Newbie Progress Report

[Stanmawyer]

Time for my progress report.

Purchased the "new to us" 2006 American Heritage 45E in Lewisville, TX. in July of this year. With no prior experience which could help in our undertaking, we set out to bring the coach back to Ocean City, MD. I asked the dealer if we should purchase an auxiliary braking system for the Jeep Commander Limited we were going to tow and all the fellows there said that they never use them. So we didn't buy one. We traveled the 1600 miles back to the Maryland Eastern Shore without incident. We stopped first night at Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis, Arkansas. We took the Jeep into Memphis for some great Beale Street BBQ and good blues music., The second evening we stayed near the Bristol, Tennessee NASCAR track. Ate dinner at the Bristol Outback Steak House. We arrived home late on the third day.

Crossing three mountain ranges, towing the 5000 lb. Jeep we averaged 5.2 mpg. Keep in mind that we drove at or over the posted speed limits throughout the trip. (Because we have 600HP, we drove up the mountains at our cruise speeds.) Moreover, I didn't know about the Allison transmission "economy" setting at the time. I had foolishly hoped for somewhat better fuel economy.

Some observations from that trip:,

The VORAD collision avoidance system is worth its weight in gold!!! If I ever buy another coach, it will have this system.

The ABS disk brakes on the coach were flawless, and stopped smoothly even with no assist from the Jeep.

Used every system on the coach except the furnace and everything performed as it should. The prior owner had fully "debugged" the coach.

The 3 speed Jake Brake is truly a brake saver.

The lights in the basement bays are really a nice touch.

The auto-locking bay doors are nice as well.

We washed the beast TWICE in 3 days. Found out that a 45 foot coach has (45x2) + (8.5x2) x 12 = 1284 sq. feet of washable surface, not counting the roof.

Found out that darling wife did not know that she needed to watch out for overhead obstructions lower than 13 feet. ( We BOTH now know.)


Found out why Trailways and Greyhound buses go over 75 mph...because they can do it in comfort. 'Course their drivers don't pay for the fuel.

Once home, we camped locally a few weekends with our intrepid navigators...3 Westie puppies. Purchased fencing to retain our puppy inventory only to discover how clever our little Houdinis were at escaping the escape-proof enclosure we designed. Each weekend included a "round up" of the clever little buggers, and adjustments to the enclosure design. Finally, we attained Leavenworth Prison level security.

New observations:

Camping (if you can call a weekend in a Heritage camping) is really great. The people you meet are even nicer than my yachting acquaintances.


AGM batteries are expensive. I purchased 5 Lifeline 8Ds for $700 EACH! Another several hundred for two type 31 chassis batteries.

Made reservations to spend 5 months in Naples, Florida at the Pelican Lakes RV Resort.

Purchased the new RViBrake, with remote monitoring of the Jeep's tire pressures and the braking action. THIS IS A TRULY GREAT SYSTEM. (I wanted the SMI Air Force One, but I couldn't get it installed in time for the trip to the Shenandoah Valley and on to Florida.)

Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving, drove in heavy rain and wind to Lynchburg, Va via The Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel, Richmond and Charlottesville. For several nights, slept in the coach with the outside temps in the high teens. The furnace and heated floors worked like a charm!

Left Lynchburg on Saturday morning. Arrived Jacksonville, Fl. around dark, due to several hours of holdups caused by highway accidents. (All were on the northbound side, but the rubbernecking added more than two hours to our travel time.)

Stayed in a Walmart for the first time. Nice manager and security personnel there.

Left early Sunday morning and drove to Naples. Checked in at Pelican Lakes, set up the Westie prison, and enjoyed several refreshing tequila beverages.

Total trip was 1350 miles, in all weather conditions. Drove thru 3 long tunnels without knocking the mirrors off the semi trucks passing thru. Brought the fuel economy up to 5.7 mpg. I think the "economy" setting on the tranny helped.

Overall, I really love the American Coach. The factory folks have helped me far more than I have any reason to expect. Before buying this coach, I looked at Newmar, Tiffin, Entegra, Country Coach, Travel Supreme, and Beaver. I'm sure that the top of each of their lines would've satisfied our needs, but now I'm hooked. Barring a profound change in the American Coach quality of production and quality of service, I will remain an Heritage client. (Bought my first Mercedes SL nearly 30 years ago and for the same reasons, I've stayed with them...six cars in a row.)

