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Saturday, November 18, 2017

2014 The Italian Sea Group Admiral Sail - Silent 76, Carrara Italy

Read article : 2014 The Italian Sea Group Admiral Sail - Silent 76, Carrara Italy

Features:

1. Construction

Hull Construction:

The hull is moulded in GRP from female moulds; it uses a high properties gelcoat and the internal side of the hull is vacuum infused with isoftalic polyester resin while the skincoat features a further application of vi-nylester resin in order to avoid and limit osmosis. Additional reinforce-ments are included to the keel area, the keel longitudinal, mast bulkhead, structural P-brackets, engine room basement, forestay and hull stringers. Limber holes which penetrate structural areas and/or tubes are installed at appropriate points on stringers, bulkhead – landings and floors.

Hull Finishes:

Grey metal hull and with light grey superstructure; red waterline and black antifouling;

Deck Construction:

Moulded in GRP with a PVC foam cored structure for strength and insula-tion. In load bearing areas the core is replaced with plywood for additional strength, and all load bearing fittings have backing plates.

The hull to deck connection is achieved by bonding the deck onto the return flange of the hull and using the glue approved by Class rules in or-der to create a structural junction.

Deck Finishes:

The weather deck, cockpit seats, sole areas and part of the coachroof area are finished with teak planking (10mm). This is laid using epoxy ad-hesive, with no visible fastenings.

The areas either side of the main companionway are finished with teak planking, with open stowage areas and stainless steel rails.

All lockers drain outside and their hinges and catches are recessed or hid-den into Teak planking, as appropriate.

Keel System:

The keel is a high performance bulb design.

The ballast keel is made of lead casting bolted to the GRP hull with stain-less steel bolts. Ballast weight is approximately 14,800 kgs. .

The keel is designed to combine moderate draft with good sailing perfor-mance due to its efficient shape and side winglets. The centre of gravity is very low due to the fact that the centerboard is made of cast iron while the actual keel is made of lead.

Mast and Boom:

Max Spar conventional alloy mast (made of two parts) with Ronstan track for in-boom furling mainsail with top tapered (last 3 meters). Triple spread-er rig with tapered aerofoil spreaders (21° angle).

Custom carbon boom – deep and trapezoidal section incorporating Bamar furling system and electric motor for in-boom furling mainsail.

Mast & Boom and Mast & Vang connections are custom made in alumi-num and feature a special, custom made concealing cover, made of car-bon, which gives a unique design. Also the vang itself feature a custom made concealing cover, made of two carbon conical blocks.

Deck Fittings:

Stainless steel opening pulpit;

Port and starboard navigational lights;

Stainless steel pushpit with gate for boarding;

Custom stainless steel and teak made engine bracket;

650mm stainless steel custom stanchions and bases with double stainless steel rod guardrails;

Pair of gateway stanchions for side access;

Stainless steel telescopic and retractile steamhead fitting with single roller designed to stow a 63kg Delta anchor. The chain flows into the steamhead arm itself, without the need of having an external chainplate;

Pair of custom stainless steel, leather upholstered backrest seats fitted at the helm positions;
6 x pairs of 400mm stainless steel “pop-up” mooring cleats with chafe strips to deck edges;
4 x pairs of aft “pop-up” fairleads and cleats in proximity of the transom bulwark;
Deck fillers – 2 x fuel, 2 x water and 1 x waste;
1000W Sanguinetti Chiavari retractile capstan for mooring lines at bow;

Cockpit:

