Bird Brains' Trail

Canada 2011

2011-09-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Canada was a cool trip this year, we did something a little different. Of course we went to Wawa again but we took a different route. First we went to Frankenmuth, Michigan for a Blue Bird Rally where we had 21 Blue Birds and tons of interest from the other campers in the park. After our breaf stay in Frankenmuth we headed to the Canadian Border at Port Huron, MI with John & Nancy Hall fellow birders. John & Nancy own a 1988 PT40 and have owned it for 4 years and have nearly driven the wheels off it, they are like the rollin stones. From Port Huron we went up the Bruce Peninsula and stayed our first night in Canada at Point Farms Provincial Park near Goderich, On. Goderich is a cute little town midway up the peninsula and while we were there at the park a severe tornado storm hit the town and did alot of serious damage. Fran & I were at the beach in the park when we saw the water spouts heading toward the town, we got pelted pretty hard by hail; no damage to us but Goderich got hit hard.

From Goderich the next morning we headed up to Tobermory, Ontario and stayed the night at Land's End RV Park, if we ever do the trip again we'll head to the ferry terminal and spend the night there for free. $62 bucks for a one night stay in a nowhere desitnation is a little steep no matter how cute the place may be. Our trip on the ferry was for only 2 hours but it was an adventure. From the ferry we traveled across Manitoulin Island and up to Canada 17 and headed toward Sault Saint Marie then on to Pancake Bay PP. Our onenight visit and PBPP was what we needed for us to push on to our Northwest Ontario getaway sight northwest of Wawa. Fran & I discovered this little mecca (Wawa) about 12 years ago and have been visiting it if only for a day or two for the last 11 years. Traveling the back roads, fishing, picking blue berries, hunting mushrooms and visiting our Canadian friends is what we do and look forward to it just about every year. This year was special because we got to share our special spot with our friends. Canada 2011 Trip. Click the link to view our photos, sorry for the order but I hope you enjoy our trip through our photos.

Spring & Summer 2011

2011-07-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

This year we have been trying to survive the sweltering summer heat so we haven't been out in the bird all that much. We have taken a couple short trips to our local state park, Charlestown State Park. May was fun we went to Berrien Springs, MI for the GLASS Rally and met up with 7 other bird friends and had a good time. We did have a lot of rain but with good company we did not let the rain dampen our sprits. We spent a few nights at the Indiana Dunes State Park just outside Gary Indiana and it was nice. On a clear day we could see Chicago across the lake. After the rally we went up to Grand Haven Michigan and spent a couple nights at their state park. The sunsets over Grand Haven was nice. Back in June we met John & Nancy Hall and went to General Butler State Park, Carrollton, Ky for a few nights and it was warm there. August may not be any better but we will make our annual run to Canada. I'm watching the Canada weather and it looks to be cooler and we are looking forward to being there.

Quartzsite, Arizona

2011-03-13T19:32:00.001-07:00

I know it has been awhile since I last posted on the blog and we have taken a few short trips. Fran & I went to Pine Mountain, Georgia back in October for a few days and Hershey, PA for a few and then there were several weekend trips to a local state park, but I went off on a 3 week getaway with my friend Shane Fedeli. Shane & I went to Quartzsite, AZ back in January; it was a 3 week trip. Shane's wife Kelly said last year she had enough of Quartzsite and Fran told me one trip for her was one too many. So Shane & I came up with this bright idea if the wives don't want to go then us men must look upon this as an opportunity to get the hell away. So we did.
Shane departed his house around noon on Jan 16 and drove to Columbus, Ohio, spent the night and drove on down to our house by 11:00 the next morning. I had an auction that morning and I got home by noon, we were off again and on the road at 1 PM. We drove 17 hours from my house to Forth Worth, TX about 900 miles.
The next morning which was about 3 hours later we departed again with our friends Rick & Rosie Archie in their bird and Michael Cain, his dog in his bird and we drove another 700 miles in about 14 hours until we reached the Cattleman’s Steakhouse near Fabens, TX just a few miles east of El Paso, Tx. Spending the night at the Cattleman’s has become a tradition with Birders; anyone and everyone with a Blue Bird Motor Coach traveling through South Texas have stayed at the restaurant overnight. Dinner at the Cattleman’s was great but boy did it get cold, it was spitting snow that morning when we left towards Gila Bend, AZ. Now driving a Blue Bird bus and being with 2 or 3 others one will stop at a Wal-Mart a time or two along the way but with this group of folks I think we hit every damn Wal-Mart in South Texas, New Mexico & Arizona before we made it to Quartzsite. It's a good thing we did because the nearest Wal-Mart from Quartzsite was nearly 40 miles away.
Quartzsite Arizona if one has never heard of it or been well let’s just say it’s a different place. The average population is about 3000, but during the winter months there are about 100,000 recreational vehicles that land there. Once you top the hill heading into Q you can see the reflections off the windshields of RVs for nearly 20 miles in both the north and south of I-10.

