Roughing It Smoothly - Tiffin Motorhomes

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ter a 55-mile drive southeast from Escalantealong a rugged dirt road where high clearance4WD vehicles are recommended. Ifyou have come prepared with such a vehiclein tow, what you will see is unbelievable.Around 1880, a group of Mormon familieswith their wagons, horses, and a thousandhead of cattle built a trail literally down theside of a 2,500-foot cliff to the ColoradoRiver, where they crossed and went on tosettle the valley. Today as you look throughthe Hole-in-the-Rock that once led downto the river, you will see the waters of LakePowell. The hike down to the lake is difficult,but is possible with careful preparation.Only 20 miles but a solid hour’s driveeast of Escalante is the town of Boulder,where the Anasazi State Park Museum is located.A thousand years ago the Anasazi civilizationspread from the Rio Grande Riverin New Mexico to where Las Vegas is today.Their dwellings survive only at Mesa Verde,Chaco Canyon, and here at Boulder. Fromthe museum, the drive over Boulder Mountainto Torrey takes another couple of hours.From the 10,000-plus foot elevation reachedon Hwy. 12 you can see all the way to theHenry Mountains, the last mountain rangein the United States to be named.■ DAY FOUR: TORREY TO CAPITOLREEF NATIONAL PARK TO GREENRIVER (105 miles)Turning right off Hwy. 12 onto Hwy. 24,you will travel east on this new Scenic Bywayas it meanders and parallels the FremontRiver. Within minutes you will enterthe Capitol Reef National Park. On yourway to the Visitor Center, you will passgeologic formations named like ChimneyRock, The Castle, and Twin Rocks. TheFruita Campground offers 70 sites on afirst-come first-served basis, each equippedwith a picnic table and grill but no hookups.$10/night. The sites usually are filledby early to mid-afternoon during the summer.Near by is the Fruita Historic Districtwith its nineteenth century schoolhouse,blacksmith shop, and orchards where youcan actually pick and eat fruit free of chargewhile visiting. A 25-mile round trip drivetakes you to the Waterpocket Fold, a twisted,uplifted land formation known as amonocline. John Wesley Powell first wroteabout it during his trip down the Green andWild turkeys meander through the brush inCapitol Reef National Park. Visitors should keeptheir camera loaded. A telephoto lens may beuseful here.Colorado Rivers in the late 1860s. CapitolReef is an area replete with petroglyphs andwildlife (mule deer, wild turkeys, marmots,desert bighorn, golden eagle), so keep yourcamera handy. For more information aboutCapitol Reef, call 435-425-3791 or visitwww.nps.gov/care.Exit the park on Hwy. 24 along the FremontRiver to Hanksville, and then bearnorth for 44 miles to I-70 (an hour’s drive).Travel east on I-70 to Green River, Utah(another 15-minutes). You will be traversingwhat is called the San Rafael Desert, anopen rangeland used by ranchers to grazetheir cattle during the wintertime whenthe high country is packed with snow. Thetown of Green River offers its own uniquemenu of opportunities, including the JohnWesley Powell Museum on the banks of theGreen River. Here the entire story is toldabout how Powell and his men navigated insmall boats down the Green and ColoradoRivers, from Wyoming down through theGrand Canyon. They lived to tell about it andPowell, a one-armed Civil War veteran, madethis trip not once, but twice. Amazing!Ray’s Tavern in Green River claimsworld fame for its charbroiled steaks andburgers and caters to the river rafters dur-ing the summer months. Holiday Expeditions,one of the premier river rafting andexpedition companies in the West, offersadventures that can last up to seven dayswith trips originating May 24 throughAugust 21. For those who want a verycivilized taste of river rafting, they offerone- and two-night adventures where theyset up camp and cook all the meals (gourmetmeals, we have eaten them), as they letyou see the Canyon Lands from a wholenew perspective. Their telephone numberis 800-624-6323. There website is www.bikeraft.com. It’s so easy and rewarding.You should think about doing this.There are several RV campgrounds inGreen River that offer full service facilities.They include:KOA–Green River800-562-3649Shady Acres RV Park & Campground800-537-8674United Campground of Green River435-564-8195■ DAY FIVE: GREEN RIVER TOPRICE TO CIRCLEVILLE TO CEDARMOUNTAIN AND CEDAR CITY(265 miles)From Green River go five miles west onI-70 to exit 156 and turn north on US 6-191 for a 60-mile drive to Price, which isa matter of minutes away from Nine MileCanyon. Literally an outdoor museum,the canyon has some remarkable examplesof petroglyphs (carvings on rock faces),pictographs (paintings on rock faces),and remnants of dwellings from the prehistoricFremont Culture that have remaineduntouched through the centu-At the Tavaputs Ranch, a trail ridethrough the mountains may be thehighlight of your Utah experience.The vistas (and the elevation) arebreathtaking!ries. The 40-mile tripthrough the canyon on alevel dirt road will probablyrequire most of theday. There are no servicesavailable. Bring a picniclunch, water, insect repellant,binoculars, and camera.Your effort will bewell rewarded.If you have a coupleof extra days, a uniqueopportunity presents itselffor wannabe cowboysto have a first-rateguest ranch experience.Owned and operated by Butch and JeanieJensen, the Tavaputs Ranch is a workingcattle ranch where guests can be involvedin the cowboy life as much or as littleas they choose.While the 15,000-acre summer ranchand lodge is 50 miles away up on the TavaputsPlateau, ranch headquarters are inPrice where you can safely leave your motorhome.The Jensens transport their gueststo the lodge in 4WD SUVs. If you’d rather,you can take a 20-minute flight from thePrice airport to the ranch and get an air tourbefore landing at Butch and Jeanie’s airstripon top of their mountain. Their lodgeoverlooks Desolation Canyon on the GreenRiver where it’s not at all unusual to seebear, elk, deer and even a mountain lion.And, oh, how Jeanie can cook! You canput on five pounds in two days. Her ranchcookin’ is served round the clock and allmeals are included in the per person rates.Call 435-637-1236 for more informationand reservations, or visit their websitehttp://www.tavaputsranch.com/.Youneed to check this out.Before leaving Price, there’s one laststop downtown that needs to be made. It’sFarlino’s Restaurant. Sam Farlino’s grandfathercame from Italy and his Italian fare isas good as that found in Tuscany or Naples.Farlino’s is the place where Butch and hiswranglers go for breakfast or lunch everydayand traditional western fare is also oneof Sam’s specials. Parallel parking for motorhomescan be found on the side street.The drive from Price to Circleville, Utah(Utah Hwy. 10 to I-70 to US 89 and thensouth) takes a couple of hours. About twomiles south of Circleville on the right side ofUS 89 in a grove of trees is Butch Cassidy’sThis petroglyph in Nine MileCanyon attests to a richprehistoric culture.cabin. If you decide to walkthe quarter mile through thefield to the cabin and lookaround, note that you areon private property and besure to abide by any signsthat are posted. Yes, thisreally is the birthplace ofone of the characters popularizedby Robert Redfordand Paul Newman in theclassic 1969 movie, ButchCassidy and the SundanceKid. It’s a true piece ofAmericana.The road south to thejunction of US 89 and Hwy. 14 is a leisurelydrive. After turning right onto Hwy. 14, youwill come to Pinewoods Resort, a premierdestination for summer and winter and wellworth the stop. Operated by Brian Romney,Pinewoods offers ATV and snowmobile rentalsand the opportunity to get off the beatenpath and see some of the West’s most spectacularvistas. Taking one of Brian’s guidedATV or snowmobile tours is an excellentway to learn about what you will be seeing.Visit www.pinewoodsresort.com or call 800-848-2525. Oh, yes, Pinewoods serves excellentfood. You can’t go wrong.Not counting the side trips, you havetraveled 644 miles, an average of only 130miles per day. We have toured only a fractionof the interesting and entertaining placesin this beautiful state. You could easilyspend two weeks on this loop. But I hopethis “starter trip” will be the beginning ofmany more enjoyable days in Utah, the landof vivid color.Paul Newman and Robert Redford will not bethere to greet you, but a little knowledge of thehistory and folklore about Cassidy and the Kidwill make this an interesting stop.“I chose Blue Ox becauseas any race fan knows,dependability and service area race team’s #1 priority. Weknow that the Blue Ox team isbehind us all the way, providingthe most durable, hardworkingtowing systems on the marketand their service is second tonone - we count on it.”• Towing Systems• Braking Systems• TruCenter Steering Controls• Weight Distributing Hitches1203Contact your local dealer orcall Blue Ox to seehow you can become aguest of Blue Oxat Bristol Motor Speedway& meet Ward Burton!Call 1-800-336-4336 orvisit www.blueox.us formore info.24 ROUGHING IT SMOOTHLYFIVE DAYS STATE BY STATE/UTAH 25