The cockpit is split into separate guest and steering/crew areas, although they are both on the same level.
The main companionway features a double large horizontal sliding hatchway with stainless steel frames and grab rail. The sliding mechanism is manually powered.
The guest cockpit is over 3m long and self-draining as it’s on the same level of the main deck. There are also cockpit drains which ease the water to drain away while at sea and going upwind. There is a clear walkway giving excellent access from the companionway to the helm positions and side decks, all on the same level.
The cockpit features two teak-topped opening, sliding and telescopic tables.
The tables are permanently installed and have seats on three sides due to the cockpit design. The table is provided with a cover. Under one of the cockpit seats a top opening fridge finds place.
Three pairs of flush mounted waterproof loud speakers are mounted in the guest cockpit with their own cockpit mounted remote control unit for the dedicated ‘cockpit’ CD/Tuner head unit (head unit installed below decks).
Two of those speakers are used by the vhf system, as external loud speakers.
The helm position has twin custom GRP and aluminium steering pedestals
incorporating all the standard controls and instruments with plenty of room for additional equipment, if required. Each pedestal has a flush-mounted compass with internal lighting. There is a double lever engine control fitted at the starboard pedestal. The wheels are fitted in a reverse position, giving easy and safe access to the instruments mounted on both pedestals.
At the helm position an aluminium roll-bar finds place. This is the base where the two fixed points for the mainsheet system are fitted.
Aft the helm positions is a clear flat deck area, which can be filled with cushions, creating a sunbathing area. This area also includes two big lockers with flush-to-deck lids, teak covered; they are designed to host two liferafts or alternatively one can be dedicated to a liferaft and the other one to store lines. A custom flush hatch is fitted with twin gas struts, drain channels, rubber seal and against the wind closing to give access to the large dinghy garage.

Garage & Bathing Platform:

The yacht is built with a flap-down full beam transom, raised and lowered hydraulically, which also gives the main access to the toys garage. The garage can host a good number of toys and actually it fitted to host 3 seabobs.
The bathing platform created by the transom once it’s open it is provided with a demountable stainless steel bathing ladder and it’s covered by teak planking.
A removable ladder also connects the main deck to the transom when open. Alternatively also the gangway can be used for this purpose.
There is a hot and cold freshwater deck shower located in the dinghy garage which can be used on the bathing platform thanks to a flexible hose.
The garage door is also provided with an emergency system for opening the garage, which is placed close to the waterline, protected by a stainless steel screwed in cap and which can be operated by a person in the water.

Hard Top:

The yacht features a custom cockpit hard top, which gives a very good protection to the all cockpit and helm positions. This feature is unique on yachts of this size and contributes to the overall design of the yacht.

The hard has an aluminium structure, attached to the aluminium roll-bar which is placed aft. The practical functions of this will be both sprayhood and bimini.
The hard top has a glass cover and an opening area which is covered with acrylic material (Sunbrella), with battens.
The hard top also features side glasses which deliver complete protection to the forward end of the cockpit seats.


Anchoring:

A Quick 3000w electric anchor windlass is installed below deck and within the anchor chain locker. The windlass, which is two-way and operated by adjacent foot switch controls is well over specified for the size of the vessel.
The 63kg (approximately) Delta anchor stows into the retractable stemhead fitting.
120 metres of 12mm calibrated, galvanized chain is fitted to match the
windlass. The chain is fastened at its 'bitter end' to a through-bolted stainless
steel attachment with substantial lanyard.

Haatches, Windows and Portholes:

1 x Lewmar over forward crew cabin;
1 x Lewmar over forward VIP cabin;
1 x Lewmar over main saloon;
1 x Lewmar over garage (with teak planked lid);
Custom main companionway with double sliding and balanced hatch system,
stainless frames and grab rails (by SeaSmart);
1 x custom GRP hatch to cover anchor steamhead locker;
Custom direct bonded, curved and flat, non-opening frameless deck saloon
windows, smoked glass made (by Viraver);
8 x custom direct bonded non-opening frameless hull windows, smoked glass made (by Viraver);


Whinches:

2 x Harken 1000.3 ST three speed, electric drive, self-tailing primary
winches;
2 x Harken 74.2 ST two speed electric drive, self-tailing halyard winches;


4. Rigging and Sails


Standing Rigging:

