Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!! We’re not shipping to Germany after all. Just two days before we were scheduled to deliver The Turtle V to the port in Baltimore, we received the following email from a member of The Silk Road Caravan Club:

A couple of years ago, a couple shipped their RV to Germany and were required to deposit $19,000, refundable when leaving Germany. I assume to prevent someone from selling their RV. They did get their money back.

We really couldn’t believe that, so we contacted the agent in Germany who was scheduled to handle our paperwork. She replied:

Hallo Monika,

The costs I gave you on 10 April, 2013 are for 1 passenger car resp. Jeep/Minivan

What is an “RV” ????

Will you travel in Germany and Europe and ship the vehicle back to America ???

If you intend to import the “RV” as a tourist into Germany you will have to pay to Bremerhaven customs a customs-bond. It will amount to approx. 29 % of the vehicle’ s value and it needs to be paid in cash. Customs will reimburse you with the money as soon as you can show them a proof that the vehicle left the European Union.

Best Regards,                                                                                                                                                                                                           ASI-Auto Shipment GmbH                                                                                                                                                                           Bremerhaven

“Hallo Mission Control—I think we have a problem, over”. Even at our suggested greatly reduced value of The Turtle V “RV”, ($25,000), we would need to come up with about $7,250 CASH which we would supposedly get back when we exited the EU six months later in Greece. (Good luck!) If German Customs decided that The Turtle V had a more realistic value of $150,000, a 29% CASH bond, (Put your shoes back on. I have a calculator), would be about $43,500, or just a small briefcase of $20s. We carry that with us all the time, right?

Oh!, and by the way, the ship we were supposed to load our truck on came into port a day early so the cutoff date for delivery was moved back a day and the ship was already full. Are we having fun yet?

Thanks to Larry Space for the “heads-up” on German Customs. He recently shipped his Sprinter to Amsterdam. Obviously, some quick research was needed. We contacted Mike Albi at Seabridge, our shipping agent. He suggested some alternative ports including Amsterdam, Holland and Zeebrugge, Belgium. (www.portofzeebrugge.be). Turns out our new ship, the Figaro Voy UF313, will actually arrive at Zeebrugge before going to Bremerhaven.

We logged onto Skype and called Rita Boussemaere at Wijngaard Natie Logistics – Atlantic nv in Antwerp, Belgium, http://www.wijngaardnatie.com/index.php?id=83 and explained our situation. She laughed. She said that was crazy. Belgium did not require any such deposit of any kind. We were tourists just traveling through and she would simply register our vehicle as transit. We breathed a sigh of relief and drove to the dusty parking lot of A1 Escort Service (www.a1escortllc.com) in the morning. The Port of Baltimore opens at 8:00 AM, stops for a two-hour lunch, and closes at 4:00 PM. We waited. At least there were a couple of wobbly porta-toilets next to the office.

We parked in the dusty parking lot of A1 Escort Service (http://www.a1escortllc.com/) in the morning, armed with a dozen documents and multiple copies.

The portable office buildings, (porta-shacks) of A1 Escort Services did at first not inspire great confidence. Needless to say, the service was excellent.

Not that we were worried or that we didn’t trust the hard-working longshoremen in Baltimore or in Belgium, but we had read about the horror stories of campers being broken into and equipment being stolen. When you’re shipping a vehicle overseas, replacing equipment is much more difficult. The Turtle Expedition’s Tortuga Camper will not fit in a container, so it must go “Ro-Ro”, (roll-on-roll-off), which means the vehicle is driven on and off the ship by dock employees. We took the normal precautions.

All easily removable external accessories like the PIAA lights and Total Vision cameras were removed. Smaller side and back-up lights were locked with PIAA Light Locks by McGard. All easily removable accessories from the cab were removed like radio, GPS, seat belts, Platypus hydration bags and fire extinguishers. False bars were velcro-ed across the inside of windows to eliminate temptation. Most windows are designed to be too small for anyone to crawl through. The camper itself is not accessible from the cab.

Outside storage compartments were either emptied or double locked with quarter-inch thick plates and padlocks. Of course, if someone wants to break in, there’s always a way, but we made it as difficult as possible. It’s called “physical intimidation”. Finally, since the cost of shipping is determined by volume, we reduced the tire pressure and emptied the Hellwig air suspension bags, which lowers the actual height of the truck by 2 inches. This could result in significant savings.

