After leaving the Grand Design Rally in Hot Springs, we drove a longer day than we usually do to get to the TX GD rally. We were going to split it up and stop for the night, but the drive was going well, the roads were good, and the sun was out, so we decided to drive the almost 7 hours to Montgomery, TX, just north of Houston. We stopped midway to grab a late lunch and then we were on our way to our final destination We arrived at the Lake Conroe KOA around 6pm, set up and called it a night. The park was pretty empty except for a couple Grand Design RV's that came in early for the rally that was to start Thursday, With this being a bigger rally than Arkansas, we were happy to get settled early so we could sit back and watch everyone else roll in. With 125 rigs coming in for the rally, it was pretty busy the next two days. As with the other rally, the techs were on site to handle any recalls or safety issues that needed attention and were able to squeeze in a couple other items as time allowed. Getting in a few days early benefited us to be able to address a couple of those little things and appreciate all the Grand Design techs do. They even were able to go to the rescue of one rig that broke down half a mile from the rally in a store parking lot. They certainly love their jobs and as their trucks and trailers say, they strive for nothing less than customers for life. I know we've said this before, but there is no other RV manufacturer that does this level of service and we are forever grateful! We were also able to take advantage of the RV rally special pricing and had our rig washed and hand waxed. Windows were crystal clear, awning sparkling and the roof was even cleaned. We are pretty religious on washing our rig but the last couple weeks were especially dusty and rainy, which made for a dirty, muddy rig. The guys were meticulous and did an amazing job in the 90+ humid heat! If your ever in the Houston area and need your RV washed, lookup Extreme RV Mobile Detail. They do an amazing job! We have come to realize that each rally is different and this rally held true to that. There were several interesting seminars. a Dip-It competition that raised money for the local food bank, several Grand Design rigs to tour from the local dealership and food, lots of food! The last night there were prize drawings and RIck won some Yeti koozies. We had a great couple of days, met alot of great folks and even got together again with the friends we made in AR to play hand and foot card games and they even taught us how to play Mexican Train. Of course we were having soo much fun we forgot to take pictures! Thanks Sharon, Joe, Roxie and Ed for a great afternoon! Unfortunately the rally ended on a very sad note as one of the Grand Design Ambassadors passed away in her sleep the last night of the rally. It was her last rally in that role and she left doing what she loved. Her passing just solidified for us, our decision to follow our dreams and explore this Full-time RV lifestyle while we can, because you just don't know how long you have! Carpe Diem!! Once the rally wrapped up, we stayed a couple extra days relaxing and exploring the area. DId you know that Montgomery, TX is the birthplace of the TX flag? They definitely make sure you know when you visit! We visited Fernland Historical Park and Memory Garden in the heart of Montgomery. It has several buildings that provide a glimpse into the early Texas life back in the mid 1800's. Some of the homes are the oldest remaining structures in Texas. It was free and very knowledgeable docents guide you through the homes. The memory garden is tucked behind the historical park and pays tribute to the memory of many local individuals. It has beautiful flowers and trees and a path on the shores of a little pond. We took a quick walk through the garden in the sultry heat of the day. With temperatures in the low 90's and feel like temps reaching 100, we were quick to observe and get back to AC! Again, no pics, but that is partly because you are not allowed to take pics in the historical park, so I just took one from the parking lot. We are now headed to a couple camping spots around Lake Livingston and the Piney Woods of east TX. We are looking forward to the temps being in the high 70's, low 80's! I know family and friends back in WI are rolling their eyes at that last comment! LOL SHOP AMAZON HERE
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After leaving MO we headed to Arkansas to our first regional Grand Design rally. We had been to the national rally in IN last year and really wanted to attend some of the regional rallies. We were excited that we would be able to work in two rallies on our way to our winter destination. We headed south through MO into AR via Hwy 65 that proved to be a picturesque, narrow at times, drive through the countryside. We have never been to this part of the country and it was really beautiful country. We had some inclimate weather and a short stay, but would like to come back and explore more someday. Our final destination in Arkansas was Catherine's Landing RV Park in Hot Springs. This was where the inaugural Grand Design Rally for Arkansas was being held. It was a great park, with the perfect venue for a rally. The park was located along Lake Catherine in a quiet setting with