Warner Robbins Museum of Aviation

Retirement is great and now that COVID is on the wane we can actually take advantage of it.   We recently had a short cold snap and believe it or not we had no doctors appointments for Sonya, her parents or myself.  We took the opportunity to do an overnighter up the road up to Warner Robbins, GA and Robbins Air Force base to the Museum of Aviation that is located there.

Warner Robbins is located 3 hours north of us, approximately 150 miles from the house.  So we packed up the Fuse on Tuesday night and left on Wednesday morning after I got back from an 8am doctors appointment.  OK, our schedules weren't perfectly clear but close enough.   It was a beautiful day and we had a really nice drive up US-319 to Tifton and then we jumped on I-75 up to Warner-Robbins.    It was a leisurely ride and time went by super fast.

The museum is great.  It is located just outside the Air Force Base so you do not have to pass through any sort of security and there is a huge amount of parking.  Not really any shade to park under but you could put several hundred class A motorhomes in their parking lot.  Another great thing about this museum is that admission is free.  This museum is owned by the Air Force and is the second largest Air Force Museum behind the Air Force Museum in Dayton.  Donations are appreciated and there are several ways to provide support if you want.

I am just going to leave a number of the photos from inside and outside.  There are well over 150 aircraft on display both inside and outside.  You could spend most of the day here looking at the aircraft and reading the information on the displays.  One of the most interesting things is that you can watch as aircraft are being restored in one of the hangers.  While we were there 4 different aircraft were being brought back to be put on display.

After we toured the museum we went back to the interstate to head for our stop for the night.  We could have driven back to Tallahassee but what is the fun in that.  But there was one thing we had to stop at on the way.   There is a Buck-ee's in Warner-Robbins and even better, it is at the exit you use on the Interstate to go toad from the Museum.  We got some fuel there, not because we really needed it, filling up only took 5 gallons but because the sun is still super hot in the south and we wanted to park the Fuse under the shade of the over hang while we went in. I felt guilty not getting fuel if I was blocking a pump. No complaints Buck-ee's has hundreds of pumps, most were not being used so I was not causing a backup. 

While at Buck-ees we got our food for dinner, a BBQ brisket sandwich and a BBQ Turkey sandwich.  Though not the best BBQ I have ever eaten, it is good enough to stop if going by to pick up some up for lunch or dinner and it is sold at a fair price.

After picking up our dinner we went 15 min down the road to our stop for the night at Twin Oaks RV Park in Elko, GA.

The milage for this trip is not complete since I did not fill up when I got home but we did pretty good.  We averaged somewhere around 18mpg for this excursion.  Chalk this up to the slower speeds (60mph) for half or more of this trip up and down US-319 and the really nice conditions on the Georgia roads.

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 8 & 9 - Russelville, AR to Tupelo, MS to Home

After a nice overnight stay in Russelville we started our journey back home.    The first leg was back to Tupelo and the Campground at Barnes Crossing.  Sorry no photos from this part of the trip.  We just drove 5-6 hours a day fro both days to get home.  

We started out on Tuesday morning after a nice stay at Ivy's Cove in Russelville.  After stopping for some diesel, off we went.  Going back along a path we had already done is not as much fun as we have when seeing new things but it was the shortest path to home.  Interestingly enough our milage was not as good as the day before.  On this stretch of Interstate highway we only averaged 14.7mpg.  After fueling we headed another 20 miles down the road to the Campground at Barnes Crossing in Tupelo.  We got our spot  assignment and surprisingly enough, it was the same exact spot we were in 1 week previous.

After a good nights stay at Barnes Crossing we headed for home.  I filled up twice on this last day.  First outside of Montgomery where I got 13.4mpg and the second time at the Walmart just North of Dothan, AL and on that tank we got 15.7mpg.   The 15.7mpg is a little misleading since this was mostly on US231 at 65mph.

Ok so lets see how well the Fuse did for the whole trip.  We traveled a total of 2,034 miles ignoring the Dothan to Tallahassee leg.  We did not fuel back up once we got home and Dothan is only 70 miles from the house.  We consumed a total of 129.38 gallons of fuel.  This works out to 15.72 miles per gallon for the entire trip.  