Easily removable external accessories like lights and cameras were packed in the camper.

Radios and GPS are easy targets for the ”snatch-and-run” thieves.

Center console and other storage compartments were emptied.

Items like the GPS brackets had no real value and could be left intact.

Smaller external storage compartments were emptied and the items were put in labeled boxes in the camper for quick reloading. Larger compartments were double locked.

Thick plates and double pad locks are impossible to remove without doing obvious damage to the camper.

Top storage boxes were padlocked and in any case, they are difficult to reach without a ladder.

Fuel and water cans were stored in the camper to eliminate any temptation. The spare tire and sand ladders are always locked.

Fiamm marine air horns were secured with a lock and a heavy cable.

Finally, we reduced the tire pressure and emptied the Hellwig air suspension bags, which lowers the actual height of the truck by 2 inches.

One of the last minute projects we took care of in Wrightsville PA was to have the experts at Safelite (in York) replace the windshield. It was not broken, but it had acquired the normal little bug and sand pits over the last 50,000 miles. We wanted to start fresh. Admittedly, I am a little fanatic about having a clean windshield. After all, one purpose of travel is to see out. There is an old Tibetan or Buddhist proverb: “If a man wears leather on his feet, the whole earth is covered with leather.” My version: “If a man drives down the road with a dirty windshield, the whole world is dirty.”

We also took time to upgrade our external 110-volt shore power inlet to the new improved SmartPlug. Instead of twisting and screwing to attach, it pushes straight in and stainless steel clips lock it in place with a weatherproof seal. An internal thermostat cuts power at the first sign of overheating and its straight-in connection blades have 20x more contact, greatly reducing electrical resistance and the chance of arcing. We did need to cut off the 30-amp male plug and adapt a heavy-duty 20-amp plug, the size we  normally use. A blue LED shows power is connected.

The technicians at Safelite used a unique Ezi-Wire device that cuts the windshield’s rubber seal without damaging the paint or factory trim.

A previous installer had scratched the metal above the windshield. Safelite sanded off the rust and primed it before installing the new glass.

The sealing compound used by Safelite dries in an hour and has a lifetime guarantee. It remains pliable which is an advantage for the rough roads we drive.

The installers at Safelite were extremely professional and they had all the right tools.

We had never used Safelite before, but their quality and service will bring us back.

The old fashioned Marinco plug was replaced with a new improved SmartPlug.

We did need to cut off the 30-amp male plug and adapt a heavy-duty 20-amp plug, the size we normally use.

The SmartPlug pushes straight in and stainless steel clips lock it in place.

The straight-in connection blades have 20x more contact, greatly reducing electrical resistance and the chance of arcing.

Our last stop before shipping The Turtle V to Europe was Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, home of Hoak’s Four Wheel Drive Center. This was a safe harbor to do a final oil & filter change, remove all lights, cameras, GPS, etc. from the outside and the cab for safe transport in the double-locked camper, and finish up a few last minute projects. In-between all of this, we took time to play tourists with our gracious hosts, Ben & Ann Hoak, owners of Hoak’s Four Wheel Drive Center. The local specialty is crab cakes, so that was a must. A weekend farmers’ market had such delicacies as smoked dog bones and a wonderful assortment of homemade pies, cakes and jams by the local Amish. A popular tourist town was Intercourse. We hear Paradise was nearby, but we didn’t go there.

Hoak’s Four Wheel Drive Center was a safe harbor to do a final oil & filter change and prepare the truck for shipping.

We joined Ben & Ann Hoak for a crab cake feast, a must if you are in this part of the country.

Fresh crab cakes!! Trust us, they taste better than they look.

Homemade pies, cakes and jams by the local Amish were a tempting treat.

A bone for your Great Dane? Yes, there were small bones for your poodle. Maybe a pig tail?

Hm, there is a town named “Intercourse”. Looks like there is also an Intercourse Island in the Dampier Archipelago off Western Australia. Probably not related?

At the Intercourse Museum, we discovered a beautiful selection of Amish quilts

Trees were in bloom everywhere.

