All Aboard!

8:09 am - Thursday - April 18th - Fontana, CA - 63° F, 43% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north......clear blue skies today with a forecast high of 91°.....oh yeah, it's going to be a warm one for sure.

Our son-in-law, Nick (married to Kate), advised us a week, or so ago that his current job (he works for a housing developer) has him just a few blocks from the Elks Lodge, and would we like to have lunch some day?  Of course we would!  We set the lunch date for Wednesday at 11:30 am at, where else, Mariscos del Pacifico.

Just as we pulled into the parking lot Nick was exiting his vehicle.....I love it when people are on time!  I think this is probably the first time ever we have had Nick all to ourselves, and we enjoyed peppering him with questions about his job, and life in general.  I've known Nick since 2003 when I used to pick him up to take him to high school each day with my son Tim.  He has developed into a good man, and we are so grateful to have him married to our daughter, and a part of our family.....

.....of course this was a work day, so we had him for a little less than an hour.  We will see him again in just a few days as we are going to their (Nick and Kate's) home for Easter Sunday brunch, and are looking forward to seeing the whole family again.

Just after we bid adieu to Nick I began to get a series of pictures from Glenn and Laureen of their visit to All Aboard America in Mesa, AZ to have a full service done on their new to them 1984 Newell Classic.....it is always cool to see you coach in the air for the first time......↴

 Laureen hamming it up for the camera

Before....↗

......in addition to the traditional service they had their exhaust leak permanently fixed.....↴

After↗

......with a whole new section of flex pipe to replace the old, rusted section that was leaking.  They took time to snap a picture with Leo.......↴

Leo and Laureen....the nicest Detroit Diesel 

2 stroke mechanic you will ever meet!

......and one of Darren, Leo's helper.  Darren worked with Leo on our coach the last three times we have been there.......↴

Darren

....we didn't hear any more from them until after 4:30 pm when the work was done and they were paying for said work.  They left All Aboard America about 5 pm and drove 100 miles to the Cracker Barrel in Tucson, AZ where they planned on spending the night, so they are no longer Cracker Barrel virgins.  So our Newell proteges have flown the coop, and are on their own heading next into New Mexico and then deep into the heart of Texas.  They are slowly adapting to life lived on the road in their home away from home.  Glenn has said he finds himself sleeping better at night, and happy to be so busy learning about their Newell.  That learning curve will go on for some time into the future, for sure!

I spent some time in the late, late afternoon paying some attention to our poor Beetle which has been in sore need of a wash for about a week.  She now has a smile upon her face once again, and my guilt for neglecting her has been somewhat assuaged. 

We are anticipating a very warm next couple of days (Thursday/Friday) when temps will pop into the 90's before settling back into the 70's over the weekend.  Our time here at the Elks Lodge is fast coming to a conclusion, and we will be pulling up anchor on the 25th to head for our summer job at Ramona Oaks RV Resort.

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Until next time......

8:14 am - Wednesday - April 17th - Fontana, CA - 55° F, 74% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the northeast......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 82° F.

We were up at 7 am to help Glenn and Laureen get underway for the next leg of their trip bac kto Texas.  Since they need to have the coach serviced (oil, coolant change, lube drive train, filters, etc.) I helped them make an appointment with Leo at All Aboard America for Wednesday morning.  Leo agreed they could spend the night when they arrived Tuesday for their Wednesday appointment.  When we arrived at their coach they were having breakfast......

.....we talked about what needed to be done before they could depart including disconnecting the city water, the electric and finally dumping their effluent......

......they wanted to take a few staged pictures before we did the waste tank deed.....

This one is my favorite....thank you Laureen!

Dumping and flushing their single waste tank....it was quite full!

.....I'm glad I helped them dump, because now I know how their system works....it is quite different from mine, but at least I can answer questions for them if they arise in the future.

By 8 am they were ready to begin their travel to Mesa, AZ and All Aboard America.....

.....we said our 'until next times', exchanged hugs, and wished them safe travels.....only 1,330 miles until they reach Austin.

After their departure TLE and I got dressed and drove into Rancho Cucamonga to drop some donations at Goodwill, and to do a little junking.  I found a t-shirt I liked, and TLE a couple pairs of shorts for working this summer.  From there we headed a couple of blocks over to my son's office to go through all the stuff we have been storing in his warehouse on heavy duty shelving we purchased from Sam's Club about 10 years ago.  We ended up throwing away a lot of stuff, and making another trip to Goodwill with some more donations.  We managed to reduce our stuff on the shelves by over 1/3.  I have a lot of bicycle parts I had forgotten about, but now they are organized, and if I need any of them I know my son will be happy to ship them to me.

