| Labor Day week trip [message #261234] |
Sun, 07 September 2014 20:06  |
jknezek
Messages: 1057
Registered: December 2007
Karma: 5
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Had a great trip over Labor Day week. 500 miles round trip to Wales West Campground near the AL Gulf coast. Coach ran great in 95+ degree temps pulling the HHR. Had some very mild and isolated vapor lock a couple times trying to maintain speed up hills. Engine temps sat below 200 on the digipanel while trans temps moved up toward 220 out of the tranny, 190 or so in the pan. It was hot, but given the load nothing I haven't seen before. Liked the campground, a neat place and great for kids.
Living for a week in the GMC with 3 kids under 5 a big dog and a parrot was tight. Fortunately we didn't see much rain so we stayed outside. The hot temps made the coach a.c. work, but it kept the coach under 72 except from 2-5 pm.
Overall a big success for our first week long vacation solely in the coach with all of us. Also a big shout out to Tom Phipps who came to visit us for a campground chat. Always good to see fellow GMC folks.
Thanks,
Jeremy Knezek
1976 Glenbrook
Birmingham, AL
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| Re: Labor Day week trip [message #261248 is a reply to message #261234] |
Sun, 07 September 2014 21:43  |
jknezek
Messages: 1057
Registered: December 2007
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Yep. Somewhat worried nothing broke. Pretty rare not even aground goes bad. Love the coach but after a trip that good I start looking for a dropping shoe...
Thanks,
Jeremy Knezek
1976 Glenbrook
Birmingham, AL
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| Re: Labor Day week trip [message #261268 is a reply to message #261248] |
Mon, 08 September 2014 02:10 |
George Beckman
Messages: 1085
Registered: October 2008
Location: Colfax, CA
Karma: 11
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jknezek wrote on Sun, 07 September 2014 19:43Yep. Somewhat worried nothing broke. Pretty rare not even aground goes bad. Love the coach but after a trip that good I start looking for a dropping shoe...
Hey, good trip. Not to worry. Just drive it.They dont always give trouble.
'74 Eleganza, SE, Howell + EBL
Best Wishes,
George
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| Re: [GMCnet] Labor Day week trip [message #261278 is a reply to message #261234] |
Mon, 08 September 2014 07:08 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Jeremy,
That's a great little campground, to which Fred Veehschoten introduced the
Dixielanders before you joined us. I'm sure the kids enjoyed the train.
Did you learn that the narrower gauge track is for Fred's trains?
We need to schedule another Dixielanders rally there.
Ken H.
On Sun, Sep 7, 2014 at 9:06 PM, Jeremy wrote:
> Had a great trip over Labor Day week. 500 miles round trip to Wales West
> Campground near the AL Gulf coast. Coach ran great in 95+ degree temps
> pulling the HHR. Had some very mild and isolated vapor lock a couple
> times trying to maintain speed up hills. Engine temps sat below 200 on the
> digipanel while trans temps moved up toward 220 out of the tranny, 190 or
> so in the pan. It was hot, but given the load nothing I haven't seen before.
> Liked the campground, a neat place and great for kids.
>
> Living for a week in the GMC with 3 kids under 5 a big dog and a parrot
> was tight. Fortunately we didn't see much rain so we stayed outside. The
> hot
> temps made the coach a.c. work, but it kept the coach under 72 except
> from 2-5 pm.
>
> Overall a big success for our first week long vacation solely in the coach
> with all of us. Also a big shout out to Tom Phipps who came to visit us
> for
> a campground chat. Always good to see fellow GMC folks.
> --
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Labor Day week trip [message #261281 is a reply to message #261278] |
Mon, 08 September 2014 07:48 |
jknezek
Messages: 1057
Registered: December 2007
Karma: 5
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I PM'd Fred back in the spring when I originally planned the trip (ended up moving it from May to September for family reasons). Fred is no longer affiliated with Wales West. That being said, I did take note of his 7.5" steam gauge engine. A true work of art. Unfortunately they don't run that engine except at holiday type events. I was told the gasoline engine they are running on the small track these days is more efficient and easier for light loads.
To be honest I'm conflicted on the campground. The amenities are wonderful. The train station and trains are so unique and my kids just loved them. The big train not as much as the small one, as they are not using the steam train that came from Wales on that track either. Instead they are using a much less powerful engine that just creeps along making for a slow trip. We also loved the indoor pool, and the wonderful bathrooms. The small beach at the pond was ok, but it needs some work. Same thing with the playgrounds. They are there, but they need some work as things are broken, or shabby, or covered in weeds.
Needs some work actually describes a lot of the campground if not the facilities. I almost feel like they have built so much they can't maintain it all. The unpaved roads kick up an incredible amount of dust every time someone drives by. The ants... oh man the ants! We went through 3 cans of ant spray and still were hot footing every time we were outside. Maybe it is just because of the time of year, post summer but pre snowbirds, but "needs work" describes everything around the place. A lick of paint, some weed killer, more crushed rock (if you aren't going to pave roads), pull out the dead landscaping, etc...
If they just put a little more in to the campground it would be one of the best I can remember. As it is, it borders on something special but just falls a little flat. I'd still recommend it to anyone, especially anyone with kids, but the potential is amazing and the reality just doesn't quite pull through.
Thanks,
Jeremy Knezek
1976 Glenbrook
Birmingham, AL
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| Re: [GMCnet] Labor Day week trip [message #261282 is a reply to message #261281] |
Mon, 08 September 2014 08:26 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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That's a shame. I have to wonder if there's been a change in ownership
since Fred's no longer associated with them.
Re: Ants. We've had the worst infestation EVER here this year. They're
everywhere in the yard. Innocuous little critters who don't bite nor
bother anything except by their overwhelming presence. I don't know
whether they're the "crazy ants" I've read about, but they do seem to have
completely replaced the fire ants -- not one hill on our 3+ acres.
Ken H.
On Mon, Sep 8, 2014 at 8:48 AM, Jeremy wrote:
> I PM'd Fred back in the spring when I originally planned the trip (ended
> up moving it from May to September for family reasons). Fred is no longer
>
> affiliated with Wales West.
...
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] Labor Day week trip [message #261283 is a reply to message #261282] |
Mon, 08 September 2014 08:46 |
jknezek
Messages: 1057
Registered: December 2007
Karma: 5
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Owner is the same though we didn't see the owner all week, only the campground manager. These ants were not innocuous but they weren't fire ants either. These were little biting black ants and they were mean. We haven't had much in the way of fire ants at our house either. I think I got one mound early in the year. Maybe the cold winter scared them off a bit?
Either way, we had a great trip. So much to do in that area. We hit the beach, took the ferry from Ft Morgan to Dauphin Island. Went to the Dauphin Island Estuarium, went to Alligator Alley (alligator preserve), and spent some time at the USS Alabama and the military park. All were very nice attractions.
Thanks,
Jeremy Knezek
1976 Glenbrook
Birmingham, AL
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