Buying stuff.
Near Badlands National Park is the town of Wall, South Dakota, and a famous roadside tourist attraction called Wall Drug Store, or simply Wall Drug. (Wikipedia.)
Billboards along I-90:
Map:
We had lunch in the cafe:
A special gravy-smothered sandwich:
The “backyard”:
Their first attraction, free ice water:
Cheesetastic.
The lift motor housing broke on the vent in our rear bathroom, so I replaced it.
Here’s the vent, with the decorative wooden cover open:
The broken housing:
I ordered a new motor from Amazon (cheaper than from the Tiffin parts store, though availability may be spotty):
Removing the old motor:
Above that, the lift mechanism, which had become detached (causing the breakage):
The motor just plugs in to a couple of connectors:
The new motor and housing in place, after re-mounting the lift mechanism:
All better:
An easy fix, and as a bonus, it’s quieter now when opening and closing the vent.
The black tank flush on my coach stopped working. Apparently this is a common problem, if the flush nozzles get gummed up with crud or water calcification.
One of the members of my Tiffin Allegro Bus 2016-2018 Owners group on Facebook did a post about fixing theirs, which was very helpful. So I embarked on this adventure too.
The hardest thing is getting to it. I needed to remove this panel from the side of the coach:
The right side is easy enough, with a couple of brackets and screws easily accessed with the adjacent basement door open:
But the left side was tricker, with no door there, so I needed to insert a screwdriver between two panels. To protect the paint, I wrapped the screwdriver shaft with painters tape:
Then inserted the screwdriver to reach the four screws:
That done, I was able to remove the panel:
The fresh water fill hose limited how much I could move the panel:
So I disconnected that too:
My little folding work stool was very helpful for this operation:
Let’s have a look around, since I don’t get to see this stuff often. Here’s the black tank; the green circuit board is the See-Level tank sensor, and the yellow rectangle is one of the two sensors for the rear toilet (the other is above that, obscured by wires):
To the left of the black tank is the gray water tank:
Below both waste tanks is the fresh water tank; the pipe in the foreground is the overflow and vent:
Pipes and wires from the bedroom and rear bathroom:
The horizontal-ish pipes are for the central vacuum system:
On the other side of that wall, a vacuum inlet and hatch in the adjacent compartment (we don’t use this vacuum; preferring to use a cordless stick vac):
Anyway, to business. Here’s the culprit, the “No-Fuss” Flush:
I removed it from the black tank; a bit gunky:
Cleaned up somewhat:
I tested it, but it still didn’t work very well, so I drilled out the holes a bit more (on the bottom and sides):
That solved it; the holes sprayed nicely.
To re-mount, I used plumbers putty to seal it:
And re-mounted it (the water is from testing it):
Then just a matter of re-attaching the fresh water fill hose and re-mounting the coach panel.
All better now. Hopefully I won’t have to do that again any time soon, but it wasn’t particularly difficult, other than removing and re-attaching the coach panel.
We stayed at Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey in Devils Tower, Wyoming. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A partial view of Devils Tower, from just outside the monument.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Not all “premium” sites have a good view
The only way to get closer to Devils Tower National Monument would be to stay inside the monument at the rustic first-come-first-serve campground. We booked a premium site online, assuming it would have a view of the tower from our site. Not so much. There were big trees in the way, so we only got a slight peep of the lower edge of the tower. For $100/night (with our KOA discount), I was expecting a front-row seat. From our scouting, the best sites for a good view are 100, 86-89. We were in site 38. Site 37 probably had a better view. The other downside of site 38 was that so many people walked through our site, thinking it was the pathway to the bathhouse. Hint: It’s not. The picnic table and the lack of a pathway are clues, people. The onsite diner was a nice perk, but I’m wary of any place with that many flies in the eating area. We camped at Devils Tower / Black Hills KOA Journey in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: You could get up early to get to the tower to beat the crowds, but going in the late afternoon/evening is just as good. Definitely go up the dirt road to Joiner Ridge trailhead and get a fantastic view of the tower at sunset lit up with alpenglow.