We used very little propane on the trip but we did fill up at the KOA in Harrison.  It has been several years since we got propane and the tank showed 1/4 tank.  We filled up and it used 5.3 gallons to fill it up.

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 7 - Claremore, OK - Russelville, AR

We started out Day 7 in Claremore, OK at the Will Rogers Downs KOA.   Our original plans were to go into Tulsa and see the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and then go to the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee.   Sonya and I decided to invoke our new retired lifestyle options and change the plan and make it an easy day.  We skipped the Air and Space Museum and headed straight to the Five Tribes Museum making it a short day.  As part of our reset we also decided to skip Fort Smith, AR.   It was closed so seeing it would have been outside only.  We would travel a little further down the road and to stay at the Ivy's Cove RV Retreat again.

So off several toll roads and on to Muskogee.  We stopped to see the Five Civilized Tribes Museum.  Siri continued to have a since of humor and brought us up a road that was Singh and full of switchbacks once we got off the Interstate.  Anything bigger than a Fuse would not have made it.  She failed to note that by adding a couple of minutes to the trip we could have gotten there on nice wide straight roads with almost no change in elevation.  Siri has had a lot of laughs as she tried to kill us on this trip.

The Five Civilized Tribes museum is located next to the VA hospital in Muskogee, OK.  It was originally the Union Indian Agency Building where the Bureau of Indian Affairs Superintendent for the 5 civilized tribes that had been relocated to Oklahoma conducted business and lived.  This really was of interest since Sonya has a great, great, great grandmother who was from the Cherokee tribe and I have a great, great, great Grandmother who was from the Muskogee Tribe. (this may be missing or adding too many greats) 

The museum itself took an hour or so to visit.  Lots of interesting historical stuff on the first floor about the 5 tribes and some very nice art on the second floor.  It also gave us a perfect place to stop and eat lunch.

We did stop and get a treat on our journey.   We stopped at a Braums Ice Cream & Dairy Store just outside of Ft. Smith.  We had seen signs for several on our travels around Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas but had never stopped in.  Well we won't make the mistake of passing one up again.  The ice cream was great.  I had an orange freeze that was out of this world.   Next time we will stop at one and try out the breakfast menu or the burgers and shakes.

Then we continued on to our stop for the night in Russelville, AR.   We stayed again at Ivy's Cove RV Retreat.  We thought that this was a perfect one night stop RV park for us a week earlier and this time as well.  This time was a little different.  They were full for the night when we called but when we said we were in a 23 foot Fuse he said he had one spot so long as we did not mind being in the last overflow site.  No problem from us.  Unlike the last time we stopped and were in a 50-60 foot space, this time we were in a space that was 25 feet long.  Nay longer than the fuse and we would not have fit.  Good news was it was next to the laundry/bath house so we were set.  It is interesting  that Ivy's Cove is not the fanciest campground but it sure does feel comfortable to us and we would stop again..

So on this segment of our journey we traveled 248 miles and got 15.5mpg.  All of this was on the interstate system at 70mpg.  

 

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 6 - Harrison, AR - Claremore, OK

 

We left the Rally in Harrison and continued on our journey.  Or next stop was Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.  This was about 1 hour and 30 minutes north of Harrison.

The battle at Wilsons Creek was the first civil war battle west of the Mississippi.   The park has a very nice and modern museum and a 5 mile driving/hiking/biking loop around the battlefield to see the important sites.

Our first stop was the museum.  This was a very nice and modern facility.  Lost of information on lead to the ware and in particular the lead to the war in Missouri and the other boarder states.  

There very interesting displays and interesting information on the battle.  The battle flag of the Cherokee Braves is on display.  This was a Native American unit made up of multiple tribes fighting for confederacy.  The flag has 5 red stars representing the 5 civilized tribes.  

There were many other displays in the museum and a movie that explained the battle.  Artillery from both sides was also displayed.

After the museum we took the driving tour.  It was a five mile loop around the battlefield with stops at the important locations.  It was apropos that we saw people touring on horseback at a battlefield that had a large amount of cavalry present. 

