Repairs: Just part of the Adventure!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Instead of touring the Southwest US this week, we are home dealing with repair issues. And, I have been reminded of Proverbs 16:9 repeatedly. God plans my every step despite my wrestling to take back control. But, when I get lost in MY plans, HE always knows how to get my attention again. This time, instead of the warm, sunny Southwest, the motorhome is parked in the driveway, awaiting a mobile repair appointment for the refrigerator, and (although I hate to admit it publicly) our family is better off because of the delay. God's plan is always better than mine, once I stop fretting and embrace the change, that is.

During this stranded weekend, we headed to St. Louis with Mom, crammed in our car, to make the best of it. And found myself acutely, and sometimes tearfully, aware of my blessings. This week, I was able to sit next to my 88-year-old mother, who was mesmerized by the colors of Beyond Van Gogh. I felt her joy and understood the significance of the day when she recalled the experience, despite the forgetfulness of dementia, as she opened the door to her independent living center. Because of a change in MY plans, I heard my mother's voice as she pointed out the blinking eyes on Van Gogh's paintings and the blossoms that made us all feel swept away in a summer breeze. I got the chance to hold her hand while we walked across the parking lot of the St. Louis Galleria, and felt my mom's overflowing love for me throughout an entire day. God gave me a blessing that was not lost in my normal frenzied pace. He gave me another day, another memory, another chance to be with my mom.

Enjoying every minute with Mom!

#BeyondVanGogh

I see Mom often since she lives just across town. I take her to doctor's appointments, stop in for coffee, gather groceries, and get the Pick 2 at Panera with her, but the joy of that Mother-Daughter relationship can easily be lost in the checklist of responsibilities. God knew I needed a reminder.

Then, I watched, Grace, my high schooler, hug Mom and tell her, "You are my favorite grandmother," and witnessed the pure joy of their relationship. And on the way home, I discovered Grace was Google-searching the names of Van Gogh's paintings and choosing the print that she wants to add to her bedroom wall. Today, my daughter was compelled to learn, not by a school requirement, but by being fully present in her experiences. Another blessing from our delay...

On Sunday, to top off my weekend, I joined my church family to hear Pastor Matt imploring me to more fervent prayer in the months to come. He reminded all of us to be praying continually, putting our own desires in line with God's. Was this delay part of His plan? Perhaps. Throughout the message, I envisioned Jesus accomplishing more in his delays than I could ever hope to do in my own feeble plans.  

So, as Mark is working on our 2021 tax return and I prep for tonight's dinner with Vince and Sarah, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness that God determines my steps. Lord, thank you for loving me enough to alter my plans.

Escaping to the Alabama Gulf Coast

 With another approaching snow threat in Illinois, we headed south again, this time opting for Orange Beach and the Gulf Shores. In February, the weather was in the upper 60s and low 70s, which was perfect for outdoor activities including hiking in Gulf Shores State Park, miniature golfing, eating seafood on the beach, sightseeing, and just relaxing in the sun. 

Perfect weather for shorts!

We found reservations at Sun Outdoors RV Park , in Orange Beach for our 5-day stay and loved the park, the people, and the location. This was our first experience with an RV resort and didn't realize that they checked the age of the vehicle before approving our stay. Since our previous camper was an older 2006, this resort felt very upscale to us. We loved the lighted electrical outlets, the roomy, clean and level cement pads, and the little-used amenities. The laundry was clean and well-lit, with large windows on both sides, we were the only ones to use the hot tub or pool during our visit, and the pickleball courts were available each time we wanted to play. The park is under expansion with a new area with sites including two sewer hookups and trails that are under construction. We even met a couple at Sun Outdoors who canceled reservations at an RV park nearer to the beach in order to get away from the strong ocean breezes. They reported that the winds were so strong that they fought with their awning and the cool temperatures. Sun Outdoors provided the perfect compromise, only about 15 minutes to the beach, no daily fog, and manageable breezes to allow you to enjoy sitting outside.

Homework on the large cement site!

The hot tub at Sun Outdoors

We spent an entire day at the beach, in our sweatshirts and rolled-up jeans. The white sand was marvelous, but the ocean was still late-February cold! The upside was the solitude and short lines for eating at the Pink Pony Pub that is right on the beach. Parking was also free by the beach until March 1 and we were able to find plenty of room for our 34 ft. motorhome. 

We took advantage of the small crowds and ate on the beach at Pink Pony Pub, tried fried crab claw basket, grouper, and shrimp/crab spaghetti. The seagulls were beautiful, but Grace felt like she was part of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds!

The Birds

Fog surrounded us throughout our day at Gulf Shores State Park. We hiked to the Nature Center, saw their mini raptor exhibit, ate Snickers ice cream bars by the shore, and explored the wetlands. Unfortunately, our adventures didn't include any alligator sightings except in the Nature Center. We added a Segway tour to our bucket list and checked on bicycle rentals. Bicycles are free for the first 3 hours at the Gulf State Park, but they did not have child-size bikes for Grace. We usually travel with our own bicycles, and would highly recommend them for exploring here.