Hershey PA Blue Bird Rally

2010-10-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

During 6 - 11 October Fran & I went to the Hershey PA Blue Bird Rally. We met up with our friend Bill Pape in Somerset, PA and convoyed to Hershey. What a blast we were there with 30 other Blue Bird Motor Coaches ranging from 1978 to 2003. What a gathering, great food, and great companionship. It is always good to see old friends and equally as good to make new friends. We visited the Hershey factory, toured the Hershey area and learned about the Milton Hershey School. Fran visited the PA Capitol in Harrisburg and was impressed so now I wish I had gone, maybe next time. Our friends Shane & Kelly were the host for the event and they did an exceptional job. We dry camped in a parking lot belonging to the Derry Township, Shane had a time keep squatters off the lot. It seems as a couple tourist passing through the area saw a bunch of motorcoaches and thought it was a free for all and decided to crash our party. What a hoot.
On our return trip home we spent the night at Stonewall Jackson State Park near Roanoke, WV. What a beautiful park, 3.5 miles off the interstate and in between mountains so there was no road noise. This is the first park where we had a newspaper delivered to our bus. I was impressed, and it is in our plans to return. In a few days we're off again to Pine Mountain, Georgia for another working Rally.

We're Home

2010-09-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

We travelled 7 US States, 3 Canadian Proveniences, in 19 days, covering 4230 miles and having to replace 2 fuel filters & 2 RACOR filters on the bus and 1 fault breaker on the generator. Not a bad trip!
To see old friends were the highlights of our trip, we couldn’t see them all but we wish we could. There were several places we would have stayed longer if we had the time and I know someday we will return. Custer State Park deserves a week, as does Theodore Roosevelt NP, Nays Provincial Park at Marathon, Ontario, Canada and of course we will be back at Wawa next year.
As always we toted way to much gear; the flag pole was never erected, the canoe was never launched. The fishing gear never saw bait let alone a fish. The griddle never fried a pancake, nor did the charcoal grill see any kabobs. We brought home 3 weeks of dirty laundry, plenty of leftover frozen food & can goods.
So I guess the biggest surprise in all was we bought approximately 550 gallons of fuel on the trip and so you can do the math.
We bought no souvenirs, but we did pick clean and bring home nearly 10 pounds of mushroom; edible of course. Compliments go to our friend Zen of the High Falls Motel & Cabins in Wawa, Ontario. Zen & his wife Anna are Polish emigrants to Canada who has been our friends in Wawa for nearly 4 years, who taught us the art of picking, cleaning and preserving edible mushrooms. So if you’re ever in Wawa, Ontario you will need to stop by & see them, maybe even book one of their nice cabins for a night or two. They are wonderful hosts, and they can tell you places to go & things to see in that area of Ontario. High Falls Motel & CabinsWell it time to get to work, another auction on Tuesday, and several appraisals just waiting for my attention. Fran has a few houses to sell, and list and we both have bus choirs to tend to. Check back later to see where else we have been next.
Hershey, PA & Pine Mountain, GA