Helpful Products andTechniques to Keep YourCoach in Top Conditionby Scotty MartinTiffin Service SpecialistOver the years, I have seen 20- and25-year-old motorhomes come in forservice that looked almost brand new.Keeping your “home away from home”in top-notch condition will increase theresidual value and give you great pridein owning your coach. Following are alist of products that we use here at TiffinMotorhomes when we are asked to puta coach back in top shapeCamper’s Choice Black Streak Remover.If a coach is not washed regularly,you may notice black streaks on the sidewallscaused by particles in the air whichaccumulate as residues with the evaporationof moisture. This streak remover willbreak those residues loose and leave thesurface clean.Camper’s Choice Awning Cleaner.Mildew is the major enemy of awningmaterial. It will eventually cause it to rot.Depending on the climate, your awningmay pick up dirt and stains. Used regularly,this cleaner will keep your awningmaterial in good condition.B.E.S.T. makes several products thatwill help keep your motorhome lookingnew:B.E.S.T. Wash & Wax. A combinationproduct, add this to your wash water asdirected to wash the exterior of your motorhome.It will leave the fiberglass exteriorwith a clean, glossy finish.B.E.S.T. Rubber Roof Cleaner andProtectant. Designed especially forcleaning a rubber roof, the product willalso protect the roof from the sun.B.E.S.T. Bug-Off. When the summertimebugs make an ugly mess on thefront of your motorhome, this product willdissolve the residues they left behind.BLACK CAT Tire Dressing. This invaluableproduct will prevent your tires fromdry-rotting and add the finishing touch tothe detailing of your motorhome.Goo Gone. The solvent or all solvents.Goo Gone removes grease, tar, gum,and old bumper stickers (in case you’veS E R I O U S T E C H TA L Kchanged your politics). It is safe on anysurface.Gel-Gloss One Step Cleaner and Polish.Designed for the fiberglass exteriorof your motorhome, Gel-Gloss will clean,seal, and protect the surface.Slide-Out Rubber Seal Conditioner.Applied regularly, this conditioner will preventthe slide-out seals from tearing, sticking,or drying out.RV Fresh. This will keep your motorhomesmelling nice and fresh. It may beused on carpet, furniture, and bedspreads.Spring Fresh. This product will preventodors and clean your fresh water system.Taking Your Motor HomeOut of Storageby Billy NicholsTiffin Service SpecialistIf your motorhome has been in storage forthe winter, follow these steps to put it backin operation for the traveling and campingseason.First, change the water filter. If your unithas one, you will find it in the storage compartmentwith the water pump or under thekitchen sink. Most Tiffin dealers stock thefilters along with the many maintenanceproducts you will need. If you do not liveclose to your dealer, call Camper’s Choiceat 800-833-6713.If you winterized your system with antifreeze,hook up to city water to fill and rinseout the lines. While doing this, turn the bypasson, take the plug out of the waterheater, and rinse it out really well.Put a half gallon of Clorox or a box of bakingsoda in the fresh water tank. Rinse thoroughlyto get all the residue out of the tank.Blow out the exhaust on the waterheater and furnace with compressed air tobe sure no spider webs or other debris hasclogged the exhaust. Check the LP systemby turning it on and operating all of thegas appliances for a short period of time.Check the refrigerator by taking thecover off the bottom of the burner tubeand blowing it out with the air hose toclean it out.Check water in the batteries. Checkconnections on the batteries, clean them ifnecessary, and make sure all the connectionsare tight.Remove the outside covers of the airconditioners on the roof and blow themout with an air hose. Remove the dirt anddust build-up around the fans and compressors.Check all fluid levels on the engineand make sure all is well before you startyour trip.Q&A: Programming theXantrex InverterI would like to know more about how toprogram and operate the Xantrex inverteron the 2003 Phaeton. Can you publishthe instructions in the magazine, as Ibelieve this would probably help a lotof people. Thanks. — Ron Walker, PortClinton, OHThe 2003 Phaeton came standardwith a Xantrex Freedom 458 Inverter/Charger and a Freedom Remote Panel.This remote panel is used in conjunctionwith the inverter/charger to control andmonitor the operation of the unit. TheFreedom unit is both a DC and AC inverter,and a 12 volt DC battery charger.The unit can either invert or charge; itcan not do both functions at the sametime. The Freedom Remote Panel will reportdifferent measurements dependingon which mode the inverter/charger isin. When charging it is a charger displaypanel, and when inverting it is a batterymonitor and inverter display.When the motorhome delivers ACpower to the inverter/charger, either fromshorepower or from a generator, the Freedomunit becomes a 3-stage battery chargerand allows the circuits on