Tire Pressure Monitoring System - Third Time the Charm?

At home near Fort Worth, Texas...

During our trip outbound to Tennessee a few weeks ago, our Tire Tracker pressure monitor had a spasm and began to show tire pressure warnings that were clearly bogus, setting off the alarm when there was no problem. Changing the sensor batteries didn't help, and I refused to call the company for assistance since I had been treated poorly by them in the past. The owner's manual was very poorly written back then, so I gave them a call. I got the impression that the outfit was being run from a cranky old couple's kitchen table, as they answered the phone with "hello" instead of the name of the company, and they had been quite condescending when I started explaining the difficulties I was having--acting almost as though some dimwit had interrupted their dinner.

Now I won't deny that I may be slow at some things, but I can point to a few achievements that might indicate at least modest brain activity. However, I was obviously not able to summon enough intellectual acumen to figure out, for example, how to add more sensors and program them correctly. The instructions they gave over the phone only confused me more. So, with this background, I had a decision to make there in Tennessee: Call Ma and Pa Kettle and wake them up or toss the system. I chose the latter.

I had been quite complimentary of the Tire Tracker in a previous post, thinking that I had found a good system at a price lower than most of its competitors. And, to its credit, it gave good service for about three years. But there was still the problem with a faulty owner's manual and poor support (I never was able to add more sensors successfully). Now, with this unexplained failure, I just decided to give up.

I also might mention that this was the second tire pressure monitoring system that I have had to throw away. The first was a Pressure Pro that didn't work properly from the beginning. I didn't like the monitor, either, so it got the heave-ho without having made a single trip.

The latest system is from Truck System Technologies and, so far, I'm very pleased.

You may notice that I use this to monitor only the toad's tires. This is because Phannie's powerful engine could drag poor little Mae halfway across the country before I would know of a low or flat tire. (The toad's tires, of course, are not visible in the rearview TV monitor.)

I know quite a few RVers who don't use a monitor of any kind and, if that works for them, it's fine with me. However, this arrangement gives me an adequate comfort level for now, and I suppose I will stick with it unless something happens to change my mind in the future. Perhaps because I'm very careful about tire upkeep and replacement, I haven't had a single tire problem in almost ten years of RVing, and I hope it stays that way.

Home Again

At home near Fort Worth, Texas...

Our stay in Red Bay was amazingly brief, by Tiffin standards. After having arrived on Friday, we got the call early Monday morning to drive over to bay 32. This was an express bay, and we were allowed three techs for three hours, deemed by Tiffin's ubiquitous service writer Norris to be adequate for our short squawk list. The main necessity, of course, was the replacement of the living room window that the thieves had broken when we were in Pigeon Forge. The techs made short work of that, then moved on to the driver's side cockpit window, which was not draining rain water properly through the weep holes at the low point in the track of the sliding window. The tech who was cleaning out the weep holes accidentally cracked the glass, which resulted in Tiffin's replacing the entire window at no cost to us. Thanks, Bob Tiffin, for doing the right thing. The whole window assembly in this photo was the one Tiffin replaced on their dime:



After a few other issues were addressed by the techs and the bill had been paid, we backed Phannie out of the bay and returned to our campground spot for one more night before starting out for home. The next morning, we launched for Little Rock by way of Memphis, some 340 miles. That's a bit more than we like to travel in one day, but we were ready to get back home and take care of some personal business before going in for some routine medical and dental appointments. The older we get, the more of those we seem to have, don't we?

We decided to overnight at the COE park in Maumelle, just outside Little Rock; we had heard some good things about this park but had not stayed there, and we wanted to check it out. Arriving late in the afternoon, we found a nice spot right on the bank of the Arkansas River. Here is our view from Phannie's door:

Wow, what's not to like about this? Like most COE parks, this one is very nice with wide spaces, large concrete pads and paved roads throughout. No sewer, wi-fi or cable, of course, and the park is heavily treed, so we didn't even try to deploy the Direct TV dish on Phannie's roof. Here's another view from our location, looking out on the interior of the park:

We hated to leave this bucolic setting, but Texas was beckoning. We didn't exactly hurry in leaving, however; it was about noon when we finally pulled away from our picturesque parking spot. Another 340-mile leg lay in front of us, and Phannie finally pulled into her familiar home berth in Fort Worth well after dark. 

She seemed to sigh in relief after a very busy summer and fall and many thousands of miles from Utah in the west to North Carolina in the east. And what a reliable old girl she has been, especially considering the challenging driving out west in the Rocky Mountains.

I still get excited at every day's departure when all of Phannie's utilities are disconnected, the slides are in and the big diesel comes to life at the rear of the coach. The engine sound at its 700 RPM idle is almost inaudible in the cockpit some 40 feet away--it is more of a slight rumble that is more sensed than heard. As the coach accelerates through the six gears, the engine speaks louder, of course, until cruise speed is reached. Once in sixth gear, the engine noise once again is suppressed at a normal cruise RPM of around 1700. All you really hear then is a bit of road and wind noise. I also like the billowy ride of the air suspension and the comfortable captain's chairs that allow you to recline, if you like, (not the driver, of course; I've tried it, and it doesn't work too well) as if you are in a theater, watching the scenery go by through the huge Imax-like windshield. Add to that some treats served by the stewardess (Sandy is a good one), and the lavatory on the go, and it's a lot like being in one of the airliners I used to fly. I'm offering this little aside for the benefit of readers who may be trying to decide between a motorhome and a towable RV. We loved our fifth wheel, but we've found the motor home even more to our liking. Much more, in fact.