Tidy Amish farms dotted the rolling countryside. Steel wheels were  the norm, and five mules provided power on this farm wagon. It’s an Amish thing.

Leaving the Espar Headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, we headed south towards New York State. Crossing the Rainbow Bridge we snapped a picture of Niagara Falls and it occurred to me that we were not “traveling”. This was just “driving”. Our typical travel day might only involve 150 miles and maybe 4 or 5 hours on the road before we find a nice place to stop for the night. If it’s really nice, why not stay a day or two and explore the area?

Crossing the border into Pennsylvania,— “Speed Limit 55 mph”, “Please Wear Your Seatbelt for the Next Million Miles”, but everyone’s going 78 mph and tailgating like they do in Los Angeles, —our next stop was Rickson Truck Wheels in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Very few shops in our area of California have tire-balancing machines that can handle our big Michelin XZL MPT 41-inch tires. More importantly, it’s not just having the right machine. Someone needs to know how to use it. While the ideal way to balance these big tires on new rims would have been finding a high point on the wheel first, then finding a high point on the tire and then matching the two so that they cancel each other. There was no time for that. Using a sophisticated computerized Hunter Hammerhead balancing machine with the proper centering device for our 20” wheels, coupled with Dan Rickson’s knowledge of how to use that machine, was the next best thing.

In some cases we were able to remove five weights and replace them with two, following the laser line that the Hunter Hammerhead drew across the tire. In two cases, after the Hunter found a high spot on the combination of tire and wheel, we did spin the tire on the rim to compensate. These are big tires and Rickson wheels weigh something like 130 pounds each. The slight shimmy we had been noticing at 65 mph is now gone.

While we were at the Rickson factory, Dan gave us a quick tour. We got to see the Mercedes blanks that were the foundation for our wheels. We asked Dan why he didn’t put valve stems on both sides of our reversible wheels. Basically he said it wouldn’t be DOT approved. We had consulted with Steve Sasaki at Powertank and with the people at GH Meiser (Accu-Gage Tire Gauge). Both agreed that it was not a problem to simply drill a hole on the backside of the wheel and add another valve stem. The surface where the stem sits does not have to be flat. The actual seal is created as the rubber expands inside the hole when the nut on the valve stem is tightened.

Back in California, we had experimented using 90° extensions on the valve stems. That was not the answer, so we had to drill holes and add valve stems after we had already mounted the tires. It was much more difficult, but we had no choice. Because we air our tires up and down frequently, depending on road conditions, and because the rims are reversible, valve stems on both sides were a necessity.

Real “air suspension”. What a ride!!

Having the correct centering device for hub centric wheels is critical to get a proper balance.

The Hunter Hammerhead is an extremely advanced sophisticated balancing machine.

Dan Rickson knew how to take every advantage of the sophisticated Hunter Hammerhead balancing machine.

In some cases we were able to remove as many as five weights and replace them with two, following the specific instructions given by the Hunter Hammerhead.

Steel blanks like these are ordered from Mercedes. They are the foundation for custom wheels like ours. Hub-centric holes and lug nut holes are machined in the blanks.

A robotic welder joins the centers with the outer rims.

Computerized CNC machines are used for precise machining of center holes and lug nut holes.

The specialty of Rickson Truck Wheels is a much stronger replacement 19.5″ rim for those that typically come on trucks and motor homes today.

Any questions?

After a quick stop at Ken-Tool, we headed northeast to Canada. Despite our fears of long lines and secondary inspections, there was no waiting and Canadian Customs simply asked us if we had any firearms or explosives, and then waved us through.

In the morning, the Customer Service people and Technicians were waiting for us at the Espar North American Headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. Our Espar diesel-powered heaters are an extremely important element to our comfort on the road. The Airtronic Air Heater is the primary heater for the camper itself. The Espar D5 Hydronic heats coolant from the engine to 187°F. Using a system of valves, we can direct that heated coolant to our FlatPlate hot water heater, or to preheat the engine on a cold morning, or to the camper itself should the Airtronic fail, or even to all three at the same time if needed. Both heaters use diesel from the main tank and both have been extremely reliable over the last 10 years.

We had come to Espar for two reasons. First, we wanted to have the heaters checked and analyzed by the Espar technicians with their computers to make sure everything was working correctly. Secondly, since these heaters are often used in sailboats/yachts at sea level, we had never installed a high-altitude kit that adjusts their fuel for the thinner air.

