the service men and basically what they do over there as missionaries.  Then Bill played a couple of songs on his Korean dulcimer and gave the message.  There were two other missionary families there for the conference.  One family was serving in Mexico and the other in New Zealand.

Here is a shot of us with Bill and Linda.

The next day we were invited to join the pastor and missionaries and some guests for lunch over in Foley, Alabama at Lambert’s Cafe.
What a hoot!
We learned about ‘roll tossin’ and ‘passarounds’ and had some great food in a very unique atmosphere.

It is a special place with restaurants at two other locations including Branson MO.  It was fun!

A guy literally walks around with rolls and tosses them across the restaurant to you.  And the helpings of food were big.  Like take home box big! And our servers had all kinds of practical jokes they spring on you.  I jumped high out of my chair when Patti “accidentally” exploded a plastic bottle of mustard all over me.  It was foam strings—but at the time I thought I was had!

And the ‘passarounds’ are servers who bring: fried okra, black eyed peas, or fried onions and potatoes around and serve it up at no extra cost.  If you haven’t been to Lambert’s it is a short 35 minute drive from Pensacola and worth the trip.

Then yesterday I was sitting here in the Roadrunner doing some monthly financials when Darrell came up on Facebook and said he and Judy were near by in Summerdale, AL.  I found Darrell’s website back in 2008 when I was first researching and learning about RVing.  But we had never met and this was our chance!  It was about 45 minutes from Pensacola so we hopped in the car and went to see them at their place at the Escapees RV park.

We went out to eat at Big Daddy’s Grill in nearby Fairhope, AL.  It was another great place to eat.

After lunch we toured the Escapees park and found out Jim and Ellie were there.  We first me them in Red Bay about 18 months ago while we were getting work done on our Tiffin motor homes.  We chatted for a while and took a group shot.

It was great to see friends and meet new ones.  In fact this winter we have seen more friends while we have been in Florida than we expected.  It has really been great!  And there is a bonus, unplanned get together like yesterday.  You never know how the days will turn out some times.

That’s it for another edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us.  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

New Tires and Braking System March 10, 2012

While in the Service Bay at the Allegro Campground, we saw a problem with the right front tire.  The tread was coming loose and I was able to pull a chunk off without too much trouble.  The tires had only 56, 500 miles on them but more importantly they were 6 1/2 years old.  Time for new tires.

I called around and the closest place that sold Michelin’s was Simmon’s Tire Company in Shefflield, AL. Sheffield is about 50 miles from Red Bay and next to Muscle Shoals.

We arrived at 8:00 AM on Monday morning towing the Honda.  We parked and unhooked and talked with the owner about getting the new tires and having the alignment checked on the front and back end.  I also made sure that I was registered with Family Motor Coach Association.  They have a Michelin Advantage Program  that saved me $50 a tire.  With six tires to replace, it was worth my time to give them a call and get registered for the discount.

After that, we left in search of a Starbucks or McDonalds or something with a decent place to hangout.  We found a Jack’s and I took a booth in the corner, had some coffee and checked into my company (I work part time about 20-25 hours each month).

While I got set up and started working, Pam ran some errands and then we had lunch at Jacks.  About 1:30 Simmons called and we returned.  I asked them to turn the two rear stems on the inside tires outward so I could easily get to them.  That sound make checking them and putting in air a lot easier.  I checked the air in the tires, we hooked up the Honda and paid the $4275.29 bill.

Ugh – this was another big one.  I was planning to replace the tires next year so that was no surprise.  We just had to do it sooner than I hoped.  While the bill is substantial we have had some good news to help.  My body shop repair bill was only $500.  We got an insurance claim check for over $1900.  Even if you add $400 in fuel for a trip from FL to Red Bay, there is about $1000 we were not planning on.  Then we had over a $1000 saved up for emergencies.  My work has leveled out over the last year which allows me to make over $1000 a month.  So in a few months we should be back on track financially.

Now to the next upgrade.  We were able to get squeezed into Brannon’s schedule at Custom RV in Vina, AL on Tuesday morning.  We had him install an Air Force One proportionate braking system.  When we left Florida, we locked up the front brakes on our Blue Ox Patriot braking system.  Thankfully a lady at a stop light alerted us to it because of the smoking brakes on the Honda.  We took the Honda into a dealer and had it all checked out and they were OK.

But we had lost confidence in the Patriot system so we had Brannon replace it with the Air Force One.
It only took a couple of hours.

