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Last Run of the Summer 2015...
#1

 The Becker's Summer Run 2015


Well, we decided on a whim to hit the road one last time before the end of the 2015 summer vacation.  The girls will be going back to school in a week so it's now or never.  Next week I'm starting the build for our Newell Shop and a production greenhouse for the girls.  We took of with no real game plan or set route.  We figured it was best that way.

08-12; pack clothes for the girls and us, get the food ready. Final walk around  for me, rechecking fluids and pressures on the 74.  Do people name their Newell? Jimmy did you have a name for this girl?

08-13; throw in the food in the fridge.  There's still room in the fridge and a couple empty pantry shelves.  Add more food just in case!  Mostly cookies, brownies, ice cream and candy.  For the girls of course, we have 6 but only four are going to make the trip.  
We take off around 11:00.  Heading north to a county park my buddy told me about.  Stopped to fuel up and gave a quick tour to a nice couple who wanted to see the Newell.  The classics are a head turner!  I'm a car buff and love this thing.
Arrived at our destination.
Fossil & Prairie Center, Floyd County Conservation, 1227 215th Street
Rockford, Iowa 50468, Phone 641-756-3490
We arrive around 14:00, the girls are ready.  We go through the interpretive center and it is cool.  Used to be the old Rockford Brick and Tile Company.  The clay pit is a Paleozoic fossil bed.  You get to keep any fossils you find.  We took a paint brush, three tine hand rake, hand shovel  and a bucket and we were off.  We found gallon pails full of fossils.  Our six and seven year old could name them all for you.  I'm not going to try.  I let them keep 10 each, plenty to add to our collection at home.
Called it a day around 19:00, found a city campground in Rockford, Iowa.  We were the only ones there and camped right next to the playground.  Girls loved it!  

08-14;  started out towards Wisconsin.  Got detoured to Spook Cave in NE Iowa, my wife's suggestion.  She went through it when she was in high school and thought the girls would love it.  Pulled into an awesome, small campground owned by the private cave.  Booked a year out!  We got tickets for the cave, and went for a walk around the campground.  Got back to the camper about 20 minutes later to find a group of ten or so looking over the camper.  Had a guy from Texas asking a hundred questions, super nice guy who was amazed by the condition.  His son was a producer from Disney, they rode motorcycles up together from Texas.  Long story short, we exchanged information and his son may be renting our Newell if a movie calls for a cool 74 motor home.  We would be going along to care for the Newell of course.  We went on the Spook Cave tour and spent the next hour giving tours of our motor home.  It was a blast.  Everyone was great.
Headed out and found a campsite in Wisconsin.  Sports Unlimited, over 375 hook ups. Huge place with a pool, golf course, several bars, restaurant, etc...  We pulled in and Kayla, our daughter said " Dad, there's some drunk guy coming over here, he looks like he wants to talk to you". It was a fire fighter buddy of mine who recognized the Newell from half a mile away.  He brought all his buddies over to see it.  We parked for he night and socialized with new and old friends.

08-15;  got up this morning and it was warm out with high humidity.  We left the camp ground and stopped at the Prairie DuChien Cabela's, nice and cool inside with lots to look at.  Spent a couple hours looking and some buying.  Got a deal on shotgun shells.  Stopped for fuel, did the math and we averaged just under 11 mpg, 10.68.  the generator had ten hours of run time and took just over five gallons of gas.  Then we headed to the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque.  Spent the rest of the day exploring there, too much to see in one day.    We went down river to Bellevue, a small beautiful river town.  Staying at the Bellevue State Park tonight, we pulled through and you could see heads turning.  One old boy followed us in his truck till we parked and requested to see our rig.  I think I could have sold it to him for $50,000 right there. 
 I got lazy tonight and we made s'mores over the gas grill.  Too tired to walk up and buy firewood.  

08-16; Tomorrow were heading south along the river  to Highway 30 and home.  Been a great trip so far.  Stay safe in your travels, from the Becker Family......

Roy, Cari, Chrystal, Courtney, Kayla, Claire, Chloe and Kinley...

1974 35' Newell Coach, Cat 1160 with Allison Auto 6 Speed... 69 Camaro 396 SS, 2010 Camaro SSRS Hennessey, 72 Buick Electra, Eastern Iowa.
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#2

The things you do and see with an RV! Sounds fun! Some folks just don't get it. Those of us that do, well most of us have an RV (or better yet a Newell!)

Our 7 yr old boy and 4 yr old girl named our first newell "General Lucy". Our new one is "Shamu" because they say it looks like a whale. I call it "Born Free" simply because it's my answer to any one who thinks were nuts for what we spend and do with our motorhome.

There should be some great names for your 74 Newell inside the heads of those kids of yours!

Jason 
-----------------------------
Previous owner of 2013 #1472
Previous 2003 #665 triple slide
1 wife
2 kids
Lots of stuff
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#3

thanks for sharing. i miss seeing fireflys. did you see any there in rockford? lots in mason city.

i saw that coach before jimmy bought it and restored it. it was at camping world in mesa az

jimmy did wonders with it

have fun

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#4

My Newell's name is 'Dog House', if the wife ever warms up we might change it.

Jon & Chris Everton
1986 40' Dog House #86
450 hp ISM 5 spd ZF Ecomat 2
2004 Range Rover L322 Toad
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#5

Roy, what a great story and memories... That's what I envisioned for the (" Ole' 74") when I was ripping it apart n together again.. Leaving it vintage was a must.. I see that it was the right thing.. I had several names going on in my head, but none for public consumption ...
My girls called The Rock Star Bus.. Let your girls name her...they'll remember the good times forever..
Enjoy!!

Jimmy
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#6

Very nice writeup on the trip. Please keep them coming. We all do more than just wrench on these critters and it's good to hear others travel adventures

Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home Cool )
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#7

Forgot one good part of the trip, a good story anyway.

We were looking for the Yellow River Equsterian Campground. I saw a brown state park sign that read Yellow River out of the corner of my eye and turned that way off the highway. We headed down a gravel road, about the second mile my wife started questioning my decision. We went about another mile and saw a state sign pointing to the left. We turned and went over the hill. As soon as we crested the hill we were met by 12 foot high barbed wire a guard shack and armed guards.

Turned out we were at the Yellow River Farm Prison, the signs were very similar to the State Park sign that was five miles further down the highway. My wife sighed and said "only you could get lost and end up at a prison". It happens... Then we had to back out a half mile to the gravel then drove back to the highway. I told the girls we were spies like in the movies, we were planning a jail break. They loved it, our second youngest was snapping pictures on her camera. They were planning everything out as I backed out. as we were backing out i thought i might not want to plan a jail break with the girls if a guard wants to ask questions. I'm sure someone in a control room was on high alert because of our actions. Lol...

The girls want to name our 74 the "Becker Mobile". Not too bad.

Stay safe out there,

Roy...

1974 35' Newell Coach, Cat 1160 with Allison Auto 6 Speed... 69 Camaro 396 SS, 2010 Camaro SSRS Hennessey, 72 Buick Electra, Eastern Iowa.
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#8

Nice trip.
The classics do attract visitors and attention, I love it.
Go with the name the kids come up with, they have named all our campers. Big Grin


Scott

1983 38' Classic #007
8.3 Cummins, Allison 6 spd.
"Any other Way"
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