Moving on Up...!

 So... The Phantom Phaeton... the Phantom is the nickname for our 2018 Tiffin Phaeton 37BH... Okay, okay, my nickname for the Coach.

   When I started this blog I wanted to use a variation on "Roughing It Smoothly", the slogan for Tiffin RVing. Easier said than done, as the saying goes... After many possible iterations I realized the attempt was futile. Instead, I thought, I might use an alliteration of Phaeton. Liking the way 'Phantom Phaeton' rolled off the tongue I settled on this and was pleased with the title chosen for my Blogspot...

  It was time to start looking for our next Coach. The 2011 Forest River Georgetown 337DS had been a wonderful starter for our RVing adventures, served us very well for five years but was staring to get a little small for living in full time. I never questioned ARVIE's (Get it? RV... ARVIE) ability to get us where we were going but it lacked a few of the features and creature comfort we sought in our future coach. Chiefly we were looking for a diesel  powered RV, less than forty feet long. Among the requirements were theater seating opposite a large TV on a televator, king sized bed and a  washer/dryer.

  Lanie found our 2018 Phaenton 37BH on RV Trader and whilst it appeared to 'tick all the boxes' it was out of our price range. There had been a modest reduction in the asking price but still above an amount we were comfortable with however I took note that when the price was reduced the number of 'people' watching the listing hand grown significantly... As we were pursuing other possibilities like one of the Newmar floorplans, unsuccessfully I might add, we got a notification that the listing dealer, Motorhomes of Texas was reducing the price by a substantial amount... Now was the time to make our move on our future home. The number of viewers ballooned from 187 to over 900. Wasting no time we called Mike Phillips at Motorhomes of Texas and were first in line to visit the dealership in Nacogdoches, TX 

   Before departing Lonestar LSC we took the time to seek the wise counsel of  our trusted advisors on all things Tiffin. Our concerns and questions answered, We were further assured that we would not be disappointed in our dealing with Motorhomes of Texas. Prophetic advice indeed... I have stayed at some five-star hotels and hadn't felt as welcome. 

   Rushing like lunatics, we emptied ARVIE of everything we didn't absolutely need for the trip to Nacogdoches... Saying hurried farewells to friends at Lonestar LSC in Hondo,TX we set our sites on Nacogdoches, TX  and Motorhomes of Texas. 

   We were greeted warmly by our salesman, Mike. After the pleasantry of the introductions and meeting the Management we went to review the Phaeton.  we were blown away !!  Without question, the 37BH filled all the requirements on our checklist, and then some... 

   I am writing this post from my full sized desk/work station which the original owner had custom made and installed in place of the ubiquitous 'Jack Sofa' below the televator on the Starboard (right) side of coach. The desk is much more useful to us in our situation.

   I jumped at the chance to test drive the coach, leaving our Georgetown in the hands of MoT (Motorhomes of Texas). And good to their word, they gave us what we were asking for as a trade-in.  We closed the deal on Thursday and after a multi phase PDI, we  were invited to stay with them thru the weekend, live in the coach, checking out all the features, letting Mike know if any adjustments needed to be made on Monday. We had ample time to transfer our belongings from ARVIE to the new coach and say our good-byes to our trusted steed. 

   Carefully, we operated all the systems and components, reviewing a trove of literature and documentation provided with the Phaeton, wrote down any of our questions and concerns.  Bright and early Monday morning the PDI team arrived and addressed all of our concerns. 

   Over the weekend, MoT is closed Saturdays and Sundays, Mike treated us to some awesome barbeque from a local restaurant on his day off. Checking in on us several times a day over the weekend made us feel like we were part of the greater MoT family. This was truly an experience I can honestly recommend to anyone looking for their next RV.

   We have settled into our routine in the Phantom, living in it full-time since October. This coach is everything we hoped it would be. I miss the Georgetown, but it is a good miss!

A Brief History of Toad Suck, Arkansas

 We are currently in TOAD SUCK ... for reals... I wouldn't kid you about that... 

   Leaving Red Bay in the rear view mirror after the most satisfying experience at the Bob Tiffin Service Center. We were fortunate enough to spend some quality time with our good friends, Mike and Sandy from our home base at Lonestar LSC in Hondo, TX. Subsequent week long stops in Piney Grove ACE in Booneville, MS and Wallace Creek Campground ACE in Enid, MS we arrived at Toad Suck Park  Bigelow, Arkansas.