When we finished with our battlefield tour we headed for our stop for the night, the KOA in Claremore, OK.  

Today we traveled 233miles.  Our milage was 14.2mpg.   We did a lot of idling in the park as we did the auto tour around the battlefield.

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 6 - Harrison, AR

Day 6 of our trip and day 3, the last day of the Fusing in the Ozarks rally started off great.  The weather cooled down overnight and the morning started off with the best weather you could have, at least for someone from Florida.  The temperature was in the low 60's and very little humidity.

The last day of the rally is always a little sad.  Saying goodbye to old and new friends.  Making plans to see everyone in the spring and maybe on the road.

This morning we had numerous breakfast breads and more fellowship.  Hugs and handshakes all around and then most of the Fuses trickled out of the park.   We stopped with some others to fill up with LP and then off Sonya, Lily and I went to continue our journey.

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 5 - Harrison, AR

This was Day 5 of our Trip and Day 2 of the Rally, Saturday is always the big day.

Saturday started with a catered breakfast from the Ranch House Restaurant.   Lots of great food and lots of fellowship.  That is always a winning combination, food and friends.

After breakfast we got down to business.  Lee from Winnebago answered a number of questions and took a lot of comments.  Winnebago is a great company sending someone to our rally to help, in return they get our input.  He brought a EKKO with him and pointed out some of the suggestions we had to the Fuse that were incorporated into the new unit.

Then we did tours of coaches and saw all the ideas and mods people have incorporated into their Fuses.  This is always a great time to see how imaginative and how many experts and mechanical geniuses we have in the group.   

As part of this Rob G. and some others went to all the coaches and checked gutters.  You need to make sure the drains under the front window are kept clear of dirt and debris.  If not, the water can overflow and damage the Transit air filter (passenger side drain) or one of the main electric connectors (drivers side drain).    Out of the 25 units that were inspected, 5 had very clogged drains and they were remediated.

The main attraction seemed to be the EKKO Winnebago sent.  It was super interesting to see the similarities and the differences between it and the Fuse.  They definitely are siblings but they are definitely not twins.  I will have more on the EKKO later.

Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 4 - Harrison, AR

 Friday is the start of a Fuse Rally.   A large number of people get there a day or two early but the official start is usually on Friday.  The rally in Harrison was no different.  More units rolled in all day long until 25  units were at the park.   Well To be exact 24 Fuses and 1 Ekko but it is a really just a younger sibling of the Fuse.

People were out helping others fix problems with their Fuses.  Lots of experts in the group were providing tips on how to use features on the Fuse and showing people the ways they modded their units to make them more to their liking.   

The festivities started at 5:30 with the Pot Luck dinner.  As always, there was a huge amount of food, probably twice what was needed. And everything I tried was really good.  It is amazing what can be created given the small size of the units.  Things in crock pots and I even saw some bread.

After dinner,  Rebecca, the organizer of the Rally did introductions and started off the event.   We have people from as far away as Florida and California and everywhere in between.   It is amazing to see this many Fuses in one spot.   There were going to be more be there were a number of last minute cancellations and with COVID going around and other health issues I was happy to see this many.

Lee from Winnebago gave a short talk about what he was going to talk about on Saturday and got mobbed with questions.  Lots of people are really interested in the Ekko he brought with him that has all sorts of cool features and things we recommended would be nice in a Fuse but I think the universal consensus was that they were not as interested in the cassette toilet.  That was not an idea from the Fuse community.

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 3 - To Harrison, AR

We took our time on Thursday morning getting on the road.  From Russellville to Harrison was only a couple of hours according to Siri.  Should not be a problem.   So we did not get off until 10AM or so.  

And off we went dutifully following Siri's advice.   So how would she take us to Harrison this morning? Well she decided to take us on something called the Pig Trail Scenic Byway.  I still do not know why on one day Siri picks one way to go and on another day she picks another way but we just follow the advice.  

When we made our plans the maps app showed us going straight north from Russellville up HWY 7 on the 2hr 11min path but there must have been construction or an accident or Siri was just messing with us on Thursday so off to the Pig Trail, we went.  The longest option when I took this snapshot the day after.

