Hallelujah! Total Do Over!

Our last post was pretty grim and my stress level was through the roof, believing we were dealing with a lemon for a very expensive vehicle. Not an everyday kind of purchase.
On June 25th, I contacted the president of Roadtrek. I wrote him a heartfelt letter including that daily log I included in our last post. At the moment I pressed the send button on my email, it was in his hands. I called to leave a message just to ask him to read the email, but low and behold he answered and said he had read it. In fact, he was ordering his vice presidents in and he said a major chewing out would happen. Everything we had experienced was completely unacceptable and he apologized profusely. He said this was not how Roadtrek does business and when this is all over he was certain we would be saying, "We are glad we bought a Roadtrek."  While we were talking, his vice-president of production and vice-president of sales walked in. He asked me to give him a few minutes and he would call me right back.

The vice-president of production called me, apologized and said would be taking care of everything. They would be picking up the Zion and renting a car for us because we would be getting a brand new vehicle and we could make any changes and upgrades we would like!!!!! He said we weren't limited to what the Zion had, we could chose fabrics or items from their sprinter models. Xmas in summer! He said we should have a new vehicle in days. He wanted to know about what we had liked in the unit and what we would do differently. He took notes as to why. Black fabric upholstery with white long haired animals was not working.

The next call we received was a gal from production. She sent over photos for fabrics and cabinetry. I asked about a convection microwave as I told her we would be living in this vehicle at least 3 months out of the year. Not only are they special ordering it, they are custom making the cabinet to work for us. We liked the idea of the black upholstery with the white cabinets, so they are putting in their highest grade, more durable black leather. We didn't like the striped curtains, so we are getting a more neutral, gray (gratitude swirl) print curtains and pillows. We will still have solar, but we had an under hood generator and now we will have a gasoline generator that will allow us to leave the coach air conditioning on when the engine is turned off. So we can go to a museum now and leave Kole in the vehicle. I was so disappointed that I couldn't go to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis because it was 96º and we had the animals.

The house where I was born in Logan Square in Chicago

Our new vehicle is going into production on Monday and we should have it delivered to us in 2 weeks.  If we hadn't gone through all we did, the outcome would not be as fabulous.. I am now grateful for the major potholes in the road.

On a pontoon ride with my niece on her lake

We landed in Chicago and have spent two weeks with my mom. Hated to have her have contact with all my stress, but she kept telling us she was grateful for our company and we did what we could to help out with things that needed fixing and repairing. We had some time with my sisters and nieces. Saw a fabulous musical downtown and even connected with my brother, which I am very grateful. Got to say good-bye to the Serpas as they move on to the Southwest and chat it up with the Rogans.

On Your Feet, The story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan

We left for Minneapolis and with a stop near the dells. Witch's Gulch is off the beaten path, but so worth trying to find it.

Witch's Gulch

Not every slot canyon has to be made of red and gold sandstone. Witches Gulch in Wisconsin brings some emerald colors to the party. A wood boardwalk leads hikers into the moss-covered sandstone slot, which in some places is so narrow you can touch both sides of the canyon. Located in the tourist-heavy Wisconsin Dells, visitors can get here either by car or by boat. Witches Gulch was discovered in 1871 by H.H. Bennett, a photographer credited with making the dells popular among tourists.

We arrived in Minneapolis, Saturday the 27th. We hope to pop in for a visit with Gerard's mom. We are staying at the Aloft Hotel in the Mill District, courtesy of Roadtrek.

Thai food last night. Tonight maybe something at a restaurant on St. Anthony and Main.

I can't wait to arrive at the Heart House tomorrow afternoon. I understand we have been missing quite an extraordinary northern lights show. I'll be happy to be sitting out on the deck and playing in the garden. All the grandkids will land at the house for the 4th of July festivities. However, it is bittersweet knowing we will be letting go of this extraordinary view and home for the last 30 years.
Ah but, change is good.

Gone to Hell in a Handbasket While Waiting in Limbo or in other words..hard lessons learned

We have been in Chicago since the 12th of June. We did want to have a good long visit, but we also wanted to make stops and connect with friends and family in southern Minnesota. But here we are with the OZ mobile in the shop AGAIN. Hoping and praying we haven't made the biggest mistake of our lives. Feeling a bit stupid, duped and somewhat naive, I am regretting this purchase. Trying to wrap my head around it all working out and envisioning this vehicle taking us 100,000+ miles to see extraordinary sites. I'll give the low down at the end of this entry.

