Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos
| Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65503] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 09:57  |
jwillard
Messages: 118
Registered: May 2004
Location: Silver City, NM
Karma: 0
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I just got back last night from a "test trip" in my 73 ex-Glacier. I hadn't used the coach for about two years and I need to make a cross Country trip in a couple of weeks, New Mexico to Southcentral Pa. I thought it wise to "fly the pattern" a bit before I headed out on the cross country.
I decided a quick trip to Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, Az. It's about two hours each way, close enough to "glide back" if there's an issue. Everything went pretty well.
I have a vintage Prince Trip Computer installed in the coach and it showed I was getting about 11 mpg on the flat, 13 if I was drafting an 18 wheeler. Very little oil use and other that a balky vent on the left side height control value, which would cause a starbord list now and then, the coach did great.
Now for the other side of the story....
Did you know it gets REAL cold in the desert at night in November? It was cozy at bedtime but about midnight, it was chilly. So I reached up and hit the thermostat. Furnace came on but no heat, no light, na da. Tried cycling it a few times and still no heat. So, I fire up the AC unit with the heat strip in it. They don't do much but, I figured it was better than nothing. Just as it seemed to be making a difference, all the AC shuts off!! Popped the breaker on the pedistal. It's now 3am and I'm NOT going to get dressed and struggle with that. So, Me and the dogs got "cuddly" and suffered through till morning. Lit the stove in the AM and that knocked the chill down to allow a shower.
While I was drinking coffee in the morning, I remembered Steve Furgeson (sp?.. sorry) talking about a Benson Rally and an RV dealer close by that had a deal on A/C units. So I went and found them to see if they could fix the furnace. RV City is the name and they were great! The mechanic stopped everything he was doing, pulled the fairly new Suburban furnace out of my coach, set it up on the bench and in 10 minutes diagnosed a bad circuit board. Put in a new aftermarket one and I was out of there in an hour. It was a tad pricy but... a 3am the night before, I would have gladly paid twice as much to have heat. If you're ever down that way, they are good folks.
Karthchner Caverns is also worth the trip. No Wi-Fi though 
Jeff Willard
Silver City, NM
1973 ex-Glacier
[Updated on: Tue, 24 November 2009 10:00] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65514 is a reply to message #65503] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 11:12  |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Jeff,
Are you saying it DOESN'T get cold at night in Silver City in November? Congrats. on your successful trip. My wife and I spent a couple of nights at Karchner Caverns. It is a very nice place.
We (the Saguaro Jetset) are looking for good rally locations and Silver City is among the places we are considering. I don't know if it will be this year, probably not, but we would be interested in any local information you could provide.
Thanks.
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: [GMCnet] Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65556 is a reply to message #65536] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 15:55 |
Steven Ferguson
Messages: 3447
Registered: May 2006
Karma: 0
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When our local Elks travel group goes to Silver City, we stay in the
Rose (?) something RV park next to the cemetary....and, of course, a
lot of restuarants.
On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 11:21 AM, Jeff Willard <jwillard@oac-inc.com> wrote:
>
>
> Carl,
> Oh it gets plenty cold up here... I just have house to stay in here. :d Actually, this was the first non-summer time trip I ever did in the GMC. In the past they have always been AC running full tilt boogie :lol:
>
> Silver City has a lot to offer and would make a great destination for club rally. There are a number of RV parks in the area as well as a State Park, The City of Rocks about 15 miles south of Silver City. The two parks I would recommend calling are Manzanos RV Park http://www.manzanosRVpark.com and the Silver City KOA http://www.campsilvercity.com
> The Gila Forest is great for biking and hiking, the Cliff Dwellings are here (but not a GMC trip) and the downtown area has galleries and shops. A good weekends worth. There are often events starting in the early spring through about October. Music Festivals, art events and things like that. The Chamber is a good source for calendars. http://www.silvercity.org and another source of regional info is http://www.oldwestcountry.com
> Let me know if I can be of any further help.
> --
> Jeff Willard
> Silver City, NM
> 1973 ex-Glacier
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source
www.bdub.net/ferguson/
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65557 is a reply to message #65503] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 15:56 |
Steven Ferguson
Messages: 3447
Registered: May 2006
Karma: 0
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Jeff,
Did Gene give you any break on cost? He really treats me well and he
was the one that donated 5 RVQs for the GMCWS raffle a couple years
ago.
On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 7:57 AM, Jeff Willard <jwillard@oac-inc.com> wrote:
>
>
> I just got back last night from a "test trip" in my 73 ex-Glacier. I hadn't used the coach for about two years and I need ot make a cross Country trip in a couple of weeks, New Mexico to Southcentral Pa. I thought it wise to "fly the pattern" a bit before I headed out on the cross country.
> I decided a quick trip to Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, Az. It's about two hours each way, close enough to "glide back" if there's an issue. Everything went pretty well.
> I have a vintage Prince Trip Computer installed in the coach and it showed I was getting about 11 mpg on the flat, 13 if I was drafting an 18 wheeler. Very little oil use and other that a balky vent on the left side height control value, which would cause a starbord list now and then, the coach did great. No for the other side of the story....
> Did you know it gets REAL cold in the desert at night in November? It was cozy at bedtime but about midnight, it was chilly. So I reached up and hit the thermostat. Furnace came on but no heat, no light, na da. Tried cycling it a few times and still no heat. SO, I fire up the AC unit with the heat strip in it. They don't do much but I figured it was better than nothing. Just as it seemed to be making a difference, all the AC shuts off!! Popped the pbreaker on the pedistal. It's now 3am and I'm NOT going to get dressed and struggle with that. So, Me and dogs got "cuddly" and suffered through till morning. Lit the stove in the morning and that knocked the chill down to allow a shower.