Home again!

I couldn't be more pleased that Phannie seems more like a member of the family all the time. Rest well, old friend, until the next adventure.

More Curiosities

At the Tiffin campground, Red Bay, Alabama...

As usual, the Tiffin campground at Red Bay was full, so we decided this time to wait in Muscle Shoals for a vacancy. After arriving at the Heritage Acres RV Park, we drove the 40 miles to Red Bay in Mae and checked in at the Tiffin office to leave our squawk list and get our service number.

We spent a couple of days wandering around Muscle Shoals, and then Tiffin called us to "come on down." After our arrival amidst the other hundred or so Tiffin coaches, Norris met us and looked at our service list, advising us that we would probably be in an express bay in a couple of days. This was good news; if you're not judged to be an express bay candidate, the wait here can be weeks long!

As we drive around this part of Alabama, we find it a rich source of observations that may seem odd or curious to us, but probably don't seem so at all by the local folks. We find them "precious" (a term you hear often here in the deep south) and wonderfully revealing of a genteel rural culture that we just don't see in the big city.

I did a previous blog post on this subject during our last visit, so I thought I would reprise a few of my favorite photos from that post:

This is one of my favorites--a single metal building on the side of the road and a sign stating, well, the obvious. I can't help but scratch my head about this one...

This dummy sits in a lawn chair outside a dilapidated house. Not sure why.

Fall vignettes are popular on the roadsides around here; we loved the old Chevy truck decked out in a pink metallic paint that would make Mary Kay proud. 

Now for a some more selections from our current trip:

Speaking of vignettes, here's one in front of a Red Bay bank that extolls the variety of 'things to do' in the area. Sandy and I were amazed that pieces like the golf clubs and telescope were left there obviously with no consideration of the possibility of their being stolen. But they are quite safe; the postmaster told us she couldn't remember the last time there was any crime here. 

Stopping at a rest stop on our way to Red Bay, I couldn't help but notice that the size of the truck carrying this piece of earth-moving equipment may have been a bit of overkill.

Stopping for a snack in Scottsboro, Alabama, we spotted this advertisement for a true southern delicacy, I guess. I confess that I never thought of this combination before seeing this sign. I (almost) wished I had tried it.

These horses grace the front lawn of a Mexican restaurant in Muscle Shoals. If the rationale was to entice passersby to take a second look, I can testify that it worked!

More statuary from the same restaurant. I was a little uneasy about the meaning of the neck chain on the left statue, but the elephant...well, I'm afraid I'm at a loss, unless it's a political statement (of which I would approve). 

How about this from Littleville, Alabama: A used auto lot that sells only monster trucks. Talk about specializing!

This may be my favorite restaurant name of all time. We tried it, but weren't very impressed, unfortunately. (We are incredibly picky, however.) 

We think we may have been able to come up with a more positive name for our church, even though we might live in Burnout, Alabama.

I think this yard sale gets our nod for displaying the most overly ambitious sign we have seen anywhere.

Well, there you go. Aren't these wonderful? Somehow it all seems fitting here among these warm and friendly people who just don't take themselves all that seriously. We like that a lot.

Weather Hold in Chattanooga

At Best Trav-L-Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee...

We had been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for our next leg to Red Bay and, sure enough, the skies opened up right on schedule at about three o'clock on the morning of departure. The forecast called for two more days of rain, so we simply turned over and went back to sleep, electing to wait it out. I don't like driving Phannie in the rain for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that other drivers become crazier on wet roads. It's sort of like pouring water on cats--you never can tell what they're going to do!  At 32,000 pounds, Phannie is a pretty heavy old girl, and she doesn't react very quickly when you want her to do something like stop hurriedly to avoid hitting some lamebrain who cuts you off. For some reason, a rain shower is like a cloaking device, and other drivers are even less likely to see large objects like a motorhome. Besides, we don't mind hanging back a little longer, as we have no  requirement--like a job (shudder)--forcing us to return home by a certain date. (This is another blessing of retirement that still causes me to pinch myself from time to time.)

We used the extra downtime to visit Wally World to restock a number of household items that were running short. I also updated yesterday's blog post with some more restaurant reviews. We also boxed up some things we had accumulated for the kids and sent them off via FedEx.

It was good to have this little respite, and we slept and napped fitfully listening to the rain on Phannie's roof.

Chattanooga: Moon Pies, Yo Yo Ma and Fried Chicken

At Best Holiday Trav-L-Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee...

As I wrote the title to this post, I thought to myself that those three terms probably never before appeared together in any form of communication. Until now.

Frankly, I have no idea if Yo Yo Ma, the classical cellist of worldwide fame, has ever tasted a Moon Pie--or fried chicken, for that matter. I grouped them in the title because I have something to write about each as I close out our visit here. The mere fact that they coexist here in Chattanooga is a testament to the rich diversity of the culture. Yo Yo Ma was performing with the Chattanooga Symphony last week in the Tivoli Theater, a wonderful old movie house built in 1920. Seating 1700 persons, the theater was one of the first air conditioned buildings in the United States and, now fully restored, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. Its mighty Wurlitzer theater organ still plays. 

