Thursday, March 29, 2012

Health Care for Tumbleweed

(Ocala, FL) Hi 84 Lo 59 -- It was a typical night before a move, neither of us slept very much. We both got up at 7:00 and took our time getting ready to move out. We left without a hitch, so to speak... we did have a hitch, but we pulled out with no problems.

We went to Long View RV Superstore in Tampa for Tumbleweed's health care check-up. They offer a comprehensive 28-point inspection of all the systems, suspension, and brakes. We arrived at 10:40 and dropped off the truck and RV and went in my car to have a brunch at Cracker Barrel. We then returned to the dealer and settled in their nice customer lounge to wait.











Jim read his Kindle and watched TV, and I played games on my phone. I was fighting sleep. Getting up at 7am is just not something I like to do. :)

We got a kick out of their restroom sign. Apparently they have lots of customers (like us) who have to "go" as soon as they get there. :)











The only problem they found was the water heater. It ran on electric ok, but it wouldn't switch over to propane. It turned out the 12-volt thermostat was bad. By the time they notified us of this it was around 3pm, and they said they could get the part locally but by the time they went to get it and got it installed it would be late in the evening. We chose to not have it fixed now so we could get on the road to Ocala where we planned to spend a couple of days. The service tech showed Jim where the thermostat is, and gave him the part number, so once we get settled in the midwest with the family Jim will order the part and install it himself. Everything else checked out ok. This gives us great peace of mind, and we're thinking of having this service done every year on our way north from our Florida stay.

We finally got on the road at 4pm, and it was a straight shot north on I-75 to Ocala. We pulled into the Motor Inns Motel and RV Park at 5:45pm. It's what you'd call a "basic" RV park. Nothing fancy, but adequate for a short stay. The sites are grass and fairly level. We got a pull-through, full hook-up site with 50 amps for $17.00 a night. That's the Passport America rate, which is half the normal $34.00 rate. We paid for two nights, which would have us leaving on Saturday. But we can stay longer if we want. I made our dinner last night so we'd have something to eat when we got set up tonight. That was a good move because we're both really tired.

Here's a view of our site.


This is the small motel on the property. It's definitely not the Hilton. :)










We're not sure what we'll be doing while here, we'll just play it by ear. If any of our readers are in the area, drop a line at my email address on my profile and maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner.

9 comments:

Betty Graffis said...

Oooooo I just LOVE your header. Old barns are a favorite subject of mine to photograph. Safe travels,
~Betty

Rick and Kathy Rousseau said...

It was probably because you knew you had a scheduled appointment for the sleeplessness. It happens to Kathy and I. Your next travel day if there is no appointment you'll sleep like a charm.

It probably does feel good to be back on the road again, like an added freedom.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It's about time.

Paul and Marti Dahl said...

That's great that the tech showed Jim what is needed on Tumbleweed.

Nice to see there are a few good ones out there willing to go the extra mile for the customer. :c)

Doyle & Terri Johnson said...

Thanks for the Heads Up on where to get a good reliable check up, we have our unit serviced annually in Owatonna, Minnesota, but we need a place down here where they can "take the Fifth"

GGuncle said...

I like your barn pic' too. maybe we'll meet up in o'fallon in april. I'm still reading & enjoying your travels with tumbleweed. OH, the new computer is the HP Touchscreen 520. nice large screen for these old eyes. dom...

Jessica Riker said...

Another thumbs up for the barn pic! I love it! :)

Jim and Sandie said...

Love the barn pic. But 7:00 a.m. really shouldn't have to exist in anybody's world. I don't function well that early either. Glad the problem is something Jim can fix.

Al and Karen said...

Hello! I stumbled across your blog while reading Wandering Sylville, and realized I saw you leaving Long View RV on Thursday! We had just pulled in to pick up our trailer, the Cougar, who was also having it's annual inspection. I thought they were very nice there, and was satisfied with their service also. We will be making it an annual trip as well. Best wishes, maybe we'll meet on the road someday :-)

Camille Carnell Pronovost said...

Thanks, Jim and Dee, for the mention of Long View RV and recommendation of our service. I am the admin for the Long View Facebook page and I put a link on our page to your blog post.

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