Branson or Bust

   Today is July 4'th and we are in Terre Haute Indiana so I will catch you up on our travels since my pre-trip post on May 22.  We departed Florida on June 5. Originally June 9 was to be our departure but I decided to add a 4 day stop at Three Flags Campground in Wildwood just to confirm all trailer systems were working properly. If there were any problems we would be able to turn around and promptly return to Camping World within an hours drive. 

    The four days went smoothly so that boosted my confidence to continue. We were so stressed out with this trailer for the last year so it was an opportunity to just get a feel of NOT being stressed in the thing! We stocked up on groceries and organized. We would be making 4 stops of two nights each to get to Branson. I didn't plan on unhitching the truck for those stops so I wanted to ensure we had everything we needed, like beer!

  First stop was Reed Bingham State Park in Adel, GA. A very nice facility with spacious sites.

 The state parks usually offer the roomiest sites and are very affordable. The next two stops were Army Corps of Engineers Parks which are always the best value, especially to those who hold an Access Pass. For less than $20 a night to boot!

 McKinney Campground northwest of Atlanta was great, especially for water sports.

 

  

  Next stop was Long Branch Recreation Area in Tennessee on the Caney Fork River.

This pic was taken in the afternoon and the mist is rising from the cool waters. We were having 99 degree temperatures at every stop. There was a flight of concrete steps leading to the river and the drop in temperature half way down was like walking into an air conditioned room.

  One last stop before Branson was in Sikesville, MO. Basically a parking lot for RV's and a chance to do some laundry.

  June 17; Branson, MO finally! 

  Branson Lakeside RV Park is operated by the city of Branson. The park is situated along Lake Taneycomo which is really more like a river. There is a boat launch and a walking path that leads to Branson Landing, a tourist area with shops and restaurants.

  And it just so happened there was a professional power boat race scheduled for the weekend. 

We watched the tunnel boats roaring by with the final heat on Sunday afternoon.

   Our bucket list includes visiting all lower 48 states and somehow we skirted around Missouri on two previous trips. Well, we can cross it off the list. I would add the state sticker to our map but that was on the old trailer.

  We would be celebrating our 20'th wedding anniversary during the week as well as my 60'th birthday and there was no shortage of restaurants or entertainment choices. Branson is known as the live music capital of the country. I had no previous knowledge of Branson other than Dolly Parton's Stampede so our first order of business was to figure out what shows to see as there are dozens to choose from. There are many tribute performers and acts covering all genres such as the Legends of Rock, Anthems of Rock, Country Jubilee, Elvis, The Blues Brothers and so on.  There are over 45 theaters and 80 shows during any given week. 

  I am not a huge fan of tribute acts. How many Elvis impersonators can you watch? So, for my birthday on Monday I selected Reza, Master of Illusion and even though our anniversary was on Wednesday we selected the Haygoods who only perform on Tuesday and Thursday. They are the biggest selling act in Branson so when in doubt go with the people's choice.

  We started our week off with a visit to the Landing for dinner at White River Fish House.

  I had the seafood portofino and Doreen had grilled grouper I believe.

Nothing spectacular but tasty enough.

  After dinner we took a stroll down Branson Landing. It was so stinking hot that the dogs wear boots because the pavement is scorching:

"Feels like" temperature was 102.

  With that said we ducked into the Bass Pro Shop to cool off.

  I love their Red Head brand pocket tee's so Doreen picked a few up for me as a birthday gift.

  Speaking of the heat I have to say that everywhere we went the temps were in the high 90's from Florida to Georgia to Tennessee and now Missouri. Come to find out we were in the center of what the weather man was calling a "heat dome". Luckily for us our site in Branson was shade covered. The sites are a little snug but at least we had shade.

  On Monday we went to see Reza Edge of Illusion at Branson's Famous Theater. He makes helicopters and motorcycles disappear as well as silly mind reading and card tricks. I could do without those in the show. Overall he puts on a pretty slick production and I would recommend seeing him.

You can Google him to see pics because they say in the theater no photo or video taking is allowed.

  After the show we went to dinner for my birthday. I seem to usually select Italian and this year was no different. Florentina's was a nearby Italian joint with over 3k reviews at four and a half stars.

Fried calamari for an appetizer.

Seafood ravioli and a glass of chianti. 

A cold beer

 And smooth and rich tiramisu for dessert!

I definitely over did it, but you only turn 60 once. The meal was scrumptious!

