Some pics from SoCal Merry Christmas Everyone!

Kiehl plays the Banjo

Introduction to Picklebal

Geocaching with family!

Theresa's sister Mary Jean and our grand nephew Ryder!

Kiehl explains the Xmas pickle, revolving sushi

Planning & partying in the RV

Dec 17 – Port of Call & Waterworks

The park near Phoenix was very lively and had lots of amenities that would have been nice to enjoy if the stay had been a bit longer. Theresa had an early AM call but was done by 7am so the last days drive could get underway. Hooking up the Toad took a few tries to get it to register with the break buddy that sends braking instructions between the Smitanic and the tow vehicle. This was followed by the tow bars failing to lock into place as Theresa crept the RV out of the spot. This did not go as smooth as it could have (according to Kevin).

By 8:30 MT the rig was entering I-10 west to their CA destination of Hemet. There was not much traffic but some construction narrowed the lanes and reduce speeds down to 55mph, but this was not an issue as Theresa knows now how to manage the space by checking both mirrors and monitoring the toad in the rear camera. As she drove the first >100 miles Kevin received a call from yet another Medicaid person asking the same questions to get help for his sister, Torreen. The call was completed just in time for Kevin to help guide Theresa into a Pilot Gas station truck stall to top off the 150 gal tank.

Kevin took the helm to make the grand entrance into CA and Pacific Time. Yeahhhh. Kevin noticed the exit 1 of AZ was for Ehrenberger / Parker... whoa that was special, since it remind him of two special roommates in college Bob Ehrenberger and Dave Parker. They were inseparable and generally referred to as the Parkerbergers.

Theresa had another call for work in the afternoon while going down the road. Fortunately the 4G mifi was cooperating at that moment and got her thru the 30 min meeting with out too much disaster.

By noon the Smitanic had entered into civilization with much heavier and aggressive traffic. Off I-10 the route took the team south down a long decent into Hemet, Kevin had to use the engine brake to slow the vessel without buring up the brakes. The designated park site the vessel was directed to was very close to the doggie walk and had much needed afternoon shade as the temp for the day was hovering the 90 degree mark! The usual hook ups were performed and additionally stowed items that had been well packed in the basement were extracted for the longer stay and delivery to family. Theresa did the H2O hook up and struggled with a leak in the fresh water, but after 2 tries got it to stop.   She then noticed that the green hose used for the flush out of the Holding tank was not connected. She asked Kevin if he wanted this connected and with his positive response she took care of that. Kevin shouted out the window to make sure the stop valve on the green hose closed, funny Theresa does not recall this warning. The green hose is attached to an internal sprayer that helps to flush out the Holding tank and is only turned on during the activity of dumping the holding tank (the nasty stuff). With a faucet on inside the coach (to vent any air coming in thru the newly attached water lines (we now know that is a requirement from the dishwasher blowout at home), Theresa turned on the water and the agua flowed.

 After a clean up shower and into some cooler attire the couple drove the whopping 2 blocks to Theresa's Mom's house. Much anticipated hugs and greetings were exchanged as we all settled in for a nice visit and some delicious chilli and Xmas cookies. Theresa's sister, Dorothy, called to let us know she was on her way as well to join us. In true Dorothy style the plans for the rest of the week as well as each day of Xmas week was reviewed and organized (her attempt at herding the Blaisdell cats). All subject to change of course. Upon the return to the RV (about 5 hours), Theresa took Zin to the dog walk and Kevin entered the RV to discover water on the floor near the bathroom. He entered the bathroom and tried to flush the toilet and it spewed back up in his face … nasty. Then the overflow quickly covered the floor in the bathroom and soaked in the carpet under the dinning area. Kevin quickly turned off the water to the coach and discovered that the green line to the holding rinse out was slightly on and filled the tank to the brim causing the overflow! To assess the extent of the leak Kevin pulled out containers from the basement under the bath area to discover some water on top of containers and some soggy areas of the basement carpet. The team mopped up the water as best they could and wiped everything down with Clorox. Thank goodness that Kevin emptied the holding tank on their arrival so it was empty when the overflow occurred. The basement items were left out for the night so it could dry out and a fan was put on the dining carpet to dry out for the night. Exhausted from an early morning, long drive, the excitement of a long awaited visit and the RV surprise they were in bed before 9pm! The title for this blog might actually be SHIT HAPPENS. Now you understand why this post is a bit off schedule :)

FYI, Posts thru the Holidays will be as things happen so no commitment to a daily update but the plan is to keep the updates and the banter coming! Tomorrow the two longing parents will finally make there way into the heart of LA for a much anticipated day/evening with Kiehl and Madison. The plan is to spend as much time as schedules and LA traffic will allow with them during the extended stay in the area.