Sorry there are no pictures,  I was holding on for dear life.  It actually was not that bad in the Fuse but I do not know how a large Class A would do it.  After we left it we saw several heading that way and were passed by several Semi trucks so I and sure they made it.  There were a number of switchbacks and curves where the speed limit was 15mph and I would guess the average speed limit was 35mph.   It actually was a beautiful drive but as Sonya and myself agreed, we would have hate to have done it at night or in the rain.

So how did we do on day 3, performance wise.  We drove 181 miles and got 13.5mpg.   I actually think that was a good MPG rating this time since it was all up and down.  Town/Haul mode in the Fuse got used almost all of the way.

We had lunch at a McDonalds in Huntsville.   After lunch the road straightened out and we had a nice ride into Harrison and the KOA.    Showing our age, we actually have been through Harrison before when we went to the Rally in Branson a few years back. We remembered when we saw the Walmart and the Arby's we ate at last time.  

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 2 - To Russellville, AR

 On Wednesday We left Tupelo and headed for a jaunt through Mississippi with our ultimate goal of spending the night in Russellville, AR.   After a great night we headed out through the backroads of Mississippi to see Fort Curtis, a reconstructed Civil War Fort in Helena, AR.   

Well we listened to Siri and Apple Maps drove down a number of farm roads, backroads and saw a huge number of Farms growing everything from soybeans, to wheat to cotton.   We even found a bump over some railroad tracks where I think the Fuse was airborne.  Think of the Fuse taking the place the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazzard.   Decided to come to almost a stop before going over any more train tracks after that.

We got to the Fort and it was closed.  It looked nice but it was locked up due we guess to COVID.    We ate some lunch in the Fort Parking Lot and then went on a tour of the farms of Arkansas.  It is always amazing to me the difference in the land on one side of the Mississippi River and the other.  

We drove for a while and arrived at our destination at the Ivy Cove RV retreat in Russellville, AR.

We thought that Russellville would be a small town but it was not.  Big and bustling with every store you could imagine and it was the home of Arkansas Tech University.   Right down I-40 from Little Rock.  The best part was the restaurants all seemed open so KFC was for dinner.

So on Wednesday we traveled a little over 323 miles.  We got 16.5mpg

Heading to the Fusing in the Ozarks Fall 2021 Rally - Day 1

 

Well we are off to the Fusing in the Ozarks Rally in Harrison, AR.    Our first time out now that Summer is over.    We are super excited and heading down the road.   

Our first stop this trip is in Tupelo, MS at the Campground at Barns Crossing.   You can read about this camp groups at: http://confusedrv.blogspot.com/2019/09/campground-at-barnes-crossing.html.    We have stayed at this campground several times and it is a good one just off of I-22.   Take note that this campground does not take credit cards so bring a checkbook or cash.

With COVID still around it is a little different traveling.   We normally stop for takeout once or twice a day.  We are finding that this is a hit or miss proposition.   Going up restaurants in Alabama all seemed to be open more or less normal.  Once in Mississippi, the fast food restaurants were drive through only.  So We got lunch at an Arby's in Dothan, Al but missed out on KFC chicken just outside of Tupelo.  I guess I could try bringing the FUSE through the drive through, but I am not really that brave.

So on Tuesday, We went from Tallahaseee to Tupelo.  I won't report on the milage on the first tank of gas since it was a partial, a lot of idling in the driveway and up and down the road around the house.   We drove a total on Tuesday of 425 miles.   And on the second tank of diesel we got 14.97 mpg going from Dothan, Al to Tupelo, MS.   Not too bad for mostly Interstate Driving at 75mph.

Spring 2021 Fuse Rally Trip Wrap-up

We had a great time on our trip to the Spring 2021 Fuse Rally.  In addition to all of the fun at the rally, we saw some sites and had a blast just getting out of the house.   

The main thing we learned on this trip was that we were rusty.  After 16 months of not using the Fuse some things had to be re-learned.  Where I use to be able to back right up into a space, it took me several tries each time to put the Fuse where I wanted it.   I am out of practice.

