The Joys of Life, HA!

The Joys of Life, HA!

    So thought I'd catch everyone up on the continuing saga of trying to get the RV fixed. This all started back in August. We bought the RV beginning of June and all seemed well except the radio unit in the cab didn't work. Scott RV was to get us a replacement, of course, that particular radio was on backorder, seems we weren't the only unit that had a bad radio. Sometime end in July beginning of August, odd things started happening. The dome light in the cab would come on for no apparent reason, there would be a clicking noise in the cab and one of the messages would appear in the dash: passenger door open, the mileage reading would light up, and the electric locks would reset. These things happened randomly without any reason or rhyme. I keep saying I do believe we have a poltergeist living with us. We tried different things trying to puzzle it out to no avail. We made an appointment with Scott's, (and we all know what it is like getting a service appointment anywhere.) Just so happened the radio finally came in so, oh good, we can have both things taken care at the same time. Yeah No. This is now end of August, beginning of September. So we explain all the weirdnesses and everyone just kind of shakes their head with same puzzled expression. They figure let's install the new radio but for the odd electrical problem the unit will have to be taken to a Certified Chevy Service Center. Oh goody! You see the RV is actually two parts, the coach (Living Space) is under Forest River, Coachmen and the cab/chassis is GM/Chevy. Depending on were the problem is determines where you take it for service. Good Grief!

     Anyway, Scotts starts to replace radio and while this is taking place they notice a burning rubber smell and yes, smoke in the passenger door. YIKES! They open up the door panel to discover one of the wiring harnesses is melting. That doesn't sound right at all! They disconnect it tape it up and now we have to find somewhere to take it. Should be easy right, lots of GM/Chevy Service Centers in the Central Jersey. Well, that's true but very few are able to handle a 30' RV, and remember this is still under warranty so have to go to a Certified Dealership not just any where, After numerous calls to many dealerships, and including calls to Chevy customer service, we finally find Circle Chevy in Shrewsbury to be willing to check it out. Ah yes, let's see when they can fit us in. This brings us to Mid September, now mind you we are scheduled to head out beginning of October, yep we're cutting it close but hey still plenty of time to get it taken care of and we are willing to push back our travels.      Oh let me back up a minute and go back to my losing it at Scotts. You see after they took care of taping up the wiring harness, they proceed to install the new radio. All's well they tell us, all done. We get in the cab and start it up, turn on the radio to check things out and what do we discover No Sound? WHAT?? Just at that moment the service tech comes by and asks Every thing okay? I flashed him a look (yes, to anyone who knows me, That Look) and say. UMM No, the radio isn't working. Oh, yeah, he says, you won't have any sound do to the wiring issue. WHAT? And you didn't think to tell us this?? Rather an important piece of information isn't it? I was not a happy camper. Not because we had no sound but that no one told us and were just going to let us drive off, I guess figuring we wouldn't noticed. Mind you this is after the aggravation of the whole nonsense. Moving on.

     So off to Circle Chevy we go. They open things up and yep, bad wiring harness and it looks like it was installed incorrectly so the wiring was rubbing on the metal door aperture. Meaning each time the door handle was engaged it rubbed a bit more of the plastic off the wires until they shorted out. Oh goody that's just wonderful. No problem, they will replace the harness and rerun the wiring correctly. Sounds easy enough, right. Well, wiring harnesses aren't a part service centers usually have on hand so one will have to be ordered, they can get it the next day, Oh good we can bring it back in the morning and all will be well. Not so fast, Who remembers what happened in the world of GM on September 15? Any guesses? The Great GM Strike, with that all ordering has to be put on hold until???? REALLY??? Our only choices: Leave the RV at the dealership until the end of the strike; Have them disconnect those wires and bring it back when the part comes in. Well obviously, we can't leave it We live in it. So it has to be the second choice. When will they get the part? That is a good question because at this point there is no indication that the strike will be over any time soon. So here is what is decided: They go ahead and order the part, we head out as planned, with the knowledge based on what Circle Chevy tells us that when the part comes in they will ship it to whichever Service Center we can find in whatever area we are in. Ok this sounds like a good plan, the only things affected by the missing part is the speakers, which means no radio(no big deal there), no sound from signals, passenger door lock has to be set manually, and being it has power windows, we can't put down the passenger window. No Problem, we can live with this. So off we go a merrily.