Entry into the U.S. & Michigan

2010-09-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Crossing the border at Sault Ste Marie into the United States was about as non intrusive as it has ever been for us crossing there. It took us 20 minutes or less in traffic to get to a patrol booth and once there the guard asked. ”Where you from, when did you go into Canada, & what did you bring back. Have a good day!” That was it. No inspections and no questions about whom all were aboard or did we bring back any fish. It was quick, easy and simple so the next time we come back we’ll get hammered!
My objective on this trip was to see as much of the US & Canada in the time we had with very little time on the Interstate Highway System. A friend of mine, Randy Dupree, told me once he never bought anything off the Interstate Highway except fuel & bad food. Well there is a lot a truth in that statement & I agree. I would also say you really get to see the real people when you travel the back roads, I guess it’s like Charles Kuralt’s On the Road, the byways and the back country roads is where you really see America, on either side of the border.
After we got into Michigan we did have to travel down the I-75 until we crossed the bridge at Mackinaw City, once we crossed the bridge we got on 31S towards Petoskey, where we stayed at Petoskey State Park. Before we got to Petoskey we went down about 25 miles of M119 a tree covered bywa along the Lake Michigan Shoreline, it was a beautiful sight. Wonderful homes and a beautiful sunset could be seen from that route. I would highly recommend this to anyone, the fall would even be more spectacular.
Now I understand the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has to maintain a lot of facilities but I believe their pricing structure is a little unfair. It cost us $14 to get in the park at petoskey then we had to pay an overnight fee to camp. They charged us $8 for the bus & $6 for the tow. I asked if I drove a truck towing a 35’ fifth wheel what would it cost to get in, only $8 for the motor vehicle & nothing for the trailer. I’m not talking a boycott here but I do feel that equal fees for all who enter would be more fair.
Petoskey State Park is a nice park and if we are ever in the area again we will return. One night was not enough. We left traveling down US31 through town and down the Michigan Lake Shoreline then we got on M72 and followed it for awhile. Traveling from one small town to another seeing what were tourist traps and where the real people actually live. Eventually we came to M55 and headed inland until we got to the Manistee National Forest, very large and well appointed for the outdoors person, fishing, snowmobile trails, hiking & camping. Tonight we are at Pine Lake Recreational Area dry camping; it’s nice, and small with only 12 sites in this area. Tomorrow we plan on heading back to US31 to head south. Our next stop will be Warren Dunes State Park near Bridgman, MI. Warren Dunes is a wild sand dunes area in Michigan, the sand gets blown in off Lake Michigan and piles up extremely high along that area of the Michigan shoreline.