We were home by 3 pm watching a couple of English Premier soccer matches we had recorded, and before we knew it was 5 pm......we got a text message from Glenn and Laureen about 4:50 pm advising they had reached All Aboard America and were 'tucked in for the night'.  On their way they stopped just over the border into Arizona in Ehrenberg to 'pay the rent' for the first time taking on 109 gallons of diesel at $3.05/gallon.

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RV School......

7:12 am - Tuesday - April 16th - Fontana, CA - 54° F, 76% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the south.....cloudy today with a forecast high of 63° F!

As I mentioned in yesterday's post we discovered an exhaust leak in Glenn and Laureen's Newel, so Monday was dedicated to getting a temporary fix installed which would hold until they reach All Aboard America on Wednesday where Leo will provide a permanent fix.....

 

The breech is right where the flex tubing 

connects to the muffler elbow

 ......about 9 years ago I found an exhaust leak and applied this same temporary fix.  Went to Home Depot and bought an 18" x 12" sheet of aluminum, cut it down using my tin snips to a 4" x 18" strip, wrapped it around the area of the breech, and then installed two stainless steel hose clamps to hold it in place.  This should get them another 330 miles to Mesa, AZ where it can be fixed properly.  In all, including the time we spent at HD it took about 30 minutes to fix.

TLE and Laureen went shopping after we had fixed the exhaust leak, but when they returned we showed them how to deploy the Zip Dee awning, and TLE spent some time sewing little plastic tabs on their new shower curtain so it could be hung from the little aluminum slide inside the shower......

....by the time we finished with the awning, and the shower curtain it was time for dinner......

.....our first meal shared in their 'new' coach!  

I'm really happy they chose to come south and spend a few more days with us as now I feel much more confident about their knowledge of their Newell.  We spent time hooking them up to 'city' water, learning how to dump their single waste tank using their unique to this coach setup, and talking more about the differences between inverter power, propane generator power, and shore power, and the circumstances under which they would typically use each one.  Glenn and I ran the generator for about 30 minutes under load to determine the operating parameters......the normal operating temperature, and the normal oil pressure.  It ran flawlessly for that time, and the blower ran quietly, and smoothly.

We bid them adieu a little before 9 pm and headed back to our Newell for the evening.  it was a good three days working with them, and as Laureen says.....'RV school is out of session for now!'.

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How sublime.....

7:24 am - Monday - April 15th - Fontana, CA - 53° F, 54% humidity, wind - CALM......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 73° F.

Some might say "Let's talk about the elephant in the room....", but today I have to say, let's talk about the 'Tiger' in the room.......it was so improbable, so unimaginable, so unlikely, so against all conventional wisdom, and yet at the exact same time so delightful, wonderful, delicious, magnificent, and finally emotional.  Tiger Woods has now officially come all the way BACK. On Sunday he walked up the 18th fairway with a two stroke lead in The Masters.  To me it was surreal, almost like I was having a dream watching him sink the final putt to win the 2019 edition of The Masters.......

.......there were so many scenarios developing on the back 9 Sunday.....any number of 7,or 8 different guys could have won, but in the end it was Tiger standing alone with a 1 stroke lead.  He hugged his son, his mother, his daughter and girl friend.....all wearing 'Tiger red'.  It was so sublime.....what else is there to say?

Ironically, my brother-in-law has not yet figured out how to watch over the air TV on the TV in the 1984 Newell (I tried to figure it out for about an hour, but was not successful) so I invited him over to watch the end of The Masters. He didn't realize they had started early due to impending weather, so when he came in the door of our coach it was seconds before Tiger made the final putt to win The Masters.....perfect timing Glenn!

Once The Masters was over Glenn and I got busy taking care of a few more things on the 1984 Newell.  I installed a better hose bib on his city water connection that would not leak.  We adjusted the vents on each engine bay door outward to the 'middle' position so they grab  a little more air and force it through the engine compartment to keep the big Detroit Diesel a little cooler.  We also tightened all of the brass fittings on each MAC air valve to be sure they were tight hoping to find the source of the air leak that empties his supply air tank so quickly once the engine is shut down.  Finally, we discovered an exhaust leak in the passenger side engine compartment which we will address Monday morning.  

