Slide Out Topper Repair

When our motorhome was built, Newmar installed Slide Out Toppers on our rig. The toppers help keep leaves and other debris off the top of the slide. Travel days are easier as I don't have to drag out a ladder to clean them before retracting them.

Note The Fabric Topper Keeping The Snow Off The Top Of The Full Wall Slide Out.

The other evening we heard an odd sound that took me a couple of days to figure out what the noise was. Come to find out the aft end of our full wall slide out topper had pulled out of the track.

Mind The Gap!!!!

It took me some time on a ladder to squeeze the topper back into the track, regrettably I did scar the track some with my plyers.  Bummer.

Squeezing It Back Into The Track.

Once back in. I then closed up the channel a little.

Hulk Smash It Shut

I still need to find a replacement stainless steel finishing washer so I can reinsert the screw.

Job Mostly done.

Where Are We Going Next?

Six Plus Six Equals One Thousand Eight Hundred Ninety-eight and Fifty Two One Hundredths

Our rig has two banks of batteries.  One bank of two 12 Volt batteries is for the chassis and are used to start the nine liter diesel engine.  We replaced them a short time ago.  The other bank called the house batteries didn't necessarily need to be replaced but as they were coming up on their fifth birthday I thought it prudent to replace them now when I could purchase them at an attractive price instead of paying full retail for them.

Dust-covered battery bank

The house batteries in most class A RVs are a bank of six volt golf cart batteries (size GC2) wired in a series-parallel bank to provide twelve volts in enough ampere-hours to power the refrigerator for around one day without needing to be recharged.

The Heavy Duty Wiring And Fuses

When our rig was built, Newmar installed a bank of eight GC2 batteries but in an improved Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) chemistry. AGM batteries feature a fiberglass mesh to contain the electrolyte between the cathode and anode plates which allows them to be placed closer and tighter then traditional flooded lead acid batteries. This format makes them more structurally sound (shock and vibration damage resistant) and more energy dense.

Another advantage is lower maintenance as they are of a valve regulated AKA sealed design so I don't have to check electrolyte level on forty eight cells on a monthly basis.  WIN!!!! Down side is they cost more than a traditional lead acid battery.

Flooded and AGM GC2 Batteries On The Shelf At Sams's Club. An Inexpensive Upgrade.

I was looking for a national retailer to purchase my eight batteries. The MSRP on a Duracell GC2AGM battery is $368.99 each ($2951.92 for the set) however some Sam's Clubs have them for $217.72 each ($1741.76 for the set) a savings of  $1210.16!!!!!!!

New Batteries Installed With The Help Of My Friend Glen

Some fellow RVers recommend that I purchase Lithium Ion batteries instead. Those batteries would cost around $700 each. However, they'd have a much longer lifespan.  I will just buy sets of AGM chemistry batteries and save some money.

Where Are We Going Next?

Congaree National Park

 February 6, 2026

When we were at Myrtle Beach we would get asked about our next stop. We'd say that we were going inland toward Columbia, that we wanted to go to Congaree National Park. It may have been just me, but I got the impression that most folks didn't realize that there was a national park just a couple of hours away. We stayed at the Ft. Jackson MWR Weston Lake facility. Congaree was about 30 minutes from there. 

The park doesn't charge an entrance fee so we figured that it must not get terribly crowded except for the firefly event. Well, the park was busier than we expected, and we were quite glad to see an empty parking spot. 

One of the park's highlights is the boardwalk through the swamp. It wasn't too crowded, and thankfully the mosquito meter was pegged at zero. We enjoyed our stroll through the swamp, gazing at the tall loblolly pines and cypress trees, including some state champion size trees. Perhaps the highlight was watching a woodpecker for a good 10 minutes. He didn't seem bothered by us at all.

If you canoe or kayak, the park looks like a wonderful place to explore. Since most of the park is in a flood plain. Our attempts to canoe or kayak in the past have made us conclude that we're far better suited for other activities!

Back to the firefly event. The park is home to a species of synchronized fireflies. In mid-May the fireflies, in search of a mate, shine their lights simultaneously. The park holds a lottery in April for evening admittance. Thousands upon thousands of people enter the lottery with only 960 vehicles admitted (120 per night). I was hoping for a video in the visitor center, but no such luck.  Oh well. At least we didn't have to put up with mosquitos!

Where Are We Going Next?

Beach flying

January 10, 2026

Kite flying friends Jeff and Joyce had moved to the Myrtle Beach area in the past year. They quickly connected with the North Myrtle Beach Kite Club. Jeff and Joyce invited us to one of the club fly days. It started out rather foggy, but cleared up nicely.

Foggy day

Jeff and Joyce 

Joyce and Tanna - birthday twins

Workshop kites together again

Where Are We Going Next?

Resort Fun with Friends

 December 29, 2025 - February 3, 2026

We had a great time at Sun Outdoors Myrtle Beach four years ago. Glen and Tanna had joined us for a period of time, staying in one of the cabins. So, when I said we might be headed to Sun Myrtle Beach again, Glen and Tanna quickly decided to join us. They, in turn, invited Mearl and Adrianne to visit. It was almost the Williamsburg crew again. 

The deal is this, during the off-season, the resort offers very reasonable rates for monthly stays. You do have to book a minimum of 31 nights in order to get the monthly rate. However, the month will fly by before you know it. 

This resort is probably one of my favorite resorts because of  the decent sites and all the amenities they offer. During the winter, the lazy river, the waterpark, and one of the outdoor pools is closed. The onsite restaurants are limited in offerings. The food trucks are closed. The general store operates on reduced hours and so forth. That said, unless I had kids to entertain, there's no way I'd want to be here when the place is packed. With over 800 bookable sites (a mix of RV sites and cabins), it's got to be absolutely crazy.

We played quite a few games of  free, onsite, mini-golf with Glen and Tanna . Winner buys ice cream. 

This year, we tried our hand at duck pin bowling, not free. There's an onsite league, but I don't think they'd want me for a player! With extra credits on our amusement card, we tried a few arcade games with Mearl and Adrianne. 

I took advantage of the chair yoga and water aerobics classes. Hopefully, I'll keep up with the stretching exercises. I could tell a difference in just a couple of weeks. 

We finished our month waiting out a winter storm. They were calling for freezing temperatures and snow!  We extended a day to give ourselves time to thaw out and perhaps another day at the pool and hot tub.

Tee Time

Smooch time

Air Time

Candle making time

Card stitching time

Eagle eye Adrianne

Claw time

Air hockey time

Bowling time

Steam from outdoor pools and hot tub

Wash time

Ball retrieval time

Where Are We Going Next?

Nothing Happens Until Something Moves

December 19, 2025 

"Nothing happens until something moves," is a quote from Albert Einstein. It is the official motto of the Army Transportation Corps and signifies the corps importance in any engagement. We visited the  US Army Transportation Museum on Ft. Eustis. Starting from it's revolutionary beginnings to today, the museum had exhibits covering every mode of transportation, including the experimental and short-lived ones. 

Where Are We Going Next?