Canada

2010-08-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

After visiting lower section of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND and the upper park approximately 60 miles north we headed straight north on HW85 to Canada and crossed the border at Fortuna, North Dakota, population 31. Crossing the border into Canada was like trying to break into Fort Knox. The poor guy riffled through our coach like we were smuggling rum into the states during the prohibition. We didn’t complain we just sit there and they eventually let us go on our way. I guess it was hard for the guy to comprehend 2 dumb country bumpkins coming from Southern Indiana to Fortuna, ND to cross the US/Canadian Border.
After the crossing we went on a side journey to Rouleau, Saskatchewan. If you ever saw the Canadian sitcom Dog River, Rouleau was the town used to represent Dog River. Yelp it looked just like it did on TV, police station, grocery, town hall, hotel/bar the whole nine yards with the exception of the diner & gas station which was built for the program. We walked into the bar to buy souvenirs the door was wide open but no one was there. We could have walked out with a table or chair; it was funny in a way. We stopped by the gas station and took a few photos, we could not drive up to the pumps, which were removed and replace with props, because tourist would stop by thinking it was an actual gas station. They even had to put barricades up on the drive way to keep people from pulling in; this was done after the filming had stopped. The grain silo was the same. It was a real hoot.
After our departure from DOG RIVER we set across Saskatchewan heading east, boy is it ever flat. Nothing but wheat and grain for hundreds of miles. We spent the night at Kings RV Park east of Regina on Trans Can 1, a nice stop for a night or two but no destination place. We drove on to Falcon Lake Provincial Park in Manitoba, a real nice park, clean and well appointed and would highly recommend it for anyone crossing Manitoba. Coming east into Ontario we stayed 2 nights in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park east of Thunder Bay, another cool park. Silver Islet is a neat plce it was reported to be the largest grossing siver mine in the 1800's. This silver vein was discovered by a fisherman while fishing on a rock a few meters off the shoreline. Once it was determined to be silver the miners set pilings around the outcrop of rocks to form an artificial island and set up a large mining operation. The visitor's center at the park has a replica of the mining operation. Really neat. From Sleeping Giant we headed east until we arrived at Neys (NAYS) Provincial Park. Neys Provincial Park, west of Marathon, on Can 17. Neys is right on Lake Superior and during WWII it was a War Prisoner Camp for ranking German Officers. The visitor center host told us after the war 80% of the former prisoners returned to Canada after the war and applied for citizenship. I can understand why it was so peaceful and beautiful on the lake. In this region of Ontario wild Woodland Caribou roam freely, but we did not see any. We did see a skull & a pelt at the visitor's center. While at the center I was put to the challange of identifying animal poop of the region. I was 100% successful, so the host had me do a consulation round where I did 80% not bad for a non-native.
We are now in Wawa, Ontario visiting old friends; Wawa has been our primary vacation spot for 10 years, we love it here. Peaceful, quiet, great fishing, and so much for a photographer’s eye; my wife just has a ball here shooting photos. We’ll be here a day or 2 then we are off down Michigan’s western shoreline making our way back home. As soon as I can get a chance I’ll load up photos of our trip for you to enjoy. Wawa has always been our place for peace & quiet, fishing and mushroom hunting has always been out thing here. This year we did not fish but we did gather about 30 pounds on edibile mushrooms. We brought home about 10 pounds.

A few photos of our trip so far. Please excuse some none related photos because I'm sort of new at this stuff.

North Dakota

2010-08-22T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well it’s good to be flexible I guess, when we woke this morning we decided to head north to Theodore Roosevelt National Park at Medora, North Dakota via Devil’s Tower in eastern Wyoming. We went up 385 out of Hill City, up to Deadwood, SD over the hills and through the woods to Devil’s Tower, then on up to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota. The scenery was beautiful, farmers cutting grain, pheasant running along the roads; antelope in the fields, and we even saw 7 Big Horn Sheep in a group. Outside our generator breaking a fault breaker in nearly 100 degree heat today was a pretty good day but there were a moment or two when the heat and tempers did collide. For nearly 200 miles in heat without air conditioning do have an impact on the attitude. All is well now, generator is fixed, and we’re tucked away in a campground with electric and tomorrow will bring a new day with new adventures. We can’t wait to see what Mr. Roosevelt has left for us to see.
Medora, ND is a cute little town, right outside the NP. Medora was founded by a rich guy, some duke, lord or some high fluten dude who had to name this town after his wife. A lot of friendly folk sitting around on the porch shooting the breeze and swapping stories to pass the time. School had started and the streets were deserted of children. Well we hit the park and saw wild buffalo, wild mustag and a few long horn steers grazing the prairie. The sandstone formations are unbelievable. Giant stones which reminded me of Kentucky geodes but only a couple thousand times bigger could be seen. This is truly one park well worth going out of your way to see. Next we went to the northern section of the park which is just south of Watford City, ND. Both the northen & southern sections of the park are on the Little Missouri River. This park has to be a hidden gem, very little traffic and we had no problem of finding a camping site while there. Beware camping in the TRNP is dry camping only because there is no power at the campgrounds, but it is worth it. Buffalo and deer roam through the campgrounds and I'm sure it would be a plesent surprise to see buffalo next to your unit grazing in the morning when you wake up. It could not be any worse then having black bear sniffing your tent as I once had happen to me while camping in the Grand Tetons a few years ago.
The north section of the park seems to be more hilly, and they seem to have larger herds of buffalo. We saw several deer, both mule & white tail & antilope but did not see any elk. We did see evidence of wild mustang and we did see a beautiful dapple grey stallion which appeared to be guarding a hidden harem of mares over the next hill. This is another area I wish we had stayed longer, to some it may not be a primary destination point but for folk like us who like the reclusive places I could have stayed and I would consider going back again some day.