The vessel is fitted with discontinuous Maxspar rod rigging for the 3- spreader rig. The standing rigging includes a split backstay which is made of high performance steel and Dynema for the backstay legs, with plates below deck;
Discontinuous rod rigging for tip-cups;
Enclosed rod rigging for tip-cups;
Stainless steel rod, which incorporates high strength, low stretch and high corrosion resistance;
Stemball spreader links and stemball tang fittings used throughout;
Total weight of standing rigging is: 340kg;


Running Rigging:

1 x 16mm dyneema main halyard;
2 x 16/14mm dyneema/dynaone headsail/blade halyard;
1 x 14mm dyneema storm/jib halyard;
1 x 16mm dyneema boom topping lift;

2 x 16mm dyneema asymmetric halyard;
1 x 16mm dyneema mainsheet;
2 x 16mm dyneema blade jib sheets;
2 x 14mm dyneema storm jib sheets;
2 x 16mm dyneema reef lines;
2 x 18mm dyneema checkstay runner tails;

Backstay and Vang Hydraulics:

1 x Cariboni hydraulic backstay tensioners with mechanical lock-off;
1 x Cariboni hydraulic vang with carbon cover;
Operation of these rig hydraulics is powered via a push button console fitted
on pedestal and with a manual backup control unit close to port pedestal;


Blocks:

Spinlock;
2 x stand up single block on bulwark;
2 x pad eyes;


Mainsheet System:

The system is managed by a magic trim system which is installed below deck at mast level. This allows to have a double point mainsheet on the rollbar and therefore the cockpit and deck remain as clear as possible;

Headsail System:

The system uses an auto/tacking jib with single track and single car;

The car can be also used for the removable staysail;

There is a single jib sheet, going from the traveller up to the mast and then down concealed under the coachroof and back to one of the aft winches;


Headsail System:

Bamar electric headsail furling which gives push-button reefing and furling
of the jib;
Unit finished in black anodizing and stainless steel and concealed below
deck to create a flushed bow area;
Manual backup;
Dual controls are provided for each headsail furling function, so the sail may be furled from either side of the cockpit;


Storm Staysail System:

Removable storm jib stay;
Storm jib halyard;
Cariboni hydraulic tensioner;

Rigging Hardware:

Fittings, tip-cups, etc., for discontinuous rod rigging;
Deck ring fabricated in spartite (composite) x 2 kits;
Conduit for masthead instrument wiring;
Spinlock ZS rope jammers for storm jib and blade jib halyards;
Spinlock ZS rope jammers for mainsail halyard and topping lift;
Mast jacking system;
SAILS (by North Sails) Mainsail – SRP 105 – 5 x full-length carbon battens, loose foot, two rows
of reefing points each with custom leech reef block;
Mainsail boom cover in acrylic;
Furling and Selftacking Jib – SRP 105, including a foam luff pad and UV
stripes;
All sails feature a custom graphic design;


5. Electronic Systems

Navigation Instruments:

2 x Raymarine i70, supported data views include: Wind, Speed, Depth,
Tri-data and navigation integrated with the Chart Plotter. The instruments
are installed on each pedestal;
Raymarine SPX-30 SmartPilot autopilot with T3 hydraulic linear drive unit;
2 x Raymarine p70 autopilot remote control located at pedestal and chart
table;
2 x Raymarine e125 Chart Plotter at both pedestals with integrated Digital
Radar and built-in 50 Channel Global Positioning System (GPS), interfaced
with the autopilot;
Raymarine 4kW Radome radar antenna mounted on mast;
Raymarine Ray 240E, Class D-DSC VHF radio-telephone with antenna at
masthead and second station at pedestal;
Magnetic compass;

Entertainment:

Stereo FM Radio/CD Player with iPod and iPhone connectivity. One is fitted with four loudspeakers in the cockpit and has a remote control with twin loudspeakers to the foredeck. Inside the yacht every cabin has a separate stereo system while the master suite and main saloon feature a proper home theatre system which includes stereo and iPod connection.
The stereo system can be also controlled via wifi by an iPad;
8 x OX-Home mirror TV’s are fitted throughout the yacht including bathrooms;

