My wife and I had just recently joined the Travco family after swapping a small hot tub/spa that I won on a radio show contest for a classic 1969 Travco 270. Needless to say, she was somewhat skeptical with respect to the deal. When husbands do things like this wives are always a tad leery.

Going into the deal, the previous owner outlined all of the areas that needed attention, adjustment or repair. One of the areas of concern was the replacement of the master cylinder. The owner went on to detail the work that had been done most recently and even produced receipts. I acquired a master cylinder, installed it and bled the brakes. After a few more minor details were completed we were ready to take "Wally the Moose" out on his maiden (for us that is) voyage.

We decided to go camping at one of the state parks in the mountains of north Georgia. This would give us a good chance to see how Wally performed not only in flat terrain, but also in the steep Blue Ridge Mountains.

We were well into the trip when I realized that I had left the coffee maker at home. My wife without her cup of coffee in the morning is a sight which one should not behold without use of a mirror. So, I deemed it prudent to stop in at the nearest Wal-Mart and purchase a coffee maker that would become a permanent part of Wally's inventory. As my wife and daughter returned from the store, my daughter asked one of those special little questions which we all love to hear, "Daddy, is green stuff supposed to be running out from under Wally?". The look of abject terror enveloped my countenance. Bolting from the captain's chair I immediately hauled my old body up underneath the engine to see what was going on. Dangling there, like the ruptured tentacle of an octopus, was the heater hose giving its contents up to gravity. The previous owner had repaired the rupture with nothing but duct tape. From the looks of the duct tape that had been many years previous. A short trip back into Wal-Mart resulted with a hose connector, two hose clamps and some anti-freeze. A quick repair and we were on our way again.

The journey went well as we climbed the mountain on the way to our campground. I was still a bit tenuous with regard to the steering of the beast, but I was becoming accustomed to the feel quite nicely. We reached the campground without any other incidents occurring. 

I backed Wally into the RV site and completed the hook up. Everything was so easy. As I walked back around the front of Wally I noticed what appeared to be a water trail in the road in the path in which we backed in. Having just filled up the water tank to the brim, I was relatively sure that it was just water spillage.

The weekend was a joy. The weather turned very nasty and we delighted to be snug and warm in Wally's bowels. I had no idea the Travco was so well insulated and quiet. Once again the smells of bacon and eggs, coffee and all the other smells of camping life were returning to the old road warrior.

The afternoon of departure arrived and we completed the debarkation check list and were on or way back home. I pulled from the RV site and headed out of the campground. We climbed the first little rise and started down the hill into a shallow turn. I had not picked up much speed at this point knowing that the curve was coming up. As I applied considerable brake pressure to the pedal, it moved on down to the floor.  No brakes!!!

One thing that I am thankful for in my life is that I survived the United States Army Aviation School and two years of flying helicopters in Viet Nam. One learns to think quickly.

I immediately shifted down to first gear and started pulling up on the parking brake. Having read the owner's manual thoroughly, I knew that the emergency brake acted upon the drive shaft and is independent of the braking system. I pulled Wally off to the side of the road to determine the cause of this situation. I checked the master cylinder and found it all but empty. Fluids do not evaporate from enclosed containers so I started looking for leaks. I found one.

Having driven Wally without having to apply much braking force, I had not really generated enough system pressure to determine if there were any other brake system problems other that having to replace the master cylinder. My lack of full system testing came very close to potential tragedy for my family and me.

My inspection revealed that I had a blown brake cylinder/cylinders on the right rear brakes and the fluid had escaped from the blown cylinders. Now I was sitting on top of a mountain 100 miles away from home with a blown brake cylinder and no brake fluid. A pretty fix indeed.

I was just exiting from underneath Wally when one of the park rangers came by and asked if he could be of any assistance. I explained the problem and asked if he had any brake fluid in the park shop. The ranger zipped off the the shop and returned with a quart of brake fluid and handed it to me. As good ole' southern boys will do, he refused payment of any kind and asked if he could follow me to the bottom of the mountain. I replied to his offer that I would be eternally (dire use of words) grateful if he would do so and asked if my family could ride in the truck with him. I filled the master cylinder, pumped the brakes a couple of times and off we went.

By this time the weather had set in not unlike the coast of Maine in the deepest of winter. Driving very slowly using minimal brake pressure, lower gears and judicious use of the parking brake, we eventually arrived at the bottom of the mountain.

The Wal-Mart at which we stopped on our journey up was located in the small town at the bottom of the mountain. We pulled in there. I zipped in and purchased some back up brake fluid and a quart to replace that which the ranger had given us. I thanked him profusely, gathered up my family and returned home without any further incident. 

Although our first outing almost ended in tragedy, we had a wonderful time and learned some critically important lessons. 

Since our first outing, we have gone through all of Wally's systems and done complete and thorough checks. We've developed a list of items required to be onboard before we can leave the driveway. In addition to our required items, I've developed a checklist that must be completed before putting Wally in motion.

Moving a motor coach across the country is very similar to flying.  One must be prepared to handle an emergency. One must know, in intimate detail, the systems of the vehicle and probable areas of failure and what actions to take in such should that system fail. Be prepared. 

We are now enjoying Wally to the fullest. As with any 35 year old vehicle that has not been completely restored, little things pop up now and then, but we are confident that Wally is completely road worthy. 

I look forward to about 3-4 years from now when I've restored the interior with raised mahogany cabinetry and new paneling and a new paint job.

All things good take time.

Safe motoring . . .

Linda, Margaret and Dennis McLeroy