Anyway, we plan to hit the road no later than Sunday, Aug. 20 but will likely make it a day or two earlier as traffic is expected to be fierce for the total eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. We don't have to worry about a place to stay, just getting there intact. We'll be staying in Stephen's driveway and should have a spectacular spot for eclipse viewing.
I had new tires put on Pumpkin and a front-end alignment done several weeks ago in preparation for this trip. In addition, I've been doing some fine tuning on electronics (GPS, phone, tablet), hoping to improve our navigation. At least, if we get lost I should be able to find some bread crumbs to follow.
I, also, got a special gizmo that plugs into the OBD II test port and sends the codes and other info via Bluetooth to my tablet. I can use it to monitor stuff like transmission and coolant temps in the mountains, stuff like that. Plus if I do pop a check engine light, I can reset it myself.
Over winter, my engine start battery went south. When I tried to start it, it wouldn't even click. Most RV's, mine included, have a special switch to interconnect the engine's start battery with the RV house batteries. Sort of like giving yourself a jump start, but that didn't work. Turned out that the solenoid that it supposed to do the interconnecting was burned out. So, I had to replace that before I did anything else.
I, also, added another gizmo to help keep the engine battery charged when just sitting plugged in. It's called a Trik-L-Start. The solenoid and these circuit breakers are located in the front passenger seat base.
I built a simple headboard for the beds. Our pillows tended to travel north while sleeping. They wouldn't fall off or anything, but they tended to mess with the rear roll down shade and we were afraid the shade would get damaged. The headboard is just a 1x12 attached at either end. It needs a finish put on it, but there's not enough time to let the odor clear before we leave, so it will just have to wait.
The headboard has some other advantages, too. I installed some hooks and clips to mount the water hose, power cord, awning crank and a couple other items that previously have been stored on top of the folding chairs and the big storage tub I have in the back. This makes them easier to access and frees up space for whatever.
Tomorrow I'm going to the tire shop that installed the new tires and get some work done on the rear valve stems. They need bent a little so I can access them with a tire chuck. Then later this week I'll have the oil changed. I normally change it every 10,000 miles. I'm a little shy of that, but would have to have it done on the trip and not just any oil change shop can handle it. Having the oil changed in this beast is not cheap either. It takes 13.5 quarts at about $8-$10 per quart...plus a $10 filter. Thank goodness it doesn't need changed for 10,000 miles.