full hook up sites, a pool and hot tub, golf carts to rent and a zip line adventure course. Unfortunately, with the rally and some inclement weather, we weren't able to really check out the amenities. The weather was quite warm, in the mid 90's when we arrived so set up was a quick one. Luckily our site was across from a wooded area with a babbling brook that provided some afternoon shade. Once we got situated we checked in at the rally and the festivities were on! Moix RV was hosting the rally and did a great job of keeping everyone informed, entertained and well fed!!! It was great to see some of our Grand Design family again and add more to the group. We were fortunate to make new friends and even had two over to play some hand and foot card games! Alot of great food, fellowship and fun was had and the weekend went by too quickly. Most of the rally attendees pulled out on Sunday but we made plans to stay another day and take in some of the mineral baths that Hot Springs has to offer. We booked time for a couples mineral springs soak and massage at Quapaw Baths & Spa and thoroughly enjoyed our time there! Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to go to the national park service and tour the Bathhouse Row but we saw some of the bath houses on the row. We make a point to try some of the local cuisine and got a good taste of some at a catered rally dinner, complete with some fried catfish and hushpuppies. We then went out to sample some of the local Mexican cuisine and were not disappointed!! Rick also managed to squeeze in a quick visit with an Army buddy who he roomed with in Germany. Our time in AR went by very quickly but we made every minute count and now are looking forward to our next rally in Texas! SHOP AMAZON HERE
Would you like to help support our blog and keep these updates coming? It is easy to help, just do your Amazon shopping through the link above. You still get all your Amazon Prime benefits and the prices are the same. Since we are in the Amazon affiliate program, any shopping you do through our link, provides a little kickback to support this blog. Thank you for stopping by!!!! In one of our last posts, I hinted on an expensive upgrade that we were about to do at the beginning of year two. With putting on almost 10k miles on the RV last year throughout 16 states, and since this our home for the foreseeable future, we decided it would be wise to upgrade the suspension and brakes. With the Grand Design Solitude 375RES having amazing storage, we are easily able to go over cargo weight and with the weight of the trailer itself, it could have easily justified 8k pound axles. Now that we have seen the way people weave in and out of traffic in front of the RV, we wanted to make sure we had really good stopping power as well! So we decided to upgrade to the MORryde independent suspension and disc brakes. This was a hefty investment at about $6800, but the safety of ourselves and our rig, we feel, justifies that. We have read alot of reviews and blogs about fellow RV'ers making the upgrade and being very satisfied with the switch...so we jumped in with wallets open! Rick is going to be our guest co-blogger today. He usually likes to take the pictures and proofreads but since we are getting a bit technical, he is much better at explaining that. The WHY Behind Our Decision to Upgrade In our search for the perfect RV for us, we looked and inspected numerous makes and models. We even had a spreadsheet of our wants and needs and several met some of these requirements but none really met all. We settled on Grand Design for many reasons, that you can read here, with the plan to upgrade certain items to better meet our needs. Some of these upgrades were convenience and comfort items but the big one was safety. We have heard of MORryde Independent Suspension on many sites and at the GD rally and then also the disc brakes that improve braking and stopping distance. We looked at other manufacturers who use independent suspension on their high end 5th wheels and respect the fact that it removes all suspension fail points such as leaf springs, shackles, wet bolts, equalizers and axles. The switch to disc brakes is a no brainer when having the suspension done. While attending the Grand Design National Rally in IN last year, we were able to look at several suspension upgrade products from different companies. Some offered disc brakes only, some were equalizer replacements and still another was what is called a slipper springs system. In my opinion, the downfall of these is that it does not remove the leaf springs and shackles and wet bolts, which are all failure points. We found the conversation with MORryde representative was very informative. He spent alot of time with us and answered all my questions thoroughly and knowledgeably. With our Solitude 375RES there is a great amount of storage and with our options, cargo is doable, but limited. We are full-timers and are packed accordingly. Once we were packed and on the road, we did weigh at a CAT scale and were over on capacity by a couple hundred pounds. When you consider an independent suspension it does add weight by a couple hundred pounds but it is under the frame and not carried by the frame. We did talk with Grand Design, Lippert and MORryde and this does not void the