South Dakota

2010-08-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning brought new light to our trip we departed The Windmill RV Park around 6:00 and it was a beautiful sunrise on the highway. The colors were unbelievable, driving through eastern South Dakota that early seeing the bales of hay, the antelope, and deer along the highway was so peaceful. We stopped at Mitchell and visited the Corn Palace, looking at the photos on the walls of the different years was really neat, but how long can one stay at the Corn Palace. Our next destination was Chamberlain, SD were we stopped at the rest area overlook on the Missouri River. It is unbelievable how that river made a difference in the topography of the area, east side open plains, west side rolling hills. From Chamberlain we took the South Dakota Scenic Byway up the Missouri to Fort Pierre, I truly believe that is a trip everyone should make if in the area. Driving through the reservation was so peaceful; thoughts continued to flow through my mind. I was trying to imagine what it was actually like in 1804 - 1806 when Lewis & Clark first traveled through the area. Jokingly outside a few domesticated cows and a few ranches it’s not much different.
From Fort Pierre we went on to the Badlands where we ran into James Lehman and his wife in their 85FC35 which they bought a little over a year ago off eBay in South Carolina. We visited for a short period they were on their way to Joliet, Wyoming and we wanted to tour the Badlands at sunset. The sun cast a thousand different colors over the reds, grays, and pink formations of the eroding terrain through the Badlands. We saw pheasant, mule deer and Fran found a clutch of decaying snake eggs, we were in hopes it would be dinosaurs but I think it was just gopher snake eggs. Thursday night we stayed at the Budget Inn & RV resort at Interior, SD population 67. What a hoot that place was, I came to the conclusion that if they use the words resort in their name it is suppose to give them a better chance of folks wanting to stay there. We’ll mark that one off our future return list.
Friday morning was another early start, we were off to Custer State Park, oops all fudge I forgot to make reservations, so there was no openings at Custer until Sunday so we found a really nice place belonging to the National Forrest Service named Oreville Campground it’s about 8 miles from the town of Custer on SR385 and it’s clean, quiet and the rates are not bad considering the commercial rates in the area, we paid $19 per night to dry camp. We were able to get into Stockade North in Custer State Park for Sunday so we will be moving tomorrow.
Well we gave up on an extended stay at Custer State Park, so we moved on to North Dakota to see the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, ND.