I think our last post left off in Tennessee. We picked up the Interstate until we hit the border, then started traveling along old Highway 51 to my alma mater Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL.  We took a good long stop at Giant City State Park, a favorite haunt from my college days. Still as beautiful as ever. I had to give my college buddy, Mary C. White a call and wax poetic about the old days. Nothing along the country roads had changed since we left there in the late 1970s. In fact, the tiny town of Makanda, Illinois is exactly the same.

The Streets of Giant City

Upper 90s but the breeze and the coolness in the rocks made for a nice break in our drive. Sitka and Kole were both appreciative to go for a stroll.

Fat man's Squeeze

Makands, IL

We still needed to drive another hour and a half to get us settled at Carlyle Lake. The entire route was back roads and beautiful rolling farm fields, rivers and creeks... a wonderful diversion from the flat open roads of I-55 and I-57. The camp sites at Carlyle are part of the Corp of Civil Engineer Camps. With a national park pass camping is as low as $7. We paid $14 for full hook-ups. We had a view of the lake and the marina.

Carlyle Lake straight east of St. Louis

Morning brought a noticeable reduction in coolant. We filled and made our way to Sunny Island RV in Rockford, Illinois.  Here we would leave it overnight, rent a car and head to my mom's place.

We had been on the phone with Roadtrek, but customer service is not what I had imagined. We have not been shown care and concern. We have asked them what they will do for us now that they want us to bring the OZ mobile to Kitchner, Ontario, Canada. We have received no commitment that they will reimburse us or compensate us for this disaster.
At the dealer in Rockford they got us back on the road, but the coolant issue is still happening and now it is at a Chrysler, Promaster certified shop in Arlington Heights. We call and email every day, but we get no definitive answer. Our questions remain unanswered. We truly are in limbo.  I called the Attorney General in Florida and they gave us all the steps to pursue the Lemon Law. My sister works for a car dealer and they have advised us to get an attorney who specializes in buy backs. I could have never imagined this all happening in a million years. All the other issues the van is having I could have dealt with, in fact, this is one of the lessons learned that no dealer seems to ever tell you... you need Shakedown trips... short trips to have things shift, settle, fall off that can be repaired by the dealer or manufacturer before heading out on a major roadtrip. It is the nature of the beast whether you have a $10,000 trailer or a 2.2 million dollar tour bus. One fortunate thing is we have a deferred payment until Spetember. I expect to be out of this mess by then.

For those who are reading and interested in our day by day log ... I will include it here.  Besides the hassle of all this and a ruined vacation, we missed the birth of our grandson. I don't know if I can now ever get rid of the sour taste regarding Roadtrek.

June 1- purchased 2015 Roadtrek Zion for 80k after trade-ins at RV World of Nokomis

June 2- took delivery in the afternoon(19 miles on odometer), drove 14 miles, vehicle overheated and all coolant spilled out onto road. vehicle was flat bedded back to RV World of Nokomis (35 miles on odometer)

June 3- after 6-7 hours of repair we drove the same 14 miles to camp for the night. Called Nokomis and told them of other problems...i.e. water backing up into bath. Returned to RV World of Nokomis on June 4 (63 miles on odometer)

June 4- Returned to RV World of Nokomis (63 miles on odometer) After inspection we were told by Craig –––, service manager that it was good we returned as the repair for coolant issue was not going to work. Spent 6 hours waiting. When repair complete, drove to Bradenton, FL

June 6- Coolant is at minimum level, no coolant on the ground. We fill it to max level [Navarre, Florida] (632 miles on odometer) Call RV World. Told by service tech we need to get in touch with Roadtrek, nothing more they can do.

June 9- Coolant is at minimum level, fill to maximum [Memphis, TN] (1352 miles on odometer) We lose hot water and lights on the center ceiling panel.

June 10- Coolant is below minimum level, fill to maximum, leave numerous messages at Roadtrek, do not want to go to St. Louis for service waiting to hear from Roadtrek about taking it to Rockford, IL. Arrive in Carlyle, Il (1749 miles on odometer)

June 12- Finally connect with Roadtrek, yes we can take it to Sunny Island RV in Rockford, IL and Roadtrek wants to have the vehicle brought back to them in July for multiple repairs.We leave it with Steve Morgan overnight and rent a vehicle [Rockford, Il] (2063 miles on odometer)

June 13- Hose has been clamped and electricity and hot water restored. Steve Morgan says we should have Roadtrek pick the vehicle up and have them bring it back to Canada.

