June 1 – Still in State College
On Friday we got bad news from our RV dealer — the manufacturer is using a new mechanism for the large slideouts and no longer carries a part we require. We are waiting to hear what their solution will be, while worrying that the value of our motor home, both to us and as a trade-in, has been dramatically reduced.
Chuck has been researching other RV designs, and on Monday we went to Altoona to look at some camper vans. These are much, much smaller than our RV — about the size of a Ford truck and drive much like a regular van. They get at least double the mileage of the RV. But most important, they can be parked in a regular street or supermarket parking lot, so we would not need to tow the car and we could stop en route if we see an interesting spot.
One thing we realized is that during the day, even when we are not driving, we do not really use that much space in the RV. Typically, Chuck sits at our table and I sit in the passenger front seat, which has a desk. The camper van we liked best had similar living space – the table is the same length, although narrower, and it has a leaf that can be used from the passenger front seat.
Of course, the van is much smaller. While the RV sleeps 8, the van sleeps 4 — assuming 2 couples. (The dining room table drops down and various pieces are added to make a double bed.) The bathroom is tiny (but there is a bathroom and shower). Most of the difference, however, is in storage space. There is no outside storage, no clothes or coat closet, and the cupboard space is tight. The master bedroom has a double bed, rather than queen size. However, now that we know how to pack, much of the storage space in the RV is not being used. The van has room for the essentials, including the kayak and bicycle equipment and folding chairs that can be reached when the back door is open. We will need to be well organized to avoid having to lift the bed to get to the cabinets below.
By better use of space, the kitchen actually has more counter space than the RV. However, there is no oven. I think I can adjust, though, to using the stove top, microwave and perhaps a toaster oven and slow cooker.
As the week progresses, we get more information about the part needed for the RV. Finally we realize that the part is available. The slideout motor actually has 2 parts which fit together. Due to a recent redesign, both parts need to be reinstalled. However, when they did the repair, they only replaced one of the parts, which broke the other part. The delay was not due to availability of the parts, but due to the heavy volume of calls to the parts factory, which required being on hold. Due to the vagaries of how the dealership handles its service phones, the technician could afford the time to be on hold.
It took until Thursday to figure this out. On Thursday, I got on the phone to the Winnebago main factory and the motor manufacturer. A very nice parts technician at the motor manufacturer (Lippert Component Industries) offered to call the RV technician to discuss the issue. After some misdirected emails (my fault) we had new parts on order to be shipped Monday. As an added bonus, the Lippert technician determined that the newly installed motor should be covered by warrantee and is not charging for the new motor.
Also at the end of the week, we settled on our new RV and put a hold on it. We will go to Philadelphia next Tuesday to look at the vehicle on the lot. Chuck also wants to take measurements, as he has designed a dual bicycle/kayak rack to fit on the RV. Also, the RV does not have blackout curtains, so I need to take measurements to make curtains for the cab windows. I am not making predictions on when we will actually get on the road.
Meanwhile, we are still seeing friends and doing things locally. On Friday is the downtown farmer’s market. On Saturday, State College had a downtown music festival and also our annual ice cream festival. However, we opted to go to Bellefonte where the PSU Science Policy Club is hosting “Science Brew” and informal talk in a local coffee shop. (I think it used to be held at a local pub.)
The topic is the geological evidence in the Yucatan for the weeks immediately following the asteroid impact that caused the dinosaur extinction. According to the speaker, the angle and location of the impact were just bad luck for the dinosaurs, throwing up a lot more debris in the form of sulfur compounds than would have happened at other angles or locations and thus causing a heavy smog for several months.
We both go for a long walk every day. Chuck prefers a downtown loop, while I usually head for the hills (literally). On Wednesday I did a very nice hike with my friend Becky up through Musser Gap. (The photos in this section are hers.
There were lots of wild flowers, and at the top of the ridge the mountain laurel was making a wonderful display. It has been raining most days, and the ridge was also full of puddles in which there were thousands of tadpoles. I hope they are quick to mature, because a lot of the puddles look very transient.
The Statistics Department summer picnic was Thursday, and we enjoyed that as well. I now have a substantial bruise on my wrist from playing volleyball. Fortunately, the game was not played for points, as whatever skills I had seem to have deteriorated in the 3 years since I last played.
I have also been reading a lot of novels. I have “discovered” Fredrik Backman, Celeste Ng and Lisa See, as well as a number of mystery and thriller writers that are new to me. Between audiobooks, e-books and actual books, I am reading a novel just about every day.
Chuck has done a bit of work, and I still have quite a lot of statistics work to deal with. I am finishing things up, but new items continue to arrive. And I have not yet started working on my 2 talks for JSM.
And we are both still working on our bridge games. We are probably ready to play with another couple – as long as they are not too serious.