Before the concert with Yo (as the folksy denizens of Chattanooga might wish to address him), you could have stopped in the Moon Pie store nearby and had one of the tasty little cakes that have called Chattanooga home since 1919, a year before the Tivoli opened.

The Moon Pie was conceived by a Chattanooga bakery at the behest of one of its salesmen who had been approached by coal miners to provide them with a small but filling cake that could be carried in a pocket and provide them a lunch when inside the mines. When asked how big the cake should be, a miner supposedly used his thumbs and forefingers to encircle a rising moon and said, "this big," hence the name Moon Pie. During the great depression, one could buy a Moon Pie and an RC Cola for a nickel, and this constituted lunch for countless people during that era.  

If Yo had had a craving for fried chicken, he could have meandered a little farther west of downtown to Champy's, a shanty-like structure that began life as a gas station. This place has won several awards for the best fried chicken in Chattanooga, and it is well deserved. I have eaten quite a lot of fried chicken in my time, and if this is not the best I've ever had, it's pretty darned close. They also make some killer hot tamales from scratch. We had both, and they were outstanding. I advise you to go hungry; you will not be disappointed.

Another worthwhile foodie adventure can be had at Taco Mamacita, downtown near the riverfront. This joint caters mostly to a younger crowd (I was only grayhair there), but they serve some really tasty tacos. I had a blackened chicken taco and a panko-breaded shrimp taco, along with a fresh ear of roasted Mexican street corn. It was all delicious; don't pass up this one.

We must have been hungry for tacos (we've been away from Texas for a long time), so we made an initial stab at Taqueria Jalisco, also downtown, but it could not hold a candle to Taco Mamacita. 

 

If you've read this blog for a while, you won't be surprised at the somewhat questionable appearance of some of the dives I seek out for a real food find. Taqueria Jalisco is one of those dives but, although it got great reviews, it came up a bit short, in my opinion. 

Perhaps I was distracted by the appearance of the single waitperson, whose gender I truly was unable to discern, and another customer sitting a few feet away from us. The latter was a heavily tattooed young woman with a nose ring and lip ring and whose armpits were quite heavily forested with hair. Frankly, I was so jolted by her visage that I'm not sure that my review of the food can be fully relied upon. I think I had tacos.

Now lest you think this joint caters only to offbeat types, there were other customers nearby who were wearing suits and talking about multi-million dollar real estate deals. This, in my view, was yet another indication of the diversity that can be found here. It is a college town, after all and, for many students, the college years are where they begin to find themselves. The young lady with the rings, however, needs first to find a razor. 

My take on this place is that you should probably skip it unless I have piqued your curiosity as to whom you might find there.

Next is my second favorite restaurant of the ones we tried: Zarzours. This tiny dive is an institution in downtown Chattanooga, serving breakfast and lunch mostly to locals, all of whom seem to know each other, judging from the lively conversations among the tables of mostly menfolk. Mary, the owner, knows most of her customers not merely by their name but by what they like to eat, which she often plops onto the flattop griddle when they walk in the door. Since Sandy and I were obviously strangers to her, she made a point to inquire, in her friendly, downhome manner, just what in the heck we were doing there. When she found out, she asked us to write in her guest book. Hopefully, her request was not merely intended to provide her with a handwriting sample. But, I digress...back to the food: We had a hamburger and fries--one of the best burgers we've had in a very long time. It was cooked as if in her own home, except better, because there's just something about a very old flattop that sears a hamburger patty better than anything else. I only wish we had another week to eat here; the blue plate specials looked superb. We will be back.

Thai Garden (in Rossville) - Good food, very fresh, and they will tailor dishes any way you like. Oddities: They don't serve nam pla prik, a very common Thai condiment made with fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and bird peppers. They also didn't have any chili garlic sauce, a staple in most Thai restaurants. I was able to add enough heat via some hot chili oil, but it just wasn't the same. The yum nuea (grilled beef salad) was a little sweet for my taste.

Here are some other places we tried, along with my comments:

Lupi's Pizza Pies - Better than the chains, in my view, with a crispy outer crust that is unusually good.

Sweet Basil Thai - Pretty good, but I would not recommend anything with chicken, which was rubbery and tasteless. The mango sticky rice also didn't impress.

Ankar's Hoagies - Don't bother.

Portofino (Italian/Greek restaurant in East Ridge) - Lots of cars in the parking lot fool you into thinking it's a good place to eat. It's not. Even Olive Garden is better.

Well, that's it for Chattanooga; Red Bay, here we come.

Chattanooga - A Historical Gem

At Best Holiday Trav-L-Park, Chattanooga, Tennessee...

Add Chattanooga to our list of first-time visits during this trip (and another favorite). It seems odd that I have lived for more than six decades and traveled fairly extensively in the U. S. and abroad, yet not seen  places like Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Asheville and now, Chattanooga. It was the captivity of the workplace, I suppose, and it is never far from my mind how grateful I am now to be free to enjoy our current lifestyle, exploring those places that have eluded us in the past. I mean, really--what's not to like about meandering around the country in a motorhome with all of Phannie's creature comforts, stopping where we like for as long as we like until we feel we have seen all we want to see?

Chattanooga has much to like in terms of its picturesque location on the Tennessee River, its rich history and its friendly and well-educated populace. (The University of Tennessee has a campus here, along with three other colleges.) And for foodies like us--some really good places to eat!