warranty. The system does also allow for 4 wheel alignment, similar to a auto alignment with caster, camber and tracking, which is a plus. After talking with the MORryde rep and others who have had both or just one option done, we decided this is the way to go for us. Again, other systems may be more applicable to other situations, this is just our opinion from our research, applicable to our situation. We had heard that appointments at the MORryde Service Center were booked out 6 months, so we decided to go ahead and line up our appt for the following summer (June 2019), when we knew we would be back in the area. This also locked in the rally price. It also gave us time to workamp and get finances in order to pay for this pricey upgrade. The Upgrade Process A couple weeks out from our appt, we received an email confirming our appointment and outlining our visit logistics, such as when to arrive, the exact location and some of what we were to expect. If your planning to have any work done at MORryde, know that they are in the city, not an industrial park so the roads are somewhat narrow with some sharp corners. We did a satellite map view to map out the right roads to take so we wouldn't get stuck with our 42ft behemoth on some residential street. We arrived a little before noon, hoping that they would be able to get us in the service bay and measured before end of the work day around 2:30pm. We entered the Service Center Customer area and were greeted with a welcome board that had our name on it. Nice! As you can see, they had alot of service customers this week. I can tell you some went smoother than others. Especially the guy that pulled up with no appointment... Umm, sorry sir, no we cannot help you today, these other folks have appts they made far in advance. Sighhh. Anywho, MORryde does customer service right. They have a lovely customer lounge that had very comfortable leather chairs and couches, cable TV, tons of magazines, a nice big table to spread out on for working or eating and a very well stocked fridge and snack bar. They also had a Keurig machine that was very popular. There was good wifi in the lounge as well as out in the service area. The icing on the cake was that they offer lunch from Panera every day. Just put your order in with the receptionist and they will order and go get it for you. We definitely took advantage of this both days! As far as other meals, they have a book of recommendations in the area and all the staff are very eager to add their favorites if you ask. Once we checked in, our very competent and incredible service tech, Sergio, who has been with the company, I believe 19 years, came out to measure for the independent suspension. Sergio had us pull forward into a level area of the parking lot and we thought we were pulling pretty level and he confirmed we were only an inch high in back and could correct that with the suspension. He said that was not bad at all considering he has had folks come in that were 5 inches or more! He also measured height as we were concerned that this upgrade would add to our already dauntingly tall rig. Brochure height lists us at 13'6 ft tall and when Sergio measured we were only 13'3 ft. Whew, 3 inches may not seem like much but when you are wondering which overpasses are too close to call! Once we were measured, we backed into one of the overnight RV spots that have electric while Sergio went to finish up on the RV he was working on. We had our fingers crossed that he would finish and we would be able to move into a bay so we would not have to set up in the parking lot for one night and then pack up and move into a bay at the crack of dawn and set up again. We waited in the lounge and watched the clock tick by. Sergio finally came in to let us know he finished up the other one and the owner just needed to pay and they would be pulling out their RV and then we could back in. Looking at the rigs already in the bays, there is really not alot of wiggle room to get the big rigs in there, be it on the side or overhead. I (Julie) just could not watch this happen, so I went inside, but with Sergio's help Rick nailed it! Perfectly! Whew! Fit like a glove! Once inside, Sergio and staff where able to get it jacked up with bottle jacks and the wheels taken off. We were then allowed to get into the rig since it was the end of their work day. We were able to put out all the slides, had 50 amp hookup and wifi service. We were soo glad to be in the shop and settled and the process started...until the first shift notification horns! OMG, the first one really caught us off guard! Since this is not only a service center but a functioning production plant, they have loud notification horns. They went off at 5pm, 9pm, 1am, 5am. For sleeping we turned on the AC with fans and were able to sleep. By the second night we hardly noticed them anymore. The folks in another RV that were not able to get their rig inside the first night mentioned that there were lots of trains that came through near the plant outside, but we never heard those. The next morning we were up and ready, with slides pulled in for them to start work at 6am promptly! Sergio was there and ready to get to work. At 10am they take lunch and you are allowed to come into the bay and checkout the work. By this time they took off everything