By the time we finished it was fast approaching 6 pm so I suggested we all get cleaned up and head over to Mariscos Del Pacifico for a later dinner......

 Bacon wrapped shrimp

.....I ordered my usual shrimp tacos, but TLE and Glenn ordered bacon wrapped shrimp.....OMG....is there really such a thing? I know what I will be ordering next time!

.......we were home by 8 pm each bidding the other adieu for the evening as we headed to ur separate Newell Classics for the evening.  Sunday was a day that was perfect in every regard, and years from now people will be asking the question....."Where were you when Tiger won The 2019 Masters?

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MOENY, MOENY......

8:00 am - Sunday - April 14th - Fontana, CA - 59° F, 49% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the south by southwest......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 79° F.

Saturday began with a screw in our MOEN kitchen faucet breaking causing the single pull handle to separate from the valve which it operates to provide and mix hot and cold water......okay, I know what I am doing this (Saturday) morning.......

It's all back together now, but just under the cap was an allen screw which broke in half causing the handle to fall off the base

......MOEN does provide a lifetime warranty on their products, and I could probably have called them and they would mail me a new part, but I was pretty sure I could drill out the screw, however, there was no guarantee I would succeed in doing so without possibly damaging the threads in this critical part.  It took me about 90 minutes to delicately drill out the old screw, and I broke two 5/64ths drill bits in the process, but in the end I was successful, did not damage the threads, and found the only screw I had which would work to reattach this part to the MOEN valve.  I applied a little 'Locktite' to the screw and reassembled the MOEN faucet......works better than ever!

All during the day we were exchanging texts, and the occasional phone call with Glenn and Laureen.  They began their day leaving Santa Nella RV Park just off I-5 with a Jello plan to drive as far as Castaic (near Valencia and 6 Flags Magic Mountain) leaving them about 85 miles short of the Elks Lodge here in Fontana.  As the day progressed and they finished climbing and descending the 'Grapevine' taking them over Tejon Pass and through Gorman into the Santa Clarita Valley they decided to continue and make it all the way to Fontana.  They arrived around 6:40 pm.......

....and within a few minutes they were parked, we were exchanging hugs, and talking about their drive of 320 miles Saturday.  On the climb over the 'Grapevine' their engine temps never got above 190° F, and it was reported by Glenn that the 'Jake' brake worked just as it should.  Laureen drove a short distance with Glenn doing the rest.

TLE had prepared 'fajitas' for our group dinner, and we sat eating and talking until after 9 pm.  Well, their first 500 miles are under their belt with no mishaps, or malfunctions.  We'll have a few days with them to go over the coach and fix a couple of things, get their TV's working, and break a little more bread......life is good!

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A change of plans......

6:51 am - Saturday - April 13th - Fontana, CA - 44° F, 53% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the north......clear blue skies today with a forecast high of 81° F.

I woke up to a cryptic text message from Glenn and Laureen with a time stamp of 6:57 am saying "Propane is not coming on so no heaters and stove burners don't come on using BIC lighter...".  I had just gotten up, and I appreciate that they sent a text just in case I wasn't conscious yet.  I immediately called them.  As I wrote in yesterday's blog entry 'we' discovered that what we thought was a full propane tank, was actually a quite empty propane tank.  It took a little troubleshooting before I was convinced that was the problem, but ultimately it was, and that explained why the propane generator would only run for a few seconds before stopping.  That was a simple fix......there is a propane dealer less than a mile from Ernestine's property where they had the tank filled with 39.5 gallons of propane in their 40 gallon tank....yup, it was quite empty.

Of course, right after that the generator started and ran smoothly, the gas heaters worked, and the fridge began working again in the 'GAS' mode.  From there they headed a few blocks into town to have 6 new 22.5" tires installed.  It was determined during the installation that the front brakes have very little wear showing.....another piece of good news.  So rear and front brakes have been redone at some time in the past 10 years, and they will never have to worry about relining the brakes in their lifetime.

Throughout the day we exchanged text messages as they prepared to depart Yuba City.  Their original plan had been to drive to Colorado Springs to retrieve a vehicle Glenn bought from his brother (Honda Element) which will be used as their 'toad' car.  If you have been watching the Weather Channel you probably know Colorado has been slammed with a Spring snow storm, and it is quite cold, and snowy there.  I suggested via text that they consider heading directly south on I-5 and come to visit us, then head to Mesa, AZ to have a service done on their Newell at All Aboard America, and then head home to Austin, TX directly from there.  After careful consideration they agreed, and changed their plans....I like their flexibility in changing the Jello plan...they're getting the hang of this lifestyle quite quickly!

