The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Hacienda Contreras (day 7)

Well, today was supposed to be our last day here, but the week has flown by, and we haven't seen everything we wanted to see yet. So, we're staying put another couple of days.

Hard to believe that we'll be in South Carolina just over two weeks from now, and then Nova Scotia, Canada a couple of weeks after that! We have a LOT of driving to do over the next month! It's still 1,050 kms (651 miles) to the U.S. border near Laredo, TX. And then 1,350 miles (2,200 kms) to Cross, South Carolina. Then, another 1,550 miles (2,500 kms) to Kentville, Nova Scotia. So 5,750 kms (3,551 miles) before the end of March! But, that's only an average of 185 kms (114 miles) per day, so I think Sherman can handle that.

Last time we were in Texas when we came out of Mexico in the spring of 2009, we had Shermans front springs replaced. Now, it's time for some work on his rear suspension. I've noticed the rear end starting to sag a bit over the last year or so, but rather than replacing the springs just yet, I'm going to install an air bag system. I've chosen the Firestone Ride-Rite helper springs. I've also ordered the compressor, guage, and switches that allow you to adjust and monitor the pressure from the drivers seat. Total cost $531 with free shipping. I'm having them delivered to our friends in South Carolina, and from looking at the instructions I should be able to install them myself.

Interestingly, looking at our rear leaf springs yesterday, I happened to notice that there are 10 leafs on the drivers side, and only 9 on the passenger side. Doesn't make any sense, because there is no more weight on one side of the vehicle in the rear than on the other side. The vehicle seems to sit level from side to side.

For now, because the rear springs are weak, we have been traveling with empty holding tanks in the rear, and we never put much more than half a tank of fuel in.

Didn't do very much today. Played cards in the evening.

A pretty bird

I know, I look like I'm half in the bag...but I'm not!

9 comments:

  1. Kevin, "Better to have a bottle in front of you, than a frontal lobotomy".You guys look great and are having fun with your friends, that's all that counts. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...

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  2. I hope you and Ruth enjoy your last days in Mexico. From all of your posts this past winter, it seems to me you have had a very good traveling season. Where will you be in South Carolina? We are heading that way ourselves. We plan to do some volunteering in Congaree National Park for a few weeks. Congaree is just south of Columbia.

    John
    relaxedrush.blogspot.com

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  3. That is a lot of miles. I love the photo of the bird, I hope someone identifies it, would love to know what it is.

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  4. I laughed when I saw the caption "a pretty bird" - that's so what I would say as I don't know squat about birds!

    I guess maintenance issues are common when you are driving and living in the motorhome, putting on the miles.
    What year is was Sherman built?
    (it's probably on your bio, I'm just too lazy to look)

    Glad to see you are doing well still!

    Cheers!

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  5. Sam and Donna...In the evening he usually has a bottle in front of him, but not this time. We are having a great time with friends.

    John and Ellen...We have really enjoyed our winter in Mexico. The weather has been fantastic. We haven't had one day with precipitation and other than 2 mornings with the sky a little overcast, we had always had blue skies. We will be in Cross, SC which is just southeast of Columbia. We will be on Lake Moultrie. So there is a possiblily of meeting up once again and having a game of euchre :)

    Janie and John... It is a lot of miles but we also have about 4 weeks to do it in. That pretty little bird is a Vermillion Flycather (male). Kevin doen't always listen to me when I tell him what some of the birds are. That little guy and his wife are always flying around the camground. He is a little shy though and I can't seem to get to close for a better picture.

    WBY...I'm usually like that too, but when it is something bright and colourful I am curious as to what it is, so I will search the internet to find out.

    Maintenance is constant when fulltiming to hopefully prevent anything major going wrong while driving which would be more costly. Sherman is a 1996 motorhome.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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  6. I hope we see you guys on your way out of Mexico. We can always travel too, maybe near Saltillo or something.

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  7. Ran across your motorhome next to centro in zihu and walked around the compound to meet you guys a couple times but no one home. Hope to run in to you some day in the future. Love your daily blog. Hi from Saskatchewan!

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  8. lota miles to cover in a short time, we are in Rockport Texas and only have 52 days to get to Ontario and we are feeling rushed, next stop near Houston, New Orleans, near Mobile then north thru Ohio and cross at Sarnia. Would like to meet up with you guys but we stay in membership campgrounds , so not likley, Safe travels.

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  9. Chris...We are pretty sure we will be heading to Saltillo instead of heading back your way. It would be a bit of a detour going your way and Kevin wasn't looking forward to going back through the mountain on that on bad road. Send Kevin an email if you can met us around Saltillow, we should be there either Wednesday or Thursday depending if we spend an extra day in Zacatecas.

    Anonymous...Sorry we weren't there when you stopped by. Always enjoy meeting up with our followers. Don't hesitate to send us an email if we are ever nearby again and we can set something up.

    George and Suzie...Not sure about timing but we should be going by those areas as well. If it looks like we will be close by each other we don't mind staying in a campground to meet us with you. We'll try to keep an eye on your progress, and who knows. Safe travels to you as well.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey.

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