Pre-Maiden Voyage

I have only posted here a couple of times over the past two weeks as we just purchased our 179 a couple of weeks ago and first trip will be coming up soon. We will only be traveling about 30 miles from home to a really nice local park.

Anyway, my little story so far. I decided I would do a total prep in our backyard. The first thing was to install a 30 Amp power source for the trailer. My storage shed was already wired for electricity with several blank spaces in the power box. So it was just a matter of buying the correct 30 Amp breaker and running the wiring. I never did this before but when I opened the box it was pretty simple to follow the way other plugs throughout the building were configured. This can be done without completely shutting the incoming power off as long as you do one wire at a time and NEVER touch two wires at the same time.The orange cable is the one I ran to the trailer power. I have experience with building and repairing electrical components but this was the first actual wiring of a plug I have ever done. The only problem I encountered was finding the correct breaker for the box in my small town. I ended up buying a breaker that supports two 30 amp plugs but wired only one. If I decide to add another 30 amp plug on the opposite side of the building it will just be a matter of running the wires. Tested it with the ohm/voltmeter, all was well, plugged in trailer and all works fine.

Tested all systems to include water and everything seems to work fine. I watched a ton of You Tube videos which were extremely helpful. Learned how to manually retrieve the slide if necessary and also learned about re-timing the slide. This information came from links found on this site.

Next I tested for leaks, sprayed it down really good with the water hose and found no leaks. Went back and checked a few hours later and all was fine. The test will be the first big rain storm, which has been pretty rare here the past few months.

Next was the feisty challenge of playing with the dreaded R-Dome. I found a really nice You Tube video on setup of the r-dome. It was a very quick process and was done pretty hastily. As you can see in the photos it’s not perfect but had we taken our time for a campsite setup, it will work great. To us it was harder taking it down and folding small enough to get it back into its carrier. Unfortunately my carport cover to the right is not tall enough to put the POD under. I am trying to figure out a way to raise it, (suggestions) or I’ll have to put up another one to the left of my man cave.

While I’m having all this fun, my wife has accepted the challenge of packing and everything else to do with the inside. We have had lots of fun times so far and haven’t even left home yet. First trip will be 8-11 October.

Our Ohio title came in the mail yesterday so next week I can get the trailer registered here in Texas. Of course that will be another big chunk of change as we’ll have to pay a 6.25% sales tax on the purchase. The good news is in Texas if your trailer’s weight plus loading capacity is 4500 pounds or higher, you have to have a safety inspection prior to registering it. I think the gross weight of the 179 is about 3750, so at least we don’t have to haul it to an inspection station. It’s always been the law but this year they will start to enforce it. Long post but decided to take a break and post my backyard adventure.

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Thanks,Leo B. I see you ride a Harley, nice, I used to scoot around on a Fat Boy a few years ago. Loved the sporty attitude of the bike. Well now that I'm pushing 60 and settled down a bit, the Goldwing is much easier on the back and bottom side. Anyway, I do more towing the bike to places to ride now verses riding to places to ride. We plan to do the Bear Tooth in Montana in September next year for our second Wing Ding. "Ride Safe and keep the shiny side up."

We took the camper out this weekend for our maiden voyage. We spent the weekend at Live Oak Ridge Park on Belton Lake. This trip was just 30 miles from home just to see how well prepared we were. Actually, with all the preparation done in the backyard prior to this trip, all went well. There was nothing forgotten that was a trip killer. I'd like to give lots of love to my wife for preparing such a great packing list. All meals were pre-planned and worked out perfectly. She really did an excellent job making sure our trip was perfect.

All systems in the POD worked with no issues. We didn't use the microwave but did test it. Also did not use the water pump as water was available on site. As mentioned somewhere on the forum, the POD seemed to be definitely be a conversation started at the campsite. Numerous people commented about the Pod and two tours were done. Our next trip will be over Thanksgiving weekend if the weather permits. We'll venture a little further from home next time.I'd like to thank all who contributes to the forum. Lurking for months on the forum prior to this first trip made everything seem so easy once we arrived at our location. With time I hope to be able to contribute something back in return. Thanks again !!! A view out the back side of our campsite, so relaxing.