The city gets its name from a Creek Indian word meaning "rock that comes to a point," a reference, of course, to Lookout Mountain, looming over the city to the west.

It was a major railroad hub in the mid 1800s, causing it to be a strategic goal for capture by the union army during the civil war. It was from Chattanooga that General Sherman pushed out his supplies by rail to Atlanta, where he began his nefarious march to the sea, breaking the back of the confederacy. At least four significant battles were fought in and around the city, most notably those of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge.

One cannot visit Point Lookout and, looking over the rocky ledge alongside a confederate cannon, not get an eerie sense that the hellish artillery fire had merely paused, soon to resume from its perfect vantage point above the city. I felt an inexplicable but oppressing sorrow, thinking about those men who died here in their attempts to defend or capture this promontory with its strategic importance. It was the same sense of gloom I felt when visiting the Dachau concentration camp near Munich.

On the positive side, the view from Lookout Point was magnificent, the weather was perfect for our visit, and Sandy's outfit coordinated nicely with the patina of the cannon barrel:

Another interesting visit was to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a 400-room hotel at the old railroad passenger terminal in the heart of the city. They had the good sense to preserve the beautiful architecture of the main terminal building by using it as the hotel lobby. If desired, overnight guests can stay in one of the 48 railroad passenger cars that line the tracks along the old passenger loading and unloading platforms.

This is probably enough to absorb for one post. (To all of you out there who are new to blogging: Studies have shown that lengthy posts with dozens of photos will cause readers to lose interest very quickly. As a society, we tend to have a very short attention span these days, thanks to the TV remote and 30-second soundbites.) In keeping with that advice, I'll have more for you in a day or two.

Biltmore!

At the KOA in Asheville, NC...

We extended our trip from Gatlinburg to Asheville specifically to see Biltmore, the largest private home in America. I had read about it all my life, and it was definitely a bucket list item. I wasn't disappointed. Seeing this house provides a fascinating look into a bygone era of opulence and the creation of a masterpiece of planning and execution that cannot be duplicated today because of the enormous cost.

Its 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms and 135,000 square feet defy the imagination, and its splendid location overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains is unequaled in its stunning views.

We took the self-paced audio tour that had 40 stops where you can listen to a recording giving details about the items of interest in your view. There are several other behind-the-scenes tours that we could have taken, but we were too tired after spending most of the day here. We vow to return next fall, but just a bit later in October when the leaves are at their peak of color. If you have a chance to see this, don't miss it!

Sandy looks out over Biltmore's vast acreage from the loggia of the mansion.

Here are my restaurant reviews for Asheville:

The White Duck Taco Shop: Excellent and inexpensive, considering the exotic ingredients available; the fish taco and the Bangkok shrimp taco were my favorites.

The Lobster Trap: Great fresh seafood. We shared a lobster/clam/mussel and shrimp boil entrée that was more than both of us could eat. Highly recommend.

Baan Thai: Marvelously fresh and tasty Thai dishes cooked right before you in an open kitchen. So good!

It would be a good idea to eat before going to Biltmore; the restaurants on the estate are very expensive. Our lunch hamburgers were $14 apiece; we nearly choked.

Heading back west tomorrow: Next stop, Chattanooga!

Moving On - It Was Just Stuff, After All

At Pine Mountain RV Park, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee...

First, let me thank all of you who responded with such kind remarks about our experience with the burglary. I sincerely hope this kind of thing remains a rarity for everyone, and it is encouraging to have heard from so many of you.

We think we discovered how the thief or thieves gained access to Phannie. The entry door has two keyed locks--a deadbolt and a door handle lock. Because our experience with RV-related crime was nonexistent, we typically locked only the deadbolt and not the handle lock when leaving our rig. While I don't want to get into the details, we discovered that such an omission leaves the security of the door quite vulnerable to tampering because of the design of the deadbolt. This is almost certainly how they got in. You can bet that we will engage both locks from now on.

It has been an intense couple of days acquiring a new computer (a Dell All-In-One this time) and frantically changing access to sensitive information that might be compromised. It has not been easy emotionally either, especially for Sandy, who lost some pieces of jewelry that were not of great value but about which she was terribly sentimental.

We've worked our way pretty well through the shock, anger, sorrow and helplessness that comes with this sort of thing and have strengthened our resolve just to let it go. They didn't take our memories, and we can get new stuff; besides, if we let it ruin our trip, then the bad guys win. We can't have that!

Our friend Ed (The Happy Wanderers) wrote a post a few days ago about our experience. He reminded his readers that the vast majority of folks in the RV community are honest and caring and look out for each other. Sometimes, however, we do need to be reminded not to get too complacent. For nine years now, almost every RVer we've encountered would do anything they could for their fellow travelers. Perhaps though, considering the ever-increasing coarsening of our society (which I think began a rapid increase in 1963 when God was banned from school), we should be a bit more vigilant. In our case, we were in a very upscale park with RVs all around us, and our outside lights were on. Yet no one seems to have noticed anything, even though it happened fairly early in the evening. 

The only things left yet to do are to file an insurance claim and get the broken window fixed. We will be stopping in Red Bay on our way back to Texas to see if Tiffin can take care of that for us.

There; that's the last I'm going to post about the burglary. I am, however, considering a security system of sorts for Phannie, and I may post about that if I make a purchase that I'm considering.