I also found out I was out of practice writing the blog.  I forgot to take many pictures, though that is not new.  I also need to find my "voice" again as I am writing.  It will all come back as I get in the swing.

Some of the highlights:

We drove 1714.8 miles in 10 days.

We drove 37 hours

Used 105.8 gallons of diesel and got a combined average of 16.2 miles per gallon.  Worst tank was 13.2 miles per gallon (our first tank) and the best was 16.6 miles per gallon (our last tank).   I did notice that the worse mileage came from tanks we purchased at Murphy (Walmart) stations.  Not sure if this is a coincidence but I have noticed this before.  

On this trip, I kept the speed at or below the speed limit.  We were in no hurry so this time no speeding.  As we all know, the Fuse likes a constant speed in the 45-60mph range for the best milage so my staying slow probably helped things.

Things that went well:

The AT&T cellular hotspot worked well everywhere.  We were able to stream TV every night on the Firestick and use our computers with no problems.  Even in the state parks in the middle of the woods.

The new A/C worked well and was still quiet. Two thumbs up here.

The food we brought.  Some junk food, but great for a change after being pretty good about eating healthy for the last year.

We had steak one night and the folding grill worked out well.  

The Fuse.  We had a great time and still enjoyed our little motorhome and the way it drives and maneuvers around small places, yet it's still big enough to not feel cramped when stuck inside in the rain.

Things that did NOT go as well:

Several things broke.  We found a leak in the front passenger corner when it rained and the Fuse was nose down.  Will need to re-seal the cap.  The rear TV speaker is not working so we had to use our little bluetooth speaker.  One of the tank heating pads came loose and will need to be repaired (taped it back up with gorilla tape and that fixed it temporarily). Lastly, we had a scare with the check engine light (DEF complaint) but it went and stayed off after a driving and a few engine cycles.

COVID restrictions at some places made us break our normal routine.  We normally pick up a breakfast biscuit in the mornings at McDonalds or Burger King or something similar.  Half of the places we stopped at for breakfast were closed or only open to drive through.  Though small, I am not brave enough to go through a drive through in the Fuse.

The charcoal I had in the Fuse for the last year would not light/burn.  I forgot charcoal is hydroscopic and has been pulling in moisture for 16 months.  I had picked up some more charcoal when I got the steaks "just in case" and "in case" happened.

Overall we had a great trip.  Now that retirement is close we did not feel as rushed as in the past so the experience was much more relaxing.   

So our trip experience starts on April 26 here: https://confusedrv.blogspot.com/2021/04/take-this-covid.html  and ends on May 5 here: https://confusedrv.blogspot.com/2021/05/buc-ees-and-jefferson-davis-capture-park.html

 

Buc-ee's and Jefferson Davis Capture Park

We left High Falls State park on our way back to Tallahassee.  It is a pretty easy drive.   South on I-75 and then turn South on to US-319 and straight to Tallahassee.  We left at 9:30 and got home at 3:30.  

On the way home we made a couple of stops.  First stop was at Buc-ee's.  Bec-ee's is the super center of all gas stations.  They pride themselves on their clean bathrooms and in addition have BBQ, and all sorts of stuff.  It just can not be described. Once only available in Texas, Buc-ee's has expanded to several other states.  The one we stopped at was just South of Warner Robbins, GA right on I-75.  First we filled up the Fuse with diesel from the 100's of pumps they have (price was pretty good as well).  Then we got breakfast biscuits, some Buc-ee bites (think caramel coated Cheetos), fudge and some drinks.   Not exactly our diet but since it was vacation why not.

Then we continued down the road.  Another half hour down the road was something we had been going by for years.  A sign pointing the way to a the historic site where Jefferson Davis was captured by Union cavalry.   About 15 min off the Interstate is Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site.  This is a small park with a museum.  A monument on the spot of the capture, a picnic area and some historic artifacts.  The one thing that impressed me was for years  (70ish) after the war, the site was marked with just a iron wagon axle stuck into the ground.  A historic site marking the end of the Civil War.

After that we got back on the road and continued on to Tallahassee and home.