Back from Colorado

After a great couple of days with the Winnebago Fuse Owners Group we headed back home for Tallahassee.   This time we did it a with a little bit more sanity.  We were not going to do it in one big lift, but take several days to go home.

We took off Sunday morning and headed down the road through Denver towards Colorado Springs.  I-25 is a nice road to drive down, but avoiding Denver is probably best.  We thought a Sunday morning through Denver would not be too bad.  Well we did not figure that the Broncos would be playing.   The traffic was standing still.

      

Once we got past Denver we still had stop and go traffic.  There were several accidents on the road heading South and rubber necking was slowing the flow.  But once we got past that it was a great drive.  The mountains were snow topped off to the West making the scenery really pretty.

Once we got to Colorado Springs we headed up into the mountains.   We were going to look into the mountains outside of Ft. Collins but the snow had already started there.  I did not want to learn to drive the Fuse in the snow up in the mountains so we did our sight seeing south.    It was a pretty drive and then we got back on the Interstate.   Headed to Raton, New Mexico.

  

We got to Raton and it was still early in the day so we went on into Texas.  The downside was we were back to heading through the high plains.  Pretty but very monotonous.  We did pass an extinct volcano at Capulin Volcano National Monument.  We were too late for the visitors center, so we just saw it from the road.  

We headed for a campground in Dalhart, Texas for the night.  The Corral RV Park.  We pulled in at dark.  The sites were large, flat and for a place to stop for the night it was perfect.   I did not see much since we got there at dark and left at first light.    We were told when we called ahead for the reservation that there was not any cable TV and the nearest OTA TV stations were in Amarillo, 65 miles away.  Well we could not get any TV over the antenna so we watched DirectTVnow streaming over our cellular hotspot.   Worked great and after a couple of hours we went to sleep.

   

We headed on out on Monday morning at first light to see how far we could get through Texas.  Note to others, Texas is a large state and making it through in a day is pushing it.  I figured we could make Dallas easily and we would try to find a campground just the other side.    We we drove through Amarillo to Wichita Falls and then south to Dallas.  The roads were great and there were no issues with driving.

We ran into a delay just north of Dallas.  We stopped to fill-up and the diesel nozzle got stuck in the Easy-Fill cap.  I could not get it out.    I wound up having to break the tabs and take it apart.   After 20 minutes we were able to get disconnected from the pump and we went on our way.  Just to hit 5 o'clock traffic in Dallas.  That was the most stressful driving the entire trip.

We made it safely outside of Dallas and headed down I-20 to our stop that night in Terrell TX at the Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park.  We actually stopped before sundown and picked up a couple of steaks along the way.  We had a wonderful meal and then settled down for the evening.  

And then it happened, our first breakage during the trip and the first real issue since we have owned the Fuse.  We lost our Automatic Transfer Switch.  The magic smoke left the device.  No electricity from the 110v connection to campground.  Just battery power.  Well it was a little humid and I wanted the Air Conditioner, but we survived with just fans.  Just like boon docking for $40.00 a night.   At least the bathrooms were nice and lots of hot water.

Well with no shore power it was time to end the trip.  So Tuesday would be a longer run back to Tallahassee.  

Started mid morning and ran through some of the heaviest rains I had seen in a long time.  We drove through Shreveport, Monroe, Vicksburg, and got off of I-20 in Jackson, MS.  The roads were fine in Texas and Louisiana but once we hit Mississippi they got bad.  Bump after bump and/or bump.  We were hoping that this was going to be restricted to the Interstate, but once we got onto US-49 it did not change.  We went down 49 and then onto US-98 into Mobile, Alabama.  Once we got into Alabama the roads got nice again.

Well we drive through Mobile and got onto I-10 and headed for home.   We took our time :-) and got home a little before midnight.

The stats for the entire trip were 3450 miles from beginning to end.  Our average speed was between 70-75 mph and we got 12.5mpg.   I was not as happy with the milage but given some of our speeds, I understand.  We were back to 15mpg once we got back in Florida and ran our normal 69-70mph.

Bluebonnet Ridge Campground

On the way home from the Fall 2017 Get Together in Ft. Collins we stopped for the night at the Bluebonnet Ridge Campground in Terrell, Texas.