We had a great time at the National Quartet Convention here in Pigeon Forge. We were among a crowd of 12,000 folks who really seemed to enjoy it, too. If you like southern gospel quartet singing, this was the place to be. We didn't know how much it would mean to us to be among those thousands of other Christians here who received comfort and blessings from the most joyful message that can be delivered in song. It sure helped deliver us from our funk.

Sandy did a lot of shopping for our grandsons while we were here. There were plenty of opportunities, of course; there are outlet stores galore, along with the biggest Christmas store in the south. We drove out to nearby Chestnut Hill one afternoon to the Bush's Bean canning complex. (Isn't it precious what retirees will find to do to pass the time?) This was actually quite enjoyable, a feelgood experience that definitely made us want to buy Bush's beans, which, of course, was their aim, I guess. I had some better photos than this, but they were in the computer that was stolen and--naturally--not backed up; (that's another thing that's about to change.)

Our trip to the Smoky Mountains has been a totally pleasant surprise for us; we had no idea how much we would like this area, but we can tell you that we will be back next fall. We were here a bit too early to enjoy the changing leaf colors this time, but the woods are getting prettier every day, and we can just imagine what it will be like in a few weeks.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the essence of the Smoky Mountain scenery we've been enjoying:

Because we've been offline for a few days, I'm going to give you only a thumbnail review of the restaurants we've patronized and the shows we've seen (Pigeon Forge has several Branson-like theaters):

Old Mill Restaurant. This huge place is swamped all the time, and we're not sure why. Quaint old building with lots of history; home cooking that is pretty good but not worth writing home about.

J. T. Hanna's Kitchen. Sort of a hillbilly Cheddars. Place is always packed, but like the Old Mill above, I'm not sure why; maybe it's the bar.

Old Mill Pottery House Café and Grill. Worth a trip; good food, reasonable prices and a pretty setting.

Log Cabin Pancake House. Good ratings in Yelp, but we weren't impressed. Southern cooking and pancakes that are serviceable. There are no fewer than 15 pancake houses in Pigeon Forge; there must be better ones that this, but we just couldn't indulge that much sweetness at all 15 locations. Besides, I don't think any can match Sandy's multi-generation pancake recipe; it's just not possible. Good luck with your own research.

Captain Jim's Seafood Buffet. We went inside with the intention of eating there, but after noticing the strong fishy smell inside, we decided against it.

Tony Gore's BBQ. This place in Sevierville was pretty good, but we've had better; this isn't Texas, of course. Can't expect too much.

Bones BBQ in Gatlinburg.  Awful. Stay away...far away.

Alamo Steak House in Gatlinburg. Pretty decent steak, but there was a bit of an odd flavor that may have been from whatever wood source that was firing the grill. Texas Roadhouse is better, if you can put up with the noise.

The Thai Palace in Sevierville. Not bad Thai food, but the next one below is much better.

Thai Basil. This place, also in Sevierville, was excellent. Our favorite restaurant in the area. Highly recommended.

Now, that's just the restaurants we tried; there are many, many more to choose from, and we're sure we missed some good ones.

We also saw the following shows:

Smoky Mountain Opry. A very entertaining variety show with all kinds of music and acts. Worth the price of the ticket.

Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Theater. Food was just okay, and the show was just a bit too corny for me. Thumbs down on this one.

Blackwood Singers. If you like southern gospel music, you'll like this. It was a (gasp) early show, but I'm glad we went.

Comedy Barn. This was hyped as the funniest show in Pigeon Forge, and it was! They exploited a number of audience members with the intention of making fools of them, and they didn't disappoint. Hilarious.

On to Asheville; ta-ta for now.


  

Burgled! I didn't think this happened to RVers...

At Pine Mountain RV Park, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee...

We had returned from an evening concert when Sandy noticed that things weren't right in Phannie's bedroom. Her usually meticulous arrangement of the vanity area was in a state of disarray, and the usually neatly stacked bed pillows had tumbled down on the bed. She opened the drawer containing her jewelry case and found it closed. Opening it quickly, she shrieked to find it completely empty. By that time, I had stepped into the kitchen and noticed that my Apple MacBook was missing from its usual perch on top of the cabinet under the window. Not again! We were instantly transported back to our discovery of the burglary of our house a couple of years ago, and the feeling of violation was no less intense now. A quick inventory of the rest of the coach revealed nothing else missing, although there were numerous other items of value that were visible. The police found the window over the couch shattered, but not punctured, so the thieves didn't enter that way. We were left to conclude that I had not fully engaged the door deadbolt when we left for the evening, and they must have been able to jimmy it back open.  Note: I am having trouble posting with my iPad, so I will have to give more details in a few days when I purchase another computer.

Memphis to Pigeon Forge

At Pine Mountain RV Park, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee…

The leg from Memphis to Pigeon Forge was a long one, so we decided to break it up with an overnight stop in Crossville, Tennessee at the Deer Run RV Park. This turned out to be a poor choice, as the park was not big-rig friendly at all. Nestled in the deep woods near a picturesque lake, the park is perfect for nature lovers with smaller rigs, but it was difficult for us to negotiate the narrow and bumpy gravel road to our site and the precipitous entry to the gravel parking spot, which was anything but level. As we creeped along the sinuous trail through the trees, I almost thought I heard the theme song from Deliverance, but I guess I didn't. Once parked, There was obviously no point in raising the satellite dish due to the surrounding trees, but we had non-HD cable at our site that was okay. Due to the somewhat loose gravel at our site, I decided not to lower the jacks to try to level Phannie, so we had cope with the little annoyances brought about by a tilted rig. For one night, I thought, we could put up with anything, and we did. The next morning, we checked each other out and found that we still stood and walked fairly upright and straight, so there was no apparent harm done by sleeping at a slight angle. This was one instance when we were led astray by RV Park Reviews, a website I often use to find an overnight stop. In this case, none of the problems we encountered were evident from the few entries I read but, then again, I don't think I gave adequate due diligence to the search. My bad. 

