2017 Fall Shipshewana, Indiana trip Day 2

Started the day with some K9s sleeping in.

After a slow start we head for brunch - Our driver took one wrong turn and we ended up having brunch in Michigan. It made for a nice scenic tour of the area including some local waterways.

After brunch, we head back into Indiana to the Jayco Factory. Factory tours are available on Thursdays at noon. Due to weather during our tow on Thursday we missed the factory tour again..however, Intern Shea was engaging and made our trip worth it. The second year in a row we have missed the tour.

Of course, it was raining, so the Wife felt it was a fitting time for a photo opportunity.

After we left the Jayco Factory we headed to a cheese factory - took home some great cheese.

After the Heritage Ridge Creamery, we had lunch at Ben's Pretzels. A clean and easy place with great food options.

After lunch, we stopped at Yoders Meat shop and had a great time. More cheese and lots of meat.

Needless to say, we left with some great eats.

With it raining most of the day, we went back to the campground for a nap, after which it was time for dinner. At check-in, we got a 10% off offer at a local restaurant named
http://www.howerestaurant.com/. It was well run and surprised our party of four with great service, and abundant choices. The place is family run, the food and portions was above average.

2017 Fall Shipshewana, Indiana trip Day 1

We head out to http://shipshewanacampgroundnorth.com/. The campground works well for us because the in-laws get a cabin for 2 across the lane from the StormPOD at a reasonable cost. The area has a lot to do and see and is home to most of the RV Manufacturers.

We had not had rain at home for 10 days and right on schedule - the morning we leave we have it.

The weather added an hour of towing time to the trip. We went through several bands that slowed us to below 35 mph with some wind but the rig handled it well.

My coupon queen Wife scored us a tank of fuel for ten cents a gallon which meant it cost us less than $3.00 to make the trip from Southwest Ohio to Northern Indiana.

We do a lot of StormPOD activities because of her skills in this area. In this case, we use reward points.

We picked up some great firewood for the night at a local farm less than 3 miles from the campground. The campground sells firewood but the quality and quantity are far less than what we got for the same money.

The sites are closer together than we would like normally, we find that in tourist areas this is what you get. 

Because we arrived on a Thursday and there was a large crafts festival  in the area, we decided to hit the Blue Gate Resturant for dinner. This was a good decision as the area was very busy already.

My wonderful Wife

She loves horses.

 Had a relaxing evening and met some great neighbors. Wonder what Day 2 will bring?

Bumper End Cap update

The StormPOD has the typical 4 inch thin walled bumper with the plastic end caps.
We had added to our trip checklist to ensure these caps were in place, they tend to work loose and disappear.

We still use this bumper for long-term storage of a spare sewer hose so I wanted a way to keep the caps on that allows for easy access. I used the items below from Lowes to accomplish this.

Used these fasteners on each cap.

Drilled hole in the bumper and end cap. The end caps are not stock, I replaced the stock ones with these to stop wasps from building in the bumper.

Finished product. Did the same on the other side. The fastener is finger tight, pinching a little to prevent the fastener from backing off.

Wheel Lug upgrade

I make maintenance on my rig a priority and in doing so I remove the wheels often to clean and inspect tires, brakes, bearings, and suspension.

The factory wheel lugs have a thin covering on them that moves on the lug and frequently gets stuck in the lug wrench forcing them to be punched out of the socket, it slows me down, a distraction and damages the cover.

So I replaced them with solid stainless steel lug nuts.

I needed to know the specs of the lugs so I could order them, the dealers in my area acted like I was asking for a controlled substance when I explained what I was looking for.  After my upgrade, the lugs went from 19mm to 13/16 socket size.

So this is what I determined I needed -

1/2"-20 thread x 7/8" diameter cone x 1-5/8" height

and I found these:
Product type:	Trailer Wheel Lug Nut Package
Quantity Included In Our Package:	A Package Contains 20 Lug Nuts
Composition Type:	100% Solid Stainless Steel
Are These Stainless Caps?:	No - They are SOLID Stainless Steel
Nut Type:	Acorn Style
Thread Pattern:	1/2-20 Right Hand
Nut Length:	1-3/8" Long
Socket/Wrench Size:	Standard 13/16" Size

20 pack SOLID Stainless Steel Acorn Style Trailer Wheel 1/2" Lug Nuts Rust Proof

Comparison  - Stainless Steel replacement on left, Factory original on right.

Comparison  - Stainless Steel replacement on left, Factory original on right.

Factory Lugs

Stainless Steel Lugs

Front Power Inlet Mod

I added a front power inlet to give me another option to supply power to my rig. This has been very useful when using generators, parking door to door, etc.

I had already done the 30 amp detachable cord mod and I used the same kit to add the front inlet. This made a safe and easily compatible mod.