  The other show we saw was the Haygoods. They are 5 brothers and one sister who have been performing for 30 years. They claim 6 million people have seen their Branson show. 

 Our seats sucked unfortunately. All the way back in the last row. Then a a family with three teenage boys, all over 6 foot tall sat in the row in front of us.

 

Here was my view. I had to keep leaning left or right to see.

  They put on an amazing show showcasing their musical, dancing, singing, and even comedic talents. 

Tap dancing upside down

The sister plays every instrument including the harp.

The costumes and instruments light up.

The finale is amazing as one brother floats over the audience in a lighted suit playing 

  We enjoyed the show. I would encourage you to see them if ever in Branson. 

  We checked out downtown Branson, which only consists of a few blocks of mostly souvenir and t-shirt shops and a few small eateries.

We found a Greek place

We started with falafel and fresh hummus then Doreen had a plain gyro and I had the moussaka and of course we ended with some baklava.

  Now that I am writing this I realize we did sort of a global dining experience. Another stop was Waxy O'Sheas, an Irish pub on the Landing.

A Guiness moustache.

                                                                       

                                                             Fish and chips

  We also had drinks at Landshark Bar and Big Whiskey. There are so many places I don't think you can eat and/or drink at all of them in a week. Not to mention the main artery of historic route 76 that attracts even more tourists then Branson Landing. You can play mini-golf, drive go-carts, go to the wax museum, or even see a giant rooster and giant head of Ronald Reagan.

  I suppose there is something for everyone in Branson. Just keep in mind the most popular shows, such as the Haygoods, sell out quickly so get your tickets in advance. Branson is good clean family fun. The theaters do not sell alcohol at their concession stands. I am happy we made the decision to spend the week here.

  Next up is our visit to St. Louis.

 

  

  

Camping World Debacle

   Plenty has happened since my last post in August of 2021 which was really an incomplete post. We were biding our time until we could get the trailer into Camping World for repairs so we had 9 days to fill between Virginia and our drop-off day. And due to the rearrangement of our original plans our itinerary was crazy in trying to secure campsites. First stop was Appalachian Campsites for 5 days. This was a chance to catch up with Barry and Dan and play some golf with Barry:

  We then had to go down to Circle M in Lancaster for 4 days. Circle M got inundated with rain for over two days and I was camped parallel to the Conestoga River. Our site became a mud pit. 

  The conditions were miserable. We got to Camping World and dropped off the trailer on August 20. Let the waiting begin. We were then off to Doreen's mom's house in Jessup,  about an hour and 45 minutes north. We settled in with Tootsie as she is affectionately known and the days went slowly by. Tootsies 90'th birthday was celebrated by the entire family:

  September moved along and I still had no update on the trailer. Doreen and I were growing restless after three weeks and we wanted to get back to Florida. I got another round of golf in with my three brothers-in-law at Jack Frost and that was the highlight of mid-September. 

  I called Camping World and inquired about the trailer and I found out that nothing had been done to it. I wanted to pick it up ASAP and make arrangements to take it to Tampa Camping World. September 18 we picked it up. My plans were to get back to Florida by the end of the month, taking our time making several stops. 

  Our first stop was Hershey just to unload the truck, get the fridge running and just relax. 

  Next stop was Lynchburg RV park in Virginia. We have stayed here a few times but didn't realize we weren't that far from Appomattox Courthouse so we checked out where the Civil War effectively ended.

The McLean house where Lee surrendered to Grant:

There are several buildings to tour, a visitor center showing a 17 minute film, and historical markers describing the events of the battle and subsequent surrender. 

  We also visited the American Civil War Museum nearby as well.

Lots of displays of uniforms, flags, history of slavery, and weapons of the era.

Our next stop was Fayetteville RV Resort in North Carolina. I was booked for three nights. 

                                             

On our second night though we encountered a new problem- a water leak somewhere coming from under the wall.. 

Ah, there is the problem: a cracked cold water line. You can see the small white split in the blue line below. 

  Well, isn't this a perfect way to top off this trip? Now I can't use water. I tried wrapping it in Flex tape but to no avail. I will have to get home as quick as possible and do it without using water.

  This is only the beginning of a story so frustrating that that is the reason for my lapse in posting anything after my blog last year. I was so fed up- with Camping World, the trailer, camping in general, and our seemingly not being able to get through a trip without complications. 

