Announcement What? It's Not Ready Yet?

OK...FINALLY somewhere with reliable upload speeds!

Well, I picked up our new 560 a week ago today and have been on the road since. I had a great day with Cary, going through all the ins & outs of our new baby, which we christened "The Guidon." My first night was in a rest area where it was 24 degrees. I was under a Hudson Bay Point blanket and a comforter and was plenty warm w/o a heater. Getting out from my little nest was painful though! Brrrrrrrrr!

I made a stop at the RV/Motorhome Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana and had a great time. Then I shuffled off to Buffalo to visit family for a couple days, then an old military buddy I was stationed with 25 years ago. The neighbors came out to see the 560 and were amazed! Then I spent the night as the sole occupant of Fort Frederick State Park in Maryland. My site was feet from the Potomac and I had an amazing night's sleep! What a beautiful, peaceful spot next to the river and across from a steep cliff. The C & O railroad ran through and the trains sounded amazing going the the river valley. Lots of geese and ducks making their way south, too.

Right now, we're staying in Rockville, MD with more family. Though they have plenty of room...guess where we're opting to stay? Of course! We're like kids on Christmas!

We do have a little ceramic heater with a thermostat that provides PLENTY of heat. We love every option we chose and wouldn't change a thing! Still, a couple of things stand out with this entire experience:

• "Renting" the 560 before building really shed light on things! We were able to add things and subtract things long before build time and knew just what we wanted
• The Camp Inn staff was amazing! I know you know this...but it's worthy of repeating. From dealing with Marty for the rental, Cary with the order, and Craig bailing us out of our dead battery situation during our rental visit, we couldn't have asked for more attention or better customer service! They're pros...every single one of them!
• Everyone here on the forum set us up for success! Having absorbed all the hints, tips, and tricks here gave us the knowledge (if not yet the experience) to hit the ground running! Thank you all!

There will be more posts to follow. Many more. Those of you who have already gone through this know that it' the start of a new chapter for us in life. We are looking forward to writing it!

We are having a guidon made for The Guidon. Our motto on it will be "viventium somnium"...living the dream.

 

Living the dream indeed, I'm so happy to hear you folks are having a great maiden voyage bringing your dream machine home. Happy trails Dan and Vanessa.

Michael

 

well geesh, about time... thought you might have headed over the Europe or something..heheh.. looking forward to the pics... Fun eh???

 

Dan_and_Vanessa glad to hear your having a dream come true,have fun.

 

I'm surprised how much condensation is building up! I actually found it pooling under the bottom bunk and near the footwell of the bed. We've been leaving the windows and vent cracked (about an inch each because it's raining pretty steadily in DC).

Reading through the threads on "condensation" it seems like we're doing the right things, but nature is nature and condensation is just something we'll have to deal with and try to mitigate with the posted suggestions. Just surprised how much water we produce!!!

At first I was worried about a leak (with so much rain going on), but reading through the threads I'm relieved that it's just the combo of cold temps (between 28 and 35 degrees) and lots of hot air (been accused of that before)!

 

You know how it is Frank, sometimes we just have to hang out under the radar for a few days!

 

I'm wondering if it would help to have the fan on low exhaust to blow out the moist air before it has a chance to condense, just a thought, anybody tried this?

Michael

 

Try holding your breath or at least abstaining from activities that cause heavy breathing - it cuts down on the condensation.

Ya know it's cold outside when the condensation is frozen on the walls in the morning.

More practically, the condensation seems to center around glass and metal. Spread a hand towel on the front window sill at night. At the back of the upper cabinets is a metal strip that produces a lot of condensation. We wipe this down in the mornings. Also, the sunroof tends to drip onto our faces, so we usually shut the curtain.

 

It is good to finally hear from you Dan and Vanessa. Keep posting about your experiences.

 

Dan and Vanessa: Congratulations on picking up your camper. What's your number? Our 550 is coming up soon. Safe travels, and can't wait to hear more of your experiences.