PEACE ON THE ROAD
First View
October 23, 2004
With that subject you can guess that we have received our motorhome. Before I say anything about it I want you to understand one thing. All the things you may have heard about retired people having time to do things, is a bunch of bunk. I have so much to do that if I was working I would be in serious trouble. We are constantly on the go and not getting the things done to get on the road.
But you don’t want to hear about that, what about the Vectra? We took delivery late Tuesday evening. As odd as it may seem I had not taken one out for a test drive. I am a little different in that aspect. I do not believe in driving a vehicle just for the fun of it. I know that a lot of people do just that and I understand totally. I have always figured that a new vehicle will drive very nice and I have never been wrong. So my maiden voyage, so to speak, was after dark at the end of rush hour, on the heaviest trafficked road I could find. I had no problems and it handled beautiful. Just like I knew it would. When we got home I was going to back it into the driveway. The other motorhome we owned, which was a lot shorter in length and not as tall was always backed into the driveway. I don’t ever remember going in forwards. Erma came to me and said that I should drive it forwards into the drive. Rather than argue I agreed to her way. I backed up the street for another approach from the other side of the street.
THE NEW OWNERS OF A WINNEBAGO VECTRA MOTORHOME
As all of you that have ever parallel parked know a car maneuvering forwards is a lot different than one going backwards. It is the same with a motorhome. The trees in front of our house are not trimmed for forward maneuvering. In driving forward I got in contact with the trees. Erma was guiding me and got me stopped and suggested that I try backing the Vectra into the driveway. That was a whole different animal. I won’t say that we got into the driveway like we had been doing it for years, but I will say that it was extremely efficient. We need to work on giving and following directions, but it was still nothing to complain about. If we never have any more trouble than that night I will be ecstatic. The fact is I am proud of her ability to guide without any prior planning. We have a camera on the back of the coach that allows me to see extremely well. I can see the ladder on the back of the coach. People at night look like white ghosts, but you can see their arms waving, and a microphone in the camera allows the driver to hear what they say, poorly, but you can hear.
Erma was behind the coach as I approached the garage and I could hear her saying the name of a famous restaurant, you know the one, “Come On Back, Come On Back.” I was getting worried that I was going too far back, but I trusted her to stop me in time. She said later that she was watching the bumper so much that she almost forgot to watch the garage light that sticks out about two foot. I didn’t come closer than six inches. She did a great job.
It was not long before she got the flashlight and looked to see how much damage was done when we contacted the trees. In the flashlight beam we could see some marks in the paint and it looked like a window gasket had been gouged. Erma spent the rest of the evening saying things like, “Why didn’t I let you back in like you wanted to?” or “We ripped deep gouges into the paint, and tore up a window gasket.” Of course she had to call our daughter and nearly in tears tell about the damage. She called someone else and told them the same story. What am I saying all this time? “It isn’t as bad as you are saying.” “It will be okay, lets wait till morning to see what really happened.” I don’t think she slept but little all night. In the morning I was even surprised at the little damage. Yes, there are scuff marks along the side, but no paint is actually gouged. The spot that looked like a ripped window gasket is the factory joint of the gasket. That limb could not have more dead center if a human hand was guiding it. So to my way of thinking there is a slight bit of insignificant damage, the first time a rock hits us there will be more damage.
Getting home from the dealer was eight miles and we have put three more miles on it. Unfortunately our time has been spent doing things other than trying it out on the road. I have to have patience; the road trips will come. We have gotten some cleaning done, the refrigerator, the microwave and a few other things are ready to start using. Slowly we will get things done.
Anthony, you asked me to tell everybody the silly things that happened or the dumb things I did, so this is for you and everybody. This coach has a radio in the dash like all cars and trucks. It also has a radio by the bed in the back. One thing that bugs me is having a clock with the wrong time on it. The radio in the dash had the wrong time. Well any man can set the time on a radio without reading the instruction, right? Wrong! I tried several times for ten or fifteen minutes each time. So swallowing my pride I looked through the immense packet of manuals that came with the coach. I do mean IMMENSE packet. It is a folding canvas briefcase with instruction for EVERYTHING. Each appliance, and this has a stove, refrigerator, microwave, hot water heater; there are control panels, electrical panels, a safe, two TV’s, VCR, radios, chassis, diesel engine, six speed transmission, awnings, and more. In other words everything that a house has plus everything a car has plus things found only in a motorhome. I could not find the instruction book. I did find one for a radio that we do not have. For two days I fumed about that radio and was going to complain to the dealership about not having the manual the next time I was close to the place. Somehow though the picture on the manual, for the radio I did not have, looked familiar. I went through the approximately fifteen pounds of manuals, opening each plastic bag again. I found the manual in with a manual for the rear view camera. Well of course, how thoughtless of me, doesn’t everybody know that radio manuals go in the package with the manual for the rear view camera? Later, about two o’clock in the morning it dawned on me that I have an outdoor entertainment center with a radio/CD player. Mystery solved.
Most, but not all, of you have heard me say that my furniture is almost non-existent in my house. I have been using a file cabinet for a computer table and cardboard boxes for printer and scanner stands and lawn chairs to sit in since August. I started to write this “chapter” tonight and suddenly thought, “I have a real chair and table in the motorhome that I am planning to use on the road. Why not go use it now?” This e-mail has been written in the Vectra while I have been listening to surround sound on the coach’s radio. That is the radio that I spent so long trying to set the time on. It has been wonderful to have a real workstation. Now I am going in the house and reconnect to the phone line and get this to all of you.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
PEACE ON THE ROAD, Sorta
First View
October 23, 2004
With that subject you can guess that we have received our motorhome. Before I say anything about it I want you to understand one thing. All the things you may have heard about retired people having time to do things, is a bunch of bunk. I have so much to do that if I was working I would be in serious trouble. We are constantly on the go and not getting the things done to get on the road.