June 14-19 Vehicle is driven 23 miles and coolant is about a ½ inch down. Vehicle sits in Hoffman Estates NOT being driven while trying to reach Roadtrek for a plan of action (2124 miles on odometer)

Leo Haire at Roadtrek tells us he want us to take it to a Chrysler dealer for another opinion and then they will make a determination whether or not they will come get it or have us drive it to Canada  July 15. We take it to Napleton Chrysler in Arlington Heights, Il. We are told we should drive it and get it hot, if we lose a significant amount of fluid they will take it in on Monday June 22.

June 20- Coolant is nearing the minimum level after driving it 107 miles on the 19th and there is a small pool of coolant on the driveway. Contacted Arlington Heights service tech, no return call. Contacted service managers in Nokomis, Florida and Rockford, Illinois requesting written report of repairs completed by them. Contacted Leo Haire at Roadtrek and requested they come pick up the vehicle. No answer by the end of the day. (2231 miles on the odometer)

To date Leo Haire as not responded to concerns in writing nor committed to any remedy

Other issues:

• attaching electric to the unit, it just doesn’t thread on correctly.       

•water stain under window behind fold down bed

•corrosion spot in sink

•splintered cabinet door

•two places on slide door where the glass is chipped and cracked … behind curtains

•no screens

•torn carpeting on front passenger side

•pantry door won’t open

On the Delta Blues Highway

June 9-11, 2015

Time to be moving on up the road. We had choices about which route to take north, but I am not much interested in interstate. In our present condition of needing service soon, sometimes I just have to give in to making time. However, on the morning of the 9th, thunderstorms and strong rain were in the forecast. To get ourselves out of the storm's way, we would have to hit some interstate. I did not want to get on too soon as we would miss crossing the world's longest bridge over water. Lake Ponchatrain Causeway spans 24 miles over water! Most of the drive there is no land in sight.

We thought we would spend an evening, midway to Memphis, but it made no sense spending time sitting around in the heat of the day, 96º 100% humidity at a state park. We kept making tracks north. Our evening destination would be technically West Memphis, in Arkansas. I so wanted to go to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, but once again, what do we do with animals in this heat? I am so disappointed regarding the sights and sites we are missing along the way. Next year we will need to plan more carefully about escaping the southern heat. Leave a little earlier?

Once we neared Vicksburg we vacated the I-55 and I-20 for U.S. Highway 61 running north to Memphis and skipped over to Highway 1, both roads forming the legendary route along the Mississippi River delivering a delicious slice of Americana represented by a genre of music known as the Delta blues.

The Great River Road

A road is a road, but sometimes it's more. Sometimes a road sings. Driving the old Blues Highway—one can almost hear the soul, gospel, and R&B spill out of car windows and church doors. Muddy Waters rode the Blues Highway. So did John Lee Hooker, Bessie Smith, and B.B. King. Elvis knew it, too—his rock-and-roll is rooted in the delta like a cypress tree. Dozens of artists recorded music along the Blues Highway and just as many or more were born and raised here.

The original road began in downtown New Orleans, traveled through Baton Rouge and ran through Natchez, Vickburg, Leland, Clarksdale and Tunica in Mississippi, to Memphis and north to the Canadian border. All along the way is markers memorializing the history, the artists, the music, the clubs and events.

Between Vicksburg and Greenville the Great River Road detours onto Highway 1 through the cotton-rich bottomlands. Before the Civil War, the land was mostly uninhabitable hardwood forests and swamps, home to snakes, panthers fire ants and mosquitos.  After reconstruction the valuable oaks and hickory were logged off, the swamps drained and levees built.

Winterville Mounds

At the north edge of Greenville, we came upon the 1,000 year old, 55-foot-high earthen cones remnants of prehistoric  people who lived a millenium ago. The Winterville Mounds are thought to have been sacred ceremonial sites.

I have loved that each night we have landed on a large body of water to set camp. We passed through Memphis and crossed the Mississippi into Arkansas to camp on the banks of the river.

We are still struggling with being locked inside the OZ mobile. At this site mayflies swarmed the vehicle... and again, we had to keep the van closed up and the air conditioning on through the night. The endless river traffic on the Mississippi is the main attraction at Tom Sawyer's park. This park has such a relaxed, laid back and peaceful atmosphere. Across the river is unspoiled Tennessee flood plain and just one bend upstream is the Memphis skyline. I can imagine in cooler temps sitting here for days keeping a campfire going and watching river barges travel up and down the river.