Reflecting on our experience at Deer Run, this brought to mind the  diversity of experiences available in the RV lifestyle and the reason for its broad appeal to people with differing interests. We have discovered, for example, that we are not exactly enthusiastic about a "roughing it" style of camping, and we're not alone, given the number of luxurious rolling villas we see around us in most places we park. While we enjoy beautiful scenery and the wonders of nature, we simply prefer to observe them while comfortably seated in Phannie's air conditioned lounge or underneath the awning when the temperature is 72 degrees and no insects are present. Oddly enough, those were the exact conditions when Sandy snapped this photo of me here at Pigeon Forge, enjoying a cold drink and listening to the babbling brook behind me. What a perfect day! And yes, this is about as much "roughing it" as you'll find me doing.

If we had more of a desire to commune with nature, we certainly would not have made the hefty investment in Phannie and outfitted her with all the comforts of home that we have tried to duplicate so faithfully. We have a number of friends who simply shake their heads in wonderment about our being such prima donnas, but it makes sense to us, and that's really all that matters. We acknowledge that we were built for comfort and that we should celebrate that calling in every way possible. So, don't bother giving us static because we have two ice makers in Phannie…we're not going to change!

Our arrival in Pigeon Forge was a bit of an eye-opener, as we really didn't know what to expect. We weren't quite prepared for so many tourist attractions and restaurants, and we certainly weren't prepared for the traffic! However, the setting here in the Smokies is quite pretty, and we can already see there will be plenty of things here to occupy our time.  

We settled into a great parking site at Pine Mountain RV Park, located just a couple of blocks from the main drag. Now this place is everything Deer Run wasn't: Paved streets and a level concrete pad, perched at the edge of a clear running stream! Perfect for us prima donnas!

Yes, blogging has slowed down a bit, because we find ourselves pretty busy attending events at the National Quartet Convention, sightseeing and, of course, trying new restaurants. More on all that a bit later.

Eastbound to the Smokies

At Tom Sawyer RV Park, Memphis, TN…

After a very busy few days at  home after arriving from our trip out West, we are off again--this time, eastbound to Tennessee and North Carolina. We didn't even bother to park Phannie in her RV port alongside our house; we left her in the driveway with all the slides out to facilitate unloading, loading and repairs. Yes, a few little problems had developed on the long haul just finished. The bedroom TV had begun to receive its DirectTV signal intermittently, and I couldn't figure out the problem, as none of the connections appeared to be loose. I called Russ, my satellite expert, who discovered the culprit: A small crack in the input connection board of the TV. In a few minutes, he had wired around the board to a spare HDMI port, and all was well again. We also had another fresh water pump failure, and the tech installed a new one on the morning of our departure. Just in time…we really must not be without all of our conveniences, must we? 

My Tire Tracker pressure monitor system also gave up the ghost just as we departed, so I will be ordering a new one, of a different brand--probably a TST system--to be delivered in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where we will be parked for about a week. So far, I have had problems with the Tire Tracker and the Pressure Pro, so I won't be ordering those again.

We had an uneventful journey to Memphis after an overnight at Shady Pines RV Park in Texarkana. Between there and here, I-40 was rough with a lot of repair construction, but that's not surprising, considering the incredible traffic volume. We probably won't return home this way, I'm thinking. We are parked at the Tom Sawyer RV Park on the Mississippi River. Although a little scary getting into the campground, this is a fun stop to watch the boats go by as they slowly ply the river.  

Dawn over the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park in Memphis

Amarillo on the Way Home

At Oasis RV Resort, Amarillo, Texas…

It was fairly late in the evening after our arrival at this park when I turned on the computer and the listing of wifi networks popped up on the screen. Among these was a personal one with a familiar name. We hadn't been keeping up with Facebook, so we hadn't noticed Jesse and Ginger's status here at Oasis. We sent them an email asking to see their new 2015 Mobile Suites fiver the next morning, and they graciously agreed. 

And a beautiful new rig it was! Double Tree makes some elegant high-end products, and this was no exception. Sandy was so envious of the new residential refrigerator and the dishwasher, and we couldn't help but appreciate that "new car" smell.  We had a nice visit with these friends, delighted as we were at our good luck of having crossed their path again. Congratulations, you guys, on a beautiful new home!

Jesse and Ginger in their new Mobile Suites

Before we knew Jesse and Ginger were in town, we had a craving for some Thai food, so we checked Yelp and selected the Thai Star restaurant on the east side of town. Now this tiny mom and pop place in a somewhat downscale area and its ramshackle appearance could have completely opposite effects on first time customers. Diners comfortable only in upscale surroundings would be horrified; foodies like me would be delighted. It was with great anticipation that we strode inside just before closing time. 

We know people who, I can assure you, would not be caught dead in a dump like this. They don't know what they're missing.