But you don’t want to hear about that, what about the Vectra? We took delivery late Tuesday evening. As odd as it may seem I had not taken one out for a test drive. I am a little different in that aspect. I do not believe in driving a vehicle just for the fun of it. I know that a lot of people do just that and I understand totally. I have always figured that a new vehicle will drive very nice and I have never been wrong. So my maiden voyage, so to speak, was after dark at the end of rush hour, on the heaviest trafficked road I could find. I had no problems and it handled beautiful. Just like I knew it would. When we got home I was going to back it into the driveway. The other motorhome we owned, which was a lot shorter in length and not as tall was always backed into the driveway. I don’t ever remember going in forwards. Erma came to me and said that I should drive it forwards into the drive. Rather than argue I agreed to her way. I backed up the street for another approach from the other side of the street.
THE NEW OWNERS OF A WINNEBAGO VECTRA MOTORHOME
As all of you that have ever parallel parked know a car maneuvering forwards is a lot different than one going backwards. It is the same with a motorhome. The trees in front of our house are not trimmed for forward maneuvering. In driving forward I got in contact with the trees. Erma was guiding me and got me stopped and suggested that I try backing the Vectra into the driveway. That was a whole different animal. I won’t say that we got into the driveway like we had been doing it for years, but I will say that it was extremely efficient. We need to work on giving and following directions, but it was still nothing to complain about. If we never have any more trouble than that night I will be ecstatic. The fact is I am proud of her ability to guide without any prior planning. We have a camera on the back of the coach that allows me to see extremely well. I can see the ladder on the back of the coach. People at night look like white ghosts, but you can see their arms waving, and a microphone in the camera allows the driver to hear what they say, poorly, but you can hear.
Erma was behind the coach as I approached the garage and I could hear her saying the name of a famous restaurant, you know the one, “Come On Back, Come On Back.” I was getting worried that I was going too far back, but I trusted her to stop me in time. She said later that she was watching the bumper so much that she almost forgot to watch the garage light that sticks out about two foot. I didn’t come closer than six inches. She did a great job.
It was not long before she got the flashlight and looked to see how much damage was done when we contacted the trees. In the flashlight beam we could see some marks in the paint and it looked like a window gasket had been gouged. Erma spent the rest of the evening saying things like, “Why didn’t I let you back in like you wanted to?” or “We ripped deep gouges into the paint, and tore up a window gasket.” Of course she had to call our daughter and nearly in tears tell about the damage. She called someone else and told them the same story. What am I saying all this time? “It isn’t as bad as you are saying.” “It will be okay, lets wait till morning to see what really happened.” I don’t think she slept but little all night. In the morning I was even surprised at the little damage. Yes, there are scuff marks along the side, but no paint is actually gouged. The spot that looked like a ripped window gasket is the factory joint of the gasket. That limb could not have more dead center if a human hand was guiding it. So to my way of thinking there is a slight bit of insignificant damage, the first time a rock hits us there will be more damage.
Getting home from the dealer was eight miles and we have put three more miles on it. Unfortunately our time has been spent doing things other than trying it out on the road. I have to have patience; the road trips will come. We have gotten some cleaning done, the refrigerator, the microwave and a few other things are ready to start using. Slowly we will get things done.
Anthony, you asked me to tell everybody the silly things that happened or the dumb things I did, so this is for you and everybody. This coach has a radio in the dash like all cars and trucks. It also has a radio by the bed in the back. One thing that bugs me is having a clock with the wrong time on it. The radio in the dash had the wrong time. Well any man can set the time on a radio without reading the instruction, right? Wrong! I tried several times for ten or fifteen minutes each time. So swallowing my pride I looked through the immense packet of manuals that came with the coach. I do mean IMMENSE packet. It is a folding canvas briefcase with instruction for EVERYTHING. Each appliance, and this has a stove, refrigerator, microwave, hot water heater; there are control panels, electrical panels, a safe, two TV’s, VCR, radios, chassis, diesel engine, six speed transmission, awnings, and more. In other words everything that a house has plus everything a car has plus things found only in a motorhome. I could not find the instruction book. I did find one for a radio that we do not have. For two days I fumed about that radio and was going to complain to the dealership about not having the manual the next time I was close to the place. Somehow though the picture on the manual, for the radio I did not have, looked familiar. I went through the approximately fifteen pounds of manuals, opening each plastic bag again. I found the manual in with a manual for the rear view camera. Well of course, how thoughtless of me, doesn’t everybody know that radio manuals go in the package with the manual for the rear view camera? Later, about two o’clock in the morning it dawned on me that I have an outdoor entertainment center with a radio/CD player. Mystery solved.
Most, but not all, of you have heard me say that my furniture is almost non-existent in my house. I have been using a file cabinet for a computer table and cardboard boxes for printer and scanner stands and lawn chairs to sit in since August. I started to write this “chapter” tonight and suddenly thought, “I have a real chair and table in the motorhome that I am planning to use on the road. Why not go use it now?” This e-mail has been written in the Vectra while I have been listening to surround sound on the coach’s radio. That is the radio that I spent so long trying to set the time on. It has been wonderful to have a real workstation. Now I am going in the house and reconnect to the phone line and get this to all of you.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
PEACE ON THE ROAD, Sorta
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