>
> While I was drinking coffee yesterday morning, I remembered Steve Furgeson (sp.. sorry) talking about a Benson Rally and an RV dealer close by that had a deal on A/C units. SO I went and found them to see if they could fix the furnace. RV City is the name and they were great. The mechanic stopped everything he was doing, pulled the fairly new Suburban furnace out of the coach, set it up on the bench and in 10 minutes diagnosed a bad circuit. Put in a new aftermarket one and I was out of there in an hour. It was a tad pricy but... a 3am the night before I would have gladly paid twice as much to have heat. If you're ever down that way, they are good folks.
>
> Karthchner Caverns is also worth the trip. No Wi-Fi though :(
> --
> Jeff Willard
> Silver City, NM
> 1973 ex-Glacier
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
--
Steve Ferguson
'76 EII
Sierra Vista, AZ
Urethane bushing source
www.bdub.net/ferguson/
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65567 is a reply to message #65503] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 17:50 |
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ljdavick
Messages: 3548
Registered: March 2007
Location: Fremont, CA
Karma: -3
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Senior Member |
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We've just returned from another successful trip over the weekend to Big Sur on the Carmel, California coast. Since the CEO is a rather nervous passenger I drove slowly. Well my buddy in his 2001 25 foot Fleetwood Flair said he had a hard time keeping up with me!
Yikes! I really was doing all I could to go slowly. He says his coach is like driving a big bread truck on marshmallow springs. I am envious of his copious storage space and electronically controlled ignition and fuel injection, though.
Guys - why didn't you talk me into buying a coach years ago!
Our only disappointment was with the new TV we bought. I had anticipated hooking it up to my laptop to watch movies, but the sound was much too weak. I'll get around that soon enough.
Larry Davick
The Mystery Machine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Willard" <jwillard@oac-inc.com>
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 7:57:48 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: [GMCnet] Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos
I just got back last night from a "test trip" in my 73 ex-Glacier. I hadn't used the coach for about two years and I need ot make a cross Country trip in a couple of weeks, New Mexico to Southcentral Pa. I thought it wise to "fly the pattern" a bit before I headed out on the cross country.
I decided a quick trip to Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, Az. It's about two hours each way, close enough to "glide back" if there's an issue. Everything went pretty well.
I have a vintage Prince Trip Computer installed in the coach and it showed I was getting about 11 mpg on the flat, 13 if I was drafting an 18 wheeler. Very little oil use and other that a balky vent on the left side height control value, which would cause a starbord list now and then, the coach did great. No for the other side of the story....
Did you know it gets REAL cold in the desert at night in November? It was cozy at bedtime but about midnight, it was chilly. So I reached up and hit the thermostat. Furnace came on but no heat, no light, na da. Tried cycling it a few times and still no heat. SO, I fire up the AC unit with the heat strip in it. They don't do much but I figured it was better than nothing. Just as it seemed to be making a difference, all the AC shuts off!! Popped the pbreaker on the pedistal. It's now 3am and I'm NOT going to get dressed and struggle with that. So, Me and dogs got "cuddly" and suffered through till morning. Lit the stove in the morning and that knocked the chill down to allow a shower.
While I was drinking coffee yesterday morning, I remembered Steve Furgeson (sp.. sorry) talking about a Benson Rally and an RV dealer close by that had a deal on A/C units. SO I went and found them to see if they could fix the furnace. RV City is the name and they were great. The mechanic stopped everything he was doing, pulled the fairly new Suburban furnace out of the coach, set it up on the bench and in 10 minutes diagnosed a bad circuit. Put in a new aftermarket one and I was out of there in an hour. It was a tad pricy but... a 3am the night before I would have gladly paid twice as much to have heat. If you're ever down that way, they are good folks.
Karthchner Caverns is also worth the trip. No Wi-Fi though :(
--
Jeff Willard
Silver City, NM
1973 ex-Glacier
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Larry Davick
A Mystery Machine
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, Ca
Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy
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| Re: Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65580 is a reply to message #65536] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 19:58 |
Carl S.
Messages: 4186
Registered: January 2009
Location: Tucson, AZ.
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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Thanks Jeff. I took notes and will be in touch eventually. We passed through Silver City a few years ago on our way home from a trip to Northern NM. Stayed overnight and ate some great Mexican food at a downtown restaraunt. It looks like a cool place.
Where specificly are you going in South Central PA? My wife and I are both originally from Lebanon County, near Hershey.
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: Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65590 is a reply to message #65503] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 21:05 |
jwillard
Messages: 118
Registered: May 2004
Location: Silver City, NM
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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I still have a property in York Springs, near Gettysburg. I've been trying ot sell it for 3 years and no takers. I'm going back to winterize the place and have an Open HOuse to try to sell it... again... sigh.
Jeff Willard
Silver City, NM
1973 ex-Glacier
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| Re: [GMCnet] Trip Report to Kartchner Caverns and Vendor Kudos [message #65592 is a reply to message #65556] |
Tue, 24 November 2009 21:10 |
jwillard
Messages: 118
Registered: May 2004
Location: Silver City, NM
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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YOu're talking about the Rose Valley RV park. I forgot about that one. The Mexican restaurant in downtown is Jalescos (sp??) and it's a great place. Their chile is a little on the hot side for this boy however.
Gene did cut me some slack on the part. I was just impressed with them dropping everything to work on my problem. Service was the deal there. I made sure I mentioned you and the rally so he knew things like that actually do some good. Maybe not that very day but, what goes around comes around. Everyone should keep that in mind and mention when and where they heard about a vendor or service. It can really help out when someone looks for support the next time around.
Jeff Willard
Silver City, NM
1973 ex-Glacier
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Actually, this was the first non-summer time trip I ever did in the GMC. In the past they have always been AC running full tilt boogie 
