Communicating with Forest River

 As mentioned before ... in January 2020 we traded in our 2003 Gulf Stream Class a and purchased a 2019 Forest River Clipper Cadet 21' travel trailer. Shortly thereafter the corona virus happened and we were able to switch to remote work from home ad isolate ourselves for well over a year. With Covid running rampant around the states and especially in Arizona, we were positive that traveling was pretty much out of the window for a long while. Yes, both of us were working remotely but we both needed a solid internet connection for 10-12 hours per day. Especially one that could handle two Cisco VPN connections and a ton of remote access and data transfers. So setting out on a trip during Covid was not an option.

The trip to Gig Harbor in August of 2021 had been on the calendar for over a year. The entire family was coming in from everywhere (Arizona, California, Baltimore, DC, Utah to name a few) to attend the Bat Mitzvah for our niece. The trailer had been sitting for so long that we decided to put new tires on it and get it 'pre-flight' inspected, serviced, and have the water tank refreshed before we left.

The week before our trip we started loading the non-food items and adding hooks for bungie cords and netting to keep things from moving while we were cruising down the highway. We topped off the water tank and tested all of the faucets, shower, toilet, etc. time to go.

At some point while we were at the RV resort in Gig Harbor Sue noticed a puddle of water under the trailer. It looked like it was seeping from the water tank. Since we were hooked up, but the black/grey tank valves were closed, I opened them and drained both tanks ... the dripping stopped immediately. For some reason, at that moment we decided to hunt down the tank monitor panel since we really had not paid any attention to it previously for obvious non-travel, Covid reasons. We couldn't find the panel anywhere. We opened every single door, closet, drawer, checked under the sink, lower cabinets, upper cabinets, under the bed, the bathroom, shower, every single opening both inside and outside ... nothing.

Hmmm ... so there was no possible way to monitor the fresh water level for refills, or the grey & black tank levels for dumping. Great. To top that off ... on the second last day, on our way back home ... we actually ran out of fresh water and couldn't flush the toilet ... we had to use the gallon jugs of water we had purchased at the store to make coffee with.

A bit of research uncovered that these monitors can be installed retroactively, but the cost is about $300-$500 for the device, senders, and wiring and another $500-600 for labor to install it.  

I contacted Forest River and specifically asked how a travel trailer could possibly leave the factory without a tank level monitoring system ... this is the reply I received:

Forest River: "Good morning,

Our product is consonantly changing to be better for our customers. Unfortunately that year we did NOT put probes in units to monitor levels. Learning what better suits our customers we are now putting probes in to be able to monitor levels. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. We do appreciate you taking the time to email us to better design our product!"

ME: So wait ... you left the monitors out on purpose and then realized you should probably add them ?

Forest River: No, we did not leave them out on purpose, at that time we never put them in ~ it wasn’t apart of how we built the product at that time.

We started adding them shortly after realizing it would be better for our customers!

 

Again, I do apologize for any inconvenience!!!!

That was it ... game on ... it took me about 30 minutes to find five videos on Youtube where dealers were doing walkthroughs of Forest River Clippers and they had tank monitors factory installed. from the 17FQ to the 21RBSS. I threw all of that into a reply email along with this:

"To be honest ... I am not quite thrilled with the answer that Forest River simply didn't install the monitors/panels ... how does one justify no monitors in a travel trailer that pretty much depends on them for load balancing and the water supply. It makes me question the decision making process."

I'm still waiting on a a reply.

Vacation Trip To Washington State - Home Again

 While we were traveling we kept reading the news about the monsoon storms in Arizona and how the ground was totally saturated and not absorbing much rainwater. What we also didn't realize until we crossed over into AZ from CA was that all of that rain made the plant life explode ! 

There was so much green happening everywhere and it was an awesome thing to see. Until we got home and saw that our front yard was suddenly entirely engulfed in two foot high weeds and grass, the backyard was even worse even though I had mowed the back just before we departed for Washington.

The house still looked intact and everything was exactly as we left it .... until ... we opened the front door and walked inside. The smell, that I personally describe as "warm death", hit us like a brick wall.

It seems that shortly after we left on vacation, one of the storms popped a fuse in the main breaker cabinet  which took out power to the main refrigerator, lights, dishwasher, oven, and microwave. The smell was coming from the fridge ... and it was absolutely disgusting !! Everything in the freezer was melted, warm, and bloated. Some things in both the freezer and fridge had exploded and congealed for days. It took us almost an hour to empty everything out and toss 8 bags into the trash bin without hurling during the process.

Another hour + was spent cleaning out the fridge with disinfectant and Lysol wipes, drying the floor underneath, and just being grossed out. No matter what we did, the smell was everywhere. We ended up using several boxes of baking soda, a three pound can of coffee grounds, and multiple bags of activated charcoal inside of the fridge across three days until we were able to buy food and safely store it in the fridge.

