Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures (Thank you for all the help)
| Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370354] |
Fri, 12 August 2022 14:08  |
Russell K.
Messages: 178
Registered: October 2016
Location: Dunedin, Florida
Karma: 4
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Six years ago today we picked up our GMC Motorhome in Batavia, NY; and began our GMC journey. Since then we've enjoyed so many camping trips (44) and GMC rallies (25). We have made countless new friends through this adventure, and plan to make many more. I want to thank everyone on this forum who has helped me by answering my newbie questions over the past few years. Sooner or later I'll learn enough to help others.
Safe Travels,
Russell
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/u42530-russellkeith.html
Adventures With Harry The GMC Motorhome on Facebook
1978 Eleganza II, Dunedin, Florida
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370356 is a reply to message #370354] |
Sat, 13 August 2022 12:34  |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Congratulations on your successful first six years. May you have many more in the future.
We picked our coach up from the P.O. fourteen years ago in late July. I have spent a lot of time and money on it doing repairs and mostly upgrades during that time, and we have enjoyed many adventures. We've been to three GMCMI conventions, a couple of Western States Rallies, and have averaged 5 - 7 GMC Saguaro Jetset rallies per year, plus a longer Spring and Fall trip, plus a mid Summer and mid Winter trip each year.
The coach had 66,000 miles on it when we got it and now has almost 130,000 miles on it. Only one major breakdown (Transmission lost third gear, then The engine spun a rod bearing) that required a tow. A couple minor roadside repairs (ignition modules and an alternator) have been made also.
The longest trip was over 5000 miles, cross country, from Tucson to Central PA and back. We are going to do that again in about a month, this time going through Michigan with a stop to visit my daughter. Other notable trips were Grand Tetons/Yellowstone/Devil's Tower/Rapid City/Flaming Gorge/Dinosaur NM/Goblin Valley/Escalante/Capitol Reef/Kodachrome Basin/Lake Powell, Big Bend NP, Lompoc, CA, a yearly (or Biannual) sand dune trip with my kids, and several other interesting places.
Almost all trips have been done towing our 2003 Chevy Tracker four door, the sand dune trip we tow the '53 Willys Jeep on a trailer.
My wife was skeptical of buying a motorhome at first, but soon grew to LOVE it and traveling in it. The best part is the places we are able to go and stay at with it. It's great to go places where you are right in the action and not stuck in a motel where you have to drive for miles to get to the spots you really want to get to.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370359 is a reply to message #370357] |
Sat, 13 August 2022 20:27 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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Matt Colie wrote on Sat, 13 August 2022 17:47Carl,
Please tell me where you are planning to go and be in Michigan. I may have some suggestions for you.
In most of 16 seasons, we have put a little over 70K on Chaumière, and been on a hook twice.
Matt
Matt,
We're going from AZ to PA, via Holland, MI. One of my daughters has lived there for the past couple of years and we have never gotten there for a visit. The trip will take us through Des Moines, Iowa, Joliet, IL, Granger, IN, then to Holland, MI. We'll only be staying there two nights, then heading to Dearborn to the Henry Ford Museum, then on to Cleveland and ultimately to Fredericksburg, PA, where most of Kathy's family lives.
We won't be spending a whole lot of time in Michigan THIS time, but will definitely be back, so any suggestions you have would be appreciated. We're trying to avoid tools as much as possible, so Kathy is planning things pretty carefully.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370362 is a reply to message #370359] |
Sat, 13 August 2022 22:54 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Carl,
Unless you have a specific reason to go to Granger, skip it and stay on I-80 to I-94 to I-196 between Joliet and Holland. You will have only one toll in Illinois and it is 50 miles shorter. Stay off of I-90 as it is a toll road in Indiana.
If you need a place to stay overnight you can stay at my hangar and plug in at Valparaiso, In. Take the Chesterton IN exit at intersection of US-30 and Indiana-49 go about 13.3 miles south of I-94 and Indiana 49. Walmart is 1 mile and so are several restaurants. Gas was $3.72 at Walmart today.