Bellevue SP,Old Friends & Middle America

2010-08-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

Bellevue Iowa State Park & Old Friends
We made it to Bellevue State Park to visit our friends Lee & Jacque Davis, campground host of the park. We got in around 5 PM and it was raining on us for the last 2 hours of travel. After settling in we rode another 3 minutes with Mario Andretti Davis to an Indian Restaurant in Dubuque, Iowa. The meal & company was simply great. Getting back at the camp site around 8:30 Lee took us to see the sights of the park, the river overlooks were simply marvelous. The majestic Mississippi flows past Bellevue and several homes are built on the riverboat theme. There was one very close to a Steamboat Gothic, and there were several old Victorian style homes as well as the old European style stone cottages.
This morning we woke around 7:00 and had hot coffee around the fireplace with Lee & Jacque. Being the host of the park they have a pretty rough schedule, up at 7, lunch around noon & bed by 9 PM. What a life they have. Actually Lee gets so bored he invents things to do like spray weed control on the gravel campsite pads, due to the lack of camers the weeds do have the tendency to grow on the camping pads. Bellevue is off the high traffic flow path and if you’re looking for a beautiful place to stay I would highly recommend this park. Sixteen bucks a night for electric is not bad at all, water and sewer is on the way into the park. Concrete streets, shaded sites and the host, well you know, over worked; all in all it’s not a bad deal.
After coffee we went on another tour of the local sights, overlooked the river, played tourist and took a few pictures then we had to depart, but knowing we will see our friends again in October made leaving easier.
Traveling cross county you can do in many ways, fly, train drive the Interstates or take the US Highway System. We chose the latter, we took US 20 pretty much all the way across Iowa, and it’s beautiful. US HW20 is a gently rolling highway built of concrete in the 40s I would think, and it is just an easy ride. Riding across the middle of Iowa all you see is pretty much CORN, CORN, and more CORN. The barns are built to meet the needs of the farmers operations, many were very unique, many different styles and different materials for construction. Several barns looked much better than the homes of the caretakers. Through the middle of the state on the rolling hilly plains there were several wind turbines generating power. The massive machines look like they belong in a Star Wars movie.
Later on we saw a truck which had the largest tires we had ever seen, the drive stopped behind us at a vegetable stand and I asked him the price of the tires, he said 20 grand a piece and they lasted usually about 90 – 120 days. I don’t think they were Michelins either.
We drove nearly 9 hours took several side trips and stopped at a few unusual places, and we are now in South Dakota just a few miles east of Sioux Falls, staying in a dive of a campground call the Windmill RV Park. I think the rates are based on what you arrive in so our site for the evening was $30 & no sewer, I guess we could dump on the ground I doubt it would be noticed, but we’re tired and we’re off to the Corn Palace, Wall Drugs & hoping to make it to the Badlands tomorrow evening.

False Start - Bad Fuel & Sucking Air

2010-08-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

Day two of our journey got started at 0700 we were off thinking we would get a few miles under our belts before it got hot. We saw several doe with fawn and a few young bucks in velvet. We made it to the dump station to relieve the busses tanks. Everything went smoothly for the first 6 miles until we came to a stop sign on the top of an incline. The bus sputtered humped, jumped then died at the stop sign, I guess the bus took it seriously. There was no room for traffic to go around on our right; so every fool behind us who wanted to turn right would sit there behind us and blow their horn. Not knowing what my problems could be I thought what I had done differently in the last few hours which may had caused our dilemma. I posted a notice for assistance on the Wanderlodge Owners Group Forum and within minutes I had phone call and notices on line of possible issues. I concluded & it was also recommended it had to be a fuel issue. Well yesterday before we hit the camp ground for the evening we filled up at the Pilot east of Danville, Illinois. I put some Killz in the tank with the fill up and I guess it shocked the system because my RACOR filter was black and it was also sucking air due to the blockage. We changed the RACOR and bled four injectors on the engine and the engine fired to life. So we took off. It was only a few miles when I noticed it seemed like the engine was not developing full power and it appeared to lack boost on the turbo, 5 – 7 pound max and 55 MPH tops. So I concluded again it had to be a fuel filter problem, so I decided to get the bird off the road and change out the main engine fuel filter. I had a spare so I thought it would be an easy fix at the next interchange, wrong the bus thought differently so it died at the end of the off ramp. This time it was in heavier traffic with tandem trailer trucks backing up the ramp. First I had to unhook our Cherokee to get the ramp open, and then I had to do a speedy fuel filter change. It was a 3 minute change out, popped open 3 injectors, bled them off and the engine fired to life once again. I asked Fran to drive the Cherokee and we were off looking for a NAPA or parts house to get a few fuel filter spares. Once on the interstate the bus had full power and the turbo boost was at 15 pounds, I felt good, it was running like it hadn’t run in a long time.
We finally made it to Bellevue State Park, met up with Lee & Jacque Davis and went out to dinner. More to come tomorrow. Gee I wish I had Fran take pictures of me under the bird at the stop sign with six trucks backed up the ramp and a couple of soccer moms in their SUVs talking on their cell phones & blowing their horn.

Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood, Illinois

2010-08-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well we’re on the road but first our day started at 7:00 we had to do our third auction in five days. We arrived at the city impound lot at 8:30. The auction began at 10 and we sold 135 cars in less than 2 hours and back at home by 12:00. As always nothing goes as you plan, my plan was to be on the road by 1:00, but no I had to screw up the office scanner first. As usual fussing & cussing didn’t help, but with our group effort we got it back on line and we were on the road at 2:15.
Traveling I65 North was normal and nothing great could be seen, we liked I74 West better because as soon as we hit I74 we felt as if we were actually on vacation. We made good time and we actually had a few more hours of daylight driving time but we decided to make our planned scheduled stop at Kickapoo State Park just a few miles west of Danville Illinois. We felt as the rest was more important than travelled distance. These last 5 days really kicked our butts.
This will be our fourth visit to Kickapoo State Park and we like it, peaceful, quiet at times it makes you feel as if the locals didn’t know it was here. As usual we were welcomed by a large family group of deer, every time we come we see 15 – 20 deer and it’s early yet and we have only seen 9.

Bird Trip #1 for 2010

2010-08-04T20:50:00.001-07:00

We are getting ready for our 2010 trip in the big blue bus. This year we plan on going to the Dakota's. Fran has not visited Custer State Park and she was 10 when her parents went to Mt. Rushmore. On this trip there will be several things different. We'll be able to stop when we want to, see what we want and leave when we want, not like it was when we had to travel with our parents. Our trip plans include Kickapoo State Park, Il, Bellevue State Park in Iowa then on to Chamberlain, SD, the Badlands, Rapid City Area, Mt. Rushmore, Custer, Crazy Horse then maybe head to Devil's Tower and possibly to Yellowstone NP & The Grand Tetons. We have no real itinerary just 3 weeks to do what we want and see what we can. Unlike our past Road Trips with the rush, rush, rush, we plan on relaxing and enjoying what we can. As usual I am over packing; canoe, satellite dish, fishing tackle, and I have not decided if I want to haul the Rokon.

Getting ready takes more then what Fran thinks for the bus that is. So far I've changed the oil, lubed the chassis, changed the oil in the generator, tightened nuts & bolts, cleaned, washed & waxed, changed filters, checked all the fluids and the list keeps growing. I've taken the bus to have new tie rod ends installed and I have checked the air pressure in the tires. The list keeps growing and I know it is better to solve any loose issues now at home before we get on the road. Fran has loaded several games, her paints and has been to AAA to get this year's editions of maps & camping guides. We have the gps loaded with trip routes ready for just about any destination within reach.

Wanderloge Owners Group Forums

2009-08-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

One of the great advantages of owning a Blue Bird Wanderlodge is the support one gets from the many wonderful folks who are signed on to the forums. I have made friends from all over the country, have gained tons of knowledge, shared information and have solved many issues through these groups. Being a member, knowing other owners of the same year & model bird is much better then any credit card one could carry in their wallet. When I experience an issue with our bird I go to the forum archives to see if I can find the answer, if not there I post a notice if needed & time permits or I will call a fellow member who has given me permission & their number. After we solve the problem we post the problem & solution on the forum for others to share. Group outings are the best, Rallies are a great place to gather knowledge/experience, plus the friendship & good food. I know there are other RV groups but I don't know of any others who provide the support or who are as active as the Wanderlodge Owners Group this group has shared so much and if one could quantify in dollars of the support to others (members) it would be in the millions. Prevost & Marathon owners pull out American Express, Blue Bird Wanderlodge pull out their tools & share their experiences, That's the real differences. Photo of a tech talk -walk-around during the RATS Ralley 07, Elko, GA.