Dec 16th – Technology Hell!

It was an early start to the day as both Kevin and Theresa had early meetings at the same time that required reliable power, internet and phone connections. Connectivity has been spotty on this trip with various alternatives that have been tried in the last few weeks. Campgrounds generally have some access to wifi with a code you enter. The reliability varies depending on how far you are from the router and how many folks are using the same access to download, check email, facebook, or use the web for video. The second level of wifi is to use a 4g Verizon Mifi that Theresa got from her employer to use on the trip. This was very generous, but has not been very reliable for more than one device and frequently drops the connection without warning (typically in the middle of a emeeting with screen share). The last resource is a Verizon 3G mifi that has been tried and true for many trips in the past few years but on this trip it has had trouble with emeetings as well as Google Hangouts. Last Monday Theresa had a similar issue with emeetings and connectivity, she is wandering if this is a Monday thing or something with Verizon. Back to the day as it unfolds...., Kevin is up early ready for his early calls on his new assignments for Asponte Technologies (same Co as Theresa). Theresa is soon to follow and starts the day by preparing some coffee, toast and yogurt. She happened to have the toaster, coffee pot and microwave on at the same time that the furnace kicked in and then yes … you guessed it …. everything quit! Kevin scurried about the RV checking the plugs for a GFI (while cursing at the timing). Theresa quickly pulled out the 12 inch – 25lb file of manuals for the RV systems. She was able to page thru the Owners manual to the Electrical Systems section and began to read about the GFI locations as well as the fuses and circuits. The circuit breakers were located adjacent to the battery compartment, so the team marched outside in the dark (this was before 7am) with a flashlight in hand determined to find the failing power point. Admittedly Kevin was heard to say he was 'ready to give up and go home if something else was broken on the $%*#@*%& RV!' Thank goodness the circuit breaker was easily identified and one of the 3 breakers had been thrown off. A simple flip to the ON position was all it took to restore full power to the coach. Both Kevin and Theresa thought Ron Clayton would be proud that RFM (Reading the Frecking Manual) did indeed work in this particular situation! With all power resumed, Theresa was careful to use no more than 2 kitchen appliances at once to avoid further outages. As the meeting times approached Kevin attached the PC to the campground wifi and the MAC to the 4g mifi. Theresa connected her MAC to the campground first as it had proved fairly reliable the previous night. The meetings began and so did the challenges. Theresa not only had the emeeting crash several times but also had a very poor connection on the phone line as well (not related to her issues, thank goodness). She ended up connecting to the 3g Mifi to finish out her meeting. Several other meetings were unsuccessful due to connectivity so it was time to give up for the day and go for a stress relief walk. Figuring out a reliable connection will be top priority when we get settled into a campsite in CA. On another front Kevin had a very positive discussion with a person from Medicaid to get his sister on several waiting list for some much needed assistance. Exhausted from the frustrations of the day, Zin was taken for a much needed walk and then the couple made several calls to family to inform them of the days accomplishments and the next days plans. Tomorrow is our arrival in CA! Only 280 miles left! Reservations have been made at an RV Resort (they call them resorts if they have a pool) 2 blocks from Theresa's Mom's place. This will be very convenient and we were able to get a discount on the camp fee with Passport America.

Dec 15th – Lows and Highs

An early start was planned for the day, so the alarm went off at 5:30am with the sun no where on the horizon and the temperature at 25 degrees. Theresa was first to try water and ut-oh only a drip then nothing... She turned the water pump on and was relieved to see a strong flow. This meant it was the external water source that was frozen and not any of the internal plumbing. Trying not too make too much racket the two unhooked the water lines to find solid ice in the diverter from the main water line as well as in the external filter. Those items were brought into the RV to thaw in the kitchen sink during the drive.