6. Engine Room Equipment

General:

The engine room surfaces are faced with white painted sound absorbing aluminium panels. The engine room access is below the ladder which connects the main saloon to the forward cabin, all other access panels are extra ordinary service panels into the salon floor. The engine room has 24v lighting and is fitted with extractor fans ducted to the exterior through concealed into coachroof grids. An automatic fire extinguisher is fitted with remote indicator light;

Propulsion:

2 x Yanmar Common Rail 4BY2-150 diesel engines, 150hp @ 4,000rpm
ZF reduction gear, which gives a reduction of 2.45:1;
2 x 22” 3 fixed pitch and blades propellers;
2 x 40mm stainless steel shafts lines;
2 x Bronze P-bracket and a PSS water-lubricated lip seal stern gland system;
1 x 15kW SP240 TCi Side Power electric bowthruster with speed control PPC 800;


7. Electrical System


12/24 Volt:

Domestic bank batteries are 24V AGM type, deep cycle series, with a total capacity of 2000 Ah @ 20Ah rate. This battery bank also serves the bowthruster load;
Engine starting batteries are 12V AGM type, heavy duty type (one battery for each engine);
Generator starting battery 12V AGM type, heavy duty type;
2 x 24V/100 Ah alternators (one for each engine);
24V/12V converter, used to charge the engine batteries bank through the alternators;
100A/24V Skylla-TG battery charger;
24V/5000W Phoenix inverter;
12V/30A Phoenix Charger for engines and generator;
24V/12V Blue Power IP20 battery charger for emergency battery bank;
Circuit breaker system;
Victron Easy Control Panel acting as a voltmeter and ammeter for monitoring the vessel’s batteries status;
Batteries isolators;

220 Volt:

1 x 20kW (50Hz) Kohler 4-cylinder diesel generator running @ 1,500rpm installed within manufacturer’s sound shield, located into the fully – insulated engine room. An exhaust water separator and waterlock are installed.

The unit has a remote Start/Stop and instruments mounted on the AC electrical panel at chart table.
220V AC circuit with outlet sockets located as appropriate within the layout;
1 x 63Amp dockside power cable, 3-core double insulated PVC; socket
located on the aft deck;
1 x 100A/24V Victron Battery Chargers;


9. Bilge System


General:

8 x Rule electric bilge pumps;
High level bilge alarm with double level sensor;
Manual bilge pump operated from the side of the cockpit and fitted with a metal deck plate;
Emergency electric bilge pump by Gianneschi, with manual clutch, rated to pump approx. 125lt/min;


10. Fuel System

General:

2 x aluminium tanks providing a total capacity of 1,900 litres, including the
return tank;
Tank inspection cover, one for each;
Tank deck fillers;
Tank gauge system;
Duplex Racor fuel filter and water separator unit is installed with warning lights at the electrical panel. With this system each filter can be isolated whilst maintaining the all machinery up and running, allowing in-use filter replacement and cleaning;

11. Water System


Fresh Water System:

2 x structural tanks totalling 1,360 litres. The GRP tanks are treated with inert gelcoat, fitted with baffles and provided with multiple inspection covers;
1 x 80lt Quick B3 80 water heater; the water is heated by the engine’s heat exchanger or by a thermostatically-controlled 220V, 1.2kW immersion heater element;
180lt/h Idromar MSK 18 watermaker;
Tank deck fillers;
Tank gauge system;

Grey Water:

3 x Sanisplit pressure lines which serve two grey-water aluminium tanks (totalling 220lt) located in the engine room, fitted with a float switch and a Gulper pump, giving automatic evacuation of all showers, washbasins and galley sinks;


Black Water:

5 x Tecma macerator toilets;
1 x 110lt aluminium black water holding tank;
Tank gauge system;
The tank is configured for discharge below water with additional ability to be pumped out from deck via flush-mounted deck fittings.


