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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be toio long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
Well, Should We, Or Should We Not? We are back to considering the purchase of a Class B Motorhome. Right now, we're undecided if we want a Roadtrek or Pleasureway Van, or about a 24 foot Class B Motorhome. The big thing for us will be comfort. The van's can't offer the comfort of a Motorhome. Yes, they are a little smaller, being about 5 feet shorter than the smaller Class B Motorhome we're looking at. It's the inside of the vehicle that really counts. This rig doesn't have a dedicated bed though, it needs to be looked at carefully by us. It's up in Holland Michigan, we'll probably be going there to see it Monday. I've decided we'll spend the night because it's about a 4 hour drive there. Obviously that's 8 hours round trip. Plus add time to look at it and sort of inspect as best we can. We do have a bit of help here, since neither of us has experience purchasing a Motorhome. Kathy's brother-in-law has this kind of experience! While he's not an RV Inspector, he has purchased several in the last 15 years or so. She sent him the link to the rig, and asked for his comments and advice. His reply was very thorough. Questions and things to look for: 1. Lie down on the ground to see how the frame looks. Is it rusty? I’d expect some rust on a unit of this age, if it’s serious scaly rust I’d think twice. It all depends on its winter use. 2. Was it in storage? 3. Did it run from Michigan to Florida in salt every winter? 4. Any maintenance records? 5. How many owners? 6. Does it have rear airbags? The literature suggests it may have them. 7. Does it have stabilizers or levelers? I’m not seeing them and they don’t mention them so I’m guessing no. Not a deal breaker but they’re nice to have. For one or two nights I don’t worry about it but for longer stays I use my manual leveling stands to reduce sway when parked. 8. Do the van seats swivel? If they do it adds seating when you have company. 9. Does it have a rear view camera? 10. Is the awning manual or electric? 11. Does it have a trailer hitch? 12. How old are the tires? There’s a date code stamped in the sidewall. RV tires are good for about 5-7 years before they need to be replaced, rarely worn out. He also provided a list of Pro's and Con's for the rig, but I won't bore you with those details. This is what has occupied most of my day. I even started a Speadsheet listing the rigs we've looked at and are interested in. I'd love to get a Pleasure Way of Roadtrek, but those are not much of an upgrade it seems. I guess we'll see what the future holds for us, huh! |
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