The big day has arrived! We picked up the coach today and don’t have a clue how to operate it.
The two hour orientation at the dealer turned into four hours. They were very through about going over the operational aspects of the coach and showed us where the ten pounds of instruction manuals are. There is so much to learn. It is like taking possession of a new house that is mounted on a commercial truck chassis. To complicate matters, most of the systems are dual-energy sourced. Even learning to operate the awnings is a challenge.
We made arrangements for an RV driving class and the school suggested we stay at Puddingstone Lake, which is an RV park close to the Pomona Fairgrounds and convenient for the instructor. The tricky part was getting the coach from the dealer to the park. Time to be bold. Without hesitation, I climbed into the driver seat, fired it up, swung onto the freeway and proceeded to Puddingstone. No problem. Mike Jones was there to meet us to provide moral support and show us where an excellent steakhouse was located. We’re glad Mike was our first guest, his presence was very much appreciated.
The most surprising aspect of the trip is getting used to the air brakes. They don’t respond like hydraulic brakes. You have to gently feel when they engage and adjust the pressure slowly. I guess stopping 32,000 gross vehicle weight takes a little getting used to.
We slept very soundly our first night on the road.