2009-08-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

August 09 was or 8th trip to the Wawa Area and here we are at one of our favorite campgrounds in Ontario, Rabbit Blanket Lake. RBL is about 15 miles south of Wawa, ON on highway 17N at the upper end of Lake Superior Provincial Park. Our travels usually start there for a day or two of planning, filling up with fresh water and hitting the dump station before we head into the back country. Being extremely conservative we can stay in the back country unsupported for about 7 days, then we have to head back for water & a dump. Wawa is on the Trans Canadian Highway and it is between Sualt Ste Marie & Thunder Bay. We usually base camp on the Steep Hill Reservoir, on the Magpie River just northwest of Wawa. There we canoe, fish, hike and ride the endless miles of abandoned railroad beds on the Crown Lands. Crown Lands in Canada are like our BLM land here in the states. Some properties have certain restrictions, and camping may have a fee which may seem high for no services, but I can assure you the fee is well worth the peace & beauty you receive. I can't wait until we arrive in August for our 8th trip. This year we plan on something a little different. We are looking into a small change in our annual excursion. This year we will be heading toward Sudbury & Timmins with maybe a train trip up to Cochraine on the Polar Bear Express, then head over to Nipigon Lake for a few days before we come back to Wawa. Looking forward to it and can't wait for what we may discover.

Our Bird "Bird Brains"

2009-08-03T11:00:00.002-07:00

Underground Storage & 04 Rokon 2x2 Trailerbraker 2 wheel drive trail bike

When we purchased our new to us 1988 Bluebird Wanderlodge, we were lucky. The previous owner had spent several thousand dollars getting it trip ready, they took one trip & parked it in the garage. It never came out until our purchase. We were extremely happy to be able to find a gracious bird with low miles 82K and at a price we could afford. Our coach is powered by a Caterpillar 3208 300HP turbo mated to a 5sp ZF transmission, the bus will sleep 4, and has an on board 8KW Onan generator providing our power needs. The bird has all the aminities of home, full bath, gas cook top, convection microwave oven and a Dometic fridg. Our bird has been run well above the legal limits for speed for hundreds of miles but it purrs like a kitten around 63 MPH and that is where we usually run her. What we have discovered and most bluebird owners will tell you is that the average motor home buyer would rather spend 10's of thousands more for a new or much newer staple & sticks RV then spend less money for a ground up, all steel construction, older bluebird motor coach. This is where the others go wrong, Bluebirds are built tough, and with roughly less then 5000 bluebirds built they were built to last. We know of 25 - 35 year old bluebirds on the road providing quality service to their owners but can you say that about Winnebago, nope or not really. Our bird is pretty much original, the original interior; we've replaced 4 tires, we bought 12R - 22.5 Michelin XZE all-position radials, we replaced the on board - fresh water pump, both the power converter and the inverter. We changed all the old fluids & filters in the drive train from front to rear, washed, waxed the bus and have lubed the chassis. We had to have the rear wheel seals replaced this year due to bad advice from a truck shop service tech from a previous visit - last year, so we also had to have new brake shoes installed on the rear - this year. That pretty much sums up our investment in our motor coach. Since our ownership we have logged over 16K in 2 years and had one incident when we had to have the fuel pump replaced. While we were at that we had it relocated to a more convenient location on the bus chassis and had a spin off fuel filter installed in line with the Racor filter. On average our annual upkeep of the bird has been around 1500 per year. That does not include fuel expenses, storage fees, tags and insurance. During the summer we keep it in publc storage under cover & during the winter months we store it underground with temps averaging around 60 degrees, this way we don't ever have to winterize our coach and it is ready to hit the road with a few hours notice. MPH well above the legal limits, MPG well that's a secret between us and OPEC, no just kidding our milage is between 8 - 10 mpg and much better then one would think for a 32K pound vehicle running above legal limits and only stopping for fuel once every 1800 miles or so. Why Wanderlodge, Why Not? American made, 100% metal body construction, towing capacity of 10K, sleeps & feeds 4 or more when needed, and is the only motorhome on the market which has a US Government Roll-Over Safety Rating. Made by the same folks who built the Blue Bird School Bus your kids went to school in. That's why.