October 26, 2014. That's All, Folks.

 

 

 

 

 

October 26, 2014.  That's All, Folks.  Today was a barn bonanza.  We toured all seven colonies.  Remember that I told you the colonies started in the 1850s,  The Amana believers were primarily farmers.  As you might imagine, this area is overgrown with barns.  I spent more time eliminating pictures than usual.  For each picture shown above, two were eliminated.  Oh, the General Store picture was taken to show you how new construction is designed to fit with the existing architecture. 

We will start home tomorrow.  The trip hasn't been as long as we planned.  That's okay.  We have traveled about 4000 miles in T-Harvey.  We have discovered a few glitches.  For example, the stabilization bars aren't working correctly.  The heat pump also has a stutter upon startup.  We'll get those taken care of.  But, the size is perfect and the fuel mileage has been good. 

T-Harvey runs on diesel fuel.  Diesel costs about twenty percent more that gasoline.  That means that you need to get 20% more miles from a gallon in order to compare favorably with gasoline.  We got 13-14 mpg from Harvey.  We get about 16 from T-Harvey. 

I discovered, the hard way, that drivers of diesel-powered vehicles need to be alert to the availability of diesel.  I allowed T-Harvey to get low on fuel.  I left the interstate to look for fuel in a small town.  There were three gas stations there.  Two had gasoline only.  The third offered diesel, but it was closed.  I got back on the interstate and backtracked 13 miles to an interchange where I knew diesel was available.   By the time I got there, the empty light was flashing and Annie was squirming in her chair like a sinner in church.  She also sounded like a sinner.  I haven't had anyone talk to me like that in a long time.  I won't get low of fuel again.  I promise. 

So, that's all for now.  Check on us in late December and January.  The plan is to be somewhere in Florida.  I'll talk to you then.