After the episode with the kitchen, we still had to go pick up the puppies from the groomer and get them home. and then take the bird cages outside so I could pressure wash them and get them cleaned up for the return of the flock on Sunday. I'm pretty sure we worked more from the minute we got back through the weekend than at any time while we were gone.

Vacation Trip To Washington State (Part-4)

 The return trip ...

The same way we pondered before driving through California and Oregon along I-5 on the way up, we had to make a choice for the drive back. Take I-5 south back the same way we came or take I-84 east along the Columbia River and head towards Salt Lake City and Las Vegas ? There were wildfires along both routes and the fires in southern Oregon and Utah seemed to be producing the worse air quality. So we opted for the Washington > Oregon > California route using I-5 south.

We tend to use rest areas to stop and sleep at night as there are usually open spots and we can run the generator if needed as the truckers usually keep their engines or generators running too. The rest areas are also split into Trucks/Trailers one one side and Cars on the other. Occasionally, you run into that one dork that does not understand the signage and parks in a trucker/trailer slot pretty much blocking 70+ feet of parking space meant for a tractor/trailer, RV, or travel trailer with a 15' van. We were able to squeeze in behind him safely with enough room to back out in the morning if needed. Apparently the rest area filled up during the night as there was a car now parked in front of the van, which was still there. After we made some coffee we decided to get on the road ... the truck next to us had just left which meant I only had to back up a few feet so I could swing into that lane and head out. Easy Peasy.

One of the things we did about a month before the trip was to join the Harvest Hosts program. Harvest Hosts costs about $100 per year (We got a discount code from a friend that was already a member) and ours was $85 for the first year. There are almost 2000 hosts across the states with about 600 more if you add the 'golf' package to your membership. As a member you can stay for free for one night at any of the hosts listed on the website or app. You are expected to visit the host's store, wine tasting, gift shop, etc. and make a purchase of about $20. So to be perfectly honest, Harvest Hosts is really more for people that are not on an itinerary while traveling with their RV/Trailer. Many of the hosts have specific hours of operation, a lot of them are not open on weekends, and a 24 hour advance notice request to stay is pretty standard. The hosts also require 24 hours notice of a cancellation as well.

This did not work out for us too well as we tend to drive until we get tired and then stop for the night. The hosts are usually closed by then and making a reservation without knowing if we are going to make it there before 5pm didn't make much sense for us. We had a certain amount of days to get to Gig Harbor (Depart Friday after lunch and arrive at the RV resort on Monday after 1pm) so, three days to get 1,600 miles. On the way up we only used one HH, the General Patton Museum at Ciriaco Summit in California. We got there late in the evening, and left early in the morning.

On the way back we did manage to get into one of the Harvest Hosts, the Van Ruiten Family winery located in Lodi, California. We were the only ones that stayed that night. The lot was really big and could hold 4 or 5 RVs easily. We parked, freshened up, changed clothes, and went to check in and do a wine tasting. We ended up buying four bottles of wine after each of us tasting five different ones, Sue prefers Pinot Grigio so she got two of those, I'm into sweet wines and grabbed the dessert wine that I sampled earlier. It was pretty warm, the hosts allowed us to run the generator so we could kick on the AC in the trailer. A good night's rest and we were on our way. 

Vacation Trip To Washington State (Part-3)

 The entire trip to Gig Harbor and back (door to door) was over 3,700 miles. Since many of those miles were in the single lane roads in the forests of Gig Harbor, the average MPH of 43 is pretty deceptive. There simply was no option to drive faster than 30-35mph anywhere except state highway 16. 

Considering we actually averaged 10.6 mpg with the 6.4 Hemi pulling a loaded 21' trailer through Grants Pass and Mount Shasta ... twice ... is amazing. Once we left Arizona and crossed over into California the gas prices shot up like crazy, sometimes dangerously close to $5.00 a gallon. Despite searching out the cheapest gas prices (along I-5 anyway) and using Costco fuel while on the island, altogether we spent over $1,400 on gas on this trip.

Some things we saw along the way:

- As we drove through Portland, every single off/on ramp, cloverleaf, elevated sound barrier wall, walking bridge ... was covered with homeless humans in camps with tarps, tents, campers, broken down RVs, trailers, and boxes. It was pretty devastating to see so many humans living like this everywhere we looked as we were passing through. 

- We saw a bit of homelessness in California, but since we mainly stayed on I-5 heading north we didn't go through any major cities like Portland. We did stop in Lodi, CA at a Pilot gas station we had boondocked at before. We had called ahead to verify they had an open space for our trailer. When we got there we immediately noticed the homeless camp just outside the entrance to the gas station. There were also several decrepit and trash filled cars/vans by the camp with some shady people hanging out. We opted to keep driving and found a rest area where we spent the night.

- The smoke was so bad that we did not even get to see many of the beautiful sights we normally marvel at on this trip. We didn't see any mountain ranges in the distance in California, no Mount Shasta to be seen at all, no Lake Shasta, everything was hazy. It was just weird.