We ordered spring rolls, a beef salad and chicken with vegetables. It was dirt cheap and seriously divine, just as I imagined.

Since we were obviously the last customers of the evening, the friendly owners came out of the kitchen and sat nearby, and we enjoyed sharing information about each other. I think we were something of an anomaly, as the vast majority of their customers are hometown regulars. According to the proprietors, who were, indeed, mom-and-pop owners who did all the cooking themselves,  few out-of-towners go to the trouble to find the unobtrusive little place, as it is very easy to miss unless you're just creeping along Amarillo Boulevard. They didn't seem to care, though, as they have been serving their clientele as adopted members of their family for 25 years, not aspiring to anything bigger and flashier. We felt very lucky to have found this little gem, modest as it was, and we enjoyed immensely their hospitality. By the time we left, we felt like family, too. 

Well, it's time to close the book on this trip. We have really enjoyed this post-retirement adventure to Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, and we can't wait to get on the road again. We will be back home in Fort Worth tomorrow for a few days. Next Wednesday, we'll be leaving for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and beyond (yet to be determined). I'll be posting again when we head out on that trip.

A closing thought: I had a nice email from Shirley, a friend who was a work colleague of mine before she retired from the FAA prior to my own retirement. She is a person who gives every appearance of enjoying this part of her life immensely. Several of us who were approaching retirement couldn't help but be a little jealous, in fact, but we didn't let her know. In her email to me, she stated that she had been reading my blog and gave me the following meaningful bit of affirmation: "It looks like you've got retirement figured out, Mike." Well, yes, Shirley, I think so, too. Thanks for being an inspiration.    

A Stop in Albuquerque to Shop for a Hubcap

At American RV Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico…

I don't know exactly when Mae's left front wheel cover came off, but it was somewhere between Estes Park and Denver. We noticed it after walking back to our rig after a lunch stop, and I really didn't realize how the mere loss of a wheel cover could make a car look so much like a junker. And it's not as though we had a cloaking device; a big motorhome pulling a red dinghy is not something that goes unnoticed, you know. Now a gray motorhome pulling a red HHR is not exactly a study in color harmony anyway, but Mae's missing wheel cover seemed to make the incongruity so much worse. I imagined we looked for the world like gypsies looking for the next carnival. (Parenthetical information: While I am very pleased with Mae, our Chevy HHR, I don't like the red paint job. It's just that I got such a good deal on it, I was willing to ignore the color. Now I'm not so sure; I'm thinking about a new paint job.) 

Unfortunately, I had to suffer this indignity for several days while I called around to Chevy dealers and junk yards along our route trying to find a replacement. None could be found until I called a Chevy dealer in Albuquerque, who agreed to order one for me from the factory and have it waiting when we arrived. I picked it up today and conned a service writer into putting it on for me at no cost. How, you may ask? Well, I have a slight arthritis limp anyway, but I confess that I may have accentuated it a bit while I was in the shop asking how to install the wheel cover--something that would have been obvious to a six year old. The guy had to conclude, I think, that I was not only crippled, but stupid. He insisted on installing it, and I didn't offer much of an objection.

As shameless as this bit of subterfuge was, it worked, and the service writer seemed delighted to put it on for me.  I have the photo to prove it:

Before you shake your head in disapproval, you may wish to consider this: I offered to pay the man for his trouble, but he adamantly refused.  More important, however, was that both the service writer and I reaped a benefit from this little episode: The guy got to feel good about doing a kind deed for someone elderly, infirm (and, obviously, addled), and I got to feel good about keeping my hands and clothing sparkling clean. Win-win! (I guarantee you, this gentleman will recount his good deed to his wife at dinner tonight, and she will place her hand on his arm, smile, and tell him how proud of him she is.)

I can't help but wonder what's going on with wheel covers this year. In an earlier post, I wrote about losing a hub cover from one of Phannie's rear wheels and the rather steep cost of a replacement. In that case, however, I had to install it myself; Sandy didn't buy for even a second my bad limp routine. (The woman is so cold, she has to lie down in a freezer to warm up.) Okay, I'm kidding; she is the exact opposite, actually.

After checking out a few restaurant reviews online, we tried some dining venues in Albuquerque over the time we were here. I didn't take photos, because the restaurants were not particularly noteworthy; here is a summary of my impressions, however:

The Monte Carlo Steakhouse - Even though this place had been featured on the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives TV show, we had a couple of unacceptable steaks. The grill was apparently too hot, and the steaks were so charred by the iron grill grates that they tasted very bitter with carbon. The french fries were too chewy, and the "baked" potato had been boiled.

Mac's Coffee Shop - This 50s-era joint had all the ambiance (nothing changed in 60 years) that would signal a good restaurant, but we were quite dissatisfied. The enchiladas were unidentifiable as such in a glop of chile sauce and cheese, the tacos were tasteless, and the green chile sauce tasted as though out of a can. The chile relleno was passable, and the sopapillas were pretty good.

Mary's and Tito's Cafe - Classic New Mexican-style cooking, but not exceptional. Pretty good green chile sauce. Awful salsa.

Sharkey's Mexican Seafood - Ceviche was fresh but too watery; the shrimp cocktail had plenty of large shrimp in it, but I prefer the sweeter tomato base of some Mexican shrimp cocktails. This one didn't have enough flavor and was also too watery.

Blake's Lotaburger - Pretty good burger, but no competition for Whataburger.

