The 5th wheel is home

I finally brought home the fifth wheel RV that I traded my Class C for, the arrival has been delayed for some time due to complications with the water heater and me. When the unit was being checked out by the dealer it was found that the water heater had a crack in it and needed to be removed and welded. The welding shop took a long time to get to welding the tank. Then I ended up with a medical problem that took up better part of a week.

So now the unit is parked by my house and I have been checking it out. I have also slept in it for a few nights, too. Everything seems to work. The increased space is very nice. I had no problem towing it home. I did have a bit of a problem backing this big thing into the space next to the house. A neighbor came by and guided me and that helped a great deal. The water intake system seems a bit complicated to me however I did get it to work. The water heater works well. The refrigerator works well also, I haven't tried the stove yet, I will try that later, it should work. The oven looks like it has never been on.

I will post more photos later.

Farm sale

Things seem to be moving along in the sale of the farm. I got a call from the Real Estate Agent today and it seems the buyers have a person who wants to close on their place in less than thirty days.
That could mean that all of a sudden there will be a rush here to sell all my stuff and clear out. Wow, that could mean I would be involved in some hectic decision making here shortly.

Further more they wanted to know what I wanted for the equipment like the tractor and beds. I made a list of the stuff I am selling and I am giving it to the Real Estate Agent to fax to them. Anthing they don't buy will be sold at auction here at the farm. All this stuff has to go one way or another can't take it with me.

I also have to get the fifth wheel moved here, when the auction happens I won't have any furniture left and will have to live in the RV until the closing and then hit the road to ???

More Photos of our trip

The sights and people we saw were very interesting this is an older trailer that someone lives in ... rather modest but comfortable
The duck pond was of great interest from our dogs I think they remembered our ducks at the farm
The water at the Salt Springs was very clear and the fish didn't spook when we took their photo
The camp fire at the RV camp was a social gathering point for the men mostly in the early evening
This is one of the smaller units we saw, a little to small for me I think.
We were at the camp just before St. Patrick's day celebration and this Irish Lady had her unit decorated for the holiday.
Our dogs were very well behaved and traveled without a problem
This is our RV it served us well even if it was a bit small for two adults, two dogs and two cats.
The sea shore was a treat although while at the beach the weather was a bit chilly



For some reason Pink Flamingos were popular decorations in Florida





This was tent city under a highway in the city of New Orleans
Pretty fountian in a courtyard of a hotel where we met our ride to and from our RV camp in New Orleans






The above photos are all in and around New Orleans LA.


Some pretty birds we saw
I love sail boats and this one was very nice

Samantha after a hard day touring New Orleans


Our pets inside the RV
Some guys having a chin wag at the RV camp
Samantha and our dogs
Shelby looking happy to be on the water
Kay Julia enjoying the evening in the RV

The pavalon at the RV Camp on the Bayou south of Houston


Spencer our littlest dog
Daily chore walking the dogs here we are on the Bayou in Texas

Picking a newer RV

There is a rear kitchen in our 5th wheel
Here I am doing a bad impression of Betty Ferness showing off the refridgerator, hopefully it will work well.
Curb side view of the 5th wheel
The street side view with slide out of the 5th wheel
Bedroom, closet and cabinets
The slide with dinette and sofa
So after our trip to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and back to Kentucky in a 27' Class C RV we decided if we were to continue to travel like this we needed more room to move around in than what the 87 RV had to offer.

We discussed the various options Class A vs. 5th wheel vs. Travel Trailer. Eventually we settled on the 5th wheel as our choice. Then it was which one? Samantha liked the one with three slide outs and I was not to sure about that having no experience with them. Samantha had more experience as she drove 5th wheels when she worked for Barnum & Bailey's Circus and felt that they were dependable. I opted for one big slide in the one we chose and luckily the head room in the bedroom was more than in the one with three slides. Also the condition of the unit seemed to me to be better also. If we like it someday we may up grade to a unit with more slides more features.

So we bought the 5th wheel and now we need a truck to pull the unit, a 3/4 ton with a big engine and strong to pull this huge thing about he country. We tried several trucks and like Goldilocks we had one to old, one beautiful and expensive, one old but with new engine, tires and most of the towing apparatus. I opted for older with the new engine, towing apparatus and tires.

When testing the equipment on the unit it was found that the water heater was leaking and had to be removed and taken to be welded. I wonder what else will need to be repaired or replaced?

It has been a few days since the water heater has been removed and sent to the welding shop and it still isn't back from the shop yet. I called the RV dealer again and maybe tomorrow the water heater will be finished and installed. Then again maybe it will take a little longer to get my RV home, I'll keep you posted.