the inverterto be powered from the AC source (ACpass through). In this situation the AC INlight will be on and the CHARGE light willbe lit. This happens automatically when anAC source becomes available (hooking upto shorepower for example). At this timethe Freedom remote panel displays charginginformation and the BATTERY STATEindicates which stage of charge the unit isin. Whenever the charger light is on, theDC VOLT indicators will show charger outputvoltage, and the DC AMPS will showhow many amps the charger is puttingout. The charger will also handle any DCloads that are required, thus keeping thebatteries fully charged.When no AC power is available and theINVERTER light is on, the unit is in invertermode. In this situation the circuits connectedto the inverter are being poweredby the batteries. The remote panel nowdisplays the battery voltage and amperagedraw from the batteries. The BAT-TERY STATE now reads like a fuel gaugefor your batteries, and the lights will movefrom ‘full’ to ‘empty’ as the AC loads drawthe batteries down. When a red light appearsunder BATTERY STATE, the batteriesneed recharging.The Freedom inverter/charger camepre-configured with the correct settingsfor the Phaeton. The set-up should onlyhave to be changed if there is a changein the system, for example if the numberand type of batteries is changed. For anexpanded overview of how to set-up, readand understand your Freedom inverter/charger, please download the “FreedomRemote Quick Guide” available from theSupport section of www.xantrex.com.Q&A: A Slide-Out Problemby Richard BlantonTiffin Service SpecialistSeveral owners have asked what to do ifthe slide-out is stuck in the out position dueto a 12V power failure or other difficulty.The slide-out hardware we have usedsince 2000 is made by Power Gear System.These systems have a brake switch(a brass lever) located at the end of theslide-out motor (which is inside the storagecompartment under the slide-out).The motor will be next to one of the gearedslide-out rails. This switch will only rotateabout 1/8 inch. The switch engages andreleases the brake holding the slide-outbox in place. Once you have the switchin the release position, you can use a 3/4inch socket and ratchet or a 3/4 ratchetwrench, placed at the opposite end of themotor, and turn it until you have the slideoutin the desired position. If you don’thave a socket and ratchet, you can alsouse an adjustable wrench. Once you havethe slide-out into the desired position, besure to turn the brake switch back to theengaged position.For slide-outs on 1998 and 1999 models,please call a service technician at TiffinMotorhomes for instructions on releasing aslide-out which is stuck in the out position.The motor on these models is in a difficultposition to reach. Call 256-356-8661.Service Bulletins & Recallsby Liz JonesTiffin Recall ManagerCurrently we have three service bulletinsand one recall. The service bulletins areas follows:TIFF SB-01 Engine Battery CablesTIFF SB-02 Engine Block Heater WireLoom RetrofitTIFF SB-03 Sealing of Bedroom AdjustableRoller“I know the RV ownerbecause I am one.And I work hardto help people like me getthe financing andservice they deserve.”Kathy Guidi, RV Financing ConsultantThe recall is:03V-149 Ford Brake Warning IndicatorEveryone under the recall should havebeen notified via mail (assuming their addresshasn’t changed). If you would like acopy of the Vehicle Identification Numberson any of these service bulletins or the recall,please e-mail your request to liz.jones@tiffinmotorhomes.com. If you do not useemail, call 256-356-0205. Please specifywhich recall.R V L O A N SBusiness Philosophy:Helping people get what they want out of life is important tome.Key to Success:Every one of my customers and I have a lot in common as RV owners.I completely relate to their dream and that's motivating.Personal Goals:I will do what it takes to make my customers happy.Kathy Guidi and the entire staff at CustomerOne Financial understand RV owners and thelove of an open road. That means not onlyshopping for the best vehicle and securingthe very lowest finance rate, but choosing thefinance company that will make the entireexperience simple, fast and easy. Staffed bylifestyle experts like Kathy, Customer One helpspeople like you breeze through the financingprocess and take possession of your dream,sooner rather than later.Secure your loanthrough Customer Oneand get a FREE FMCAmembership or renewal.Call toll-free1-866-337-3456and start your journey.www.customeronefinancial.com26 ROUGHING IT SMOOTHLYSERIOUS TECH TALK 27
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Roughing It Smoothly - Tiffin Motorhomes

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