This would’ve normally required the installation of the second high-altitude fuel pump on each heater, but as luck would have it, Espar engineers have developed a new and more efficient method to deal with altitude. A small black box was installed on each heater that actually measures air pressure, which is directly related to altitude, to adjust the fuel pump automatically. With parts at their fingertips, the glow plug and atomization screen on the Airtronic was changed.

The new air pressure sensors have been tested to 10,000 feet, so we will let you know when we get to the 16,000-foot elevation along the Walkhan Corridor. If all else fails, we can always just leave the engine running as we did in Siberia, letting our third back-up Hunter radiator in the camper keep things toasty.

We are moving quickly now. Hope you can keep up. After a relaxing visit and overnight stay at Reutter’s Roost B&B (probably gained 2 pounds), we headed towards Canada. An important stop along the way was Ken-Tool, the world’s leading manufacturer of tire service tools. Sometime soon, I’ll be doing a full post on our tire repair kit. For the most part, repairing a tire can be pretty straight forward, once you get the tire off the rim. Getting our 41-inch Michelin XZL MPT tires off our Rickson steel wheels was a serious problem.

Rock Tyson and Roger Kliskey met us when we arrived at Ken-Tool headquarters and showed us the step-by-step process using their T52 Bead Breaker, a T35 Heavy Duty Tire Hammer, and the T2006 Super Serpent Demount Tool. With T2002 Serpent Mount Tool and a pair of Aluminum Bead Holders, the big Michelin was easily slipped back on the rim. A blast of 120-psi air from our AccuAir 5-gallon reserve tank reset the bead and the Extreme Outback dual air compressors quickly re-inflated the tire.

Breaking down these big tires is still not easy, but with plenty of lube, now we know it’s possible if we have to repair a tire on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Having the right tools make all the difference.

A T52 Bead Breaker and T35 Heavy Duty Tire Hammer were used to separate the tire from the rim. We could also use our Hi-Lift Jack for the job.

The Ken-Tool T2006 Super Serpent Demount Tool was used to pry the bead of the tire over the rim.

The unique shape of the Super Serpent Demount tool greatly speeds up the process.

Plenty of lube on the bead and rim makes the job much easier. We carry a small jar of Tire Slick tire-mounting lubricant for this purpose.

Rock Tyson, (VP of Sales & Marketing), and Roger Kliskey, (Manager), gave us a hands-on demonstration of the dismounting process.

A Serpent Mount Tool and a pair of Aluminum Bead Holders made easy work of slipping the big Michelin back on the rim.

A blast of 120-psi air from our AccuAir 5-gallon reserve tank was plenty to reset the bead.

Our dual ExtremeAire Velocity 12-volt air compressors by Extreme Outback Products quickly aired up the tire to 65 psi.

Quality products from companies like Ken-Tool are what make our life on the road and adventures like driving the Silk Road possible.

In route to our next business stop, we made time to visit Monika’s first “host mother” in Anoka, MN when she came to the States to teach through a foreign language teachers’ program for high schools back in 1976/1977. Alice Krull and her late husband Hal turned her parents beautiful farmhouse in Valley City, Ohio into a bed & breakfast. The transitional Queen Anne style home with a Victorian wraparound porch was built in 1913 and restored in 1996. www.reuttersroost.com. Alice insisted we spend a day to get off the road and she spoiled us with her fabulous cooking. Our comfortable bedroom even had a separate sitting room! What a treat!!

Reutter’s Roost is a transitional Queen Anne style home with a Victorian wraparound porch was built in 1913.

This deluxe bed & breakfast was a relaxing stop on our way to Mississauga, Ontario.

Bed & Breakfast with a capital “B”. Alice was a marvelous cook and we gained two pounds.

Still great friends after so many years, Alice was Monika’s first “host mother” when she was on a foreign language teachers’ program for high schools back in 1976/1977.

