Day 3 - Onto camping mecca USA

Travel   From: Limestone, Pennsylvania   To: Elkhart, Indiana   Distance: 381 mi (613 km)   Travel time w/brks: 7 hr 04   Distance since start: 1,050 mi (1,688 km)

Friday 6/23/2006

We got up at 3:15am and started to get ready. We did not hit the road until 4:15am. But the roads were so flat going forward that it was a real breeze. We stopped for a refueling along the way (and Erik broke the vent crank in the bathroom). This time, the Fuel Consumed indicator was virtually correct as opposed to 2 Gal off. This might have to do with the variability of driving. We had a quick breakfast here as well. On our way towards Toledo we kept out eyes out for the spot where we got stranded with a ruptured transmission line back in 2003. We were not able to nail the exact place, but we saw the rest area we stayed at just before the line ruptured. The temp was not that warm. A bit of overcast. During the drive Isabella used her USB Wacom tablet to draw pictures with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Since the road was so flat it worked quite well.

We arrived at Camping World in Elkhart, Indiana, well ahead of schedule, at 11:17am. I walked in and talked with the staff and they cleared out a bay where we could park the trailer and disconnect. Our plan was to let them install a new catalytic heater while I took the kids out on a factory tour in town. Nearly 50% of all RVs made in the US are built around Elkhart. They recommended we visit the Monaco factory just south of where we were. We took our sweet time and then drove down towards their factory. We stopped along the way and had lunch at a local restaurant since we no longer had access to our food in the trailer. We all had assorted sandwiches and they tasted good. After the meal, we headed for the Monaco factory.

Erik thinks he now has photo evidence that Isabella is on drugs

Their factory tour was educational for both the kids and me. We could see large motor homes in all stages of production. The tour guide took us around the production floors and we got real close to the motor homes. We even got to go through their paint-shop and final detailing. After that we got to get inside of one of them. I am still quite pleased with our Airstream and I am not planning to change anytime soon, even though they have a lot more space. I cannot even begin to imagine what their rate of depreciation are. The Signature Series below comes in up to 45ft with four slide-outs and an optional 14.9Liter 600HP/1,850TQ Cummins Turbo diesel. It basically hauls ass.

One of many Monaco Motor home models (2006 Signature Series)

When we got back to Camping World they had almost completed the heater installation. The reason for installing this heater is to allow us to heat the trailer without using any electricity. We already have a very good furnace in the trailer, but if we boon dock, it will kill the batteries in about 24 hours. And since we are planning to visit a few state parks and provincial parks where it might get a bit cold, I thought it would be worthwhile to invest in catalytic heater. After much thinking, I concluded that the best spot to put it was by the door. That minimizes the risk that someone would be leaning up against it and cause a fire.

Olympian Wave 6 with hose for later installation of swing-out hinge

Underbelly plumbing with cut-off

I was not completely thrilled to have the copper pipe come up on the outside of the cabinet rather than inside. But the installer claimed there was really no room to do that, practically, given that the regular furnace is just behind there. He pulled the copper pipe down into the floor to reduce the risk it being hurt by something. Underneath, I asked the installer to put it on a separate circuit and then add a shut-off valve. While this was done, instead of feeding it directly from the main pipe, like I asked for, the installer T'd it off the furnace pipe. Not ideal, but it'll probably be ok. He did not have the same gasket as they used at Airstream for the furnace, but he did use snake-skin for the wire and he also pulled that skin 2 inches through the belly pan. The cut-off valve is also protected against most road debris by the flag-pole box. I also checked the heat to the side of the heater to determine if we could keep the fire extinguisher there. It appeared to be fine, but we should probably re-check this under real conditions, with the heater running for more than 15 minutes. The installer also used a rubber hose inside the trailer so that I could install a swing-out hinge when we returned back home from this trip. Once the installation was complete, we headed out for the Campground (Elkhart Campground) which was on the other side of I-80. The campground looked ok. As we got out of the truck we could smell burned plastic on Isabella's side of the truck, plausibly the new power inverter that we just had installed.

At the campground we heated up some roast beef sandwich and fish/chips from the other night. It tasted really great. The kids went over to their swimming pool. The wireless did not work at our site (1307), although we could detect the network. The same thing at the office. The kids discovered that the transmitter sat by the swimming pool. I had bought a new set of light bulbs at Camping World for the side lights in the master bedroom and replaced one of his two only to find that the light no longer worked at all. Furthermore, sever other lights in the rear stopped working as well; not a good sign. I was too tired to debug right away and decided to continue that tomorrow.

Campground   Name: Elkhart Campground   Our hookups: Water, 30 Amp and Sewer   WiFi: Yes, but marginal except at pool (free)   GSM service: 1 bar   TV Channels: A few (air)   Cost: $33.92/night including extra fee for kids   Reservation mode: Phone call

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All Pictures (c) 2006 Hamnqvist, Background features Karl's cars in the grass outside the trailer.