I used 10-2 UF Wire, I purchased 35' at Lowes, ran it from front to rear in conduit terminating into the input of the Electrical Management System. This required dropping parts of the underbelly cover.

Using Southwire (Common: 3/4-in; Actual: 0.75-In) Non-Metallic Liquid-Tight 50-ft Conduit made is easy to install and protect the wire.

New Grill Addition

This was the first outing with the new grill mod. Works perfectly.

Camping on St. Patrick Day Weekend

For the St. Patrick Day Weekend we decided to go Camping/Glamping. Is it good to test your cool weather skills?  We have plenty of resources to survive the weekend in comfort.

We have had Snow, Rain, Hail, Thunder, and Lighting today. We are not alone, there are others here in campers and tents. Do you have a strong camping circle of friends with skills and capabilities?

Morning and Afternoon Weather Radar

The Afternoon radar at the peak with hail.

2nd Outing of 2017

Us and another couple are our for the weekend. Cool weather skills test.

Grill Upgrade - Original Factory grill to Weber Q 1000

Our 2016 Jayco White Hawk came with grill model DDR-BBQ-BLK. Also known as a Side Kick.
I loved the bumper mount and that it was configured to use the low-pressure propane connection in the rear.

Without getting into too many issues, the grill did not cook even and at the end of the second season the burner tube support had rusted and began to fail. The grill had been stored in the front compartment whenever not in use.

Jayco may have offered to replace it however, lets be honest, she went to Weber. My coupon Queen wife found a great deal on the Weber Q1000. All I had to do was find a way to plumb it to the low-pressure propane line, use the existing bumper mount that we love and find room to store in the front compartment. Ask her, that was a fair trade in her mind.

Factory Grill on top, Weber Q 1000 on Bottom

This idea works well, Setup, Takedown are easy and it stores well.




I used a cutting board for the base. I wanted a .5" or .75" inch thick plastic or composite cutting board but did not find one in the size I wanted. I needed 21" long and wanted at least 12" wide. For $21.00 at Walmart, we settled for a bamboo board, at least for now.

Farberware Bamboo Cutting Board, 15" x 21"

By: Farberware - Walmart #: 001481211

I removed the regulator in the Weber Grill and connected to the low-pressure fitting using the original hose and the quick connector from the original grill. The quick connect screwed onto the Weber gas valve in place of the regulator. I did not purchase the kit from the 2nd video listed, I used it to show me how to remove the regulator.

After I removed the quick connect fitting from the original grill and put it on the Weber gas valve, tested for leaks I was done.

I used these links as guides:
LP Quick Connect Conversion - Stoves & Grills

Weber Q Quick Connect Conversion


I added a small C-Clamp to the end of the board farthest away from the bumper to add stability to the board. I already have improvements to this in the work, More on that soon.

Remote Controls

In our 2016 White Hawk we have Furrion TV and Sound System with two remotes that are difficult to see in low light. The sound system remote color scheme makes it difficult to use anytime. So we have added a universal remote that work perfectly with the Furrion devices as well as the Direct TV. One remote replacing three and all feature available. Make switching from DirectTV to over the air a one-button selection.

Touch the remote and it lights up.

Shop around we got ours for less than $50.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-remote-650?crid=60

Camping with Dogs

We raised our dogs similar to children. The more time spent up front with behavioral expectations pays off during their adult years.

Manners in greeting humans, no jumping up, no licking, shake when asked, sit to be petted.


I chose the 5 photos to include in this post because they represent our two rescue lab mixes well both are 8 years old and have spent 7 years with us. Being rescues they both had issues and have different personalities.

The have their own toys and differentiate between inside and outside toys. Do not get on furniture, tables or counters. Have their own spaces. They have their own doctors, food, beds and treats. Never chained and live inside.

They are not perfect but they are ours. They have never been kenneled, left with others nor separated.

They have quirks and things that we watch them closely. We do not let them become bullies at the school yard however we let them be themselves and have fun.

As for camping they love it, we took them in tents, pop-up and now the StormPOD. We acclimated them to each, setting boundaries and making them feel at home. Rules are different when traveling vs at home, but they get excited when we hook up the truck, often loading up themselves and waiting to get underway.

The male Kilo (black) gravitates to the wife and the female Sierra (blonde) gravitates to me. However, they have to earn their place in the family and they have.

Follow-UP "Saint Simon's Island, Georgia for Christmas and New Year"

So we lost the rear differential in the truck on our way home from Shipshewana, Indiana. So we got that repaired and planned our trip to Saint Simons Island, Georgia for Christmas and New Year to end 2016.

After our family affairs completed on Christmas night, we headed for Georgia about 8:30 pm. We made it about two hours from home when we lost two high gears in the transmission. So we heading home in 2nd gear. Made it home safely. Unpacked that night and re-winterized the next morning.

Truck has been repaired and the 2017 season planning has begun.