Umarang's 10th Anniversary as our VRRV

Though we didn't set out ten years ago to buy a motorhome, it somehow came to pass.  Beware when your spouse says: "Lets see what they have....I'm just curious".   Here's the post of that fateful day:  LINK

Over the last ten years, Umarang (so named by Thing One because like a Boomerang, she'd always bring us home) or Uma started off as a way to extend the range of my Ural Sidecar riding.  Along the way, she acquired the designation of  URRV (Ural Recovery RV) due to several "incidents".  Uralisti out there know what I mean.

Our first "glamping" trip:

As I started to also bring along other vehicles, such as my Suzuki Samurai and Yagi, my Yamaha TW200 (which has been sold), the URRV was renamed VRRV: Vehicle Recovery RV.  Not that, initially, the TW200 required any recovery.  The Sammy and Ural sidecars on the other hand.....

So, extend my range for riding it surely accomplished:

Stats:

Over 106,000 miles driven by us over the last 10 years

Driven from coast to coast, though never to the actual shorelines  Most trips involved the southwest states.  I doubt very much she'll ever go across the Mississippi River again.

Though bought used in October of 2016, I didn't track fuel mileage until October of 2023.  However for those last 3 years:

Pair the above up with days camped:

For a major purchase we did basically zero research prior to buying, she's worked out pretty well.  I can confidently say I've gotten my money's worth out of her initial cost.

Almost gave up on her recently due to costs of needed repairs, but in the end, we're going to keep her for now.  

As I learned about dispersed camping, aka boondocking, I spent more and more time camping.

Saw many sunsets and sunrises:

Saw many landscapes and scenery I'd otherwise probably never have seen given the range of my motorcycles.

She's been quite the education in terms of solar power, towing cars and trailers, RV-related repairs and fixes, and just learning about kind of camping terrain please me the most and learning to love extreme solitude.  My gratitude to all who've helped me along the way, especially RichardM.

The last camping trip before this anniversary:

Umarang Repairs Done for Now...I hope

Today was the final scheduled repair for Uma the VRRV.

The left side radius arm bushings were replaced.  The mechanic had noted they were dry rotted and compressed while doing a front end alignment.

Below pic shows the bushing in question, you can see the dry rot condition of the bushing.  Also, the gap between it and arm, should not be there.

old, gap evident

new, no gap

Radius Arm front bushing

new front bushing

So, for the record:

Ball Joints, upper and lower, both side of course and with grease fittings! 

Inside and outside tie rods.

Transmission drained/refilled.  Factory says drain/refill every 30K miles for Class Cs, will probably sched for evert 25K miles.  

Serpentine belt inspected and found good.

Rear brake pads and rotors replaced at 33k miles, was told they could have gone further (the pads), so will schedule them for inspection in about 30-33k miles.

Repairs for next year, the spring shackles and bushings for the rear suspension's leaf springs.

The desire to once again resume RV dispersed camping has not arisen yet.  Finding it quite comfy relaxing at home for now.  That, and need to have the credit card cool off a bit from the repair costs lately.

We also had our 19 year old water heater in the house develop a leak, and had to replace it recently.

It's only money, right?

9/11 - 25th Anniversary

Found this on the Internet:

Twenty-five years have passed since the morning our soil became a battlefield, but a quarter-century has done nothing to dull the edge of our resolve. Time moves forward, skylines are rebuilt, and generations rise that never saw the smoke, but the pact made in the embers of September 11, 2001, remains absolute: Never Forget. Never Forgive.

We do not forget the 2,977 innocent lives stolen in Manhattan, inside the Pentagon, and in a field outside Shanksville. We do not forget the terror inflicted upon our people, the families shattered in an instant, or the agony of a nation forced to watch its own burning. The names etched in bronze are not abstract figures of history; they are a permanent record of an unprovoked, cold-blooded act of war.

And we do not forgive the enemy who struck us.

Forgiveness requires a world that did not exist that morning and cannot exist while evil seeks our destruction. To forgive would be to minimize the slaughter of our citizens, to trivialize the ultimate sacrifice of the first responders who charged into the flames, and to betray the warriors who spent the next two decades hunting down those responsible in every dark corner of the globe. Justice was delivered to the architects of that day, but the stance remains unyielding: those who plot the ruin of our nation will find no quarter, no amnesty, and no absolution.

Standing at this 25-year marker, memory is our weapon and our duty. We keep the watch with hardened hearts and sharp focus. We pass down the truth of that day to those who follow—not as a soft lesson in healing, but as a stern testament to vigilance.

Two decades and a half later, our vow has not withered. We remember the cost. We honor the fallen. We hold the line.

Never Forget. Never Forgive.

Commentary:

I remember how united this country was shortly after the cowardly terrorist attacks.  It didn't last very long, did it, this unity?

All the blood and treasure spent since then....and I'm not sure we changed anything.

Still, the Colors fly today at my home.

More Repairs for Umarang and Finding a New Mechanic Shop

It's been an expensive last three months or so.

Tire cupping evidence on the front wheels led to the replacement of the front shocks, which were apparently toast.  Only got about 30K miles from those shock absorbers since they were replaced back in July of 2023.  It was pricey.

Of course, the tires were also due to be replaced after the trip to the eastern half of the country, so that was another bunch of money for six new tires.  Still, one can't really skimp on tires eh?  

The windshield was replaced due to the cracks I'd lived with for quite a while having grown too long.  $250 deductible, the rest covered by insurance.

Today, September 10, my new mechanic shop (way less costly) finished work on replacement of the front end ball joints/tie rods/tie rod ends.  My old previous mechanic shop had noted the work needed to be done, but had provided a costly estimate.  An estimate that almost resulted in me disposing of the motorhome.

Also had the transmission drained/refilled (almost 8 qts) along with both the inner and remote filters.  They also pointed out to me that the RV has a transmission oil cooler!  Never realized that.

Luckily, the offer I made to "give it away" wasn't accepted in time and I was able to gracefully withdraw it.

Shopped around two other spots and found a less expensive option and my new mechanic shop.  They're not really a shop per se.  They're a mobile repair service specializing in heavy trucks/equipment.  Marshall's Equipment Repair LLC.

They were recommended by a neighborhood friend who's an accomplished gearhead.

Roy and his son Dalton, are very knowledgeable about repairing vehicles and Fords especially.  They answered my questions freely and in great detail, taking time to explain concepts to me related to the work done.

Inspections were free as opposed to the other two shops.

They came in at the lower price as their overhead isn't as much as established shops of course.  That and their labor rates were quite reasonable in comparison to the other shops.  

Here's a short video of one of two sets of ball joints that were replaced.  They looked pretty rough and I'm quite confident I was correct in getting them replaced now vice a few thousand miles down the road.

So, for now, Umarang the VRRV remains in the family.  Not sure what this upcoming camping season will look like right now, we shall see.