By the time they let Yuba City it was after 2 pm, so I found a small RV park with nothing but pull through sites about 160 miles south just off I-5 for them to overnight.  They arrived there about 5:45 pm after a lovely first day of travel in their Newell.  They will probably arrive here in Fontana late Saturday, or early Sunday.

.

A picture from Glenn and Laureen's first RV park this morning

I spent most of the day watching the 2nd round of the 'Masters' which saw Tiger Woods pull within one stroke of the lead by the end of the round.....a very good day for many of the world's best golfers.....there are five tied at -7, and four (including Tiger) tied at -6, another four, or five tied at -5......should be an interesting weekend.

During that time I pulled out our four Newell manuals to go through them to weed out the documentation which no longer applies.  Many appliances have been replaced, so it was time to remove the old owners manuals, and sort through all the new documentation I have accumulated over 11 years of ownership and get it all properly filed.......

 The now empty manuals....we went from four 3 ring binders down to the two below.....↴

What is left.....just two manuals

.....in the top picture you will see two piles of documentation....the left pile already has holes so they can be put into the remaining two manuals, and the right pile needs holes punched.

The 2nd round of the Masters ended just before 4:45 pm, so we headed into the Elks Lodge for Friday night dinner.  Two of our daughters and their families wanted to meet us for dinner there, and they joined us shortly thereafter......

Left to right: Moi, Elijah (Kate's son), Nick, Kate, TLE, Rod and Sharon.....the other kids were at the 'children's table'

.....we had a typical Hockwald dinner with multiple conversations going at the same time for 90 minutes, or so.  After dinner, which was quite good by the way, we retired to the patio area behind the RV section where the kids played, and the adults continued their many conversations for another hour before the setting sun, and dipping temperatures signaled an end to another great time spent with family.

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The rest of the inspection story......

6:54 am - Friday - April 12th - Fontana, CA - 50° F, 74% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the north.......clear skies today with a forecast high of 76° F.

We awoke Thursday morning knowing our initial inspection mission had been successfully accomplished.  I had a scheduled flight out of Sacramento at 12:10 pm, but Glenn and Laureen had cancelled theirs since they had decided to buy the 1984 Newell and drive it home to Texas.  I needed to be at the airport an hour ahead to print my boarding pass, and get through security, so we left Yuba City around 10 am heading south to the Sacramento International Airport located just north of the city for which it is named.

As I sat in the airport I reflected upon the whirlwind of activity over the last two days, and was still amazed we accomplished so much, and actually got to a decision point by early afternoon on Wednesday.......

......I didn't have long to reflect, however, as within 30 minutes of my arrival at gate B-16 it was time to board my flight.....

.......before I left Yuba City I had begun to write my daily blog post describing the events of Wednesday, but by the time I had downloaded all the pictures I wanted to use it was time to get breakfast, and get dressed to drive to the airport, so I deferred finishing it until I got back to Fontana.  That post did not go up until mid afternoon after I arrived home, as you know.

Overnight I was thinking about other things we had checked, and did not mention, which might have jumped out at you when you read that bullet list of things we checked.  We also checked the Dometic Classic refrigerator (works on gas and electric) and it worked in both modes (gas/electric) cooling down to the appropriate temps for the freezer and refrigerator.  We also turned on the Norcold refer in the basement and it worked well.  We verified that the rear brakes had been done about 15,000 miles ago.  The front brakes will be checked Friday when Glenn and Laureen have the 6 new tires installed.

One thing I did not get around to checking was the Magic Chef stove (there is no oven, but there is a microwave/convection) to see if the burners would light.  I mentioned I did check the three Suburban gas furnaces and they provided hot air over the few minutes I operated them.  The propane gauges on the propane tank and dashboard indicated there was propane, and, in fact, the dash gauge indicated the tank was full.  As I mentioned the propane generator would start briefly and then die.  Well this morning (Friday) I got a text message from Glenn at the stove would not light, and there was no heat coming out of the gas heaters.......hmmmm?  I asked him to go outside and open the 'bleed' valve on the propane tank......you should hear a rush of propane/air when it is opened, but there was silence.  Uh Oh.......the gauges were wrong....they are out of propane.....doh!  That explains the problem with the generator.  Apparently there was just enough propane left in the system to briefly start the generator, run the gas heaters for a couple of minutes and to light the pilot light on the Dometic fridge......my bad guys.  Had I checked the stove it probably would have become apparent that they were almost out of propane, as the burners would not have lit, or if they did, they would not have stayed lit very long.

