Mango Bob (6 page)

“And then go over to Independent Tire and get tires put on it.

“That'll probably take the rest of the afternoon, which is fine since there isn't much going on here. No need to come back just to sit around doing nothing.”

Molly continued, “Tomorrow is a big day. Last day on the job. And pay day. Be here bright and early.”

I smiled, “Don't worry. I'm not going to miss pay day. But I don't know about leaving you here alone in this big empty plant.”

Molly smiled, “Don't worry about me. I'll call corporate and let them the know the Love Bus is sold. That'll make them happy. Then I'll take the rest of the afternoon off.

She pointed to the door, “Get going. You need to get the motorhome registered and legal before the weekend. I'll see you tomorrow morning. And I may have a little surprise for you then.”

15

Back in the executive parking lot, the Love Bus awaited me. This time it looked a lot better. Maybe because it was now mine.

As before, it started easily.

While it was warming up, I adjusted the outside mirrors. Then checked to make sure all the drawers and cabinet doors in the back were closed.

Satisfied everything was secure, I buckled my seat belt, put it in gear, and eased out of the parking lot.

Driving the motorhome was a lot different than driving the Toyota pickup. It was wider, longer, taller, and definitely heavier. It didn't lack any power though. The Ford V-10 could quickly get it up to speed.

Stopping was another matter. Not that it wouldn't stop, just that it took more room to stop. Which was to be expected of a vehicle weighing almost six tons.

The brakes felt strong, no softness in the pedal. Just needed more room to stop.

And more room to turn. Not a big problem, but something to be aware of.

It took me about 20 minutes to get through traffic and reach the State Revenue office. Parking was tight, but I was able to find three empty parking spaces and pulled in cross ways to fit.

Getting the registration and tags was the hassle it always is. Stand in line, show the papers, get a number and wait.

My number finally came up and Dawn (according to her name tag) was happy to see I had the title, bill of sale, odometer reading, and proof of insurance card.

She entered the data into her computer, asked me where to mail the title and which license plate design I wanted.

When she was done, the total with sales tax and title fees came to nine hundred seventy one dollars. I paid with credit card.

As Dawn handed me the receipt, she said, “Keep the registration and proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times. It's required by law. And put the new license plate on your vehicle before you leave the lot.”

In the parking lot I attached the license plate as instructed by Dawn. Then I used my cell phone to call Independent Tire to make sure Raymond had let Ron know about the tire deal.

“Yeah, Raymond called. Told me you'd be coming in. Said to put the tires on his fleet account. Come on over now. We've got an empty bay and two guys doing nothing.”

Independent Tire wasn't crowded when I got there. Plenty of room to park. As I pulled into the lot, an older man waved me into an empty service bay. He lined me up, then stopped me before I pulled in.

I got out of the coach, and the man introduced himself as Ron.

“You Walker? The one Raymond is doing the tire deal for?”

I nodded. “That's me.”

“Good. We're ready for you. We've got the tires in stock and can get them on right away. I'll have my guys pull the coach in and get started.”

The Winnebago had four tires in the back, and two in the front. A total of six tires Raymond would be paying for.

I wasn't allowed inside the coach while they were working on it, so I sat in the waiting room going through a list of things I needed to do before I headed back to the campground for the evening.

After forty minutes, Ron came in. “All done. New tires all the way around. We checked the shocks and brakes. They look good. And no rust under the coach.”

All good news.

He handed me the keys. “You're ready to go. One of the guys will help you back out of the lot.”

Ron wouldn't show me the bill or tell me how much Raymond was paying. But it had to be over a thousand dollars for six tires. I'd have to remember to ask Molly to thank Raymond for me.

There was a Battery Depot across the street from Independent tire, and since it was right there I decided to get the batteries on the Love Bus checked out.

I pulled out of Independent Tire, waited for traffic to clear, and pulled into Battery Depot.

A service tech walked over. “Nice rig! My wife and I've been dreaming about getting something like this.”

I smiled, “I just got this today and I was thinking I should get the batteries checked.”

“Pop the hood, and I'll see what they look like.”

The tech attached two cables to the battery, and pressed a button on the device he was holding. “Yep, you need a new battery. Probably cost about $80.

He pointed to the back, “How about the coach batteries? Want me to check them too?”

“Might as well since I'm already here.”

He pointed to the passenger door, “The coach batteries are usually in the back under the steps. If you'll open the door, I'll check.”

He was right. The second step inside the coach door had a removable cover. By unhooking a latch on the step and lifting up the cover, he was able reach and test the two coach batteries.

“Neither of these will hold a charge. Someone let the water levels get too low. You'll want to replace them.

“For a RV this size we usually recommend using golf cart batteries. They hold a longer and deeper charge.

“Figure Around $220 for both. We have them in stock.”

“Sounds good to me. Go ahead and replace them.”

After changing out the batteries, the tech started the coach to make sure the charging system was working.

“Everything looks good. Just remember to check the water levels in the coach batteries once a month. Top off with distilled water when needed.”

“Will do. Where do I pay?”

He pointed to the office. I went in, paid with credit card.

With tires and batteries taken care of, filling the fuel tank with fresh gas was next on my list. No telling how long the coach had sat with old gas in the tank.

As I started looking for gas stations, I realized I needed to find a station with enough room to easily get the motorhome in without hitting anything.

