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You've all been there...so super excited, but anxious!


kyleh

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Hi everyone!

We purchased a '90 Warrior back in September after looking for a time. This one is much like everyone else's, properly cared for and maintained/stored/loved/damaged/fixed/driven/old/awesome!

When we purchased, the seller stated that it had 4 new tires on it, which it did, but there were trailer tires on the front...and they were not "new". So I replaced all six and spared the best of the worst. The 4 gallon water heater was disconnected because it leaked, (disclosed), so I replaced it with an new 6 gallon electronic ignition unit, (but hadn't delved deep enough into this forum to learn about by-pass valves, more on that later...). The furnace stopped working after a couple of weeks into our ownership, but a simple switch-out of the thermostat solved that problem. It has no genny, (disclosed), but it is wired for one. One plus is the cargo rack on the back. The signal lights at the rear right started acting up, it turned out to be the ground rivets inside the light assembly, they had rusted...aluminum bridge, but steel rivets! I bypassed them and they work fine. No cab A/C, (disclosed) but the coach A/C works well. No cruise control, (disclosed). No leaks!!! Every seam is gooped and actually so gooped that it looks a bit unsightly...but high and dry! There is a bit of funk around the cab-over and some repaired water damage to driver side loft, but dry. No rust. Pretty good shape! one cracked window above the driver/front...but no leak.

 

We took a two nighter "maiden voyage" three hours away to an RV park on the southern shore of Lake Superior and all systems were go. I even tried the shower with the new water heater. The truck ran great, comfortable to drive. The coach was comfortable. I did break a gray water tank valve handle...brittle plastic, replaced with metal variety. On that trip, she turned 100,000 miles, so I changed the oil and flushed the tranny in preparation for the reason for our excited anxiety!

 

We're in northern Minnesota, so the ToyMoHo has been winterized with 8...yes, count them...8 gallons of RV antifreeze, (no water heater bypass, thank you very much) and I have her covered with a big tarp and have an electric heater keeping it mild in the interior. A temporary winterization...as we're planning to pack her up and head south on December 15th.

 

Our plan is to head down to Florida and see my folks who are in their late eighties, then head down to the Everglades and Keys, before heading West to eventually take us out to the central coast of California. We have Family, Friends and Framily all along the way. All told it will be a 3 month tour and nearly 7,000 miles. We'll have to dump all of that antifreeze once below the Mason -Dixon line!

 

As I mentioned, we're super excited to feel the freedom you all have been chatting about, but I'm not gonna lie, I get that "Grand Ma" is old, brittle, delicate and did I mention old! I do have some anxiety about the trip. But hey, my Tacoma has 366K miles on it and the Rav4 is at 234K! I feel confident about the Toyota.

 

We'll do our best to let you know how the trip is going...and any insight that you can offer would be appreciated!

 

 

 

Winnie Dropbox (4).jpg

Winnie Dropbox (26).jpg

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Edited by kyleh
wrong year
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  • 7 months later...

So here's the update to this thread ...

 

We left northern Minnesota on Christmas Eve 2023, in the rain. We traveled through Wisconsin, stopping just outside Eau Claire for our first night. We were trying to outrun a winter storm that was chasing us south with frozen rain and snow.

The next day we found sunshine in southern Illinois continued on toward Florinda to celebrate my Mom's 90th.

 

All told, we went as far as Everglades National Park & Key West, found the Skunk Ape and Alligator Alley, turned around when we couldn't drive further south and headed for Las Vegas, by way of Apalachicola, Pensicola Beach, Gulf Breeze, Jackson and on up to Ozone, Arkansas and crystal mining, Carlsbad Cavern National Park and Truth or Consequences, New Mexico looking for aliens. We stopped over in Tombstone and places like Quartsite and a BLM spot south of Lake Havasu City. We camped at Harvest Host and Boondockers Welcome properties, State Parks and even a Cracker Barrel. When we found a nice spot with hook-ups, we stopped the roll and spent a few days. We learned the ways of the road, the ways of the rig and the ebb and flow of life with a small holding tank. We learned about finding tonight's spot early in the morning and to always be aware of where you are. We learned about changing out leaking holding tank valves and the fact that 34 year old parts rarely come from the same supplier and a complete brake replacement can take a week or better in a parts desert like Hutchinson, Kansas. We learned about head winds and gas mileage...er footage and her sweet spot at 62MPH. We got to reminisce about by-gone days of finding a laundromat and watching ones laundry in the tumble-dry like a soap-opera that goes round and round. We met countless friendly folks all along the way, came to fully love and RESPECT our old girl Winnie and made untold memories in the over 9500 miles we put on her.

 

We pulled into the yard on April 4th ...and never drove a single mile in snow.

 

Mulege' next Winter!

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