Gulf State Park

Pirate's Island was a fun, clean stop for some mini-golf, and we were glad that we opted for the easier course followed by ice cream and some fudge at Chocolate Corner. Yum!

Lambert's, "Home of the Throwed Rolls," did not disappoint! This is the perfect place to catch up with friends and Gary, Karen, Kathy, and Joe shared their snowbird adventures while we chowed. We caught our fill of the softball-sized homemade rolls, overflowed our plates with fried zucchini, and chowed down on the special smoked chicken dinner! Grace was not thrilled with her salmon patties, but everything else was spectacular. 

Lambert's is always fun!

Overall, we came up with another list of "to-dos" for our next trip. Bring more coffee, quarters for the washers/dryers, an HDMI cable, and slip on shoes so they are easy to take off when we come inside. Purchase a bike rack for the motorhome, another Roku device, an electric tabletop grill, and quick-drying towels like these from Amazon (since our terry towels didn't dry out for the entire trip). And we have several problems that we are still trying to solve: 

• What is the best way to store shoes by the entry door?
• How will we minimize the impact of potholes?
• What is the best drying solution for towels both indoors and outdoors?
• What is the best solution to adjust the dinette table that is too high for both eating and working, cut down the existing legs or replace the legs altogether? 

We really need suggestions for solving these problems and we would love your insights and comments!

5 Things to Know Before Buying a Forest River FR3

 Yesterday, my son, Adam, asked me if we had any surprises or disappointments with our purchase of the Forest River FR3 32D. My initial response was, "No, it was pretty much what we expected." But, as I thought about it, Mark and I have had some "surprises," especially since we bought our 2019 with 5700 miles on it from a private seller and we didn't get the orientation that is often provided by a dealership. We watched Youtube videos, downloaded the owner's manual, and looked through spec sheets, in addition to touring and driving multiple models. But these are the things that we didn't know or completely understand before our first Class A purchase.

Forest River FR3

1. Entry-level Quality:

We knew that the quality and workmanship on an entry-level model would be lower than a pricier unit, but we did not anticipate the number of small fixes that we would do in the first month of ownership. Here are just a few. 

• The trim comes off randomly around the interior. We have corner trim that has been resecured twice in the bathroom and the trim came loose around the stove, too. The problem occurs because all trim is attached with small tack-like nails without sufficient head size to keep them from pulling through the wood.
• The edge of the "fake" countertop is coming loose in several places and needed to be reglued or caulked.
• The thin plywood cover under the king bed drawers has detached and could impact the retraction of the rear slide. A few nails were needed.
• The plastic pipes under the bathroom sink leaked briefly and needed to be turned and tightened.
• The edge of the dinette table had rough edges that had to be sanded and sealed.
• One of the flexible heat ducts has came apart from the vent so that the warm air filled the compartment under the couch instead of exiting from the vent near the steps.
• None of the exterior door locks could be key locked. Every one of them had to be removed and realigned so the baggage doors were secured. Some of these locks were put on upside down, so Mark turned them so they were all vertical when locked.
• The deadbolt on the door did not engage properly and needed to be adjusted.
• The driver's window latch fell off the first time the window was opened and had to be resecured.
• The latch on the bathroom shower door fell off and was replaced.
• The bolts holding the exterior refrigerator vent cover broke off and had to be replaced.
• The slide hoses are encased with a flexible, plastic loom that retracts into the space under the kitchen sink. Ours already had 4 pieces that had become unlinked and were wedged under the sink along with a couple of long screws and several pieces of an industrial-strength zip tie. (Perhaps that was part of the problem.) The loom makes a flexible covering that guides and protects your gas and electrical lines as the slide is moving. Be careful! Even after fixing the links in the loom, removing the debris, and ensuring that the loom worked properly, another "link" became kinked yesterday while retracting the slide.  We need to look for more trouble-shooting answers such as lubricating the track under the sink to reduce friction. In the meantime, watch carefully so you don't damage your slide or lines.
• The mattresses are cheap and uncomfortable. After the first night, we bought a 3-inch memory foam topper. Huge improvement!!!! Plan on replacing this if you want to get any sleep.

Under the sink cabinet

Straightening the link

2. Missing Comfort Features:

Until we purchased this model, we assumed (I know that is never a good thing to do...) that all models had a converter and an inverter. We were wrong. This model lacks an inverter. So, for us, that means that we have no power to electrical outlets while we are unhooked from shore power or traveling. We have had to be extra vigilante to charge computers and our hotspot before longer trips so that Grace can do her school assignments. So, by the passenger chair, I have two three-pronged outlets, but neither will work while we are traveling unless we run the generator. The manual for this unit says, "If there is an inverter..." I recommend adding an inverter if this is an optional upgrade. Without one, the only outlets that work during travel are the USB plugs. We have no power to the microwave, TVs, 12-volt outlets, or power outlets while driving. At least we can power the GPS or our phones.