Ken B.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370363 is a reply to message #370362] |
Sun, 14 August 2022 11:41 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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Thanks Ken,
We are going to Granger to check out some of the museums in the Elkhart area and staying at a Harvest Hosts location (Ninja Golf) which is supposed to be a fun place. We may take you up on your offer to stay at your hanger on a future trip.
Your post brings up another question; Tolls. We don't have toll roads/bridges in our part of the country and managed to avoid them on our last trip to the Northast. What is the best way to handle tolls? Avoid them as much as possible, obviously, but I'm guessing sometimes that is not practical.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370364 is a reply to message #370354] |
Sun, 14 August 2022 20:19 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Well, tolls in Indiana are only charged on the "Indiana Toll Road" which runs between Chicago and the Ohio state line (I-90). The Toll Road was built when I was a kid in elementary school and I am now 78 years old. At that time the Interstate highway system did not exist so the toll road system, and turnpike systems in Ohio Pennsylvania etc. came about to make an express route between Chicago and the east coast cities. In most cases it was financed by the individual states with the idea that out of state users would repay the debt rather than the in state taxpayers. When the debt was repaid the roads would revert to the individual states DOT and become free to use and maintenance expense would come from state gasoline taxes like all other state or federal highways. Kentucky is the only state that I know of that actually did this and converted their roads to free use when the bonds were paid off.
Illinois is an interesting system because they decided to make their own toll system primarily around Chicago and the collar counties and collect usage money from both in state and out of state users. They currently collect just short of $1,000,000 PER DAY and still never manage to pay off their bonds. Other free Illinois highways in the Chicago area are not up to the traffic level and quality (I use that term loosely) of the Toll Roads. So if you want to move to or through the area you need to use their toll toad system or spend extra hours getting through the area. The other thing they have done is to charge double to out of state users because most do not have a transponder usable in that state.
So what I was trying to do was give you a way to get through the area with minimum tolls in Illinois and Indiana.
Ken B.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
[Updated on: Sun, 14 August 2022 20:31] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370365 is a reply to message #370364] |
Sun, 14 August 2022 21:11 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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Thanks again Ken,
We will try our best to steer clear of toll roads, but what I hear you saying is that we will pay double if we don't have a transponder, right? Do they take a pic of the license plate and send a bill to the address of the registration? Is there fair warning for getting off the road before it becomes a toll road?
When I was a kid, we used to travel on the turnpikes through Oklahoma and on the PA Turnpike, but the tolls were only a few dollars back then, to my recollection.
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370374 is a reply to message #370356] |
Wed, 17 August 2022 11:51 |
Russell K.
Messages: 178
Registered: October 2016
Location: Dunedin, Florida
Karma: 4
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Senior Member |
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Carl,
That sounds like great GMC adventures so far. Wow! We have a lot of catching up to do. Thanks for the encouragement.
Matt,
Yes, I'm documenting everything: trips, miles, fuel, parts, maintenance, etc., and hundreds of photos of all the fun travel.
Russell
1978 Eleganza II, Dunedin, Florida
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370387 is a reply to message #370374] |
Thu, 18 August 2022 18:23 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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Russell,
Sorry, I didn't mean to jack your thread.  But yeah, it's been an adventure with lots more to come. The trick is to keep up with the maintenance and repairs/upgrades in your driveway rather than along the side of the road somewhere.
Keep up the good work!
Carl Stouffer
'75 ex Palm Beach
Tucson, AZ.
Chuck Aulgur Reaction Arm Disc Brakes, Quadrabags, 3.70 LSD final drive, Lenzi knuckles/hubs, Dodge Truck 16" X 8" front wheels, Rear American Eagles, Solar battery charging. GMCSJ and GMCMI member
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| Re: Celebrating Six Years of GMC Adventures [message #370389 is a reply to message #370354] |
Fri, 19 August 2022 07:01 |
jhbridges
Messages: 8412
Registered: May 2011
Location: Braselton ga
Karma: -74
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Senior Member |
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I just found my Tee from the 2013 GMCMI rally. Ten years of new old friends and fun times. And two tows.
--johnny
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
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