    It is now November, we get the notice the part is in. Great, we will be spending time with family so perfect time to get it fixed. We put in a call to Circle Chevy to see how this can be arranged and also start trying to find a dealership in the area that can take care of it. We wait, and wait, and wait for a call back from either end. ELEVEN DAYS go by after repeated calls to the service tech at Circle Chevy and the Service Manager there. Finally, we get a call back, umm well, umm, we were wrong, that part can't be shipped without some blah blah blah blah. WHAT man it is a good thing we weren't standing in front of him and Paul was the one talking to the guy cause I am ready to flip out. And we never did hear from any of the service center in NC that we called. Not Good. Yeah well you have to go take it in to the service center, they have to write up a blah blah blah blah. Okay, so we decide to move on and take care of this in Florida where we will be for the month of January through February.

    Fast Forward, We are in Florida, we find a dealership, we take it in, no problem, we will order the part, and let you know when it comes in. An hour later, umm, we can't get the part because, blah, blah,blah but Roger Dean Chevy in West Palm Beach has the part in stock. Okay, so we make an appointment there, which means having to leaving the campground we are in and find one near the dealership because you have to be there 7:30 in the morning. Found a nice place, John Prince Park and Campground in Lantana, Fl. (more on that in later post.) Take it in and um, oh, no, we don't, have that part here, WHAT??? We'll order it. HA! Like we haven't heard that before. Again, oh we can't get that part because, Some asinine reason that makes no sense each and every time we hear it. Paul calls GM/Chevy Customer Service and even they can't figure out what is going on but Finally someone is willing to help us out. Manny, at customer service somehow cuts through all the bullshit and gets the wiring harness to Roger Dean's. Let me say, while all this has been and continues to be a total fiasco, we couldn't have found a better dealership/service center to have the work done. Kelly, the Service Manager is great, patience, understanding and has gone out of her way to help us. The tech guy, Phil, knows his stuff and is putting in the time.

     Okay so, Wiring Harness arrives, Phil puts it in, and UH OH, umm there seems to be another issue. The harness starts heating up as soon as connected. So now they have to trance the wiring back and around to find the cause. As they do this they find singed wiring under the mat of the passenger seat. And they continue to rip things out. Yep, looks like we will be here for a while! After many hours, they trance it back to the source (We hope). And now, before all you start saying yep, shouldn't have gotten a Chevy, and believe me, we were both on that bandwagon for a while. NOPE Not Chevy's fault. What was found? Some blooming idiot in the installation of the RV to the Chassis, while it appears having installed the wiring for the backup camera, when replacing the kickpanel on the driver's side just in front of the door, Finding he couldn't get it to fit right. Instead of replacing a damaged clipped, drove a screw through the panel right into that wiring harness!!! and, and painted the screw black so it wouldn't be notice! OMG! You can't make it up!

    So now, another wiring harness has to be ordered, and we are still here. Mind you, we find a comfortable hotel a mile away in which to spend the time. But let's face it, we are in West Palm Beach, they don't come cheap.

      Oh and now, it's not a Chevy warranty issue, so Kelly, wonderful person that she is, has to contact Forest River for approval to pay for this. I am so glad to have her on our side. Okay, so brace yourself, here comes Plot Twist number, umm I've lost count. Because we didn't take it to a Certified Forest River Dealership, they won't directly pay Roger Dean. This means we have to shell out the money and then fight for reimbursement. Goody, And funny note, they ask us at the Chevy dealer how do we want to proceed. HA Like we have any bloody choice, they have our home, with the cab seats, mat and wiring torn apart. What like we can say oh no thank you we'll take it home now?? I know, I know, they have to ask and get our approval to proceed, but Really?!?!

     So here we are yet another day, waiting “patiently?!?” while the new harness is install and all the wiring etc is put back together and here's the biggie, Fingers Crossed, that all is then well. YE GADS

Hopefully, by tomorrow, we will be back on the road. Totally crazy!!

Lake Okeechobee

January 9 - 14, 2020

Leaving Tomoka State Park we headed towards central Florida and Lake Okeechobee to stay at Summer Breeze. This was mostly a stopping point to our destination of the Everglades. The campground (well, if to call it that), is not really worth mentioning much. It has recently been under new management and isn't sure what it wants to be. What it has been is a 55+ Mobile Home Community, that has mostly seen better days. One quickly can tell,it has been around since probably the seventies, originally maybe even longer. It appears as the more permanent trailers are removed the sites become used for RVs, some traveling such as us and spending a month or less, though mostly seasonal stays. The people are friendly, and I would be interested in seeing where the new owners take it.