12. Other Options


General:

60,000 BTU Condaria reverse cycle 220V air conditioning, 8 units;
Barazza Microwave;
Miele electric oven;
Miele Dishwasher;
Miele Washing machine;
Bora 4-plates electric hob;
Bora extractor fan;
Waeco Coolmatic HDC 150 liter 24V fridge, front opening, fitted into the
galley;
Waeco Coolmatic CB 40 Liter 24V fridge, top opening, fitted into the galley;
Third fridge, top opening, fitted into the cockpit, below the seats;
2 x LED underwater lights;
Lopolight tri-wihite light at masthead;
Windex type Wind indicator at masthead with dedicated light;

2 x boom lights over cockpit;
Pair of down and up spreader courtesy lights;
Master gaiter cover in waterproof fabric;

13. Accomodation


General:

The layout allows for a maximum of eight guest berths and two crew, in five cabins, with five heads and separate shower compartments. Owners', guests' and skipper's cabins will have hanging lockers with auto light. All cabins have a mirror fitted.


Deck Saloon:

Access to the Saloon from the cockpit is via a set of teak covered steps, backlighted on the bottom side, with stainless steel handrails on side. The ladder structure is made of aluminium. A custom double sliding, smoked glazed access system is installed at the companionway. This system has a mechanically balanced and assisted operation. The access ladder continues aft, in order to give access to the guest area, and features a Plexiglas divider between the steps going outside and the ones which give access
to the guest area. Below the ladder, in the foyer, a little settee or alternatively a little storage or oilskin locker find place, while below the steps going down into the foyer, which can be removed, there is an access to the main electric switch panel.
Going into the saloon there is a large table to starboard which serves an ‘L’ shape large settee, leather upholstered. The table has a veneered top panel with stainless steel details and it features a sliding mechanism.
There may be also additional stools in order to create more sitting area.
Alternative custom tables are available on request.
To the aft side of the sitting areas, on the bulkhead, a good size mirror TV finds place. A custom drinks locker is fitted forward, surrounding the mast area.
To port side there is a bar area which also works as a kitchen island and which can be provided with tall stools. The island is covered with ‘slatelite onice classico’ on the saloon side which is also backlighted. On the port side, the galley and the chart table find place.
The material used within the saloon are ‘Eucalypt fumé’ for the joinery, white leather and stainless steel strips for the floors and white leather and sand nabuk leather for the headlining. The hull sides, hullports and hatches recesses are upholstered with brown leather, while the venetian blinds are made of wood and leather. The sofa is white leather upholstered.

The Deck Saloon is extremely light and airy, with four bonded to coachroof windows and two opening deck hatches. There are also two long nonopening hullports, one per each side. These hullports contribute to the great feeling of light and space, giving a panoramic view whilst at anchor.

Galley:

The galley has a single, long surface taking the most of the length of the deck saloon. The worktop is covered with ‘Callisto slatelite’ stone with all the appliances being flushed to worktop. The same slatelite material is also used on the floor.
The appliances include a double electric hob for a total of four hot plates by Bora which also feature a particular extractor fan in the middle, again by Bora, fitted on the worktop and assuring a good smoke and odour extraction with the minimum noise. Beside the hob is a sub-counter top mounted ceramic and custom made single sink, which is served by a retractile tap by Barazza. The galley also features an electric oven by Miele
and a microwave by Barazza, together with a front-opening fridge and a top-opening one, better described in the refrigeration chapter. The galley also has a front-opening slim line dishwasher by Miele, for up to nine covers.
Both the refrigerator and freezer have an automatic door light fitted and are provided with their own compressors.


Nav Station:

On this yacht the chart table area is located in order to be a natural continuation of the galley worktop, forward of the galley, and it’s provided with two front-facing panels which accommodate the all electronics, a substantial chart table and a stool which can be removed when not in use.
A small stainless steel support stay is fitted on the chart table lid. There is provision for the stowage of charts. Stowage will be provided also for navigational books, almanacs, etc.