The campground map:
Interactive map:
Our site, with a partial view of the tower:
A group fire pit was next to our site, which they lit each night, though nobody used it:
Sun setting behind Devils Tower:
Gift store:
Onsite cafe, always a nice option, though it was rather inundated with flies:
They offered “hayrides”, hay not included:
Across the road is the Devils Tower Trading Post:
We went there for dinner another night, and grabbed some questionable hot dogs (that we think gave us some mild food poisoning):
Post office:
Mini golf:
The mini golf was free, as the boot-shaped swimming pool was unavailable:
Carts:
Other sites:
Site 100 would be an excellent choice for a side view of the tower:
Sites 86-89 would have a decent front view, too:
Dog park:
Playground:
Bathrooms:
Cabins:
Lots of tent sites:
Teepees:
A badly angled peek inside a teepee:
Interesting rocks and stream:
Meadow and tower:
An easy and necessary maintenance item for our coach is to replace the windshield wiper blades on occasion.
Our 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP motorhome takes a pair of 40-inch frame- or saddle-style blades. I previously ordered some from etrailer.com, but most recently got some from Amazon.
New and old blades:
They are each attached to their arm via a bolt; I have the bolt inserted from the top, so even if the nut comes off, the bolt won’t fall out:
Mounting nut:
The new blades installed (with one obscured by a Magne-Shade cover):
Easy!
When we park our coach on an unlevel site, typically high in the back, our front hydraulic jacks sometimes can’t cope, so we need to add extra blocks between the jacks and jack pad:
To help with that, I purchased a couple of SnapPads, just for the front jacks. We can’t get them for the back jacks, as the jacks are too close to the rear wheels. SnapPads are permanently-attached pads that expand the footprint of the jack a little, and add an extra inch of height, so I hoped that’d help with unlevel sites.
(If you’re in the market for them, you can save 10% off SnapPads with the discount code: DAVID08638.)
Here’s a SnapPad before installation:
It’s simple to install a SnapPad; just squirt a little dish soap around the inner rim, to make it easier to get it on, then line it up below the jack, and lower the jack into place (it helps to have two people, one to control the jack, one to tweak the alignment. Here’s a SnapPad after attaching and lifting up a bit:
Two SnapPads:
Retracted jacks (fun fact: that big box between the jacks is our 150 gallon fuel tank):
The jacks on top of my usual jack pads, which I use on all surfaces other than concrete:
A nice addition.
The Canyon area of Yellowstone National Park includes a village of shops and lodges, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and Hayden Valley:
Canyon Visitor Education Center:
We saw these stickers, and (later) bought the Grand Teton and Yellowstone ones for the back of our truck canopy:
Otter Creek picnic area:
We found our initials carved on the table — no, we didn’t do that:
Reversing GIF of a bison having a dust bath:
Chittenden Bridge view of Yellowstone River:
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone:
Bison in Hayden Valley:
Bison on the road:
Mud Volcano area:
Bison on the road:
Check out the video from this area, including some cute otters.
Jenn didn’t like the bathroom faucets and soap dispensers that came with our coach, as the faucets were rather splashy, and the dispensers let water into them, diluting the soap.
So we bought replacements from Home Depot, and I installed them.
