It got to about 106 today going through Dallas and our outdoor digital thermometer which is in the shade away from the sun says 113.8 degrees right now at 3:00pm local time. We are in an Oklahoma state park about 130 yards from Texoma Lake sitting in the full sun because there are not a lot of trees here and we had no reservation. The good thing is that we have two roof air conditioning units but the bad thing is that we have both of them running and it is still hot in here. The site has both 30 and 50 amp services and I tried running both units on the 30 but it did not last real long – maybe 10 minutes. I am now experimenting with a new 50->30amp adapter plug that I bought for the rare occasion the camp has only 50amp available which has happened to us at least twice. Right now both AC units are running from the 50amp service, through a 30amp cord and so far they are doing fine. I used to think that we would eventually remove the rear unit and replace it with a Fantastic Fan but now I am thinking that might not be a good idea.
We ended up going through Dallas on I-35E. Usually we like to avoid the interstates but with the weather not cooperating we will pretty much be stuck inside the coach or in a building if we stop so we are just trying to make some time while we can so we can spend more time with family and friends instead of stopping to see things. We did pass the Texas Rangers Museum today and I would like to have stopped but the heat did not make it attractive. I am not a baseball fan, the museum is about the Texas Rangers law enforcement people – boyhood heros for many of us. It is a good thing that it is Sunday – Dallas is a huge place and the drivers are generally pretty good but they have their share of oblivious and aggressive drivers. We drove defensively and even took a wrong turn and recovered nicely – Carol is a good navigator and travel agent.
We are in East Burns Run Campground in Cartwright, OK. It is a very nice place: concrete pads, covered patios, picnic tables and 30 and 50 amp service. Our cell phones work great here too. The only thing was the gate attendant seemed upset that we had not made reservations and directed us to a site without shade when we think we saw plenty of them with shade on the way here. I suppose it is possible that all those people will show up later tonight but I doubt it.
GMC stuff: I feel like a dummy but I figured out during the night – in my sleep? – that the oil on the top of the intake must have dripped from the crankcase vent pipe that goes into the valve cover – oil is expected in there. So now back to the puzzle – the shaky needle on my vacuum gauge was gone this morning but was there tonight. When the engine is cold it is fine, after it warmed up it was still OK, but when we got here this afternoon it was down to 15-16 inches and a little shaky. Problem is, it is too hot to work on a hot engine today. Maybe if our campsite was in the shade I’d feel more like it but right now the hot engine, the windows and the metal are making a lot of heat and opening that hatch is not going to happen unless it is an emergency. In spite of the heat we ran great all day. The engine temp got to 205 in the heat which is nothing. The tranny temp was a little concerning though – early in the day it ran at 180-200 but later, when the outside air temp got to 100 and up, it ran at 220 degrees. I will be considering an external transmission oil cooler in the future.
Wish I had known you were taking this kind of a kink in your trip East. I live just a mile from I35 in Dallas. I would have bought your lunch at “W”‘s favorite local place, He, Laura and the Secret Service now live another mile away, just over from Ross Perot and Mark Cuban 🙂 🙂
Straight up I35 just a few miles farther than Texhoma is Lake Murry with 5 state parks over grown with shade. But I see you may have gone up 75 to the East end of the lake. Many campgrounds that way also, but not nearly as many trees. This heat is tough. Glad your GMC is running well.
This is our third long trip in three years and we are learning. We are thinking that the next time we will head out with only the first night planned and then just wing it from there. The biggest problem is that there is always some date in the middle or end that demands a schedule. That is what is happening this time, my 50th high school reunion (hard to believe that) on Sept. 1 and then the GMCWS rally in Utah on Sept. 25th. So, next time I will advertise my trip a little and see if there are any friends to visit along the way.
Yes, we went up 75 – a nice ride, nice roads mostly.