Master Cabin:

The aft cabin is configured with a double berth which is centerlined, one pouf which serves a dressing table and an office desk, plus two large hanging lockers, with drawer and locker space. There is access to the ensuite aft bathroom which is split in two parts, located forward to both sides, one for the shower and the other one for wc, both served by a washbasin.
This cabin is also provided with a safe, flush fitted with digital keypad.

Master Head:

This bathroom is split in two separate areas, on port and starboard side.
The starboard side one includes a separate shower by Bianchi e Fontana and a washbasin; the shower walls and floor as well as the bathroom floor, walls and washbasin counter top are all covered with San Laurant marble with part of the shower corners to be backlighted. Also the washbasin is hollow into the same material and has taps by Fantini and plumbing by Paffoni.
The port side bathroom features a washbasin and a Tecma electric wc (black colour) and the same material as per the starboard one but has Alpilignum joinery instead of marble which is fitted on the floor and on washbasin counter top and stowage doors only. This bathroom also has a mirror TV’ which is hidden behind the mirror.
Headlining for both bathrooms are made of white LED backlighted panels.
Quality large type mixer taps, thermostatic shower controls and fittings are by Fantini and Inda.
Lockers for wash bags, cleaning materials and linen stowage are provided.

Guest Cabins (STB and PRT):

Forward of the master cabin are a pair of guest double cabins, one either side of the corridor.
One of those cabins is configured to be an upper/lower berthed cabin, while the other is a double berth one. Each has en-suite WCs and showers and a hanging locker. The beds also feature a big storage space under the slats net which can be lifted up.


Guest Head:

The two aft guest’s bathrooms serve the two aft cabins and are almost specular. They are both fitted with a separate shower by Bianchi e Fontana and they feature walls, floors and washbasin counter top in “Slatelite Selene”. The headlining is made of “Dani Boxland” leather and of varnished panels. The wc’s are Tecma electric (colour black). Both the bathrooms feature quality mixer taps and thermostatic shower control by Fantini
and fittings by Inda. In particular the taps are fizzed to floor and have a cylinder design.
The washbasins are mounted on the slatelite counter top and are by “Glassdesign” (colour black); the port side one is a gum type (flexible).
In both bathroom there are rollaway stainless steel wirings fitted in the shower which can be used to hang wet clothes; in this way the shower cubicle can be used as an oilskin locker.


VIP Cabin:

Forward from the saloon, which also include the galley on the port side, there is a VIP double berth cabin which uses the all beam of the yacht and has an en-suite good size bathroom on the starboard side. This cabin is also provided with a safe, flush fitted with digital keypad.

VIP Head:

The VIP bathroom takes the all length of the VIP cabin and is placed on starboard side. The shower walls and washbasin top are made of “Slatelite Elios”, while the other walls feature an “Alpilignum” joinery. The floors are made of “Calacatta Oro” marble which is also backlighted into the shower.
The headlining are made of “Dani Boxland” leather. Hidden behind the mirror, a TV finds place too.
The wc is an electric Tecma (Black colour) and the quality mixer taps and thermostatic shower control are by Fantini, while the bathroom’s fitting are by Inda. The washbasin is a ceramic type, squared, over counter top mounted, by “GSG Ceramica” (glossy white colour).


Crew Cabin:

Forward of this cabin is a double crew cabin with en-suite head and integral shower. This cabin is also fitted with a laundry corner which includes a washer-dryer; the access to this cabin is through a generous size deck hatch only.

Crew Head:

The Crew head which is accessible from the crew cabin only, features a Corian type floor with integrated grate for shower drain. The bathroom has an integrated shower and for this reason all the wall, lockers and other surfaces are made of easy to clean material. The bathroom has taps and shower fittings by Paffoni and a Tecma electric toilet (white colour).
In the bathroom as well as in the cabin itself there are rollaway stainless steel wirings fitted which can be used to hang wet clothes; in this way the bathroom can be used as an oilskin locker, while the cabin area can be used as a drying area.