The effort for a quiet exit was deafened by the I-10 traffic noise, aircraft from the nearby airport and the rumble of a train on the north side of the freeway. Not sure way all RV parks get such prime real estate? A quick scrape of the frost from the Toad so it could be reattached to the RV and the exit was right as planned at 7AM.

The speed limit was reduced to 75mph in New Mexico with signs that warned of Rough roads and damaged guard rails. Really they have time to put up signs but not fix the issue, makes one wonder. The morning sun cast shadows on the edge of the road to give warning of a significant drop off to the shoulder, one that would cause severe havoc with a vehicle as large as the Smitanic as well as 18 wheelers who often passed by, sucking the RV into their draft and then would ricochet

The temps rose dramatically as the rig crested the Continental Divide and entered into Arizona. The cactus filled dessert was the baseline for rock formations that balance large boulders precariously on top of smaller ones. This made one wonder how long they have been and will remain that way.

With a quick lunch stop the destination just beyond Phoenix was reached before 2pm, nice! The Leaf Verde RV Resort was a whopping $34 (cheaper than any motel procured on the Steve Cope 2008 journey) and had full hook up, heated pool, dog walk and recycle! 

Theresa finally shed one layer as she finally had thawed out as the temps in Phoenix were north of 70 degrees! An escort guided the vessel to it's assigned dockage and within 15 min all systems were hooked up and functioning! Calls were made to meet up with the Lewellen's at an Islands restaurant 30 min away. While the two prepared for their reunion with their friends from Iowa days, a party in a near by site was just picking up. Elvis was bar tending with Jimmy Buffet 'margaritaville' playing in the back ground.

The reunion was truly a highlight of the day, reminiscing about past days and catching up on kids and all the latest adventures. We promised to hook up again on our return trip.

On one of the several trips to take Zin to the dog walk, 'full-timer' coaches decorated with some very elaborate Xmas decor were admired. They were really in the spirit in this Park!

Both Kevin and Theresa have early meetings tomorrow and need to follow up on maintenance on not only the RV but their other properties. So tomorrow is a no travel day.

RV issues list continues and includes:

• Satellite TV does not pick up a signal – currently troubleshooting the winegard satellite dish.
• Window Blind has broken loose and cannot be used

To top that there are 2 service calls on the properties in NC. One at a rental in Holly Springs for a Garage door issue and one on the Cary house for a leak in the dishwasher. The first is not that serious and the latter was caught in time so the hope is that there is not major damage.

Dec 14 – It's All About Kevin

 Rising relatively early to some frigid temp made for an early departure from Ft. Stockton, TX. The Toad had frost on the front windshield. As part of the departure steps the Smitanic was guided into position to top off the LP Gas. Several nights of low temps had the furnaces working thru the night resulting in the need for some additional Propane to ensure there was plenty for any additional cold nights. The planned route for the day would exit Texas, enter New Mexico as well as mountain time. This was like the Fall back experience that allows for an extra hour for the day.

Theresa drove first continuing on the I-10 Autobahn with little traffic nor major cities to navigate. Kevin took over at the gas stop and calculated the previous day's gas consumption at 5MPG. He attributed it to hills and headwinds. Theresa made contact with Mike and Terri Lewellen to see if they and the Smit's could catch up on days gone by once the Smitanic was near Phoenix Az area. Kevin and Mike worked together in the late 70's as computer programmers for IMT insurance in Des Moines, IA. Theresa also made contact with Tiffiny, Kevin's cousin, to see if they could also spend time with her in the Phoenix area.

The miles flew by and with an extra hour on the clock the goal of the Little Vineyard RV in Deming, NM was easily obtained. During check in Theresa got info on a local Winery, St Clair, which was a short drive down the road. The RV park was sparsely occupied which was a surprise for a $26 camp fee for 50 amp, full hook up including cable and indoor pool w/spa. The Smitanic was quickly installed into it's assigned slot, and the grill was retrieved from the 'basement' compartment for the evenings dinner plans.

The early arrival left plenty of time to make it to the winery, where the tasting soon turned into a party with Kevin as the center of attention. Theresa shared the Vivino app on her iPhone.  The Sommelier, Megan, had not seen the app before and was thrilled to see it. After a Major purchase that may or may not make it back to NC, it was back to the RV to make Dinner.