As the winter progresses her in sunny Naples on Florida's southwest coast, I may have more to report.

All the Best,
Captain Stan

[rvis2005]

Safe travels Capt Stan. Surely someone on here can walk you through the picture thing. Unfortunately it's not me. Take care. Tommy

[Stanmawyer]

Dateline...Saturday evening, December 7, 2013.

Your intrepid captain has only a few items to report...

Friday, December 6th... Armed with a beaker of well fermented cactus squeezins, the darling bride and Intrepid Captain (hereinafter the IC) took the now trusty golf cart to the weekly Friday Pelican Lake Happy Hour. Given the season, it was lightly attended, but afforded us a great opportunity to meet maybe 15 denizens of Pelican Lakes. We were hungry so we stayed only a couple of hours and returned to the coach for grilled (outside) hot dogs. Turns out we missed a gambling game called LEFT, RIGHT CENTER. One of our neighbors won $85 dollars last evening playing this game. Clearly, I must master this new endeavor, and thereby gather the monies necessary to replenish my coach-ravaged retirement fund.

Saturday morning, rode bike 11 miles...Lance Armstrong watch out! Later, darling bride and IC checked out a few other Naples RV Resorts, then went bar hopping. Here is where it gets interesting...at Stan's Idle Hour in Goodland, FL we walked into the bar and were greeted by an incredible Jack Russell Terrier perched upon a corner bar stool which afforded him an unobstructed view of an excellent country music band. I took pictures, (but again, can't figure out how to post them here.)

The pup's name is Wilson, and he is known far and wide around these parts as a party animal. His will be 12 years old in two weeks and a party in his honor will be held at the bar. IC and bride were fortunate enough to snag an invitation to this A List event and will attend carrying gifts appropriate for Jack Russell Terriers.

Well, friends, surprised as we were at this well mannered pup's demeanor in the noisy pub, imagine our shock when this little showman began to SING with the band! YOU HAD TO BE THERE! I remarked to the bar owner ( Steve) what an amazing sight Wilson was while attempting to harmonize. He matter-of-fact told me "You ain't seen nothing yet". Turns out that Wilson's absolute favorite entertainer is a fellow named Billy Pritchard. We are told that Wilson actually joins Mr Pritchard on the bandstand and "brings the house down" with his vocal stylings. Billy Pritchard is due to entertain there around December 27th. You may rest easy in the knowledge that IC and bride will be there to ascertain if we agree with Wilson's taste in entertainers.

Did I mention that unlike ANY of the other regulars at this fabulous establishment, the are TWO nearly life size portraits of Wilson over the bar? Here again, I took a photo which I am unable to share
Now on to the next bit of good news...Tomorrow I will fly back to the northern tundra which some call the Peoples Republic of Maryland to drive our convertible back to Naples. (To all concerned readers and critics of the IC...the car is equipped with Run-Flat 285/30ZR19 99Y tires tested and rated for sustained speeds of OVER 186 mph.). Despite the car's speed capability, I can coax over 28 mpg at 70+ mph on interstate highways. I will not utilize either the car or the tires' full capability for this next 1200 mile trip, but will indeed test the capabilities of our Escort Radar Detector. I will skip Cat Scale weigh ins but will double-check the PSI in each tire prior to departure. I want to return to this Pelican Lake paradise ASAP. During my hopefully short stay in MD, I will meet with a shipper who will ship our motorcycles door to door for only $275 apiece!

Inasmuch as your IC has a 4AM wake up to catch the Ft Meyers flight to MD., I will sign off for now and look forward to catching up next week when the convertible, the motorcycles and me are back in Naples where we can continue this wonderful adventure.

For those inclined to follow these ramblings of a happy newbie settling into the life of a motorcoach vagabond, the inventory here in Naples will soon be as follows:

American Coach Heritage 45E
Jeep Commander Limited... Hemi engine (horrible fuel economy, but great truck)
Golf cart ( can't remember brand...its a white one...goes EXACTLY 15 mph)
2 21 speed bicycles
Mercedes SL 550 twin turbo 429hp
Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive
Suzuki Burgman 400
Rocky Westie terrier
Murphy Westie terrier
Opie Westie terrier
Absolutely beautiful Captain's bride...we call her the COMMODORABLE
Intrepid Captain Stan.