  Toad Suck is an unincorporated community in Perry County, Arkansas, United States. It is the location of (or is the nearest community to) Bigelow Rosenwald School, which is located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 60 and Bethel AME Road and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

  The origin of the name Toad Suck is disputed. Some believe that it received the name when idle rivermen would congregate at the local tavern where they would "suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads", while others believe it is a corruption of a French phrase meaning "a narrow channel in the river." Toad Suck has frequently been noted on lists of Unusual Place Names. 

A Very Easy To Miss Entrance

  “A researcher for the U. S. Board on Geological Names, Reston, VA, expressed the following opinion: “The word ‘suck’ is a true generic in its own right and seems to have at least two meanings when used in place names. Its use extends from West Virginia, through Kentucky, Tennessee, to Arkansas. One appears to be used by animals for a water supply. The other meaning of the word applies generally to a constructed area of water in or on the side of a stream. Here it may be somewhat analogous to certain meanings associated with the French word ‘chute.’ The word also appears to have been used for narrow channels between an island and the river’s bank.” - from the book called “Arkansas Place Names: from Apt to Zinc” By Ernie Deane.”

  The water in these narrow channels of the Arkansas River recedes and leaves behind shallow water (or a “suck”) which is an attraction for frogs or toads.

  "The community lent its name to the Toad Suck Ferry and Dam on the Arkansas River.  The dam is also a bridge bringing AR 60, locally named Prince Street, across the river. The Bigelow Rosenwald School is inland west of the river while Toad Suck Road is east of the river." - Excerpt from www.allaboutarkansas.com

Toad Suck Park - No#6 Above

USACE - Toad Suck Park

  So, anywho... it is a very nice U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Park, lots of grass and trees... water and 50 and or 30amp electrical service but no sewer connection. We took a stroll this morning and I was able to locate the dump station next to the near-by park office. The park is located on the downstream side of the Toad Suck Ferry and Dam.

World Famous Toad Suck Ferry - Lock & Dam

   The Phantom is reposing in a very nice spot and has a really good AT&T MiFi signal... We will be exploring the nearby town of Bigelow, AR tomorrow as I have been informed that we are expecting some serious thunderstorms this afternoon.

Loop "D" 30amp & Water

   The Park is maybe 30 miles West of Little Rock and a great place to stop if you are headed West thru Arkansas. We had been at Enid Lake; South of Batesville Mississippi so we were able to avoid Memphis TN crossing the Mississippi River at Helena/West Helena where the two-lane steel bridge is in its seemingly second decade of repair and is still one lane at a time... I digress, the trip was delightful and were able to do groceries and fill a couple of prescriptions at Walmart, Refuel the Phantom at a Loves Travel Stop and made a touch and go at Camping World of Little Rock to procure black roof caulk that is compatible with the Phantom's fiberglass roof.

   If you use diesel fuel and don't already have a discount plan you are happy with or you are looking to save more, we can highly recommend TSD Open Roads thru TSD Logistics, INC.  My Open Roads.com  I would recommend setting up a separate debit account thru your banking institution and linking that account to the program. It was a painless process and we received our, 'pay at the pump', discount card in less than a week.

    We will be at Toad Suck for five days then continue on to Choctaw ACE Campground on Greers Ferry Lake, South of Clinton AR. We really appreciate the consistency of Corps parks and utilize these campgrounds as often as possible. If you posses a Recreation.gov Senior account they daily rate is 50% off.

  I will wrap up here for now... Neil and Jan, we will see you in Branson Missouri...  

      

Respect For D-Day

 Today marks the 79th anniversary of D-Day, also known as the Normandy Invasion, the greatest military operation in history and the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. It stands as one of America’s finest hours. June 6th, 1944, Allied forces launched the pivotal event of World War II... a massive amphibious assault on the beaches of Normandy France. 