The attempt of grilling steaks and veggies on the grill was futile due to the declining temps as the Propane regulator froze up causing the flame to die. The evenings meal was transported inside to finish on the stove.

Tomorrows plan is to make it to the west side of Phoenix (about 360 miles) and stay thru Monday night. This will be our penultimate day of driving to reach our CA destination of Banning. Whoohoo!

Dec 12-13 – Blown Away ! & the best cafe in Texas.

One more day in San Antonio provided another opportunity to stroll on the River Walk as well as put in required time for meetings and emails for work. The RV park where the Smitanic had docked for several days was very well kept, spacious and a great port of call for the best location for enjoying all that San Antonio has to offer.

The day of departure from the campsite was performed meticulously wth Kevin performing sewer duty and Theresa tackling the electric and water. What a team! The destination for the day, Ft. Stockton, TX was 311 miles away and would take about 5 hours. The team work efficiently fo be on the road by 9AM. Kevin navigated out of the greater SA area with assistance from the CNO (Chief Navigational Officer), Theresa. As the rig slowly navigated beyond the sprawling metropolis of San Antonio the scenery transitioned into low trees rolling hills and flat beauts. The head winds picked up about half way into the trek causing Kevin to struggle to stay inside the lines as he headed down the Texas Autobahn (aka I-10) where the legal speed limit was 80mph! Cruise was set at 65, which was perfect for good gas mileage of 7mpg. After the 200 mile mark the flora was reduced to tumbleweed and cactus and the beauts where more extreme reminding Theresa of 'Close Encounters' of the pre-historic kind! Dinosaurs had to have walked here long before the 100 MGW Wind Mill farms where installed.

In the middle of absolutely no fxxxingwhere they made their exit to the Ft. Stockton RV park. This park boasted about the Roadrunner Cafe as the 'Best Cafe in Texas'. Since it was too windy to get the grill out for the team to use the grill for the planned evening meal the Cafe offered a viable solution. A local bottle of wine complimented the pork rib special with green beans and mashed potatoes. Yummm. Several other campers strolled in to fill the entire cafe with seating for 20ish. RVers love to share their stories of good campsites and repair whoas along with where to get the best service and the least expensive place to call home. Full timers and those just making their annual migration all enjoyed the specials of the night served by a pleasant single senior waitress and one cook in the back :)

With less than 1K miles left to LA there are only 3 + days of driving left. The next destination is some where near Deming, NM for a 345 mile day.

Dec 11 – City Lights

The River walk called us to it for a nice 4 mile stroll with Zin in the morning, then a few meetings in the afternoon and a call from our oldest son Kiehl helped top off the day.

After her noon meetings Theresa called to reserve a couple spots on a Segway tour of Downtown San Antonio. Last year we took Kiehl and Madz on a tour in Raleigh when they were visiting in NC. The group had so much fun and learned so much about Raleigh on that Segway tour that Kevin and Theresa made a pledge to always seek out other opportunities to do additional Seqway tours. Upon her call to make a reservation for this tour she learned that Kevin and Theresa would be the only ones so they got a private tour thru many of the historical and beautiful sites of the city including the Alamo, Old Hotels and Theaters, court houses, historic mansions and the downtown river walk. The temps dropped during the tour and the couple added layers to finish the 2.5hr tour. The Segways are so fun and easy to ride but after that length of time balancing them, both were not only chilled but tired. Upon returning the Segways to the shop they thanked their guide AJ and headed off to the River walk to find a good Texas Steak ! 

The two took time to stroll along the river walk a bit to loosen up the legs and scope out a good place for an early evening meal. There was nothing but restaurants lining the shore of both sides of the river walk with seating on the sidewalk and balconies that over looked the water edged that was lined with tall Cypress trees. They selected a Steak house that promised a heater on the baloney. The meal was consumed while the sun set and the strands of lights hanging in the trees illuminated both sides of the River Walk. All the restaurants were lit up and the tour boats even were hosting dinner cruises. This was an amazing city ! Kevin and Theresa will definitely make this a stop on the return trip.

See more pics on Facebook here 

Post by SegCity San Antonio.

Dec 10 – Great Balls of Fire!