Here’s the old faucet in the rear bathroom:
The new faucet:
Looking under the sink, one can see manifolds of hoses to various parts of the bathroom (sink, toilet, shower, and washing machine); the sink hot and cold connectors are on the top:
This being an RV, of course the hose for the faucet was non-standard, so I needed to get a “hex nipple” to adapt the 1/2 inch MIP hose connectors:
Disconnected:
The old and new faucets:
A new hose, with the hex nipple adapter on the left, and the adapter that came with the faucet on the right:
Holes in the counter for the faucet and dispenser:
New hoses connected:
New soap dispenser:
The soap dispenser bottle installed:
The new faucet and soap dispenser installed:
Similarly, the old soap dispenser and faucet in the half bath:
Hoses under the half bath sink, nicely labeled:
Disconnected hoses:
The new faucet mounted:
Connected hoses under the half bath sink:
The installed new soap dispenser and faucet in the half bath:
Finally, I also replaced the soap dispenser in the kitchen. That was the most difficult to get to. I accessed it by removing the drawers:
A peek of the old soap bottle:
To install the new one, I reached back through the drawers space and poked the assembled soap bottle and tube up through the hole, before screwing the top on:
The new soap dispenser in the kitchen:
We stayed at Alpine Valley RV Resort in Alpine, Wyoming. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A new RV resort at 5,670 feet elevation, where we stayed to visit Grand Teton National Park, an hour north.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Beautiful new park, beautiful mountain views
This is a very nice, new park that definitely has had a lot of care and attention put into it. Sites were immaculate, with spacious grassy areas and concrete patios. When the trees grow up a bit, they’ll provide nice shade, but for now, you get really nice views of the surrounding mountains. At check-in, we were escorted to our site and guided in, which is always a nice touch. When folks checked out, each site was cleaned and prepped for the next arrival. Not every place does this, but the best ones do. Another small thing that makes a huge difference is the frequent trash pickup from your site. My only regret was not getting a back-in site so we’d have fewer neighbors and better views, but that gives me something to aspire to for next time. We camped at Alpine Valley RV Resort in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: Book a whitewater rafting trip with Dave Hansen with pickup from the resort. You basically get concierge service between the resort and the river, which makes for a fantastic experience. Broulim’s is a nice grocery store within walking distance from the resort. Good coffee at Punkins, also within walking distance.
The campground map:
Our site:
Interesting water faucet; looks like they can remove the tap for winterizing:
Adding the Teton sticker to our coach:
Other sites:
A path to a river overlook:
Snake River (no access from the campground; there’s a steep bank):
The park is still under construction; they have a temporary building for the office currently:
A white-water rafting water feature also under construction:
Playground:
Bathrooms:
Nearby gas station:
A nice nearby grocery store; it was very convenient to walk to get groceries:
Nearby Subway etc, also in walking distance:
Nearby mercantile:
Nearby coffee shop:
A nice park. We’d stay here again, though would choose a back-in site next time, for an un-obstructed view over the river to the mountains.
We had a tonneau cover for our truck:
Enabling us to securely store our folding bikes and a bunch of other stuff in our truck bed:
But to be able to store the bikes vertically for easier access, and better access to other stuff, we wanted to get a canopy, aka truck cap. We saved for it, and ordered one several months ahead from a Portland company. When back in Portland, we emptied out the truck bed, took the tonneau cover to our storage unit (we’ll probably sell it eventually), and cleaned out the bed as best we could:
Then we headed to Northwest Auto & Truck Accessories to get it installed:
They had a decent waiting area, where we spent the day, working on our laptops:
We also got them to install a lift kit to raise up the front by a couple of inches, to make it level with the rear, and give a little more clearance for dirt roads:
Here’s the installed canopy, the ARE MX, paint-matched to our truck:
More pics of it at our campsite:
We also got a CargoGlide CG1000 slide tray from them, to make it easier to access stuff at the back:
The window at the back of the bed:
It folds down for cleaning:
The canopy is attached via four of these clamps:
We also got some 50-gallon totes for our folding bikes:
The bikes in the totes:
Less-frequently accessed stuff in the back of the bed:
The telescoping ladder is strapped to the side, so it doesn’t interfere with the slide tray:
Fully loaded for a travel day; we sometimes remove the mats and folding chairs while at a campsite, or they can be shoved to the sides to provide a rearview mirror visibility tunnel:
We added Grand Teton and Yellowstone stickers to the back (with our coach’s Magne Shade reflected in the window):
Some very useful additions.
