I used to write blog entries on this site to talk about each trip we made with our GMC but, for some reason, I quit doing that with the Sunseeker. I guess I was just not that excited about it (like I was the GMC) so I didn’t feel like writing about it. Looking back – it is March of 2019 and we have had the Sunseeker for almost a year and a half and I can’t remember much about what we have done with it. Luckily, Carol has kept a very simple log of each trip – the dates (mostly) and the destinations. She did not keep track of the reasons for the trips or any notes about what happened or what we did. I decided to catch up so, using her notes and our recollections, I have tried to reconstruct what I missed.

We left Pennsylvania for trip number one on October 4th and arrived at home on October 13th. Since this was a 2015 model year motor home Carol expected a trouble-free trip and was surprised and disappointed when we had trouble. I was not. I knew better because there are so many systems involved in turning a truck into a motor home. Some of the issues showed up before we even left Pennsylvania.

The coach had apparently been stored without winterizing during the previous Winter and several things had frozen and been damaged. The first was a plastic water filter cartridge that Rick discovered while exploring the many cabinets in the coach. We visited the local hardware store and, because we could not find a replacement we decided to just eliminate the filter entirely with fittings we got there.

Next, while preparing to depart I discovered a big leak from a burst seam in the aluminum water heater. Rick and I made an emergency trip to a welding shop where they repaired the seam. We also discovered that the kitchen faucet had been damaged and the spray nozzle would not stay attached – that had to be replaced too.

On the way home our house batteries went bad for some strange reason. We had used them with no trouble on the first day and night – a WalMart parking lot – but after staying at an RV park and plugging into 30-amp power all night they were no good and had to be replaced that day.

Then, when trying to use the motor-generator for something like using the microwave, the automatic transfer switch acted up and eventually needed replacing after we got home.

The house water pump also was failing on the way home whenever the water tank would get below half. I later discovered that it too had suffered from the freezing and had to be replaced.

The Mercedes portion of the coach did really well as expected – by me.

Our second trip with the Sunseeker was to a Jetset (our Arizona GMC club) rally at the De Anza RV Resort in Amado, AZ from December 7-10, 2017. We had no issues that I can recall.

Our third trip was just up the road from our house – 30 miles or so – to the Picacho Peak area to visit Carol’s cousin Christopher and his wife who were spending the Winter in their 5th wheel trailer there at the resort. When we arrived we opened the door to step out of the coach and the automatic step collapsed and stopped working – a broken bolt in the mechanism. I fixed it myself with a replacement part ordered from the step manufacturer.

The fourth trip was to Roper Lake State Park in Safford, AZ from January 4th, 2018 until January 6th. The park was OK, the area was less than attractive and we probably won’t go back.

Trip number 5 was to another Jetset rally. This one at the Bluegrass Festival at the Pinal County fairgrouds in Casa Grande, AZ from January 26th to the 28th.

Number 6 was to an FMCA rally at the Pima County fairgrounds from February 5th until the 9th. We had our awning replaced and bought some tire pressure sensors for the tow car. We looked at every small RV they had there and decided we really like ours better than any of them – especially after seeing the prices.

Number 7 was another Jetset rally at the Cave Creek Regional Park in Cave Creek, AZ from March 15 to 18. This time, while setting up, the side slide-out that contains our recliners and dining table refused to go out. It would move an inch or so and then quit in both outward and inward movements. I recalled seeing a couple of electronic boards in the area where the water pump is located. I looked there and one of them was blinking a code which turned out to be saying that there was a problem with the cable between it and the slide-out. I managed to put it into “manual mode” and got the slide to work but I had to do that every time I needed to move it. It turned out that a packrat had gotten into an area of the coach where the cable passed through, made a nest, and tried to eat the cable breaking 3 of the 5 wires in the cable. The replacement cost $100 and had to be routed under the coach since the coach was built on top of the cables and they were no longer accessible.

Our eighth trip was to Prescott with Jae and Bridget (friends and neighbors) to visit the “Out of Africa” park in Camp Verde, AZ.

Our 9th trip was to California from June 2nd to the 15th for our grandson Kyle’s high school graduation in San Jose and then visits with our other family members in the Sacramento area.

From July 29th until August 7th was our 10th trip. This one was to Northern Arizona to get out of the heat and to change scenery. Carol’s Mom had passed away on July 12th and we had to get out of town to try and quit thinking about her. We spent time in the White Mountains in Pinetop-Lakeside and farther West on the Mogollon Rim in a couple of US Forest Service campgrounds – we really liked “Sinkhole”. We also visited the Tonto Bridge State Park.

Our 11th trip was to Mt. Hood, Oregon and back for a GMC Western States rally with Daniel and Marjon Jacobs from the Netherlands. This trip is written up as a two-part post in the “Sunseeker Trips” section of this web site.

The 12th, 13th and 14th trips were to Jetset rallies at Bisbee, AZ in November, Lake Havasu State Park in December, and Tombstone, AZ in January.

Our 15th trip is planned to be about 5 weeks in California for family and friend visits, sightseeing places we have not been and some we have, followed by a GMC Western States rally in San Diego. Look for a detailed post on this one under “Sunseeker Trips – 2019”.