This park is just off of I-20 about 30 minutes East of Dallas.  For us, it was perfect since we had just gone through 5:00 traffic in Dallas and that was enough stress for the evening.

This is a very nice luxury campground.  It appeared that over half of the units that were parked here were here for the season.  It must be popular, since they were adding additional spaces as you enter the park.

We pulled in after the office had closed and our information packet was on the bulletin board at the office door.  It was easy to find our spot and we set up camp. The place was immaculate.  Everything was clean and orderly.

There was one downside.  No open fires or grilling.  I had picked up some steaks along the way and was counting on grilling out.  They did have an accommodation.  There is a community propane webber grill at the clubhouse.  So off I went and grilled our steaks.

The showers were in the office building.  Unlike some we have been, they were both heated and cooled.  Important for the heat and humidity in the south if you are looking for a nice experience.  The building also had an interior club area and a covered patio next to the pool.

The other thing about the campground.  There is a Buc-ees truck stop just a couple exits to the West.

A note from one of the other campers:  This is a good location to stay at when visiting the Texas State Fair and other Dallas - Ft. Worth locales.  Easy access to the interstate, but peacefully quiet.

Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA

We held the Fall 2017 Fuse Get Together at the Ft. Collins/Lakeside KOA.   It was a very nice facility.

It is just outside Ft. Collins and from the Interstate you travel through town to get there.  Don't let the road to the entrance fool you.  You drive through an industrial area getting there that might turn you off, but once you go through the gate you are in a different world.

It is as well done as any campground we have been to.  A large building right up front is the office, some bathrooms, a laundry center, and the meeting rooms.   The bathrooms were clean large and nice.  Everything else is what you would expect.

Behind the office are the camping spots.  The majority of the sites are pull through, but there a couple of back-ins.  They were nice and level with all of the hookups and Cable TV.

In addition there are a couple of bath house buildings on either side of the park.  These were nice as well, but not quite as nice as the one in the main building.  The showers were all a good size and plenty of hot water.

This is a destination park.  It sits on a lake with a nice walking trail.  Catch and release fishing.  Docks for water sports.  A small baseball diamond, shuffleboard, playground and both a pool and water area for small children.

The meeting room was great with a kitchen and plenty of space.  We were worried about the weather so we wanted to make sure we were inside.  Cost to use the meeting room and kitchen for the weekend was nominal and well worth it.

If you wanted to do an event outside there was also a large outdoor pavilion.

Water Heater Service

Candy McMahon shared the this document she found on quick tips and servicing of the water heater found in both models of the Winnebago Fuse:  It is called "Care and Maintenance for your Atwood Water Heater".

I saved a copy for downloading here:

     https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By_GWZtlcHblNkt5ZlgtMXU3c28

Pot Roast

Here is another easy meal for lunch on the road.   All in the microwave and less than 10 minutes to prepare.

The main course is Publix Homestyle Beef Pot Roast.   This is very easy to fix.  It comes in a plastic pouch with a tray so there is no mess.  Just cut 3 slits in the top of the bag to allow it to vent.   Place the tray in the Fuse microwave oven for 6 minutes.  Came out perfect.  The instructions say to use half power but full power in the Fuse microwave was just right.

Pot roast needs to be served over something.  I decided rice would be the perfect accompaniment.  Uncle Ben's Jasmine Ready Rice meets all of the conditions.  Pop it in the microwave for 90 seconds and you have a steaming pile of rice.

Serve the Pot Roast on top of the rice.  Add some of the gravy and you have a great meal for 2 and a little left over to add to the Beagle's dog food.   How much better can you get.

Our 29 Hour Endurance Test

When I was a child I remember lots of endurance races.  The 24 hours at Seebring is one that sticks in my mind.  Well now the Fuse has something on those races.  I think I will call it the 29 hours to Colorado test.  

It was not planned to be that, but I never said I was sane.   Our original plan was to leave at 7:00am and make it to just past Little Rock.  A 11-12 hour drive.  And then on Thursday go from Little Rock to Ft. Collins another 12 hour day.  Long runs, at our normal limits but doable.