Disclaimer

This offering is subject, but not limited to, errors, omissions, price fluctuation, and prior
sale or withdrawal without notice. All details disclosed are without guarantee and solely
based on the information received by the seller, intended as a general guide to the Yacht.
Engel & Völkers cannot be held liable for any lack of completeness, inaccuracy, or ambiguities
and/or errors contained in the information disclosed. It is the buyer’s responsibility
to disclose the details of any concern(s) to the seller, by the request of a survey, inspection and/or enquiry. The buyer must ensure that the purchase contract properly reflects his
concern(s) and that it sets out any representations and/or details on upon which he may
rely. Engel & Völkers always advises the buyer to conduct an independent survey
prior to the purchase. We are at your disposal for any further information about the
Yacht. Upon receipt of notice, the Yacht is available for viewing at any time, accompanied
by our Yacht Broker. The Seller is responsible for the payment of Commission

Sunday, December 10, 2017

2013 Jayco Seneca 37FS - RV Magazine

Read article : 2013 Jayco Seneca 37FS - RV Magazine
Jayco discontinued the Seneca after the 2010 model year absence when Chevrolet discontinued the Kodiak medium-duty truck chassis. Reborn in 2012, the Seneca now features a Freightliner M2 Business Class chassis. The 2013 Seneca offers a host of upgrades and improvements and really raises the bar. While it’s available in four different floor plans, including a 37RB rear bath model and a 36FK model with fireplace and large mid-coach entertainment center, the particular floor plan we reviewed was the popular 37FS bunk bed model that can sleep up to eight people.
Photo 2/18   |   2013 Jayco Seneca 37fs front Three Quarter
Construction
For 2013, the Freightliner Business Class chassis features a front leaf spring suspension and a new fully automatic air-ride rear suspension system that gives this Super C a smooth ride reminiscent of a diesel pusher Class A motorhome. A 55-degree wheel cut allows for excellent maneuverability in tight spots.
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Polished aluminum rims help set off the stunning full-body paint. Our particular coach came with the Espresso exterior paint décor and was protected against stone chips by a Diamond Shield paint-protection film.
Exterior
The massive three-piece chrome bumper gives the Freightliner chassis a real “big rig” look, plus you won’t need to replace the entire unit if you damage it when parking. Chrome heated and powered mirrors are augmented with rear and automatic side view cameras, which will display on the entertainment/navigation system by selecting that option on its touchscreen. A Carefree power patio awning provides plenty of shade in your patio area, and a keyless entry pad conveniently located near the entry door controls both the cab and entry power door locks. Deep tinted flush-mounted dual-pane windows give the motorhome a clean look and minimize wind noise. The front and rear fiberglass caps have a unique molded design with no corner seams to cause any leaks. Dual slide-outs are fitted with enclosed awning toppers for protection against debris and the elements.
optional exterior entertainment center includes a 32-inch LCD TV, AM/FM radio, and DVD player and is located behind a weatherproof cover in the patio area."> Photo 3/18   |   An optional exterior entertainment center includes a 32-inch LCD TV, AM/FM radio, and DVD player and is located behind a weatherproof cover in the patio area.
Living Area
Our Seneca was outfitted with the Mocha décor, which is one of three available décor packages. The wood floors and Washington Glazed Maple cabinetry with hidden hinges adds a warm look to the attractive interior and attention to detail, and the quality construction exceeds the fit and finish of some Class A motorhomes we’ve seen. The dual slide-outs in the 37FS open up the living and bedroom areas to provide plenty of floor space, and an 84-inch ceiling height ensures that you won’t be bumping your head. The soft-touch vinyl ceiling contains recessed halogen lighting throughout and a network of adjustable ceiling vents duct air from the dual 15,000 BTU air conditioners with heat pumps.
Photo 4/18   |   2013 Jayco Seneca 37fs living Area