Ol' black water keep on rollin' Mississippi moon won't ya keep on shinin' on

Ol' Man River, that Ol' Man River
He must know omepinss', but he don't say nothin'He just keeps ',rollin he keeps on rollin' along

Crossing the Mississippi River into Memphis, Tennessee

At this point we were running low on coolant and needed to head to a dealership to replenish before spending the day traveling to Illinois.
Within 3 hours we crossed from Arkansas back into Tennessee and a few minutes later we were back in Mississippi and back through Memphis, Tennessee to cross the Missouri and Illinois borders not long after.

We were sure we didn't want to spend days in St. Louis, where we would be able to get service from Roadtrek so we kept trying to make contact with the manufacturer and get approval to land in Rockford, Illinois.
Finally, making that connection we continue our journey to Carlyle, Illinois.

We'll fill you in on the details of OZ Mobile's future in our next post. Until then...we keep on rollin'

Forgotten Coast

Nearing Apalachicola, FL

June 5-9, 2015

Going  to spread our entries out in a couple posts. Certainly don't want to overwhelm with the craziness of this trip. We have had amazing scenery and experienced many more trials and tribulations with the OZ mobile than we could have ever imagined; we will get to all that later.

Emerald Bech RV

 The Florida of yesteryear still exists along the Gulf Coast. From Navarre, Florida we continued to roll along the coast to New Orleans.  Passing through Panama City and Pensacola, we were shocked to see it was like Fort Meyers Beach on crack. If we ever pass this way again, I'll hit the interstate until we reach Biloxi. 

Our overnight stay at Emerald Beach RV left me a bit underwhelmed. It was full and the sites were tight and I had imagined it on a wide open beach on the Gulf but it was on an intercoastal and a tiny spit of sand. I will say we were terribly grateful to have the gulf breezes to cool us off from hot and muggy and to take a dip in the gulf waters.

In high 90º temps, I am reveling in the actual time on the road IN the OZ mobile with the air conditioning. It is hard to roll by places I dreamed of stopping, but with animals along for the ride we can't leave them in the car while we stop and explore... so we just tool on by. The drive from Biloxi and on into Nawlin's was stunning. Biloxi is one of the oldest communities in the country, having first been settled in 1699. The beaches were uncluttered and had long stretches of no development on the Gulf side of the road. How did these communities manage this? No towering condominiums in sight. I could spend real time here on the sugar-white sands and the warm emerald waters 

Driving along the coast

A beach park in Biloxi

Gerard and Sitka on the corner of Bourbon St.

It's been a bit over ten years since I've walked the Big Easy. It would be a short stay and a quick tour of the French Quarter with all its wrinkled edifices. I wanted just a few moments to share with Gerard the sights and a bit of the flavors I had experienced in all the years of coming down for Undoing Racism National gatherings. We settled into an RV park on Lake Ponchatrain.  Breezes off the water allowed us to have some outside time. It helped to have a lovely swimming pool, waterfall, marina and transportation into the Quarter. 

With our limited time, we set off to just walk the Vieux Carré (French Quarter), it is the oldest neighborhood in the city. We walked down Toulousse St to Bourbon St and over to Frenchman St. to one of my favorite restaurants for soul food, Praline Connection and they didn't disappoint.

Between us, we consumed jambalaya, fried okra, catfish, red beans and rice, collard greens, corn bread and I had a Hurricane. After dinner, we needed the walk to the French Market and Jackson Square before we consumed Beignets at Café du Monde for dessert. We sat and watched the comings and goings of people and sailing vessels on the Mississipi River for our last hour before we caught our ride back to Ponchatrain Landing.

Natchez is heading up river for an evening of revelry

ship heading to Duluth?

Back at our campsite, we planned our trajectory as well as contacting Roadtrek for our constantly leaking coolant. As long as we top of each day before we set off we are certain we will be ok. We seem to be speeding up and curtailing some of our landings because now we have lost hot water and all the lights in the center ceiling panel.... concerned we might have a lemon. We are trusting that Roadtrek is going to make good on this and get us in fine shape for the next 100,000 miles of road tripping.

In the morning we will head out to cross Lake Ponchatrain on the causeway and make our way through Mississippi along the river road.


There is a house in New Orleans 
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many poor girl 
Down in New Orleans