and cut off the leaf shackles, ground down and prepped the area to install the suspension. The electric over hydraulic brake controller was installed in the front bay and the wires and hoses were pulled through. They also had our new IS assembly sitting there waiting. Based on the measurements that Sergio provides, the night crew custom assembles them, with the disc brakes, specifically for our rig. We also talked to Sergio about the shape of our old axles, leaf springs, shackles and wet bolts and he said the axles were in excellent shape and everything else looked to be in very good condition after 10,000 miles on the rig. We then had our Panera lunch they ordered for us and talked with some other couples having their suspension done as well. We also found out the Mobile Suites brings their new units over to have the independent suspension inspected before shipping them out. There were a couple sitting in the lot waiting for their turn in the bay. At the end of their work day, you can occupy your rig again and pull out your slides. By this time the had the channel steel welded to frame that accepts the IS system and the system was placed to be welded the next morning. The second night went much smoother now that we were used to the loud horn and we again were up at the crack of dawn for them to start at 6am. This was hopefully to be the final install day, but as we saw with another couple, a wrench might be thrown into the plans causing work to spill over to the next day. By 10am lunch they had everything welded into place and the underbelly was sealed back in place. We were very encouraged, as was Sergio, that we would be done that day. By this time we were really ready for the job to be complete and be back on the road. The lounge is really nice, but you can only sit still there for soo long! We didn't leave because we wanted to be available when they were ready. We ordered lunch again and as we were finishing, Sergio came in to let us know they were done with the installation and testing and they just needed to align it. So we waited...patiently...2 o'clock was coming up quick and we were getting nervous that we were not going to make the magical cut off time. Sergio finally came in around 1:30 and said they were done and it was time to hook up and take it for a road test. After taking it for a spin, we settled up the bill, which was a bit more than the original quote because of upgraded Timbren seals that were installed. We thanked Sergio for a job well done, collected our MORryde tshirts and stickers, that replaced the Dexter axle stickers, we were on our way! We then headed northwest through Chicago to WI. We gave the disc brakes and suspension a bit of a workout in Chicago and they performed perfectly! We then pulled the rig to northern WI and have been here ever since. We are ready to make our next move and really see the new components in action. We can say that the interior items stayed in place much better and the disc brakes were very responsive and it did not feel like the RV was pushing the truck anymore. We really feel like this was good investment and hopefully this in depth narrative helps others considering independent suspension and disc brakes. SHOP AMAZON HERE
Would you like to help support our blog and keep these updates coming? It is easy to help, just do your Amazon shopping through the link above. You still get all your Amazon Prime benefits and the prices are the same. Since we are in the Amazon affiliate program, any shopping you do through our link, provides a little kickback to support this blog. Thank you for stopping by!!!! Wow, we still cannot believe an entire year has gone by since Rick retired, we sold the house and everything in it and hit the road! We are now a month into our second year and we can both confidently and passionately say that we love it and have no regrets!! Has every day been rainbows and unicorns? Hello no, but what lifestyle is? Life is a rollercoaster and we take the ups with the downs but we love this full time RV rollercoaster. Cruisin down the road in our rolling earthquake! We always are checking the truck and RV to ensure we are staying on top of any issues and fixing them as they come up. Thank goodness Rick is very handy and we are not left to waste away at a RV dealership while we wait for them to fix something. So let's start there... What have we fixed or updated this year?? Upgrades --We have replaced the micro/conv oven...twice. We had internal circuits and fuses blow. The first time Grand Design shipped us a new one to where we were workamping and the second time we went and bought a nicer Samsung residential unit that fit in our space with an extended warranty. We are currently working with Grand Design on a possible reimbursement. --We replaced our TV's with all Samsung Smart TV's. We also installed a TV in our front bay so we can watch sports and movies outside. The Samsung's also give us the ability to mirror off of our Samsung phones. We have an AT&T unlimited plan and with that, we got a mini Directv Now package that gives us some cable channels and we download channel and sports apps to mirror shows onto our TV screen. That has worked really well and we don't pay for any satellite or other TV packages. --As you can see in the picture, we also installed Snap