On our way to Cody, WY and Denver, CO

[keith herrington]

Originally Posted by bigben

Keith - again great update. I offer up to you that maybe the knock comes with the altitude you were at in the mountains. It really can effect diesels or gassers.

Enjoy the updates.

I think that may have some impact. The altitude from Cody to Cheyenne never exceeded ~6000', and both Cheyenne and Cody are a mile high. Another factor may be the amount of Ethanol is in the fuel. They seem to run a higher percentage than some other states.
Keith

[bigben]

[99dart]

"Getting the lens off our Quantum was a real pain in the @$$. The factory had over torqued all the screws, and in fact snapped one of them in two. I checked into a local RV store in Bevington, IA, just off of I-35 at exit 56. The parts manager was very helpful and got me squared away with a replacement bulb and several extras. He also gave me some extra screws to replace the ones the factory had abused. Based on my experience with the rear light I'm ordering some replacement lenses with the intent of removing both and making sure each can be easily removed and serviced in the future."

I too found my lenses to be difficult. A few of the screws didn't hit anything solid behind them, so just spun. I also found the gaskets crumpled, so glued/sealed them in place for a proper seal. Then, did the toothpick trick on the loose screws. I just found that four of the eight screws in the top support of our ladder were snapped off from over tightening.

[keith herrington]

We left Cheyenne yesterday morning and made our way down to Kiowa, CO via I-25 and a few back roads south of Bennett. For most of the trip the wind was bearable, but that night the old RV really rocked and rolled while boondocking at a friend's ranch. The quality of I-25 was very good until Fort Collins where it really deteriorated. We bypassed Denver via E-470, a toll way and then picked up I-70 going East. Bennett was just down the road where we turned off. The ranch near Kiowa had no internet or cell service so we just chilled for the evening.

This morning we left at about 6:30AM and took the backroads to Limon, CO where we again picked up I-70 East. We made it all the way to Salina, KS were we are now staying at the KOA at Exit 252, just off of I-70. The wind did not begin to be a factor until late morning, and it was from the North, a direct side wind of 15-20mph. Since I was riding the right lane, it posed a challenge whenever a big rig passed. But by now I've gotten pretty used to the dance and have not been too bothered by it. My wife however is still pretty nervous so I keep my speed down to 55-60 for a smoother ride.

Around lunch the wind flipped to a Southerly cross wind of 15-20mph with gusts to 25. Since I was countersteering to the right the big rigs didn't bother me at all. Quality of I-70 East of Limon was first rate with very few exceptions. They've obviously have done a lot of maintenance on the highway pretty recently.

My gas mileage was 8.1mpg yesterday on my way South, but the mileage today was 10.5mph. I'm not taking that at face value since an error in filling the tank might have contributed to the overly optimistic reading. However, it also may be due to the lower altitude and the absence of knock due to me using a higher octane gas. We'll have to see.

Keith

[keith herrington]

My wife and I left the Salina KOA this morning at 7am and continued East on I-70. Conditions were excellent. No wind, smooth road, and the RV was humming right along at 60-65mph. Conditions continued to be good until mid-morning when the wind began to pick up. However, it never gusted very badly, kept at a relatively constant 10-15mph and was from due South, giving us a firm but very manageable cross wind. I was countersteering to the right so when the big rigs passed me on the left I barely felt their passing.

The morning started with us staring directly into a gorgeous rising sun the was the reddest red I've ever seen. Spectacular. Fortunately, I had ordered visor extenders that helped tremendously.

Unlike the morning the afternoon was a bit more challenging but due only to the rather steep grades we had to climb on a frequent basis. Missouri is not nearly as flat as I thought and keeping the cruise control on was not a very bright idea. I finally realized that I could do a much better job of keeping it in the proper power band with it off. Once that decision was made things went a lot more smoothly. Another lesson learned.

Road conditions throughout the day today, from Salina, KS to Granite City, IL were universally superb. I-70 was very smooth throughout with very few rough spots, even through and around the cities we bypassed. This was true up to E-370 that diverts around St. Louis to the North. It got a bit choppy in spots, but never so bad it was uncomfortable.

We arrived at the Granite City, IL KOA at about 4:30PM. This location is just off of I-270, easy to get to with a tent area, playground, laundry, showers, pool, store, basketball courts, 3 cabins, 55 full hookup pull throughs and 8 backin slots with full hookups. When we arrived the cable was out but reception on the antenna was excellent since we were so close to St. Louis. Their WiFi was not operating either but I just used my hotspot and was up and running in no time.

Oddly, even though we were told we had 30 amp service we tripped the breaker when we ran our AC with our TV and microwave. That has not happened the entire trip.