It was up early for meeting today. Once daybreak broke there was this unfamiliar bright object in the sky attempting to radiate some warmth to the day with little progress as the temp outside only made it to the 50 degree mark before the Ball of fire began to set, giving way to a clear evening sky . The morning presented back to back meetings for both Kevin & Theresa. Theresa made some sandwiches for lunch. As she worked on that task Kevin noticed the front furnace had not ran for some time. This prompted him to begin a series of troubleshooting steps. He checked the thermostat, fuses and fan with no conclusions. With all the work that had been done on the Smitanic it was very worrisome that things may not have been installed correctly ( the thermostat was one of the items replaced prior to the trip). Kevin called 3 different mobile RV repair folks in the area and 2 were able to commit to stopping by tomorrow to take a look.

With the understanding that the furnace issue had been dealt with as much as possible the team elected to work on the next task, a trip to Walmart to get groceries for the week. As the couple approached the CRV they both commented on how it looked like a dirt-ball, it was covered with 1 inch think road grime and diesel exhaust that had been deposited on the Toad for the last 700 miles. This would require a detour on the way to the store for a much needed bath for the Toad. After a whopping $1.50 at the local hand held spray & wash the Toad was road worthy and at least 20 lbs lighter :). The CRV was now able to proudly park in the local Super Walmart while its occupants explored each isle the mega store offered. With shopping cart full the team and their almost clean CRV headed back to the Smitanic.

The light of day was waning so there was minimal time for a stroll with Zin down the River Walk. The campground is right next to an entrance to the famous walk. The walk provided a very serine and relaxing stroll. The walk presented rippling water over large boulders and wild birds (herrings, loons and ducks) enjoying their evening swim in the solitude the river provided. After 1 mile out it was time to reverse and see if the return trip could be accomplished before sunset!

Once back in the Smitanic Theresa assembled some of the new supplies for a delicious stir fry with rice dinner. As this was being prepared Kevin dialed in the Heat pump to see if it would supply heat for the night. Yes it worked. He then turned it off and the Furnace back on and low and behold it worked! If it works thru the night the service call can be cancelled :)

Tomorrow the team hopes to take in some of the other sites and history of this wonderful (but cold) city before leaving Friday AM. The CIA(Culinary Institute of America) is highly recommended as well as the holiday lights on the river walk downtown. Hopefully the temps will cooperate :)

Dec 9 – The Gauntlet

Aware that an early exit in the AM would only put the duo in the thick of Monday rush hour traffic, in Lake Charles followed by Noon Traffic in Houston, they took there time and enjoyed some free donut treats in the Camp-store. There was minimal prep as they only hooked up to the electric last night. They dialed in the day's destination of San Antonio, TX into the Magellan GPS. With Theresa in the Captains seat Kevin validated the turn signals and brake lights worked on the RV and Toad. He then guided Theresa as she slowly gently coxed the 18 ton Smitanic off its concrete pad and through a tight right then left turn, positioning the vessel perfectly into the middle of the exit route from the evenings port were they made there exit. The I-10 route would have them thru Houston around noon... The plan was to turn the controls over to Kevin before then as she did not have much 'big city' experience yet. Drizzle started about 30 min after the start as Theresa navigated thru the Lake Charles rough roads and heavier traffic than she has ever had to deal with in the rig.

Expletives were mumbled each time a truck or car would pull around and then jump in front of the rig forcing her to slow her course.
Kevin kept a keen eye and 'guided' her thru the tense situations until finally the smooth road and Texas prairies calmed the seas. She was anxious to turn over the helm to Kevin prior to Houston, but the planned exit did not pan out. As it became obvious that there was no good place to transition the helm from her to Kevin he announced “you get to take us though Houston”. No argument was provided as she focused on the safety cushion she was so delicately managing. With a firm grip on the wheel she continued thru winding 7 lane freeways with 18 wheelers on all sides as these machines worked to maintain an unrealistic 75MPH in the rain! Theresa elected to keep the more sane and agreed upon 65 mph for the Smitanic. She would rather have navigated more tunnels and bridges vs the intensity of this major city. Finally the 7 lanes went down to 6 , then 5 then 4 and finally back to 3 and the prairie land with horse ranches meant she had survived the gauntlet.