The smaller stations and convenience stores wouldn't work. Too tight. Not enough room for a motorhome.

I did find a RaceTrac station that looked like it would work. Another motorhome, larger than mine, was already in there, filling up. If it was good enough for him, it'd work for me.

I pulled into the station and eased up to the pump. The fuel gauge in the Love Bus indicated a quarter tank. Probably take quite a bit of gas to fill her up.

I wasn't wrong.

The station had a one hundred dollar per transaction limit. And at four dollars a gallon, I only pumped 25 gallons before reaching it.

Inside the coach, the fuel gauge showed half full. The twenty five gallons I'd pumped didn't come close to filling it.

Probably meant I had a fifty gallon tank. And it'd cost at least two hundred to fill it.

Leaving the gas station, I pulled out into traffic and headed back to the Walmart Super Center. Seemed like I was stopping there just about every day since moving into the tent.

This time I needed to get supplies to clean up the mess inside the motorhome. And food for dinner.

As I pulled into Walmart, I noticed two other motorhomes parked on the far side of the lot. Thinking that's where I was supposed to park, I pulled up near them. Not too close, but in the general vicinity.

I locked up, went into the store, got my cleaning supplies, some food, and headed back to the Love Bus. The other motorhomes were still in the lot. It looked like the people inside were watching TV. No hurry to go anywhere.

Since it was getting late, I headed back to the campground. Didn't want to be driving after dark. Not until I was sure all the lights on the Love Bus worked.

The campground office was closed when I arrived, so I drove to my tent site and pulled the Love Bus onto the parking pad.

I knew I had a cleaning job ahead, but was comforted by the thought I'd be sleeping indoors on a real mattress tonight.

16

The Love Bus was going to be my home for a while and cleaning up the mess left behind by the people who used it last, was my first priority.

I started by clearing out the empty whiskey bottles, beer cans and food wrappers. This only took a few minutes. Then I used Clorox handy-wipes to wipe the crud off all the kitchen counter tops, dinette table, bathroom sink, toilet and shower.

This gave the coach a 'just cleaned' smell. A major improvement.

I then wiped down all the cabinets and wood surfaces with furniture wipes, then used Armor All on the dash.

I didn't have a vacuum cleaner so the carpets would have to wait until another day.

Cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer was a lot easier than expected. Both were empty, and just needed wiping down.

It was starting to get dark, and I needed to get my gear out of the tent and moved into the Love Bus.

As I headed outside, I noticed a older man and woman standing on the road. When they saw me, they waved and asked, “You need any help?”

I wondered why they thought I needed help.

I waved back and said, “Maybe. I just got this today. I don't know anything about it. Don't even know how to hook it up for camping.”

“The man stepped closer and said, Your Winnebago is the same model as ours. In fact, it looks just like ours.

“And we were wondering why you had parked it backwards – with all the electrical and water connections on the wrong side.”

So that's how they figured out I might be new at this.

I smiled, “I parked this way because I didn't know any better. This is all totally new to me.”

The man offered his hand, “Welcome to the RV lifestyle. I'm Jack, and this is my wife Jean.

“You're going to love having an RV, but there are a few things you'll need to know. Like how to hook up to shore power.

“If you've got a few minutes, I'd be happy to show you.”

“That'd be great. I can use all the help I can get. But only if you've got the time.”

Jean smiled, “Oh we've got plenty of time, and Jack loves to talk about RV's, don't you honey?”

“Sure do. You ready for your first lesson?”

I nodded.

“OK, the first thing you need to do is learn how to park in your campsite.

Jack pointed to the back of the parking pad. “See that box sticking up out of the ground back there? That's where the campground hookups are. Electric and water.

“You'll want to park so the utility compartment on the back side of your motorhome is close to that pole.

“So let's get you parked right.

“You'll need to back out onto the road, then pull forward, then back into the site. And try not to hit anything.

“I'll stand back here and guide you. Use your mirrors and backup monitor to keep me in sight.”

I got into the Love Bus, started it up, put it in reverse. The little TV screen above the dash came on and I could see and hear Jack behind me.

I slowly backed out until Jack said, “That's far enough. Now pull down the road a bit so you can get the right angle to back into the site.”

I did as instructed. Pulled forward, then hesitated as I checked behind me.

Jack called out, “Just back in slowly. If you lose sight of either side, stop. If you think you are going to hit something, stop.

“Keep checking your mirrors and your backup monitor. Those will give you a clear view of what's behind you.”

I slowly backed up, trying to center the paved area of the campsite in the backup monitor while checking both side mirrors to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything.

As I backed, I could hear Jack saying, “Good, you're doing fine. Keep coming.”

Finally Jack waved, “That's far enough. Put it in park and set the brake.”

After shutting down the engine, I got out to see the results of my first campsite parking job.

It wasn't bad. The coach was in pretty straight and I had at least four feet of clearance on each side.

Jack walked up, “Not bad for a first timer.

“Now, let me show you how to connect to shore power. You'll need your keys for this part.”

I went back to the coach and removed the keys from the ignition.

Jack pointed to the keys, “It's a good idea to always take your keys with you when you leave the coach. There's a security feature that can automatically lock the doors after you get out. If the doors lock and you don't have your keys with you, you can't get back in.