The bad news this morning is they have no heat, but the very good news is the propane generator probably will work just fine once they fill up the propane tank this morning on their way to the tire store.  So, in the end, it appears that everything does work after all except for the dashboard propane gauge.....a minor issue!

My plane landed 20 minutes early in Ontario....there must have been a tail wind.  TLE was right there at curbside as I exited the building, and we were quickly on our way back to the Elks Lodge.  It is so good to be home with my Lovely Elaine, to hear her familiar voice, and to be able to reach across the salon and hold her hand.  Even a couple of days absence makes the heart fonder it seems.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel.

The inspection, part 2

7:22 am - Thursday - April 11th - Yuba City, CA - 52° F, 68% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the northeast.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 68° F.  

So Wednesday was the day of the big, complete, thorough inspection.   As I woke up around 6:30 am my mind was a swirl of thoughts regarding all the things I needed to do in order to give Glenn and Laureen my best advice, and to identify everything which would need attention, or repairing.  My main concerns were what had been reported to me by Ernistine (the current owner).....1) The front A/C would not run, 2) the gray water shut off valve would not completely shut, and 3) the generator blower would not run.  These were my main concerns as we pulled into the large farm property owned by Ernestine.  Her property (about 40 acres) is a working walnut farm.  

The 1984 Newell has been kept in their 'workshop' since 1988 when they bought it the first time.  In 1991 it was sold to some friends of theirs who continued to store it in the workshop, and when Ernestine and her husband reacquired it in 1998 they continued to store it there when not in use until the present.  So except for its first 4 years of its life it has been stored inside, and its condition reflects just that.....

In front of the coach before the inspection work began

After the crops were in each season Ernestine and her husband, Morgan, would take long trips in the Newell

Just after we puled the Newell out of the 

workshop early afternoon

......we proceeded to work, almost unabated, for 10.5 hours....took a short hamburger break around 1 pm.  During that 10.5 hours we checked the four builtin electric heaters and found they all had to be replaced.....I had the same heaters and replaced mine several years ago.  Following is a list what we also did during that time span:

• Verified that the front A/C did, indeed, work.  There is a switch on the dash (just like mine) that must be in the 'ON' position in order to turn on the roof A/C.  Both  A/C's blow ice cubes after a few minutes of running.
• Verified that the gray water shutoff valves DOES work....nothing wrong with it.
• Verified all 4 Suburban gas furnaces work.
• Verified the electric Raritan water heater works.
• Verified the water pumps work, and that plumbing system will pressurize.
• Verified the inverter/charger/converter works.
• Verified the block heater works.
• Verified the coach will build air pressure, but found there must be a 'SUPPLY SIDE' leak, however, the brake side holds 120 PSI.  The 'SUPPLY' side will build to 120 PSI and stay there as long as the engine is running, but looses all the pressure over 60 minutes after the engine is shut down.  Will have to be checked out.
• Verified the generator blower does work after resetting the breaker switch, but the propane generator will only run for about 5 seconds before shutting down.  I suspect the solenoid which opens the valve enabling propane to enter the engine is defective. They will have that diagnosed.
• Verified the tires are 13 years old so they will have them replaced immediately, if not sooner.
• Verified the toilet works properly.
• Verified all the interior lights, and light fixtures work.
• Verified all the gauges on the instrument panel work.
• Verified the headlights (low & high beam), running lights, turn signals, brake lights, fog lights, and marker lights all work.
• Verified all the windows open and close easily
• Verified the air, and city horns work
• Verified the Jacobs brake works
• Verified the original Bendix cruise control works, and works well!
• Could not verify when the last oil change was....the husband (Morgan) changed the oil himself, and did not keep a log book, or record, so Glenn will have the oil changed, all filters changed, and coolant replaced.
• Verified at 3:30 pm with Blackstone Labs (we overnighted the samples we drew to them via UPS) that the oil and transmission fluid samples checked out, and everything is within normal operating parameters for the age and mileage on the Detroit Diesel 6v92 and Allison 5 speed transmission.
• Took Glenn and Laureen for a 30 mile test drive of which Glenn drove about 25 miles in the Newell.  He did well, and I feel much better about their plan to drive the coach back to Texas.  He had to drive 15 miles on a two way road with a left side cross wind.
• Verified they have an onboard R/O water filtration system, but filters need to be renewed, and the system checked over by a qualified technician.
• Verified all four 8d AGM batteries are in good condition, and they are.  I did this by disconnecting all cables from all four batteries, letting them sit for 20 minutes, and then checking the voltage.....they all registered 13 to 13.5 volts at rest.
• Verified no roof leakage ever.....no signs whatsoever of water intrusion.
• Verified the steering is tight, and the coach does not wander as you drive down the road.