- Oregon still has the rule/law where you can't pump your own gas. I don't understand it. It can't be about employment. We stopped at one gas station in Oregon with about 8 pumps, I stepped out of the truck and told the attendant to please fill up the truck with regular, "sure thing" he says as he swiped my card and punched in the code for a printed receipt ... then he says ... "Feel free to take the hose out and hang it back up when it's done, I'm out here alone today and might not get back to you for a while".  Which is exactly what happened when the pump clicked off.

- I rediscovered my fondness for the 99 cent Arizona Ice Teas ... specifically, Green Tea with Honey and the Lemon flavored one (not the Arnold Palmer). One of those giant cans will refill my 30oz travel mug twice with sufficient ice in it !

- Jebus ... the RV Resort was quiet .. and it was AWESOME ! There were a LOT of other RVs on site ... it looked like pretty much every space was occupied. Even if someone left in the morning, the space would be occupied by a new RV/Trailer that afternoon. People were super friendly. We will go there again next time ... although they had just started remodeling the RV park while we were there, and it might be a bit more expensive ... it was well worth it !

Vacation Trip To Washington State (Part-2)

 Another stop along the route we always make when we head in this direction is in Corning, California. The very first time we traveled to Seattle by car was about 12 years ago when we had the Chevy Tahoe and we saw the signs along I-5 for something called 'The Olive Pit' in Corning. In my eyes, someone willing to put up that many billboards along the interstate was worthy of a quick visit. Besides, we used olive oil at home, so why not ?

The rest of the family was reluctant but we went in anyway. Browsed the shop and bought some olive oil and a few other odds and ends for around $40-$50 bucks. That olive oil became a favorite in our house and when we ran out we looked to see if they had an online store. They did, but shipping was cost prohibitive. 

A few years later we took the same trip, only this time it was in the used Class A RV we had purchased. Again we stopped at the Olive Pit, but this time we stocked up on the olive oil and a couple of different balsamic vinegars (espresso, fig, etc.) and gave a few of these to Sue's sister in Gig Harbor. That time it cost us around $200.

So fast forward to 2021 as we pulled into the parking lot of the Olive Pit in Corning, California again. They had just opened and there were only 3-4 people shopping. We got to talking to one of the employees and he assured us that they had cases of the olive oil bottles we were looking for and he would be happy to grab them for us ... we wandered through the store and bought a few other things like anchovy stuffed olives (I love anchovies, Sue HATES them) a large bottle of Fig Balsamic Vinegar for Sue's sister, a new Honey flavored balsamic vinegar, and a couple of sample bottles for the kids, to name a few. With the two cases of olive oil, our total came to over $400 that day. But, we do use the bottles of olive oil as gifts to friends and family. We packed and stored the goods in the Clipper and continued north through the smoke towards Portland and Seattle.

Vacation Trip To Washington State (Part-1)

 So August 2021 was the month we finally got to go on vacation. It was a Bat Mitzvah for our niece and had been on the calendar for close to a year. So we boarded the birds at our local pet shop that we've used for the past decade and the dogs got boarded at our favorite groomer who also boards.

The week before our departure we were torn as to which direction we were going to drive ... Phoenix > L.A. Up I-5 to Portland and then on to Gig Harbor ... or should we take the Phoenix > Las Vegas > SLC > Seattle route ? We kept checking the location of the fires and air quality indicators.  

We left home at 1:30pm on Friday and pulled into our reserved RV spot in Gig Harbor, Washington Monday afternoon at 3:00pm. Set up camp, showered, and drove to see the family.

One of the stops along the way was a place called Chiriaco Summit. The General Patton Museum is located there. Unfortunately it was late and closed when we got there. We left really early before it opened so we did not get to see the museum.

Another stop that we make whenever we travel in this direction is Pea Soup Andersen's located in Santa Nella, California. We have always enjoyed stopping here for a bite to eat as we both like pea soup. But this time it was different. The service kind of slow despite only about 40% of the tables being occupied, the 'all-you-can-eat' refills were really slow, the little add-ins for the soup (cheese, croutons, bacon bits, etc.) cost an extra $5 and you had to ask for them. They didn't offer them when you ordered and they didn't bring any with the food. A family of four came in and were seated at the table next to ours ... they waited, and waited, but nobody came to offer them a menu ... that lasted about 5 minutes and they got up and left. The waitress in our section only had about 3 or 4 active tables but was not really in any hurry to work any of them.   

Once we departed Chiriaco Summit and got to the Los Angeles area we drove right into the smoke from all of the wildfires happening in California. Fortunately, the RAM has a great cabin filter and running the AC on recycle really helped avoid a lot of smoke inhalation. There were traces of the current fires along the route as well as signs of wildfires from previous years. We really did not get out of the smoke zone until we got past Portland, Oregon.