Trip#3 13-23 September 2017

                                                                13 September 2017

Our first real trip in the Fiver! During the time from our last trip to this one, David replaced the cartridge in the Anderson valve but it still is leaking into the fresh water tank, just slower. We picked up the RV at United RV. We had to go back to the storage lot to hook up because our trailer is too heavy for their fork lifts to safely move. We drove from Fort Worth to Amarillo and stayed overnight at the Oasis RV resort. We really liked the Oasis, it was clean, lots of room for moving big rigs and full hook ups for $37 (after the Good SAM discount). Water pressure was good, site #38 was level, all the sites were paved as well as the roads, WiFi was good, and had plenty of room for the Wanderer and the truck. A little bit of smell from the stock yards 8 miles to the west but not overwhelming. We averaged 8.6 MPG from Fort Worth and weather was clear. We got a pizza from the pizzeria at the RV office and it was pretty good. Lots of people were interested in our New Horizons Fiver. There was another New Horizons Majestic parked a couple spots down and they have been living in it for 3 years now and love it. Talked with New Horizons and they are sending yet another Anderson Valve cartridge for David to install when we get home. There is not any other reason this leakage could be happening.

14 September 2017

Left Amarillo and drove to Albuquerque. The fuel mileage dropped to 7.6 MPG due to the climb from Amarillo to Albuquerque. We stayed at the American RV Resort west of Albuquerque. It was a bit tighter to maneuver through this resort, but Site #69 was level and paved, all the sites were paved as well as the roads, and had plenty of room for the Wanderer and the truck. We had not even set up when a couple came over and requested a tour since they had never heard of New Horizon’s RV before. The water was on an underground valve that was a pain to connect up, but the water pressure was good. WiFi strength was good but it kept kicking our WineGuard off line after an hour or so. We stayed here two nights. David worked on the 15^th, but got off in plenty of time for us to go up to the Gruet Winery and do a tasting and to pick up a few extra bottles of wine for the rest of the week. 

16 September 2017

We got up early and moved the Wanderer up to Santa Fe. We stayed at the Santa Fe Skies RV park ($41) southwest of the town. Great views. The site was gravel as were most of the roads but it had a concrete patio area. It took a bit of finagling to get the rig level. Water pressure was good and the WiFi was very good also. After setting up the rig, we drove back down to Albuquerque to pick up Cynthia, Leslie’s sister, at the airport. We then went over to the Old Town and had a late lunch/early dinner at Church Street Café and shopped before heading back up to Santa Fe. We enjoyed some wine and caught up with each other’s happenings. We added the foam mattress topper to the fold out bed. Cynthia said it was quite comfortable and she slept well.

17 September 2017

We drove up to Taos for a late lunch and some more shopping. Then we drove out to the Rio Grade Gorge bridge on US 64 to take in the dizzying view. Since Leslie and I had been there last, it has been turned into a National Monument! So check off another! After seeing the bridge, we headed for Chimayo to eat at the Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant. But as we went down US64 we saw the Black Mesa Winery and could not help but stop. Leslie and I had tried their wines at the Santa Fe Wine and Chili festival and liked them. We walked in 5 minutes before they closed and walked out an hour later with two cases of wine. Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant was excellent as usual. 

18 September 2017

David went to his SAE meetings in Santa Fe (La Fonda Hotel on the Square). This being the first day, David only ran into a few of his SAE friends before meeting Leslie and Cynthia at the Gruet wine tasting room in Santa Fe. Leslie and Cynthia spent the day visiting and shopping.

When we got back to the fiver, Leslie made up a smoked salmon dip and Cynthia mixed up a great coattail sauce for the shrimp and we had a small feast outside and drank some of our new wines. As we finished up, Pam and Bill Elliott pulled into the RV park and came over for a glass of wine and to catch up since we had last seen each other in a while. Our next door neighbors dropped by with their dog and joined in. We had a great time catching up and learning about our new acquaintances.  

19 - 21 September 2017

Bill and David went to their SAE meetings during the day. On Tuesday night we all met up at the Gruet tasting room before heading out to Martin Restaurant for dinner. It was fantastic place to eat and we will need to go there again in the future. Wednesday afternoon, Leslie drove Cynthia to the airport in Albuquerque so she could fly home. On Wednesday night we met up with Bill and David’s SAE friends for dinner at the Fire and Hops. It was a fun dinner with folks we had not expected to see after David retired from Lockheed Martin. Thursday morning, Bill and Pam packed up and left early as they had to get to northern California by Saturday for a family function. We drove up to the Santa Fe ski area to see the Aspens changing color. On the way back down we took a side trip down a forest service dirt road to see how the truck handled off road. It did just great!!

22 September 2017

We broke camp for Amarillo. Leslie noticed water dripping from under the rig after we had completed dumping and flushing (gray only) the tanks. When I investigated I found the water dripping from where the gray and black tanks are located under the front of the rig. The water was clear and did not smell so it was from when I flushed the gray water tank. In addition, the under carriage board was bowed down indicating there was a fair amount of water. We hit the road and took US287 down to I-40 before heading east for Amarillo. After we had cell phone coverage we called New Horizons to get advice on this latest issue. They suggested poking a hole in the under carriage board , which is fairly thin and only for insulation, not structural. When we stopped for lunch I used a screwdriver to poke a hole in the under carriage board and another couple of gallons came out while we ate lunch. The wind was blowing at 20-30 MPH from the southwest and our mileage dropped to 7.2 MPG. We stayed again at OASIS RV (Spot #32, $37). Once again, it was a good stay.

23 September 2017

We got up early and packed up our stuff to make it easier to unload when we arrived in Fort Worth. I flushed the black tank this time and saw no water leaking. On the drive back the wind shifted to from the southeast at 20-30 MPH, almost a straight headwind, and the mileage dropped further to 7 MPG. The drive into Fort Worth was uneventful, but it was hard to leave our new home in the parking lat at United RV. We really felt at home in the Wanderer and enjoyed our time on the road. We met many people that were full timing in their RVs and it really helped build our confidence that we were going to enjoy our future travels.