was a pure end of July/busy season work week with little else outside work – but 2 trips to Canton, Ohio to buy groceries, get a haircut and check out the local ALDI
and enjoy the location of the campground
walks to and around the lake
and otherwise just quiet evenings
Got an early start, packed the Mini with all the items we needed in the 1 week hotel stop. Got to Charlie and loaded in no time and off for the 3 hour drive to Canton, Ohio – our next stop.
Amidst slight drizzle, we crossed into Ohio and stopped at the first sign of a Welcome Center.
Past farmland and just north of New Philadelphia (part of one of the largest Amish communities in Ohio) we weaved our way to Canton, Ohio on US highways and not the Interstate
and entered the city past a Timken Steel Plant (one of the largest employers in Canton, Ohio)
Past more farms and into the Campground.
It is good to be out of the hotel and back into the countryside
Today is the last day in Decatur, Indiana and all eyes were on whether Clint and James could fix what we perceived were problems with the unit.
We went over and where surprised of how empty the parking lot was on a Friday versus the previous Sunday when we arrived
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Did this mean all the happy customers were back on the road?
Whilst waiting we checked out the new REV center – remember – no showers
New and modern washers and dryers, ample room in the waiting area/lounge, computer work stations. But no showers!!
We went into the service bay where Charlie was waiting to be unleashed and were shown by Clint and James what their handiwork had done
Wow, what we saw was more than we had hoped for, at least after almost 2 weeks at REV in Texas.
Happy, and very satisfied with Clint and James, they took Charlie to his last night parking spot, we went to lunch at Back 40 Junction
and are looking forward to more happy travels after 1 week in a hotel. Yes, we did have ample water (no Marine Showers ) and WiFi that works 24/7 – unlike what we experienced the last few months, but that is no substitution for camping under the stars.
We could not resist, and Kirsten insisted, to take a drive to and through Ft. Wayne, Indiana where our endevours in the moving industry really got it’s start.
September 1st, 1987 marked the first day Frank started his new job at northAmerican Van Lines in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Having handled international transportation for the German Military in Texas, this was a new beginning in a slightly different environment.
The city has changed much and grown to proportions not seen back in the 80’s, but some landmarks were still there.
The pavement of the parking lot at what is now SIRVA does not seem to have changed since 1987 either
The building, back in 1987 the largest 1 story office building in the United States, was also still there but somehow looked different
And somehow the atmosphere had changed. Back in the days, the office was in the middle of corn fields, far from the city. Now it is an office park with a modern day highway leading right up to it.
We drove around through the older neighborhoods until we found the place Frank had lived in from 1987 to 1992 and were somehow surprised that with all the urban sprawl, new malls and shopping centers it was still there. New coat of paint, but still the old neighborhood
Some things change, and some never stay the same. But some areas look just like they did 30 years ago.
We had made reservations to take the factory tour today and were met by Steve and his wife, whom we had already had the pleasure to meet the previous week in Indianapolis.
After a somewhat lengthy introduction by Tom at Fleetwood, we were shown how the RVs were build from the moment the chassis rolls in
until the unit is fully finished and ready to go to the dealer who ordered the RV.
Afterwards the whole group of 7 went to lunch at Back 40 Junction in Decatur, Indiana. Of course a lot of the conversations were about problems we had had in the past and how the industry needs to rectify these.
David, the only single participant as his wife had to work, was very satisfied with his local MI dealer who was handling his repairs. Ed and Debbie were somehow baffled as their older RV never had the problems our newer units seem to display.
Overall, great tour, great lunch, great people.
We arrived at REV for our 06:00h appointment to go through all the items that needed to be fixed, which meant having to get up at 4:30h.
We checked in and were met by Clint and James, the 2 master mechanics who will work on the unit the rest of the week. We went over everything that plagues us and they were very understanding and made suggestions as to what could be done and what would need some tweaking to get it to work.
Afterwards we went over to the headquarter of REV Group and met with Joy, who has been our customer service representative since the day of purchase. She had helped navigate us through some difficult and some less difficult situations, but has always been there for us.
So, we now await the outcome of our visit to Decatur, Indiana and REV Group.
After the lengthy convention visit we had to catch up on work Friday and took it easy Saturday. We went next door to the RV dealer and checked on some models we liked on the internet. Well, seeing them live is no substitute for the internet.
Took it slow on Sunday, knowing we had to leave the KOA by 11:00h and did not want to arrive in Decatur, Indiana too early as check in at the hotel was 14:00h and the drive only 2 hours.
The first 50 miles or so out of Indianapolis, Indiana are a challenge to any vehicle “rough road ahead” was the understatement sign of the day.
So we dropped Charlie off around 13:30h in the sprawling REV RV parking lot.
To our surprise the facilities (washer, dryer, toilets, vending, tornado shelter) were only accessible with a key card and we would not get one until next morning.
Surprise number 2 was that there was 50AMP service and pads to use when leveling, but no water. So – if you come in a day ahead for the 06:00h service and the tanks should be empty – where do you shower and use the restroom?
Parked, got our personal items out, checked into the hotel and took a drive around Decatur, Indiana. Settled first by New England Yankees in 1835 and with a population of around 10,000 (per Wikipedia) a rather smallish town.
Went to bed early, knowing that we wanted to be there on time tomorrow morning at 06:00h.
Not as hot and humid as yesterday, when we had to shower the second we got back to the RV.
Stopped at Freightliner first to discuss the weight issue, but Joe was busy holding a seminar on the Freightliner dashboard.
So we went inside to check off our list of vendors we wanted to see: driver and passenger seat replacement, Roadmaster, Tire Pressure Monitor Systems, on demand hot water, washable pillows (which we bought), awning extensions, solar systems (who turned out to be IN Amish), ONAN generators, and ended up with sore feet.
Towards the end we went back to Freightliner and Joe was available to talk weight and tire pressure. Well, it turns out we are to light on the front axle. We discussed problem solving for quite a while but could not come up with 1 solution. Basically decided to address this with REV next week.
After 6 1/2 hours we were more than happy to get back to the KOA.
We spent Monday and Tuesday working and trying to get as much done and be as pro-active as possible, as well as escape the rains, knowing that the rest of the week was set aside to see as much as possible of the FMCA Convention.
Not knowing what to expect, but having been to numerous mover’s conventions in the U.S. and abroad, we thought we were well prepared in giving us 3 1/2 days.
The Convention started Wednesday at 13:00h and we were there just in time.
We started with the outside RV displays as the weather forecast more rain for Thursday.
And got stuck at the Freightliner booth and talked chassis, weight distribution, airbags and everything else referring to the chassis. Joe was very helpful and asked us to bring our weight ticket next day to check on the correct tire pressure.
We spent the rest of the time checking out every RV that looked interesting and completely forgot to take pictures.
The Indianapolis, Indiana – or Indy – stop is because the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) has it’s International Rally here from July 12th to July 15th. We had planned to go to the Escapees Escapade and FMCA Rally which both took place in Arizona in March but due to the issues we still had with the RV and our appointment in Alvarado, Texas at REV Group combining all three was just impossible. We figured there would be more meetings we can extend, but the warranty on the RV is only 1 year.
Unfortunately the FMCA could not quite tell us what to expect when parking at the Rally Grounds concerning electricity, water and sewer hook ups, other than “get in line and we will assign a spot”. With the company running out of our RV 5 days a week and the Rally taking place from Wednesday through Saturday, combining this information with our needs just did not par.
So we decided to camp close by where our needs for full hook ups were met and the commute to the Rally would not be too difficult.
In order to find out how difficult the commute would be, especially in a large city like Indy, we took a drive to the Indiana State Fare Grounds to see what would await us on Wednesday.
Welcome to Indianapolis, Indiana. Thanks to the Mayor.
The fairgrounds are within 30 to 45 minutes from our campground, so not too bad.
Parking at the Rally looks like this
We met some nice FMCA volunteers who could tell us where to park, come Wednesday, and what to look out for. So the trip was definitely worth it.
As usual, every city or area we visit, we check for “German” places. On the way back we had to check out the Heidelberg Cafe and Gift shop.
So we went inside and were surprised about the decoration and items they have collected and sell.
They also have a small bistro area and sat down and had the typical German food (Currywurst and Leberkaese with German potatoe salad) which was really good.
We also took some Streuselkuchen (self baked) back for later today and it was absolutely delicious.