They have installed a lot of these systems so it was no big deal to them.  I like watching professionals who know what they are doing.

We also have been getting some readings from our SeeLevel gauges.  They checked out that and replaced the sensor on the black tank which reads ’42’ even though I know it should be reading ‘0’ after I empty it.

They also pulled out the spray/clean end piece and used a 1/32 drill bit to add more spray holes and clean out the ones already there.  That worked like a charm.  He didn’t charge me for the new sensor and only for 1/2 hour of labor so I was happy with that.  All told – it was another $1524.92.  That made it a $5800 trip to Red Bay.  But it was worth every penny.  We had the right folks get things fixed and we are good to go for a while.

I look back on our projections Full-timing expenses.  I was way under on my estimates for RV maintenance and repairs.  But it has all been manageable.  Hopefully some of this information you will find useful when comparing your estimates or expenses.  

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Getting fixed up in Red Bay March 3, 2012

We arrived in Red Bay, AL on Sunday and were at Bruce Deaton’s Body and Paint Shop early (6:00 AM) to get our crack on the front cap fixed.

8 hours later it was done (along with the slideout topper covers I scraped going out of the gate at Maxwell AFB.) Total cost: $500.  I was very happy with his work and the price.

Then we got cycled into the Express Bay sequence at the Tiffin Service Center.  While waiting for a bay to open up, Nick came by and downloaded the latest DirecTV software for our system.  I think it upgrades the basic software and the HD operation.  Since we don’t have an HD receiver or DVD-R yet, it just makes us ready for that option later on.

We had some water in the rear tail lights, so Brandon removed them and drilled drain holes in the bottom before putting them back in place.

The old rubber trim was rusting on the inside and coming off the edge of the slideout so Brandon and Ricky replaced it with a new trim.

After that, we moved on to another bay to check the hydraulic leak under the front PS corner.  It was in the hose for the slide out pump.  They found the leak and put on a new connection.

Our last stop was at the paint and body bay where Anthony worked on two slides that had rubbed against the coach.  The rubber trim had failed so it was metal against metal.  Also we found the seam along the PS galley slideout was separating and the paint was cracking so he patched it up to, repainted it all and caulked over the whole area.
Cost for our time in the Tiffin Service Center:  $20/night and $228.43.  That was a welcome surprise.

While in our first bay, we found a chunk of tire missing on the right front one.

Yikes!  Glad we found that here and not while we were barreling down the road at 60 mph!  We made an appointment for Monday in Muscle Shoals at Simmons Tires.  We were hoping to have the current tires last until next year which would be at the 7 year point.  But we can’t risk it and will get that new ones now.  Cost estimate for 6 Michelin tires:  $4000 including balancing and front and rear end alignment.

The last thing we are going to do is get an Air Force One to replace our Blue Ox Patriot braking system. We had some smoking brakes when we pulled out Kissimmee last week and now we don’t trust the unit.
Cost estimate $1400.

Ugh…  the tires and braking system are not in the budget but we are going to go with it.

That should do us for upgrades and maintenance for a while hopefully.

That should do it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us today.  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com

Tiffin #1 in 2011 February 27, 2012

We are here in Red Bay for some repairs and we took the factory tour.  Red Davis, the long time tour guide is moved to the unofficial greeter and ambassador at the Visitor Center.  The tour has changed somewhat and expanded to include the cabinet shop and chassis areas.  (More on another post with pictures).

After the tour, I went over to the company offices and asked about the sales numbers for last year.  There I found the staff to be friendly and helpful in spite of what looked like a busy day.  In a few minutes, I was able to obtain the following information that I wanted to share with you.

According to the independent source: “December 2011 Statical Surveys” The number one retail seller of Class A Motorhomes for 2011 was Tiffin Motorhomes.  The top 8 manufacturers were:

1. Tiffin – 2388
2. Winnebago – 2282
3. Thor – 1949
4. Fleetwood – 1463
5. Forest River – 930
6. Monaco – 735
7. Coachman – 607
8. Newmar – 596

Tiffin also captured the top 4 Spots in Diesel Sales

1. Phaeton – 644
2. Allegro Bus – 365
3. Allegro Breeze – 311
4. Allegro Red – 296
5. Discovery – 254

I love numbers and statistics about RVing when I find the and wanted to offer them to you FYI.  

Thanks for taking a look at the Roadrunner Chronicles today!  Until next time…

Randy Warner has posted an update to
http://www.warnerrvnews.blogspot.com