The snow-clogged streets of Denver soon turned the freeways into rivers of brown icy slop. So much for keeping the truck clean. It was nearly 850 miles to St. Louis. That’s more than we like to drive in one day. After over-nighting outside of Topeka, we threaded our way through the labyrinth of freeways into Kansas City, keeping an eye out for Dorothy and Toto, crossed the Missouri River, and headed straight to the comfortable home of Bob and Marilyn Chandler, creators and owners of the Bigfoot Monster Trucks. Having left Denver at a chilly 24°, we had the heater on most of the time. Suddenly Monika realized it was 84° outside, prompting a quick change to air-conditioning.

The next morning we headed over to Midwest Four-Wheel-Drive, home of Bigfoot. Bob helped me lift The Turtle V up on his shop rack. By placing Jack stands under the rear corners of the camper, we took the pressure off the giant pivot bolt in the back of the camper’s three-point suspension.

The master welders and engineers at Midwest Four-Wheel-Drive had redesigned and installed the camper’s suspension over 10 years ago after the miserably designed system by Safari Vehicles in Canada collapsed. With the pressure off the bolt we were able to back it out and check for ware on both the surface of the bolt and the lubeable bronze bushing. No problems could be seen.

After a relaxing couple days in St. Louis, we headed east, crossing the mighty Mississippi at flood stage. Destination Valley City, Ohio.

Midwest Four Wheel Drive is the home of the famous Bigfoot Monster Trucks.

Our Turtles have been in the Midwest Four Wheel Drive shop many times over the years. Gary did the very first story on Bigfoot #1 for Off Road Magazine.

Today’s racing fleet of Bigfoot trucks has a slightly modified suspension.

The big hydraulic floor lift at Midwest Four Wheel Drive, home of Bigfoot, had no problem lifting The Turtle V.

Jack stands under the rear corners of the camper allowed us to take the pressure off the giant pivot bolt in the back of the camper’s three-point suspension.

Bob Chandler had not lost his knowledge of how to use the shop tools. He had designed and built the Original Monster Truck back in 1974, and it grew from there.

A giant lubeable pivot bolt is the essential component of the Tortuga Expedition Camper’s rear suspension, allowing it to rotate on the frame. You can’t twist a box.

We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit with our old friends Bob and Marilyn Chandler.

Despite the fact that we reached Denver under blue sunny skies, weather was on the way. The temperature had dropped back down into the low 30s and flakes of snow were drifting around when we arrived at the Gates Corporation World Headquarters. It was a pleasure to meet some of the people behind the company that has supplied our belts and radiator & heater hoses for over 30 years. Many of the employees came down to take a closer look at The Turtle V.

Our first stop in the morning was the Gates Corporation World Headquarters.

It was a pleasure to meet some of the people at the Gates Corporation World Headquarters. They have supplied our belts and hoses for many years.

Monika is giving Kent Van Oort, Advertising & Marketing Communications Manager of Gates Corp.,  a tour of The Turtle V.

In the afternoon we headed over to ATS Diesel Performance where one of their expert technicians gave our Aurora 3000 Turbo a thorough inspection, both visual and using a scanner for an on-the-road performance test. Not that we expected any problems, because the Aurora 3000 has been extremely reliable, but it was nice to know that everything was in perfect running condition. ATS owner, Clint Cannon, gave us a tour of the expanded manufacturing facilities. Virtually all components of ATS Turbos and ATS Transmissions are now manufactured in-house.

The ATS Diesel Performance technician gave our Aurora 3000 Turbo a through visual inspection.

Using a scanner for an on-the-road performance test, our ATS Aurora 3000 was given a clean bill of health.

During a tour of the expanded ATS manufacturing facilities Clint Cannon showed Monika the new Ubangi earrings he is making. You can tell we were all laughing!

ATS Turbos have taken us around the world and now they will do it again.

That evening Douglas Rykerd, a good friend who had been on one of our Baja California  adventures, met us for dinner.

Douglas Rykerd drove up from Colorado Springs in a blizzard just to have dinner with us.

It was snowing hard by the time we went to bed. With the Espar Airtronic Diesel Air Heater set on low, The Turtle V was dripping with icicles in the morning and there was eight inches of fresh powder on the hood. We waited a few minutes but the weather didn’t change. Next stop St. Louis.

In the morning there was 8 inches of fresh powder on the hood.

With the Espar Airtronic Diesel Heater set on low, we slept warm but The Turtle V was dripping with icicles in the morning at 24°F.

Icy roads awaited us as we headed east.