   There were five intended landing sites, code named, Omaha Juno Sword Utah & Gold. The operation was comprised of combat troops from the United States the United Kingdom and Canada and others... thousands of men in a coordinated attack in an attempt to establish a foothold in Europe to liberate Western Europe from Nazi control. Facing withering fire from the cliff tops above the beachfronts and fierce resistance, enduring hundreds of casualties the Allied forces were successful in securing the beach head and advancing inland establishing control of the coastal area. Normandy marked an important turning point in World War II, leading to the eventual defeat of the Nazi forces, the Axis powers. Restoring the Peace in Europe.

  Let's remember the anniversary of this historic undertaking, appreciate the hardships and sacrifice of all involved... hoping an event of this scale is never required again...

A Few Words About Red Bay

   Red Bay, Alabama... Birthplace of Tiffin Motorhomes Company, and where The Phantom, our current Coach, was brought into existence. To bring you up to speed, we purchased a used 2018 Tiffin Phaeton 37BH Motorhome from Motorhomes of Texas in Nacogdoches, TX. I will cover the reasons and process of that process in another blog post. 

   Our "new to us" coach was everything we were looking for in a 'diesel pusher'... it checked all the boxes as they say. But being a 2018 a few issues had arisen over time and needed to be addressed. An obligatory pilgrimage to Red Bay was in order. So, Off we went...

   The driver and navigator seats were looking a little worn, the coach was originally appointed with a mirror on the door to the after head (that's Navy talk for "back bathroom") This was not a good idea, a mirror on a sliding door in a mobile earthquake. Tiffin had used some unknown adhesive to mount the mirror as the door panel and the 'glue' had ruined the mirror making it covered in black streaks, hazy and looking a hundred years old. There was a significant and extremely annoying rattle in the navigator's side window. And courtesy of the previous owner, a six foot long scratch on the passenger side slide-out over the rear wheel.

   Our list of requested work contained ten items when we arrived at the Bob Tiffin Service Center in Red Bay. We registered for service at the check-in office and completed ownership paperwork and submitted our list of required work to be performed. We had no idea how long it would take to be scheduled for the service work for our coach.

  The service underwriter arrived early Monday morning, reviewed our list of corrections, made some service notes pertaining to the requested work and informed us he didn't know how soon they could get us into an Express Bay for service but said to stay available for a phone call. When they call you need to be available and arrive within 15 minutes or they move on to the next customer and you are rescheduled. Well, it wasn't even two hours later they called and requested our coach for its service appointment. Off we go to 'Bay 8' 

   I can't speak highly enough about the alacrity with which the two service technicians addressed eight out of the ten items on our list. Being a 2018 these issues were obviously out of warranty and repairs would be at our own expense. We had an intermittent issue with the back-up camera going out. The guys did a diagnostic procedure and found a faulty camera. Camera was replaced with an upgraded device and works amazingly well. The cabinet shop came over and suggested we replace the mirror on the rear bath with a solid wood panel as we indicated we didn't need the mirror. Problem solved. 

  The Techs quickly located the wiring for solar panel installation between the roof and the battery compartment. Three down... They made several adjustments to our 'Spider' lighting control system, all good! They disassembled the window frame at the 'NAV' position and corrected the mind-numbing rattle. While they were correcting the window rattle, they replaced the slow rise day shade on that window... we are flying thru the list... Six down.

   Two Techs from the upholstery shop checked our front seats and gave us a quote for recovering them at a very reasonable cost. Our assigned service techs, Jeff and Dave, checked for any updates or recalls associated with our coach. One of the updates addressed an issue with the Spider control system which was causing an intermittent situation with retracting our slides reliably. Eight down... We were so pleased with the level of care and knowledge demonstrated by Jeff and Dave. Thank you, guys, we will remember you for years to come. 

  That leaves the paint damage... When a Rig is out of the one-year time frame, Tiffin doesn't address paint issues. Our service techs were able to suggest a local RV Collision and Paint specialist that originally worked for Tiffin Motorhomes. Ricky McGee of Pro Finishes was wonderful to deal with and was fortunately able to get us in the Tuesday following Memorial Day... Let me say, "These guys are Magicians!" I know where the damage was, and the repair is absolutely undetectable. The paint match is perfect. I can't say enough about how impressed we are with the level of work preformed by the guys at Pro Finishes. The price was very fair and we left the paint shop as happy as we could be.

   It is a long way from Hondo, TX to Red Bay Alabama but the trip was absolutely worth-while and we would not hesitate to return to the Red Bay area for all future service.