I'm sure I have forgotten a few small things, but this list is the gist of what I did, with Glenn & Laureen's assistance......

  

Had to remove the front bumper to get at the generator

Glenn disconnecting the quick release from the

exhaust so we could pull out the generator

Pulling the generator out

The blower which cools the generator would not run as the breaker had been overloaded and had to be reset to the left position shown in this picture

Wrench we had to use to break the quick release on 

the generator exhaust loose.....2.75" span

After we had put the bumper back on and back 

the Newell back into the workshop....we're done, and now to consummate the deal.

Ernestine and I.....a very sharp, witty, sweet lady

......we finished our work around 8 pm, and after bidding adieu to Ernestine headed for the hotel to clean up, and change clothes.  We were back to the hotel by 8:15 pm cleaning up and out the door by 8:30 to drive over to Pete's Restaurant and Brewhouse for some brews and salads.  We sat celebrating, drinking, eating, and talking until after 10 pm, essentially closing down the restaurant.

It's a done deal.....let the adventure begin!

Celebrating at Pete's Restaurant and Brewhouse......a 

stone's throw from our hotel....we closed the place down!

It was an exhausting day, but we accomplished our purpose and went to bed with big smiles on our collective faces.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to by a tank of diesel.

The inspection.....

7:20 amWednesday - April 10th - Yuba City, CA - 46 degrees F, 68% humidity, wind out of the northwest at 10 mph.  Clear blue skies today with a forecast high of 71 degrees F.

Tuesday began around 7 am for me.  I had to be at the airport by 9:45 am to get through security, and to my gate by 10:15 am in time to get in the boarding line by 10:30 am.  All went smoothly and soon I was winging my way to Sacramento to meet my brother and sister-in-law (Glenn and Laureen).  We both flew Southwest Airlines, and their arrival gate was right across from my arrival gate.....perfect!

Their plane arrived about an hour after mine so I had time to hit the local Starbucks for a chicken/bacon panini sandwich and a mocha frappuccino.  Does it get any better?  Their plane was in early, and soon we were on the rental car shuttle over to Enterprise to pick up our rental car and head 57 miles north to Gridley, CA and the 1984 Newell Classic for which we had all journeyed north to inspect.

By this time it was closing in on 2:30 pm and we needed to get to Gridley to draw oil and transmission samples, and then get them to the UPS store before 4 pm to be shipped overnight to Blackstone Laboratories in Indiana for testing, and the results by Wednesday afternoon.  If our inspection, and the lab reports all check out they will complete the transaction Thursday, and they will drive the coach home to Texas.

We arrived at the property where the Newell was being stored at 3:25  pm, and had the samples drawn within 15 minutes.  While Glenn and Laureen drove 3 blocks over to the local UPS store I stayed and began inspecting the coach.  I was amazed at how good this coach looks in person.  Before I knew it they were back and they had delivered the samples to UPS 5 minutes before the truck left......again, perfect!

We spent the next 2 hours getting a good overview of the coach, and getting familiar with it inside and out before we called it a day.  We will return Wednesday to spend all day testing all the systems, and taking a long test drive.

We didn't check into our hotel until 7 pm, but within minutes we were on our way over to Sutter Buttes Brewing Company for brews and food.....they get 4.5 stars on over 180 reviews and we were not disappointed.....

Dinner at Sutter Buttes Brewing Company with Glenn and Laureen.....wonderful brews and food!

.......nothing like good beer and food paired with great conversation....we really hit a homerun!

This post will be brief as we are about to get in the car and drive back to Gridley to begin our daylong inspection, anxiously awaiting the lab results later in the day.

Thanks for stopping by!

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