The highlight of the area is Lake Okeechobee itself. Known as Florida's inland sea, it is a vast freshwater lake over 730 square miles, it is among the largest freshwater lakes in the US. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti, an extinct tribe related to the Seminoles; Oki (water) and Chubi (big). Having man-made canals one can travel from the Atlantic to the Gulf traversing the lake in the midpoint. There is a 110 miles pathway atop the dike that surrounds the lake perfect for hiking and biking known as the LOST Trail ( Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail) with several mostly primitive camping areas. The wildlife is abundant and it is a birdwatchers paradise.

With this natural wonder right across the street from the campground, naturally, this is where we spent most of our time. Lots of walking and biking got done while we were there. We saw so many different birds, including Wood Storks, White Ibis, Pelicans, Anhinga, Herons,Limpkins; and yes, we even saw several Alligators.

As the wildlife was the high point of this spot, I will leave you with less words and lots of photos.

Till our next spot!

Dexter under the full moon!

Waiting for the fishing boat.

Anhinga drying it's wings

Osprey

Anhinga and Great Blue Heron in the trees

A Limpkin

Cattle Egret getting a ride

Pretty Little Yellow Flowers

Two Vultures just hanging out. 

Heron hiding in the grass

Great Blue Heron

Bike ride sighting

A Community of Birds

Pelicans and Wood Storks

Wood Storks

Red Shouldered Hawk

Some type of small duck

Green Heron

Kildeer

OOPS!! I think they missed

Why you may want to reconsider a place on the water!

Look He's Smiling!!

This last photo is of a Ball Moss. It is of the Bromeliaceae family like Spanish Moss and Air Plants. Having fine hairs that can adhere to anything including as in this case Electrical Wires!

Tomoka State Park, Florida

Jan 2 - 9, 2020 Happy New Year!

Leaving the Swamp, we made for sunny Florida, our destination: Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach. Yes, definitely a bit of contrast; Sabal or Cabbage Palms all around, mixed with Saw Palmetto. The Sabal Palm is the state tree of Florida. Also found there, are Southern Live Oaks, those iconic trees of the south, interesting for many reasons, one being while they are Oaks in the deciduous family, they are evergreens. They also play host to Spanish Moss and Resurrection Fern.

 Interesting tidbit: The naval vessel U.S.S. Constitution got its nickname “Old Ironsides” due to surviving repeated cannon fire, the wood it was built from: Southern Live Oak.

The park, rich in history, is atop what is known as a prehistoric midden, a mound of shells and/or refuge indicating the existence of humans in that area. Tomoka gets its name from the Timucuan Indians, who lived in the village of Nocoroco during the 14^th century. The Tomoka Point has a large statue of Chief Tomokie, who appears to be more legend than truth. There have been discovered several burial mounds in areas of the park and work has been and is being done to protect them.

The 1700's, found Richard Oswald, notable for his participation in the peace negotiations during the American Revolution residing there. Having been given the land by the British government, he turned the area into an Indigo Plantation, Mount Oswald. This was short lived and at the end of British rule the plantation was abandoned. You can still find the plants though the plantation, itself, long gone.

Another interesting feature of the park, is Helicopter Island. This is a man made island that, yes, at one time was used for landing helicopters.

And, of course there's a small cemetery plot, seems everywhere we stay we find one. This one belongs to John Addison. John Addison first acquired the land now known as the Addison Blockhouse, in 1807 from John Moultrie and named the cotton plantation “Carrickfergus” after his birthplace in Ireland. He died in 1825 and was buried on his plantation by his brother, Thomas Addison.

The campground is laid out well with roomy, sandy sites. The area and the bathhouses were well maintained with easy to navigate roadways. There were two sites occupied and mark Camp Hosts but we saw hide nor hair of them. Funny, how different our experiences with Camp Hosts, they have been either friendly, outgoing, helpful people as at Fairy Stone and Cunningham Falls: or as here and at Don Carter, well, seems the only way to speak to them would be to go knock on their door and hope they answer. Once or twice a day I did see someone walk around with a clipboard but they certainly did not go out of they way to greet you. I guess there's no set expectations for Camp Hosting, will have to look into that more when we slow down our traveling and consider giving it a try ourselves.

The Park Rangers were all very friendly and helpful. I do want to give special mention to Ranger Scott, he was a wealth of information and so willing to share. He would answer our questions about the area and always give us more, including where to see certain birds, the Indian Mounds, and suggestions for exploring. Thank you sir, you are a credit to the Park System.

Not a lot of amenities right at the campground but the park contains several playground/picnic areas and is a paradise for fishing, boating, and bird watching. It also has an outside concession area that has canoe and kayak rentals at ridiculously high rates (obviously, we didn't partake!) and runs the Camp Store. Hard packed sand and several hiking/biking trails certainly made us happy.

Next stop on our journey: Lake Okeechobee