All the Best,
Captain Stan

[Stanmawyer]

[Stanmawyer]

Newbie Report responses:

TZS...Great advice. Thanks. All in all Maryland is a royal pain, whether its taxes, gun laws, driving laws, licensing, etc. May extend our stays in Florida to six months and a day and establish Florida residency.

Chuck...Great counsel also. That said, I am recovering Type A. Once I have a target, I move generally non-stop to attain the goal. It's a life-long curse, but it has enabled a lot of positive outcomes for us. You are right though, I'd best slow down.

OhhWell...Regarding the bike, the Cat Scale folks won't assist me, and despite my superior balancing skills, I fall down whilst trying to weigh either axle. Because of that, I intend to ride at slower speeds until proper levels or tire inflation can be established.

Regarding Naples...You are SO RIGHT. You may be surprised however, to hear that we have an annual MULLET FESTIVAL nearby ( at Stan's Idle Hour bar). They even have a MULLET QUEEN! I suspect that I will see very few of the Naples royalty there.

Here's a dilemma...a mullet is both a hair style AND a fish. What's an intrepid captain to do? Grow his hair longer in the back of his head, or learn to fish? You read that correctly, I simply do not know how to trick an underwater creature to into eating a rubber worm skewered upon a metal hook. The only way I'll capture a fish is if he chokes to death laughing at my attempts to catch him.

Regarding my lack of golf cart courage...No, I shall not place my cute self in harm's way in order to satisfy your need to live on the edge vicariously through me!

LOG...At the risk of being unceremoniously tossed out of the American Coach fraternity, I would have jumped on a Foretravel deal like white on rice. There were none available within reach of my strict budget. With regard to the low mileage Heritage sitting in the Foretravel lot, it it my understanding that Foretravel actually purchased the unit themselves. I don't know why they did it...or if they did. If on the other, hand, a Heritage owner DID trade his $900k coach for the new $1.4+ million Foretravel , he would be rather like a Mercedes owner trading up to a Bentley.

Dennis...As a lurker to these postings since July, I read a lot of your advice to others, and have a high regard for your knowledge and experience. The fact is, I KNOW my tire pressures should be lower. What I do not know is HOW MUCH lower? Until I get a four corner weigh-in, I'll stay with the placarded cold tire pressures. The running temps on the tires will remain in the safe zone until I get the facts. (If I estimate my tire pressure needs and under-inflate, I run the risk of raising tire temps to dangerous levels. My TPMS system gives me temps as well as PSI, so I monitor this carefully.

I still haven't figured out how to post photos of this fabulous adventure on this forum. I have no problem doing it on iRV2.com.

All the Best,
Stan, the Mullet Man

[TZScales]

Captain Stan,

Congratulations on your "new to you" 2006 American Heritage. I read your travel journeys and enjoyed them. May I suggest, when you have the time if you haven't already, you check the Maryland MVA site for the correct driver's license requirements for your coach.

My wife and I recently relocated from Maryland to Virginia and even though I possessed then and now a CDL-B (not required in Maryland for any RV 26,001 lbs. and over as well as Virginia), there is a requirement in Maryland that one possess a non-commercial B for any RV that weighs in excess of that number.

Be safe out there and enjoy your five months in Florida.

[ct1964ups]

rvis2005 wrote:
Very cool report!!! You are a perfect example of enjoying your rig. Safe travels. Tommy

Stan,
you have settled into the RV life very well,we are now just gonna fine tune you somewhat...instead of driving non-stop back to Md and/or non-stop back to Fla next year....gonna get you to limit your driving to 6 hours a day so you can smell the ocean and see so much more on the way up and down the East coast.....lol...
This way you will not be weakened when you get there....enjoy the life style...Chuck

[OhhWell]

I will advise you to have that Bicycle weighed properly and set your tire inflation appropriately before heading out on that 7 mile trip.

Isn't Naples something? You can bring a half million dollar coach and be slumming it at the campground. Lots of money down there....

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself. Maybe live on the edge and take that golf cart out on the road?

[LOG]

Stan,

I wondered if during your search for your motorhome if you looked at or considered a Foretravel? Someone just traded in their new 2014 American Coach Heritage on a new 2014 Foretravel. The Heritage had less than 4,000 miles. Just saying.

