[a/s] The Scudders are back

[Perry Scudder <perryjoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Scudders are "Official Airstreamers". We just got back from 2 weeks in
Florida, where we picked up our 1998 34' Front Kitchen Classic Limited just
north of Tampa. We then went down along the West Coast and on down to Key West.
We spent two weeks as someone said "Bonding with our Airstream". I installed the
Hensley Hitch with little problem, hadn't counted on having to drill through the
frame that holds the propane cylinders. I didn't have a drill big enough to
drill the size holes for the "U bolts" in my tool kit I took with me. I finally
located a maintenance man at "Winter Quarters" campground where the trailer was
waiting for us, and borrowed said drill motor and bitt. The rest was very easy.
The hitch made for rock solid passing of 18 wheelers on the Intrastate, sense I
had to take it easy for a while to break in the new GMC Sierra 2500 Extended cab
truck. The truck got a new Vortec 6000 engine at 1500 miles, because the first
engine did not have enough oil pressure to suit the service manager at the
dealer where I purchased the truck. The complete engine was replaced on Thursday
before we left for Florida on Sunday. The truck ran like a dream. The new engine
coupled to the 410 rear end gears and automatic transmit ion got 16 MPG solo and
10 MPG towing the camper at 65 MPH on the Intrastate in GA and SC and 60 MPH up
through Florida on US-1, US-27 and US-301. The "Tow/Haul" feature in the
transmit ion allowed me to tow in overdrive and changed the shift pattern to
reduce shifting and make smooth shifts when starting from a dead stop. The
transmition never got over 125 degrees during the entire trip.

We have reservations for the Eastern North Carolina, Region 3, Rally in April
for the next trip.

Joe and Mary Scudder
WBCCI # 8624