We covered a total of 428 miles today and our gas mileage was 8.5. It's beginning to get back up to where it was at the beginning of our trip. By the way, I have almost 6000 miles since the last oil change but have used less than 1/4 quart. I've been using Mobil 1 Extended Mileage (15,000 miles) with a Mobil 1 filter.

Keith

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by keith herrington

Unlike the morning the afternoon was a bit more challenging but due only to the rather steep grades we had to climb on a frequent basis. Missouri is not nearly as flat as I thought and keeping the cruise control on was not a very bright idea. I finally realized that I could do a much better job of keeping it in the proper power band with it off. Once that decision was made things went a lot more smoothly. Another lesson learned.

We took that exact same stretch of I-70 back in August going in the same direction. I found that if you goose the throttle at the bottom of a hill enough for the engine to downshift (right at the beginning of the up grade when the speed just starts to drop) the cruise will keep the engine in that gear for the duration of the uphill climb and maintain speed. Thus I could drive I-70 with the cruise on only occasionally intervening when approaching a hill.

[bigben]

What a great trip and an even better trip write up. Many thanks.

[keith herrington]

We left the Granite City, IL KOA at about 8AM and after a quick bite at Hardee's (got to have my bacon bisquits) we got on the road. The highway system while complex was easy to follow with my new Garmin which flashed pictures of the signs I needed to follow up on its screen next to the route map. Pretty cool tech. It directed us from our location North of St. Louis clockwise around the city on a series of Interstates till we hit I-64 East, well East of St. Louis.

Throughout today's trip I-64 was a dream to drive on. It was mostly very, very smooth with only very few rough sections, even in Louisville. Today was one of the most beautiful days of travel we've had with clear blue skies and almost no wind. We covered 475 miles at an average of 8.3 mpg arriving in Milton, WV at a little after 6PM.

I've already described the KOA in Milton in my first comments. But I should say as reinforcement that the Holiday KOAs are measurably nicer than the Journey KOAs. I can easily see why people come here and stay for extended visits.

Keith

[bigben]

Huh - been doing this RV thing for a lot of miles and a few years. Stay at KOAs rarely (maybe 5 times per year) but did not know there was difference. Having stayed at the Huntington KOA a few times, I'd guess that is a Journey (following the description on KOA site).

Enjoyed each of your post Keith and appreciate the time it takes.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by bigben

Huh - been doing this RV thing for a lot of miles and a few years. Stay at KOAs rarely (maybe 5 times per year) but did not know there was difference. Having stayed at the Huntington KOA a few times, I'd guess that is a Journey (following the description on KOA site).

Enjoyed each of your post Keith and appreciate the time it takes.

Its only been a few years (3 or 4) that KOA has the three designations for the campgrounds (kampgrounds?).

[keith herrington]

Three Kinds of KOAs for Every Kind of Camping | KOA provides a good description of the difference between all three. My wife clued me into the difference.
Keith

[bigben]

Right on Jamie!

[mountainsam]

Keith, my wife and I made roughly the same trip only oposite direction early this summer. We even stayed at a couple of the same CG as you. Your blog was great. Having lived in the Great Plains States and Rocky Mountains years ago I have driven most of those roads many times. Reading your travel story brings back many memories. I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Sam

[keith herrington]

Our final day on the road was a relatively short one, a little over 300 miles. We left Milton, WV at about 9AM and got home about 4PM. As on our first day, I-64 was relatively smooth with the occasional rough section. But even these were handled just fine by our RV.

I just ran all the numbers so here they are:

Total distance traveled: 4420 miles
Total fuel burned: 501.4 gallons
Total oil burned: 0
Total cost of fuel: $1280.84
Total average fuel economy: 8.82 mpg

Cost of rental car for 3 days in Cody, WY: $252

Total cost of RV parks: Not yet totaled up, but we averaged about $40 a night for 13 nights, or around $660.

Due to a host of issues with our lives (e.g., animals, family, etc.) we will probably limit taking long trips (more than a week away) to once or twice a year. The rest of the time we will be taking shorter trips on a more frequent basis.

Keith

[keith herrington]

I had the RV serviced today. New Mobil 1 Extended Mileage (15000) and new K&N oil filter. I also had the bolts on the Super Steer Track Bar tightened. Nothing was loose. Lastly, I had the dealer diagnose the knock I heard for over half the trip. What they found was not knock, but a wonky serpentine belt tensioner. They replaced it and the serpentine belt. On the drive home the noise I'd heard only a few hours before was no longer there. Problem solved.
Keith

[revjeffrey]

Wow that's great to know I had not heard of that issue interesting. Your trip was interesting also it was almost like we were sitting in the rig with you as you were telling the story of traveling. I really enjoyed it.