Where I was.

[SteveW]

Home again after two and a half weeks. From Melbourne to West Beach in Adelaide for family stuff, then to Port Elliot for fun and cycling, then to West Beach for family stuff, then to Normanville for fun, then to West Beach for family stuff then home.

Highlights:
Passed Dot and George on the Dukes Highway as they headed east. Got a big wave.
Met up with RussellB and his friends at West Beach. Russell sorted me out with the satellite TV.
Good weather all of the time.
Arrived home fitter than when I left.
Jayco Optimum went well mostly. Slideout had been playing up intermittently since new. Completely stuffed now so no difficulty for them to identify the fault.

Next trip - up the centre to Darwin leaving about late May. I'll be looking for suggestions as to what not to miss and places to stay.

[Dot]

How did you do in the bike ride? sore anything?? How long do they think to fix the slide out?

[BruceS]

Plastic gears again? Gotta wonder if they really care if they last one trip on a rough road or not!
Steve can you manually over ride it & crank it out?

[SteveW]

Well Dot, we have been able to do some pretty long rides over the years but these days 20 to 35 kms is plenty. Depends how far the coffee shop is sometimes. We don't get sore bits so much as sore knees and hips after the day's end - from age!
As for the slide out they need the MH for a few days to do that and the other cosmetic things that have to be done.

Apparently the slideout mechanism used these days it quite reliable. I think the problem is that the installation is lop sided - I'm sure one side of it drags on its base rather than the roller.

With regard to emergencies and the mechanics of the slideout there are several interesting links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1jAVRIJdk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymt1Uesf0Pc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gPnvr8dSYA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X701hbSO_ko

[SteveW]

A couple of interesting observations from Where we Were:

Overnighted at the Nhill Caravan Park for $20.00 - Not a resort but clean and tidy with drive through sites. If you like the sound of trucks park up the front. If you don't, park down the back. Short walk to the pub for dinner and to the coffee shop in the morning. Kiata Pub is 12kms east where they will let you park out the back for free - buy a drink or a meal I suggest. Nice people.

Also, stopped in Beaufort 160 kms west of Melbourne for lunch. A fascinating shop in the main drag called The Imperial Egg Gallery. A collection of painted, carved, scrimshaw emu, ostrich and other eggs as well as other stuff. They do tea, coffee, scones (Dot) and other stuff. Bus loads of people are taken there as part of tours of the area. Worth a look - especially as it is free.