Good luck, Jane.

You can be certain that a lot of the folks here are pulling for you.  While I can't speak to all the "mountain issues," once you top the summit and start down, slow down a bunch.  When you have to use your brakes, brake hard so you slow down 15 to 20 miles per hour and let up and use the transmission to allow you to slow.  Then when necessary, hit them again.  The key is to NOT be on your brakes for quite a bit of time.

Thoughts and prayers are with you.

Terry

Thanks guys! Lorreta, I'll be at the Comstock RV park, it looks nice, and the monthly is $295. Pool, laundry, grass, picnic tables, propane.

Let the Adventure begin!!!!!!!!

wish I was out west Jane , I'd Stop by!!!......I'm locked in to the East coast and dont dare cross the Mississippi River ,But I know you will make it to New England or the eastern sides and we will meet!!

Congrats on begining your adventure!!

Congrats Jane! How exciting! If you find yourself in South Texas be sure to stop and say hi -- btw, rates are cheaper here in the summer and it can't be as hot as some other places... lol

Hina I will never forget the day I quit. What a scary feeling up front but sheer joy and excitement underneath. Congratulations on your new adventure! I will be following your posts, wishing you the best, and saying a prayer. Enjoy each day.

Janni, I won't forget the day I quit too... exit interview? Want to know what I think? How can we improve the program? OK, you got it....  

Cheryl, temporary tattoos? I got some real ones...

Pierre, get well soon, and get back on the road!

Mike, are you paranoid about the Mississippi river?  Maybe we can meet 1/2 way, on a steamboat.

I spent the day wrapping things up around here, and donating my lil' 2000 Saturn with 138,000 miles definitely has me leaving with at least one good memory! The teenage girls this ministry helps were so excited they all ran out to see, because one of them is going to get my car when they graduate!   I spent years working with the mentally ill in a non profit, and mostly all I got in return for good deeds was narcissistic entitlement, but this morning, I got real, genuine gratitude and joy! The minister and everyone  assured me I really made a difference, and were just so happy! Finally!

Cool!
Safe travels and stay safe!

Comstock is walking distance to Costco, which can be dangerous. We once stayed there to get our Costco-bought tires rotated for free. Of course we bought more at Costco, so it was not so "free".  If I remember right it was a good campground.  

Both US50 and I-80 have some good grades, so you will get some mountain driving experience getting there.  Remember that Amazon is close by if you find you need to make some money next fall.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Tuesday 30th of April 2013 09:22:15 AM

Congratulations to you. DW and I retired just about a year ago, now we work when we want to and travel when we want to. Best year of our 43 years together.

May your endeavors live up to your expectations. Happy dance time.

You have worked so hard for this time in your life. CONGRATULATIONS and many safe, happy miles ahead! How exciting!! Wishing you all the very best!

Bad news... both tires on the drivers side of the trailer blew out on the freeway, it started fishtailing, and the SUV went over a retaining wall, and took some damage. The trailer is OK, just a few minor dings, and I am 100% A-OK, physically and emotionally. But I fear the insurance will declare the SUV totaled, so I am back where I started. Feel kinda dumb, but the highway patrol and tow truck drivers assured me I didn't do bad controlling an uncontrollable situation. I even checked all the tires before I left, it was a construction zone, so maybe there was something small and deadly sharp. I gotta see what the insurance declares, but I am already setting plans to pick up where I left off. I'll keep y'all posted.

Glad you're okay Jane! What a terrible way to start off, but at least you're alright. Lets hope the insurance company comes through for you!

Well that little fleetwood is a nice coach.....it would open up your options on boondocking and save on fee's because you can just pull over ...you can transfer your solar over.....you will have basement storage......Generator......Larger water storage and waste capacity and judging from your last posts an increase in gas milage!! not to mention it will handle alot better than towing a TT

for a Class A , Its the right size for fitting in alot of state/national/COE parks that have short lenth limits

if you are flea marketing , I use mine as my booth....just put the awning out , set up my tables and equipment and I'm ready!!!!

Tag a bike on the back or small scooter and you have simple transportation......add a tow bar and a small car or pick-up, I tow a small Ranger with a cap for added storage ......



But most of all look over all you want to do and weigh it out ,they each have there trade-offs......you will make the choice and do well!!!

Hope to see you out there..!!!!!

But remember I Dont cross the Mississipppi.......To much to do over here, I like the scenery Better, more markets,alot cooler in the summer........and most of all ...My Mom and my doctor said I cant cross that street!!!!

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Wednesday 1st of May 2013 07:55:05 AM

Looking at the SUV, looks like one of the back tires blew too, so that was 3 tires out all at once. But I must say, the Ford Excursion is a very safe vehicle, the air bags didn't even deploy, and I didn't get hurt.

This is crazy, but during all the fishtailing, the spice bottles flew out, and one is now wedged under the slideout! Stuck in there solid, haven't been able to pull it out! This AM, I'm clearing the junk out of the dinette, and let's see what happens if I try to put the slide out, or, I may wait for a professional. But for now, the slide is stuck in, so my living space is greatly reduced.

There is a cute little 1996 26' Fleetwood Fiesta Class A here, with only 14,000 miles. I'm thinking, with no tow vehicle, and the strong likelihood of the Excursion being totaled, I might trade the trailer and some cash for that. Might be safer and easier to drive in the long run too!

So glad you are alright and moving on to plan B. You go girl!

So sorry to hear about your misfortunes.  Iam so glad to hear that you are OK.  That is the most important.  Things can be replaced.   We are well versed in blow-outs.  Seems like that is a rite of passage in this RV life.  So many people on their maiden voyage seem to get them.  We did and rode a few miles before we realized the pop we heard was coming from us.  I was wondering why no one was flagging us to tell us that we had a blow-out.  It was on the passenger side one of the dual tires in the back.  Tht is when we realized our tires were 11 years old.  Now, with all new tires, there is still no guarantee we won't have ablow-out but we can rest a little easier knowing that they will carry our weight and are safer.