Pads on our jacks. They are made from recycled materials and really give a nice big foot pad and in parks that require something under your jacks, these fit the bill. Super easy to put on! --Early on we were faced with no cell or internet service so we needed to solve for that one quickly. We had no Verizon or AT&T...ohh the horror! LOL We invested in a WeBoost cell booster were able to boost the almost non existent signal we had to something we could use. This baby is not cheap but saved our bacon several times and since I now do some online work as we travel, it is really now a necessity to have a good connection. --Decorating...or shall we say lack of. I have not done much of anything in this area. I am not sure I want a bunch of stuff that I need to put away and set up again every time we move. We have come to like the simplicity and the quick cleaning around the RV, so we may not do too much decorating. One thing I did want were some pictures. We found a great solution for a family picture wall. We use WallPops frames. Think of them like FatHead stick on/peel off which hold pictures and you can easily switch out pictures. We also then ordered a cute custom family name wall decal on to complete the grouping. --In the area of comfort, we decided to take the leap and upgrade our RV mattress. We did a good bit of research and went with a Tuft & Needle mattress. We really liked that it had cooling features and a 100 day sleep guarantee. Another plus was that we bought it while in Mesa and it just so happened they had a storefront where you can go and try out the mattresses, hassle free. Super duper bonus, they offered a military discount! After 6 months, we can confidently say that it provides the needed support and for me with my joint replacements, it cradles my hip and shoulder nicely. --One thing we loved from our previous camper that we immediately did in our new home was to upgrade our showerhead with an Oxygenix showerhead. It really does give you the feel of more water pressure with less water! Finally, we added an On the Go portable water softener as we find ourself in areas with hard water often. It really is a nice unit that is easy to regen and set up. Whew...that's alot of stuff, not to mention several are pricey investments, but in the end, that is what they are, investments for our home on wheels. And first year ones at that. The first year is always the most expensive. So from here, we should hopefully have less upgrades...well umm, except for the big one we just had done in Elkhart, but more to come on that in another post coming soon! Repairs We would be lying if we said the rig was perfect and had no issues. However, as rolling earthquakes go, we have been fortunate to have had some minor things that we could repair, besides our one ooops. --While at our first workamping gig at Peninsula State Park in WI, we had a stuck gray dump valve. You can read about how Rick fixed it here. --As we left our first workamping gig , we bent the back left jack and foot. Fortunately we were on our way to the Grand Design rally in Elkhart, IN and they replaced that free of charge for us! They also fixed a couple other minor things for us as well. Read about the repairs and our first rally here. --When we arrived at our second workamping job in S. IN, we noticed that the living room AC was not operating as well anymore. Rick found the issue with the divider baffle and then tapes all the vents, greatly improving the output. Read about that here. --During our stay here we also found the electric side of the hot water heater was not working. Rick talked with one of the GD techs online and was able to fix it by replacing the electric side thermostat. --For the rest of 2018 into 2019 we were doing well with just regular maintenance such as servicing the generator for the first time, flushing the water heater and replacing water filters. We even made it across the country on the very bumpy I-10 to AZ without any issues. --March 1st, as we got ready to move from one RV park to another down the street, we uncovered the RV tires to find a flat tire that we must have picked up a nail in AZ somewhere. This was our first time changing a tire on the RV and working with the spare. Read about it here. --While we wandered around northern AZ, we picked up a stone that cracked the windshield on the truck and had to have that replaced while we were visiting the Grand Canyon. Looking back over the year and recounting our repairs, we really did not have that many issues. Nothing we couldn't take care of. Thankfully!!! I think some of that comes with the anal vigilance we have in checking everything on every move and throughout our travels. Here's hoping our future years are as good as our year one shakedown!! Up next, our first year numbers, where we've been, what we saw and where we worked. Thanks for stopping by!!! SHOP AMAZON HERE
Would you like to help support our blog and keep these updates coming? It is easy to help, just do your Amazon shopping through the link above. You still get all your Amazon Prime benefits and the prices are the same. Since we are in the Amazon affiliate program, any shopping you do through our link, provides a little kickback to support this blog. Thank you for stopping by!!!! |
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