Well we got off late, very late from Tallahassee on Wednesday afternoon.  (A subject for a different article).  How are we going to do this and make it to the get together on Friday.  Well we thought we would drive as far as we could go, get a nap and go again and repeat as necessary.  Not really any other choices.  

Then we had another dumb idea.  Why not try and do it straight through.  One of us could sleep in the back while the other drove.  We could always fall back to plan B if we needed to.

I got the Fuse back from the Ford dealership at 6:30PM and went home and loaded up.  Forgot a couple of things (including my coat and the bike) and we left.   Lets call it Wednesday at 7:15PM to be exact.  And then we drove.  

Not many pictures because we drove through the middle of the night.  Did you know it is easy driving at 0200?  You and just a few others on the road.  Even most of the 18 wheelers are pulled off in rest stops at that time of the night.

By 0600 on Thursday morning we had caught back up to our first schedule and passed the campground we were planning to stop at.  We made real good time.  Both Sonya and myself got a several hour nap and Lily slept through the whole thing.

Then for the trip through the Great Plains.  Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.  Long and boring drives.  Speed limits at 75mph and tolls.   We averaged 80mph down this part of the trip and the accompanying 12mpg milage.  Not my normal 68mph and 16mpg on the east coast.

I did have to perform one maintenance item while we were on the road.  I noticed we were at 1/2 tank of DEF and I stopped at a Walmart in the middle of Kansas and added 2.5 gallons.  We probably burned 15 minutes on that task.

We pulled in to the Ft. Collins Lakeside KOA just before midnight eastern time.

In the first 24 hours we had 21 hours and 20 minutes of running time.  Traveled 1419 miles.   From doorstep to campsite was 1700 miles and took us 28 hours 30 minutes.  That means we averaged almost 60mph including bio breaks and 79mph during movement.   

If anyone questions the toughness of the Ford Transit or the Winnebago Fuse, have them talk to me.  I have a story.

Front Bench Mod Fuse 23T

Editors note:  Richard Kozloski has a 2017 Winnebago Fuse 23T and is a member of the Facebook group.    Please comment in the Facebook Winnebago Owners Group so Richard can respond to everyone directly:

We have a guest post from the very creative Richard Kozloski.   A link to the entire article with all of the photos can be downloaded  at:    https://drive.google.com/open?id=0By_GWZtlcHblRkZnR29iRG9UU2c

WARNING!
This document contains explicit photographs of RV carnage. An innocent 2017.0 Fuse 23T was put at extreme risk and could have been disfigured for life. The persons providing this document take no responsibility for your outcome if you should choose to proceed. Continue at your own risk.
When you read this article you might be asking yourself “Why did they buy a Fuse 23T if they hate the setup so much they are willing to hack it all to pieces?”

First let me say that we love our Fuse. But it was made for the masses and we have a few things that we think need a “little tweaking” to suit our needs. This is one of our many upgrades to make “Waldo” our own and fix things we think could have been done better.

The Conspiracy
During our 6 week 9000+ mile to the great Northeast the major complaint we had about our Fuse was the tight, inefficient layout of the front dining area. It was extremely uncomfortable seating and very awkward to eat and/or play games at the table as installed by the factory.

When one person sat on the passenger bench, facing forward, the second person either had to sit very close on the same bench or the drivers side bench had to be pulled out part way so the second person could sit close enough to eat/play facing the short side of the table.

Even when not in use the fixed position of the table blocks a large portion of the useful area making the space feel cramped. Because of the fixed table and bench taking up most of the front area the factory layout also only provides a narrow walkway from the drivers compartment to the center and rear of the coach.

With lots of time on my hands, and an overactive engineers imagination, I began thinking about how to make this area more usable. I finally settled on a plan to rotate the passengers bench seat 90 degrees and position it flush with the outside wall under the window. The table would be removed from the wall mount position and modified so that it could be placed in multiple positions either across the new open area, or in front of either bench. (More on this later.)

The Plot Thickens
With the design firmly in mind all that was left was to get permission from the Chief Financial Officer (my wife). I convinced her that I could disassemble the current setup and rotate the bench so that she could get an idea of what it would look like without doing anything that couldn’t be reversed. This would also allow me to determine what problems would have to be overcome, if any.

With the promise that it could be returned to factory condition I was given permission to proceed. When she saw the improvement in space utilization she gave the go ahead and the rest follows.

The Start
Looking down into the area under the bench shows the three major problems of the project.
The first is obvious and the easiest fixed. The water heater is located under the seat and moving it was totally out of the question. Measurements showed that there would be almost exactly he same space around the heater when the bench was rotated.

The second was the bolts for the seat belts and the baby seat retainer. It would be necessary to crawl under the RV to remove them, or so I thought. (This turned out to be impossible and they would have to be cut off from the inside.)

The third problem turned out to be the most difficult to solve. When the “little piece of wood” that runs across the floor by the seat belts was removed it revealed a “large hole” in the middle of the compartment. When this is inside the compartment under the bench it’s no big deal. However, when the bench is rotated it ends up “out in the open” and will need to be plugged and the flooring patched.

 

Fixing the Major Problem
I scratched my head for a couple of hours trying to come up with a plan to fix this impediment to the project. This was the only thing I could see that would keep me from my goal. I didn’t want to disconnect the wires going to the water heater if possible. Crawling under the rig I could not see any easy way to reroute these wires. I was about to give up and put everything back to factory condition.

That is when I noticed that Winnebago had tunneled out the foam between the subfloor and the metal outside plate of the floor for the water lines going to the water heater.
I could cut a new opening for the wires under the new seat location. I could then remove a piece of flooring between the two holes, cut out the foam and stuff the wires inside the slot and replace the floor over them. This could be done even if I had to go back because it would be completely under the bench in the factory setup.

It was necessary to cut the linoleum flooring and peel it back carefully so it would go back together and not be noticeable. (This was necessary as I could not make arrangements to get a piece of flooring scrap so that it could be blended in better.)

 

Reassembling the box
I decided to put the factory bench wall back into its original position to aid in installing the “box” components of the bench. This would align everything to help get everything squared. The plan was to have the wall at the entry in the same location. All the original components were use unmodified. The center dividing wall as installed at the same location to keep the water heater isolated and to allow the reuse of the two top seat planks. The metal channel for the plastic corner molding on the short wall was removed and reinstalled on the opposite end. The same for the channel strip on the long wall. The plastic corn was then installed. (Use a good carpenters square and take lots of measurements to get everything plumb.)

This is what the setup looks like with the bench seats installed for testing. At this point the process could still be reversed back to the factory setup as the bench back wall has not yet been cut shorter. You can also see the hole in the floor for the wires after modification. It has not been plugged and the floor hasn’t been parched yet.

 

To Infinity and Beyond (sorry Buzz)
At this point the decision has been made to make this permanent. The bench back wall is cut down and converted to the bench end wall.

Now what remains is the removal of the seat belt and baby seat bolts. These were left until last in hope of being able to access and remove them from under the RV. Unfortunately I could not get access to the bolts as they were behind numerous heat shield items. It was decided to cut them off flush with the floor. To aid this the linoleum was cut carefully along plank lines and peeled back so a Dremel could be used to cut the bolts. (With the luxury of hindsight i would have cut the bolts off before I reassembled the box making it easier to patch the flooring,) Material for patching the floor was cut from under the bench in front of the water heater.

  

The Result
This is what it finally looks like. The result is an unobstructed open area that is approximately 3 x 4 ft. When the table is not out it feels open and airy and a lot bigger than it really is. Access from the front seats to the rear is now easier as there is not a fixed table blocking your path. We are temporarily using a drop leg table that we purchased from Camping World years ago and have been using now in our last three RV’s. It stores alongside the newly rotated bench just behind the passengers seat. When fully extended it is 42 x 24 inches. The same surface area as the factory table. It can be used with both leafs up across the opening between the seats or in front of one of them. Same with one leaf up. This area also allows a standard 34 x 34 inch folding card table to be used for four person games/meals.

 

What would I change/do different

• I would get a large enough chunk of linoleum from Winnebago to cut a one piece replacement. I would cut the seat belt bolts flush with the floor first.
• I would come up with a way to plug all the holes the table left in the walls behind the cushions. And the most important ...
• I would have Winnebago build it this way as an option. Richard “Ski” Kozloski