 We got home on September 28 and I had an appointment set up for the trailer on October 7 at Camping World Tampa. My service advisor, Michael "Troy" Skinner accompanies myself and my friend Joe D to inspect the damages and issues that need attention. Troy seems to be a capable and empathetic guy and takes photos and notes on his I-pad. He is very forthcoming and tells me this could be a very labor intensive job, some of which may not be covered under my extended service plan. I inform Troy that this unit did not sustain any of the damage under my ownership, that it was sold to me in this condition. He agrees and says that the water damage is known in the business as "lot-rot".  I am somewhat relieved that I have an advisor who can get the job done and keep me abreast of the situation as the repairs progress. He assures me he will get as much as he can covered by the warranty. 

  In the mean time I really want to give the sales department a visit and demand they bear some responsibility for the repairs. My original sales person, Mark, is not on duty this day but his supervisor Kurtis is. Kurtis remembers me and I let him know of my total dissatisfaction with my purchase and that I am not paying for any repairs not covered under warranty. Of course he plays it very diplomatically with his reaction but I don't feel he will be a big help.

  As the end of October draws near I decide to call Camping World to get an update. Troy is not in and I leave a message. I call again a week later and find out that Troy Skinner is out on long term leave and it is not known if, or when he will return. In the mean time my work order has been turned over to Teresa Patton, who knows nothing about my situation. Days, weeks and eventually 6 months go by.

  That is correct: my trailer was at Tampa Camping world for 6 months and 5 days! My efforts included writing a lengthy business letter to the general manger, which at least got the one slide floor repaired in a week and an email on March 11 to Marcus Lemonis, CEO of Camping World. That ended up being almost comical.

  A few days after sending the email I received a reply from the VIP customer liaison saying they were sorry I was having issues and that they would involve the store and regional management, and if I didn't get contacted in a reasonable time I should call a number provided in the email. That was funny because several months to get any resolution was reasonable by Camping World standards I replied.

  Now comes the best part. On March 22 I get contacted by my service advisor Teresa. She informs me my coach was all done and was placed on the lot and was struck by a customers trailer! She said the damage was minimal to mine and had been repaired already, however in the area of the repair to the corner molding the decal was scraped and they could not find a new one.

Here is the other guy's damage:

    Also just to rile me more Teresa tells my that the store's manager wants any unit that is drivable/ useable to be picked up by the customer ASAP to make room on the lot. I become incensed and refuse to entertain that idea of picking up my unit with damage and that is not happening. About 5 minutes after that conversation I get a call from Kirsten, the VIP customer service liaison asking me to pick up my trailer. I went off the deep end. I became enraged and she probably thought I was a crazed lunatic. I refused to give in. The audacity of her and Camping World to pressure me after nearly 6 months of sitting there to be in a rush for me to pick it up. Kirsten stayed calm as I ranted and eventually she made the case. I acquiesced and agreed to pick it up. She informed me the store would contact me to make arrangements. 

  Of course another week went by and no word. Finally I get the call. I tell Teresa I want the unit washed, tire pressure checked, and the battery fully charged. She says that will happen and that they tried as best they could to locate a decal but had no luck. Teresa said when one could be located they would send someone to me to fix it. So April 12 I finally picked the trailer up.

  I bring the trailer home for a quick check and everything appears fixed. The original work order added up to over 60 hours of labor which goes for $149 per hour. I paid $551 out of pocket so that was okay by me. Now the plan is to take it out for a local camping trip to really ensure all systems are a go before we plan an extended summer long trip. I make a reservation at Orlando Thousand Trails for a week starting on April 29. I bring the trailer to the driveway on the 28'th to prep. I connect the water supply and can't believe my eyes. A leak in the same spot as before and new one coming from the grey water pipe outside.

  Well that's the end of a camping trip that doesn't even leave the driveway. Now I have to go back to Camping World. I take it in the following morning and they actually get it into a service bay the same day. My service advisor Teresa calls me that afternoon and says they found a loose fitting that was unrelated to the repairs made originally. They want to keep it pressurized over the weekend and keep an eye on it. I eventually pick it up on Wednesday May 4. I bring it home and pull into the driveway to run my own test. Twenty-four hours and no leaks. I don't have enough time to go out on a test trip so I put it back in storage.

  Hopefully that is the end of the Camping World experience. Needless to say I will never go back as long as all of their repairs hold up. And yes, a trip is planned and booked starting on June 5. We will be heading for Branson, MO and then to PA. Keep your fingers crossed!