Kevin found an appropriate exit to refuel and change the guard. Theresa had accumulated 170 miles of the 350 total for the day... a new PR for her. Kevin commanded the RV back to I-10W thru a continual rain all the way into San Antonio. Theresa called the planned campground to reserve a spot for 4 days! The Traveler's World Carefree RV resort promised wifi, full hook ups and a Good Sams Club discount. The reservation representative also instructed the team in the Smitanic not to follow the GPS into the campground but to be sure to follow the directions from the RV campground website. Those directions took them past lots of shopping malls and then into some rather run down areas and over the River to see the legendary River walk and one of the Historical Missions. The crew of the Smitanic were pleasantly surprised to find a very well kept and fully equipt park with streets named after makers of Rvs. Names like Allegro Circle, Winnabago Drive, Airstream Drive and Good Sam Highway. The attendant who check them in listed so many fun things to do here it will be a challenge to get some of the attractions incorporated into the teams work schedule... but how often do they get to San Antonio?

After getting the Full hook up connected including Cable TV, Theresa began to prepare some erky-lerky with Shrimp, pasta and some veggies … Yum!. Kevin and Theresa will be here thru Friday, working and planning for the rest of their westerly trek.

Dec 8 – Rain, Rain, go away!

The relaxing evening on Dec 7^th was interrupted late in the evening with the roar of stock car racing at the adjacent campground. Immediately Kevin harkened back to his youth when he and Buryl Roe would visit the Knoxville, IA fairgrounds Sprint car races. He and Mr. Roe would visit the Pits rather than sit in the grandstands.

The Pits provided a more personal view of the work being done on each car prior to and after each qualifying heat before the main event. The smell of specially blended fuel mixes would fill their nostrils and make the head spin. (This was long before anyone would sniff glue or spray paint). Amazing how things like this late evening unexpected dirt track racing noise would bring back such fond memories. Theresa did not have the same fond memory experience to draw from so to her the sound was simply annoying. If only she and Kevin and Mr. Roe had met earlier in life she too would have had a wonderful recollection rather than an annoyed response to the sound of loud cars going fast in a circle on a dirt track (but then again maybe not). The memory for Kevin and the annoyance for Theresa ended early as the racing stopped around 9PM.

With full hook up at the loud campsite the couple was thankful they could shower and charge up all their electronic devices. There was no wifi and the Verizon mifis had very poor connections so they were lucky to get the Blog post out that evening.

The next morning Theresa was up early as her internal clock had not adjusted to the new time zone. Kevin was not far behind, so they started to prepare for the departure.



Theresa had scoped out 2 potential RV campgrounds near Lake Charles, LA about 350 miles away. After they hooked up the Toad and paid the Camping fee Theresa entered the days destination address in the GPS and they were ready to roll.

I-10 lay before them with Sunday 'lite' traffic and some threat of rain and some variable fog.


Theresa was at the helm first as she navigated thru Mobile, AL over bridges and to her surprise a tunnel under the bay.

Yikes! This was 'white knuckle' time for her as she had to slow the 18 ton (when empty) Smitanic. Thank goodness it was a short down then up the other side to see daylight.

Kevin took over after a stop for gas. He walk Theresa thru pumping gas with all the additional options (DEF, REF, Trailer…) the truckers have at their pumps.

Kevin drove the the remainder miles thru 3 states with off and on rain most of the way. They were surprised to see that there was a town named Iowa, LA! The scenery was mostly swamps with over passes and bridges elevated over the water.

They crossed the Mississippi after New Orleans and descended into yet more swamp land. They arrived at the planned destination only to be greeted by puddles from the day's rain. They were happy to find that the sites were fully paved.

They were also informed about the donuts and hot chocolate in the camp-store as well as the pet park for Zin to visit. Theresa acted as the pilot boat and guided Kevin thru the various narrow turns, thru deep puddles and navigational features of other parked cars, campers, and trucks and glided the Smitanic into Lucky site 13. Upon proper deployment of jacks, slide-outs, and full 50 amp hook up the couple uncorked a bottle for a celebratory beverage.

The couple will spend the night catching up with the Blog, email and planning for tomorrows trip. They hope to find a RV campground near San Antonio, TX and hunker down for a few days of working and exploring that area (maybe the rain will pass as well).