We have decided to move our blog to Facebook (Rick & Y's Travels). We hope this will make it easier and quicker to post pictures and updates, and since our children use Facebook, it will make it easier for them to keep up with our full-timing RV travels.
If you would like to continue to follow our blog, please click here then click the Like button (requires that you have a Facebook account).
Thanks and hope to see ya'll down the road,
Rick & Y
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Home For A While - Bastrop, Texas
Since we need to be in Smith Center, Kansas in early June, we adjusted our travel plans and returned to Bastrop for a visit with family and friends. Chris & Megan now have hookups, so we are set up next to their house.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Trailer Maintenance - Tucson, Arizona
On our previous Excel trailer (2002 33RKO Limited) we suffered major water intrusion over the large slideout in 2007. The Excel Service Center had to replace the large header board above the slideout opening. The service technician said the problem was caused by failed caulking. They explained what to look for and how to fix it. At that time, we swore we would never let that happen again.
A few months later, we took delivery of our 2008 Excel 33TKE Limited. Each time I washed the rig, I would check for any failed caulking. A little over a year and a half passed and we were back at the Excel Service Center having the floor of our bedroom slideout replaced...due to water intrusion and wood rot. No failed caulking was found and the service technician was unable to determine the location where the water intruded. The bright moment of the trip to the service center...John and Terri Prather walked in later in the week. We had met them the previous year at the service center. We caught up on our respected travels and made plans to meet later in Custer, South Dakota. Over the last couple of years, we have visited and traveled with them, including this winter in Tucson.
So where is all of this going, you ask? Last week John and I began installing Eternabond over several of the locations on our trailer that pose a threat of water intrusion. John had performed this preventative maintenance on their trailer last winter. We installed the Eternabond on the street-side and roof locations of the trailer without finding any signs of water intrusion. As we began to prep the curb-side of the trailer, we notice several rusty screws. We then pulled the dining room slideout in and examined the screws surrounding the inside opening...more rusty screws...&%@$%#. We checked all around the slideout opening and everything seems solid. But, I am not taking any chances based on our previous experiences. We stopped the prep and called the service center for an appointment. Our appointment is June 13th. As a precaution, John and I removed and replaced all the caulking surrounding the slideout. After finding a few more places where the caulking was failing (loose), we removed and replaced ALL the caulking on the trailer. A four-day project! I feel better now about the integrity of the trailer and hope the service center only finds minimal damage. We had already planned to wash and wax both trailers, so that was our next project. We finished today. It is great having good friends...thanks John! I don't want to forget the ladies, Y and Terri kept us well fed during our week and a half long project.
A few months later, we took delivery of our 2008 Excel 33TKE Limited. Each time I washed the rig, I would check for any failed caulking. A little over a year and a half passed and we were back at the Excel Service Center having the floor of our bedroom slideout replaced...due to water intrusion and wood rot. No failed caulking was found and the service technician was unable to determine the location where the water intruded. The bright moment of the trip to the service center...John and Terri Prather walked in later in the week. We had met them the previous year at the service center. We caught up on our respected travels and made plans to meet later in Custer, South Dakota. Over the last couple of years, we have visited and traveled with them, including this winter in Tucson.
So where is all of this going, you ask? Last week John and I began installing Eternabond over several of the locations on our trailer that pose a threat of water intrusion. John had performed this preventative maintenance on their trailer last winter. We installed the Eternabond on the street-side and roof locations of the trailer without finding any signs of water intrusion. As we began to prep the curb-side of the trailer, we notice several rusty screws. We then pulled the dining room slideout in and examined the screws surrounding the inside opening...more rusty screws...&%@$%#. We checked all around the slideout opening and everything seems solid. But, I am not taking any chances based on our previous experiences. We stopped the prep and called the service center for an appointment. Our appointment is June 13th. As a precaution, John and I removed and replaced all the caulking surrounding the slideout. After finding a few more places where the caulking was failing (loose), we removed and replaced ALL the caulking on the trailer. A four-day project! I feel better now about the integrity of the trailer and hope the service center only finds minimal damage. We had already planned to wash and wax both trailers, so that was our next project. We finished today. It is great having good friends...thanks John! I don't want to forget the ladies, Y and Terri kept us well fed during our week and a half long project.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Indoor Skydiving - Eloy, Arizona
Indoor skydiving, that's right! SkyVenture operates an indoor wind tunnel in Eloy that allows the participant to experience skydiving without jumping out of an airplane. A group of us decided this would be fun. After spending a little time with the instructor (learning body position and hand signals), we "suited up" and it was off to the wind tunnel. It is powered by (4) 400hp motors that suck air up from the bottom, through the tunnel, and expel it out the top. Body position is everything. The slightest wrong move and your are spinning or bumping into the wall. Check one item off the Bucket List.
The Group
Y flying with the instructor
Rick - going it alone
Monday, January 31, 2011
Where Did the Month Go? - Tucson, Arizona
Wow, where did January go? We arrived back in Tucson, from our holiday visit with the kids and grandkids, with sinus infections. Y went to the doctor before leaving Bastrop and started her medication regiment on the trip and I went to a clinic here in Tucson. It took most of the month for us to recover.
We have met several Exceler (Excel 5th Wheel Owners) couples this month: Ralph & Cheryl Schey, Larry and Billie Eberle, Bruce and Jenna Brod (first met last year) and Tom and Donna Clapham. It's rare to have so many Excels in one place, outside of Smith Center, Kansas (factory).
We have discovered a local dive, call Tiny's, that has great hamburgers, ribs and wings. It's 'bad' when you walk into the restaurant and the waitress recognizes you. John and Terri found a small, Mexican restaurant that has great tamales...the size of burritos!
After talking with several other couples about their experiences, we have decided, along with John and Terri, to make a trip to Alaska in 2012! We are gathering as much information as we can. Ralph and Cheryl and Bruce and Jenna have loaned us DVDs to assist us in our planning. We can't wait!!!
We have met several Exceler (Excel 5th Wheel Owners) couples this month: Ralph & Cheryl Schey, Larry and Billie Eberle, Bruce and Jenna Brod (first met last year) and Tom and Donna Clapham. It's rare to have so many Excels in one place, outside of Smith Center, Kansas (factory).
We have discovered a local dive, call Tiny's, that has great hamburgers, ribs and wings. It's 'bad' when you walk into the restaurant and the waitress recognizes you. John and Terri found a small, Mexican restaurant that has great tamales...the size of burritos!
After talking with several other couples about their experiences, we have decided, along with John and Terri, to make a trip to Alaska in 2012! We are gathering as much information as we can. Ralph and Cheryl and Bruce and Jenna have loaned us DVDs to assist us in our planning. We can't wait!!!
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