Chapter 29...Some days you should remain in bed...

Sunday...Your sleeping Captain was awakened by a beautiful wife and three puppies moving about the RV at 6 AM.  We had agreed last evening to get an early start so that we could...

1.) Meet Darin for our Aqua-Hot repair and 

2.) Get to Camp Decatur (American Coach HQ) early in order to secure a good spot to stay until our Beast is attended to.  

You know how some days are diamonds and some days are rust??  This day had a good shot at diamondhood, but deteriorated rapidly.  

First, there is the matter of gravity.  In order to empty our holding tanks, we utilize the ever present forces of gravity wherein the contents of our tanks move DOWNHILL through a slinky-like hose into a sewer drain.  At Timber Ridge RV RESORT (at least on Lot #33) the planning geniuses decided to place the sewer drain at the highest point on the lot.   (I presume they have a hidden camera to capture the hilarity which must ensue when the hurried camper attempts to make poop run uphill.  I bet they spend the winter off-season reviewing the film.  I suspect they laugh and laugh...)  

...the "slinky"...works with gravity...not against it...

Your experienced Captain did not fall for this prank, choosing instead to empty his holding tanks into the side window of the RESORT's office.  (Not really, but that would have been poetic justice...I'm jes sayin...)

Tanks emptied into an appropriate, albeit inconvenient, location we were underway by 7 AM.  The trip began smoothly enough, until a giant buck leaped (leapt??) in front of the Beast.  A quick blast from our previously mighty and intimidating air horns resulted in an anemic "toot" which I swear caused the deer to stop and snicker at your intrepid Captain...

...these (when working) can wake your ancestors...

Moving on...

As the day warmed up, and the sun shone into the giant magnifying glass of our windshield, the Captain turned on the dash air conditioner which generally puts out air at below zero temperatures.  Not today.  It too has joined the growing legions of mutinous systems and creature comforts who are in cahoots to tick off your serene Captain...

Note that this portion of the trip is solely to allow for the following items on the Beast to be corrected:

As of now the list includes:

3 Roof top A/C units

1 Dashboard A/C

1 Air Horn

2 Aqua-Hot Heating Elements

1 Heated Floor System

These items MUST be addressed before we venture into the hotter climates on our planned trip out west. (Air horn and floor heat must be fixed because the Captain insists that ALL parts of the Beast work perfectly at all times...)

We must hurry and get there before additional forces are arrayed against us...

At any rate, we passed by Grand Rapids, MI...

...Cadillac, MI, Benton Harbor, MI, and South Bend, IN.

Now you ain't gonna believe this, but as we attempt to pay the highway toll with our EZ PASS, your Captain is notified that the EZ PASS is now invalid.  Even the damned EZ PASS has broken...

...EZ Pass...don't leave home without it...

Nonetheless, we meet our Aqua-Hot hero, Darin at noon in the Walmart parking lot.   Darin is on time and begins immediately to repair the unit.  He then notices an odd electrical connection and determines that there is a single point of failure for the two heating elements and the floor heating system.  Now we know what to do to get all three of these to function, but that will require a new part from American Coach in Decatur (our next stop anyway).

While Darin is fixing one of our Aqua-Hot issues, Leslie receives a note from Maureen (another friend from Pelican Lake).  Maureen, noting that we are in Elkhart, IN, suggests that we take this opportunity to visit the nearby RV HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM.

We decide to take Maureen's advice and simultaneously The Captain and Commodorable program their respective GPS Chartplotters to take the Beast directly to the museum from the Walmart parking lot.  "What could go wrong?", you ask.  

First, as we were about to exit the Walmart parking lot, the Captain's GPS said turn left.  The GPS programmed by the Commodorable said to turn right.  The Captain, being a guy, ignored his sweet partner and turned left.  His GPS said that the Museum was 12 miles away.  Leslie's GPS said that if we had turned right, the destination was only 9 miles distant.  

Following his GPS, the Captain took the beast down this road...

...there is a tree lying across the trail...

...looks vaguely like an African Safari path...

...your sweet Commodorable is to be commended for her composure and reserve... The gloating was only momentary and a mere fraction of what would have occurred had the situation been reversed.

Following are pictures from the museum...

...this guy is saying that he can't believe he saw us coming out of the underbrush on the dirt road...

...you can't tell here, but this camper actually has two slide outs...in 1916, no less...

...with only a few exceptions, you are allowed to go into each unit, sit down and look around...

We enjoyed the museum immensely and recommend it highly.

Next we departed the museum (taking only PAVED roads this time) and headed south for several hours until we penetrated a blinding rain storm as we entered the metropolis of Decatur, IN. (Population: 9,362)

A parking spot complete with 50 Amp service was quickly found here in the land of broken homes..., motor homes, that is...

...there are about 60 various RVs here awaiting the expert care from the American Coach doctors...