We also dislike that this model has no fan in either of the roof vents. We are finding out how important that is for reducing the humidity after showers and minimizing sewer tank odor. A Max Air Vent, like the one in this link, will be in our future. It would be nice to have that ventilation.

3. Lower Maneuverability:

We opted for a shorter model, overall length 34 feet so that it would easily fit in our driveway, national parks, and parking lots, especially since we opted not to tow an additional vehicle. I have been surprised, though, at the number of obstacles we have had to avoid even after only a month. Our unit is 13' 6" and we have had multiple low-hanging branches that hit the roof or sides of the motorhome. City streets are the worst! Without a toad, we have been able to access our desired destinations so far, but this motorhome does not "feel" small when traveling. We park at the back of Walmart for groceries and look for areas in the far reaches of restaurant lots. Plan to get your steps in!

4. Noise:

After driving several models, we knew that we would hear rattling and engine noise in any entry model gas Class A. With the engine under our feet, it was expected, but we are anxious to minimize that noise. The sound is annoying on bumpy roads, and Alabama interstate highways were some of the worst! One of our first upgrades will be sound deading mats, for under the "doghouse" to reduce engine noise. We are opting for the 80mil Kilmat over the 50 mil version, if that gives you any idea of the noise problem! I also investigated random squeaks and rattles as Mark was driving and added foam adhesive dots to rattly areas like the plastic shield on the entry door, the window shades, around the screen door, behind the TVs, and even around some of the cabinet doors. We have yet to figure out how to get rid of the whistling around the entry door, but we are hoping that between conditioning the door seals and adding some weather stripping, we will solve this problem as well.

5. Living with Slides Retracted:

After our first night boondocking in a Pilot station where we could not extend our slides, we met the challenge of sleeping without a walk-around bed. This was not a surprise, but still a challenge. The doorway to the bedroom is narrow for my 6-foot husband and he had to crawl over the foot of the bed to get to the bathroom. We survived. Also, I am still struggling with organizing so that everything we need is accessible with the slides retracted. Remember, the cabinet under the sink and all of the drawers in the bedroom, including the ones under the bed, are inaccessible. That means that you cannot access the trash can under the sink from its typical location. I have discovered that I can reach under the upper sink cabinets to retrieve boxes of cereal, but it is difficult. We need more planning if we are going to boondock often.

Summary:

Before buying our motorhome, we heard from many owners that you have to be capable of making repairs or willing to learn. With the backlog at many repair centers, I am thankful for my mechanical husband. Our FR3 still needs some upgrades, tweaks, and minor repairs, but we are exploring and learning as we go. I am so thankful that we found our motorhome, but at some point, we may choose to upgrade. Only time will tell. In the meantime, let's get out and explore!

Fern Lake Campground, Paducah, KY

  For starters this is the first entry to the blog that I typed out. Back in January we got a motorhome to travel the U.S. in. Our motorhome is a 2019 Forest River FR3 32DS. It had 5,700 miles on it when we bought it. Our RV has bunk beds, a King bed, a sofa, and dinette. It also has a bunk bed over the drivers and copilot seats. It has 2 slide outs and 3 tv’s. It also has eight seat belts, it is 34 feet long and has a four door refrigerator.

To begin our journey, we got everything packed which took us a few hours. After we got packed we hit the road. Dad and I went to McDonalds to get some lunch while mom went and got several prescriptions at Walgreens. After that we went to Huck's to fill up on gas and now we are talking a 4-hour journey to go to Paducah Kentucky where we will stop for the night.

Dad is driving the motorhome which is scary. I mean I trust Dad and all with driving it’s just the other cars, trucks and semis make me nervous. Mom is relaxing and making reservations for our stay.

The reservation that we had were at Fern Lake Campground in Paducah, KY. We just stayed the night; there was a lake and then we left the next day.

Walking at Fern Lake

During dinner we had Minestrone soup, Applesauce, Hummus, and Chips. And then after dinner we played Phase 10 and Exploding Kittens. And I whooped Mom and Dad at games. After games we went to bed.

Oak Mountain Campground

 All I will say is that we came in the back entrance. TWICE! Smooth, but winding. The back gate closes at 5:00 pm. The campsite is a "pull-through" site with full, 30amp hookups. After Mark hooked up in the downpour, we played Exploding Kittens and hunkered down for the night. Let's just say that it has rained for 2 days straight! 

This is a campground that we will want to revisit after the weather improves. Miles of trails, equestrian options, waterfalls, canoes, and even archery are options. The wifi was spotty on our Verizon hotspot, especially after we moved to a new camp spot that was surrounded by trees and at a lower elevation.

Most of all, we avoided the snowstorm, learned more about utilizing our camper, and made a list of items to bring with us on the next trip. On our last day, it was dry enough to do some hiking beyond the blacktop campground roads.