[Executive45]

Stan..enjoy the lifestyle...:)

That said, I would guess your steer tires should be around 110-115, more like 100 for the steers and your tag is way overinflated, more like 85-90. Most tags are 10,000 # axles. At any rate, your tires are still max speed rated at 75mph, but if one blows at that speed, you will, most certainly, no longer be a "happy camper"...enjoy the trips....Dennis

[sailor_lou]

Capt'n Stan,

Please keep the cards and letters coming, great read.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[rvis2005]

Stan.

This is greatness. If this was a brochure in every RV Dealership I'm sure more would sell!!! Thanks for sharing and I'm sure I speak for many when I say your reports are a breath of fresh air compared to some. Take care. Tommy :B

[Stanmawyer]

Mr Mark,

Many thanks. I do hope that you will continue to follow our adventure...

All the Best,
Captain Stan

[Mr_Mark1]

Hi Stan, didn't mean to start a ruckus.... but, I realize now you weren't asking for advice, just reporting about your experiences and travels.

Safe travels,
MM.

PS. I enjoy people asking questions looking for answers from season RV'ers... not just a story of someone on a quest. It's just not that interesting to me.

[Stanmawyer]

Addendum 1 to Newbie report:

Rvis...Thank you very much!

Rented a very nice golf cart (Club Car) for the next 5 months...boy these things are fun. This one is "street legal" here in Naples, but my courage level will not allow me to take this toy onto a road outside this resort park.

Darling wife and I made the obligatory visit to Walmart and made every attempt to stimulate the local economy. Did not see any of the famous "people of Walmart". I did look for them.

Was approached by a professional coach washing service. They washed, waxed, and detailed the 45 foot coach for $275. I was gonna do it myself, even brought my big Porter Cable buffer, but their fair price stripped me of my ambition.

Although my coach is no piglet, we are clearly the "poor relations" here. The coaches which aren't Prevosts are Newells. The passenger cars are all Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and Bentley. They must've given new Jeep Wranglers as door prizes somewhere near here, since every site seems to have one in addition to the luxury car. I even saw a new Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. (Costs more than a fully equipped Entegra Cornerstone. May weigh more.). Another curious thing...at least 5 of the motorcycles are the three wheel variety, with two steerable wheels in front. They are pretty, plus with the training wheels they don't fall over as easily as my Suzuki...no kickstand required.

Although our address is Naples, we are only 5 miles from Marco Island. Marco is charming in that west coast Florida kind of way. It really is an island and is quite laid back. One of the local pubs is called Stan's Idle Hour. Since they named it after me, apparently anticipating my arrival, I intend to open an account there. Understand that any diary entries originating from there MAY be even more incoherent than this one.


The coach owners here VERY active, running, cycling, golfing, etc. from early morning til late afternoon. Then begins the cocktail golf cart cruising. The carts here (except my rental) are SPECIAL. Several look like Cadillac Escalades, two or three look like Jeeps, and one is a copy of a Dusenburg Cabriolet. (Probably driven by the Rolls Royce owner...). I fully expect to see a chauffeur driven stretch golf cart limo any minute now.

Each Friday there is a BYOB Happy Hour. Heck I'm so delighted to be here, the booze seems hardly necessary. That said, I will carry a beaker of golden colored tequila to the soiree anyway, as it just ain't proper to have these as-yet-unmet friends drink alone!

After a serious illness last winter, I was left very weakened. Now I am trying to build strength and will ride my bike daily. Yesterday, 3 miles, today 5 miles. Gonna try for 7 tomorrow. OK, I know its not Tour de France grade exercise, but its a start. Brought all my tools so I can repair the bike as it wears out when I reach 100-150 miles per day. Put two new tires on the darling wife's bike in case she (foolishly) attempts to keep up with me. Did I mention that I discovered a puzzling and unique weather phenomenon? To wit: no matter which direction I ride my bike, the wind is coming FROM that direction. (Note well that I am not a petite guy, and my upper body creates a sail area similar to an America's cup racer.)

The satellite antennae I installed is working well, but I AM surprised that my DirecTV line up is different than in Maryland. I think I am missing some of the non-local channels I get at home. I also get a ton of Spanish Language programming. I can't understand a word of it, except tequila, señorita, and amigo.

Signing off from paradise,
Your Intrepid Captain Stan

[rvis2005]

Very cool report!!! You are a perfect example of enjoying your rig. Safe travels. Tommy