By the way, here's a photo of Mae with her new wheel cover. I also need to mention that the American RV Park was one the nicest we have seen on this trip, and one of the top five we've visited anywhere. I highly recommend it.

 

Monument Valley, Utah

At Goulding's Campground, Monument Valley, Utah…

Leaving Moab, I was determined to follow highway 163 upon reaching it while southbound on 191. I wanted to approach Monument Valley from the northeast, which we didn't do when we were here in 2010. This highway is about a third-tier road and lived up to the somewhat anemic line on the map that usually signifies an "iffy" road for big RVs.  The route passed through a hilly no-man's land of reddish aggregate dotted by scrub brush plants that must have done something hideous in their lives to be banished to this desolate location.

I didn't see another class A diesel motorhome anywhere on this road, and I can understand the reluctance of their drivers to take this route. The road builders didn't do us a favor, for some of the grades were very steep in places, and some of these had sharp turns at the bottoms. I found myself quite busy managing Phannie's upshifting and downshifting while monitoring the speed and RPMs closely. There were few turnoffs to allow following traffic to go by, so I kept Phannie's speed up as much as possible. We were pretty slow in some places, though.

At about 15 miles from Monument Valley, we topped a hill to see a view captured by many photographers of the ribbon-like road across the flat prairie to where the Monuments jut upward in the hazy distance.  I stopped to take a photo, of course:

I had to take a photo of Phannie, too, since she had a new wash job, and the buttes behind her made a nice background:

We parked at Goulding's Campground, a very attractive RV park nestled in the red rocks above the valley:

We had an early dinner at Goulding's restaurant, which had a nice view but only serviceable food. I had a taco made from Indian fry bread (not a favorite) covered with canned chili with beans, something that no Texan should admit to having eaten. The view from the restaurant was great, but don't go there for the food.

The next day, we signed up for a tour with Navajo Spirit Tours, one of several very busy outfits that carry tourists to the floor of the valley, quite close to the many interesting geological formations. Taking this tour was my idea, but I'm not sure why. I suppose my rationale was that even though I didn't immediately see the point, I really didn't want to miss something that I might have regretted.  (The older I get, the harder I try to avoid any regrets; I don't think I'm alone in that mindset.)

As it turned out, I really wouldn't have missed much, but the experience--well, let's just say it was quite an experience. The tour participants loaded into a truck upon whose chassis was an enclosure with three rows of seats and a roof overhead. Our guide was a native Navajo named Will:

Once we were seated, Will headed down the hill from The View Hotel where we loaded.  The View, located next door to the visitor center on Navajo tribal lands, is relatively new, and the hotel and restaurant have the best view by far of the iconic monuments in the valley below.  (But it will cost you $20 to enter the Navajo nation and reach the visitor center and hotel.)

I knew the roads used by the tour vehicles were unpaved, but I really was unprepared for how ill-kept they were. The ride in places was so bumpy that it caused the passengers to be tossed slightly above their seats. Will made several stops en route to afford some good photo views and interesting geological oddities. At each stop, he would give a brief narrative on the sights we were viewing, and at one point, he picked up a drum and sang an Indian chant of some kind.

We actually enjoyed the outing. The temperature was perfect, and it was not windy, and we marveled at the closeup views of the various interesting formations that showed the results of their slow but inexorable erosion over the millennia. At one point, we visited a typical primitive Navajo hut called a hogan and inside watched a Navajo woman make yarn from sheep's wool. From the yarn, the Indians would make blankets, rugs and fabric for other purposes. The tour took us in places that only the tour guides were permitted to go, and the scenery was quite beautiful.

Here's a photo of the hogan. It is quite a bit larger inside than apparent, and the dried mud exterior is supported by an intricate system of trusses inside made of small tree trunks.

Here's the bottom line on this tour: We didn't think it was worth the price of about $75 a head. If you decide to go on one, I would skip Navajo Spirit and take a Goulding tour. We noticed that the Goulding tour vehicles had a loudspeaker through which the driver (or in some cases, a separate tour guide) could be heard giving a non-stop narrative to their passengers. Our truck had no such device, so we heard from Will only at the stops he made, and the information he imparted seemed quite sparse.

The incredibly bumpy ride was something we may have enjoyed as a kid, but older folks like us don't do well with a lot of bouncing. We have too many fake parts, and our various organs have been in place for so long, they tend not to like being rearranged by all this jostling. We noticed that the other passengers on the tour were about half our age, so that tells us that we are probably not alone in shying away from the acrobatics to be suffered while bouncing along the desert floor. We also learned that about 80 percent of the persons taking these tours are from foreign countries; in fact, everyone else on our truck were from other countries. I'm not sure what that tells us, but maybe we're not as smart as the 80 percent of Americans who don't take this tour.

I also need to mention our dinner at the restaurant of The View Hotel. I must emphasize again that this restaurant has the best view of the valley hands down, but the food underwhelmed, and it was expensive. Examples of atrocities: The fried chicken tasted like that you might find in a frozen dinner; the mixed vegetables were so overcooked, they were mushy, and the baked potato, advertised as baked, was actually boiled. The food is somewhat better at Goulding's Lodge Restaurant, but not by much, I'm afraid. I think these are the only choices in the area unless you go about 15 miles into Kayenta.

Here are a series of photos I shot of some of the more iconic formations in Monument Valley both on this trip and on our earlier visit in 2010. I hope you like them: