Author Archives: Sparky
TS7 Hop 11 – Carlock IL to DeForest WI
212 miles via I-74 and I-39. Cumulative tow miles: 2079. Truck miles: 260. Cumulative truck miles: 2823. The extra truck miles were due to refueling and dinner out. This was another easy hop, with no problems with the rig. In fact, the mileage was suprisingly high: almost 9 mpg. There was a little rain, but … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 10 – Cloverdale IN to Carlock IL
177 miles via US 231, I-74, US 150 and a very scary mile on a narrow, rutted farm lane. Cumulative tow miles: 1867, Truck miles: 180. Cumulative truck miles: 2563. I don’t know why the RV GPS took me down that God-awful cowpath. After I got to my destination I looked back at the Google … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 9 – Brookville OH to Cloverdale IN
143 miles via I-70 and I-465 (southeast of Indianapolis). Cumulative tow miles: 1690. Truck miles: 153. Cumulative truck miles: 2383. The extra truck miles were from shopping and refueling. This was an easy hop. Sunny skies, flat roads. But a lot of traffic, including a 15-minute delay at the start due to an accident on … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 8 – Mogadore OH to Brookville OH
212 miles via OH 43, US 224, I-76, I-71, I-270 (west of Columbus), I-70 and some local roads when I got lost just short of the destination. Cumulative tow miles: 1547. Truck miles: 300. Cumulative truck miles: 2230. The extra truck miles were due to the trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a … Continue reading
Pro Football Hall of Fame
My campground in Mogadore OH was only about 30 minutes from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton OH, a place I have had some interest in visiting for years. Not as much interest as the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY, but interest. So I went yesterday. And was underwhelmed. First disappointment: … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 7 – Lowman NY to Mogadore OH
345 miles via I-86, I-90, OH 11, I-80, I-76 and OH 43 with a refueling stop midway, in Jamestown NY. Cumulative tow miles: 1335. Truck miles: 362. Cumulative truck miles: 1930. The extra truck miles were entirely due to the return from the GMC dealer where the starting problem was fixed. Yes, I made it … Continue reading
Good news?
The truck is allegedly fixed. The problem, as diagnosed by the GMC dealer, was a “collapsed air filter” – possibly the result of it getting wet when I drove through the deluge of Hurricane Henri. Would that explain the overheating and the poor fuel mileage? Seems unlikely, but I am no diesel mechanic so I … Continue reading
“Black Notice” by Patricia Cornwell
Copyright 1999 by Cornwell Enterprises, Inc. Published by G.P Putnam & Sons. There was a time, years ago, when I read a lot of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta books because Jett was a big fan. Then I ran into one – can’t remember the name now – that was a real stinker. One of the … Continue reading
The beginning of the end?
This morning I spent some time looking at the prices of 2-bedroom, 2-bath condos in southwest Florida. I am finding it very difficult to deal with the constant truck failures. Diesel engines are supposed to last forever and I have tried very hard to maintain the engine properly. But the truck is 17 years old, … Continue reading
TS7 Hop 6 – Croton-on-Hudson NY to Lowman NY
250 miles via NY 9, NY 301, NY 9D, NY 9W, I-84 and NY 17. Cumulative tow miles: 991. Truck miles: 443. Cumulative truck miles: 1568. This may have been my worst day of RV travel EVER. I got away on schedule, around 10:30am, but ran into a closed road (NY 9) a half hour … Continue reading