Well, the slideout on the trailer is fine, some minor dings that the insurance will cover.

Mike, you are exactly right, my plan exactly, and the Fleetwood Fiesta is a 2004, not a 1996. I've already got the deal worked out for it; I went to clear the stuff out of my truck, and my non-professional opinion is, totaled. So, they should give me a check for around $10,000. The dealer where I am parked says, they can take a $5,600 down payment on the Fiesta, the trade in on my trailer (which they are also doing the repairs for) and roll over some into the loan I have for the trailer. I should be able to get back on the road maybe in 2 weeks.

Mark, I was doing about 50-55, being a slow poke ol' lady, so I wasn't speeding. Like the tow truck drivers said, once that trailer started swinging, it started steering the truck, not the truck steering the trailer, and there was no stopping it.  Being stuck in California for another month isn't so bad; the people here in Sonoma county are nice, the food is good, and the scenery fabulous, it's just the regulations and the taxes. Here is a link to where I have been hanging out here in NorCal. Nice place to visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHLCECJPP1w

Pieere: The insurance lady is all about "investigating" and she is very curious about the tires, and wants the adjusters to give them a good look. So, if there has been a recall, I'll bet State Farm will be all over it.

I have to send the insurance lady some pics of the accident, so perhaps I will throw my pride to the wind, and post them for you guys. It really was quite spectacular, backed traffic up for miles, for almost 2 hours, and the insurance lady even found some of the pictures people were snapping on the internet already! It all may work out for the best in the end, I think the lil' Class A might be an easier and more versatile rig in a lot of ways.

Here is a roadside video of the end result. The mighty Ford Excursion managed to climb the wall instead of crashing. Good truck, I came out without a scratch and no whiplash. http://youtu.be/C4jlk-I5k6M 

Hey Pieere, as a matter of fact, I do say my prayers a lot... off the RV topic, and verging a little into forbidden territory, after 20 years of working with the mentally ill, I have become a believer that the "demonic" does exist, and have discovered that prayer actually does work to counter act it (and you don't necessarily need to ascribe to a certain religion) The patients I worked with were not happy I was leaving, and unfortunately, I was a favorite, and they may have actually sent some of their "voices" and "invisible friends" to stop me from leaving.  So yeah, I knew the drill, and I was prepared and praying. So do I now sound like a crazy person?

The Class A deal is pretty well set, just waiting for the verdict from State Farm as to whether the truck was totaled (but I am sure it is). I like the Fiesta lay out, it doesn't have a slide, the dinnette is a little smaller, bedroom a different configuration, but I'll make it work. In some ways, it has more room, in others, less. The big question is, where to put my birds? Right now, I have the canary and finch's cage arranged so they can be at the window looking out all day, which they LOVE.

Get out of Tennessee for sure, and meet up with everyone!

Jane, as always, Jack gives great advice. To tag onto that... In the commercial world if you blow out the sidewall of a tire, the warranty is void. The reason is: blowing out the sidewall is a strong indication that the tire was run under inflated. When under-inflated, the sidewall flexes much more, generating heat that leads to failure. If this was the case, it is highly likely that a tire monitoring system could have warned you, ultimately preventing the failure. My Smart came with tire monitoring and, although I cuss it for activating the warning system (DW griping that the tires are low) I must admit that I check the tires more often to prevent activation of said system. I will install one on my big truck and trailer before going on the road. I would prefer to have one that monitors both temp and pressure. Which brings me to my next point... get an infrared thermometer and use it to monitor the temperature of your tires and bearings. It has been said that bearing failure can be nearly eliminated by monitoring the temperature. Shoot them anytime you stop. If you notice the temps running a little high, it is an indication that something has changed and may need attention. Incidentally, bearings running at high temp can cause the wheel to heat up leading to tire failure. An ounce of identification will save a pound of repairs.

Where our units may sit for a month or more at a time I would think we probably ignore our running gear more than we should. In the commercial world, we inspect our vehicles frequently. It is a good practice for all of us with heavy RVs to inspect before taking off, (use a modified commercial checklist, maybe even include items specific to your unit like "check bicycle tie-downs") and then pull over and give it the once over after 30 minutes to an hour to make sure things are happy and safe. Check the temps of the bearings and tires, look for oil leaks, give the rig a good visual. Don't be OCD, just be safe.

Jane,

So sorry about your accident. I had only read your original post and did not see below until my comment came up (duh!). Hopefully everything will work out and you can get back to traveling soon. Glad to hear you are OK. We will keep raying that everything works out!

Les

 

Jane,

One of my sons was driving his fancy, loaded to the max truck when he was broadsided and was hit so hard it knocked the truck off its rear axel. My son was fine but his insurance company insisted the frame wasn't bent & would do $17,000 in repairs, it was an almost new $65,000 truck. He has a legal service that they subscribed to and called them. His insurance company was State Farm as it was the driver who caused the accident. State Farm was refusing to total his truck but he was politely persistent citing diminished value. Because of the accident the value he could sell it for even after repairs was way down.The attorney told him about "diminished value" which you are entitled to value before the accident. Not sure if this link as I am on iPad will work but hope you don't settle for less than you're entitled to.

http://www.autoloss.com/Services/Online-Auto-Appraisals/Diminished-Value-The-biggest-secret-in-the-insurance-industry.html#.UYRNv8u9KK0

Good luck,

Sherry

Edit by moderator: Activated link.  Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Friday 3rd of May 2013 06:45:22 PM