Mo's Obituary

Written 2012-12-02 but not published until 2013-02-24

Mo took us to 42 of the "lower 48" states

It is long since time for me to update this blog, and memorialize the last story of our first motorhome, our beloved Mo.

Our ride home was easy and uneventful, but we certainly did not feel too rested after our “non-vacation.” We went back to our real lives, hoping to hear good news from Burt Wolfe Ford. After about two weeks, they let us know that they were finishing up all the repairs. But we knew that an extensive test drive was needed to make sure that no other damage or problems were lurking behind the problems which had already been diagnosed.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as they took Mo out for a drive, the engine overheated again. Their new diagnosis was basically that we would have to just replace the entire engine if we expected Mo to be able to run well. And that was the end of the road, literally, for us and for Mo. An RV of this age (almost 25 years old) is just not worth putting any money into—we have probably invested far more than most people would have done already. Plus we knew that the mechanical issues were only part of the things we would need to deal with—there were some serious carpentry problems involving the overhead cab which also needed a lot of attention. It was just time.

Mo in the Badlands, 2009

Joe had a long conversation on the phone with Tim, the guy in charge of the repair department, discussing the options. 1) Have Mo towed up to NJ. Well, THAT was not happening! 2) Have Mo towed to a junkyard in Charleston. Sad as it sounded, it seemed like this was the only real choice. Then Tim said to Joe, “You know, this is the kind of project I wouldn’t mind working on myself. I could probably get the RV working again.” So, we decided to make a deal with Tim. He was able to get the dealership to reduce our bill down to essentially the original estimate (from before all the time and work had been expended on the RV.) And his taking the RV off the Ford lot saved us the towing and junkyard fees. So we sent him the paperwork from NJ, and said goodbye.

Turkey Swamp County Park, only 30 minutes from home

We loved Mo so much, and despite all the problems we had through the years, we can never forget all the wonderful roads we traveled together.  Some people would probably think we were just dumb for not getting rid of Mo a long time ago, but we know we will probably never love another RV the way we loved Mo. We are undoubtedly a little bit crazy. But so be it. We are hoping to hear from Tim sometime in the future—he promised to send us a photo when he gets Mo back on the road. I hope he does—with a good rebuilt engine, someone else could probably have some fun in that old, dilapidated thing. 

We will always remember our funky, fun Tioga,

Mo.