The large front cap area sports a queen-size bed with a 32-inch LCD TV mounted on a powered swivel mechanism on the passenger side of that area. A rocker switch effortlessly allows the TV to swing out for whole-coach viewing or remain flat against the wall for bunk-area viewing or when not in use. A removable ladder affords easy access to the overhead bunk, and curtains can be used to separate that area from the rest of the motorhome. One optional feature, not included on this particular RV, replaces the overhead sleeping area with an entertainment center complete with 32-inch LCD TV and large storage cabinets to each side of the TV.
The driver-side Hide-a-Bed sofa located in the main slide-out makes into a bed for additional sleeping capacity. The Dream Dinette features a legless table that also makes into a bed by releasing a lever to effortlessly raise or lower the table. The comfortable booth seats are hinged to expose storage area beneath while a swivel recliner chair is located opposite the couch. The Flexsteel furniture features attractive UltraLeather upholstery, and seatbelts are provided at all locations, including the booth dinette.
The bathroom is equipped with a Thetford porcelain stool with foot flush and the shower is fitted with a circular enclosure with sliding frosted glass doors that prevent water from dripping on the floor when open. An overhead skylight provides warm, ambient lighting and additional height in the shower stall. The bathroom vanity also features a Corian top and a sink with an overhead medicine cabinet.
The bunk bed area is what separates this motorhome from the rest. The two stacked bunk beds are bound to be a big hit with young RVers. Each sleeping area has individual lighting, windows, and privacy curtains. A pair of optional entertainment centers is mounted in the ceiling above each bunk. Each flip-down display has an integral DVD player so that each occupant can view his or her own movie. External jacks for those all-important game consoles and headphones are provided as well as a storage pouch to place any auxiliary equipment to keep them out of the way. A cavernous drawer fitted with ball-bearing slides is located beneath the bunk beds and offers plenty of storage space for bedding or other large items.
The rear bedroom is equipped with a king bed with a comfortable pillow-top mattress. A large mirrored wardrobe complemented by a number of huge drawers in the bedroom slide-out at the foot of the bed provides tons of room for clothing. A 26-inch LCD TV is also placed there and is mounted on hinges to expose a deep storage area behind the flat screen. A large window located in the rear cap also serves as an emergency exit if needed.
Cockpit Area
The cockpit area is the typical Freightliner business class layout. The switches operating the cruise control are found on the dash. We would have preferred if they were mounted on the steering column for easier access because it was a bit inconvenient to reach. The Allison transmission’s T-handle shift lever is dash-mounted to the right of the steering column. The center dash area contains an entertainment and navigation system that uses a touchscreen to control the GPS navigation functions, radio, DVD, iPod, or rear-view camera functions. Immediately beneath this is the control panel for the Power Gear leveling jacks. A side cabinet located above the recliner contains the various controls used for the coach accessories, such as the Onan EC-30 automatic generator start module and a control panel for a Xantrex 1,800-watt true sine wave inverter that supplies power for the microwave oven and the RV’s entertainment systems. A holding tank monitoring panel and the slide-out operation switch are also placed here. Six-way power seats provide comfortable seating for both the driver and copilot. Power windows are also standard.
instrument panel includes a T-handle shift control for the Allison transmission as well as a radio/DVD/GPS system and controls for the Power Gear automatic leveling jacks."> Photo 5/18   |   The instrument panel includes a T-handle shift control for the Allison transmission as well as a radio/DVD/GPS system and controls for the Power Gear automatic leveling jacks.
Basement Area and Utilities
The basement storage space on the Seneca is nothing less than amazing. Every time I opened one of the side-hinged compartment doors, a spacious compartment made of tough, leak-proof Rotocast composite material was displayed. If you are one of those RVers who never has enough room to store your cargo, you’ll be very pleased with the Seneca. Excellent compartment height and wide swinging doors made it an easy task to load or unload cargo.
Photo 15/18   |   2013 Jayco Seneca 37fs basment Storage
A bank of four batteries is located in a forward driver-side compartment. These batteries are mounted on a slide-out tray for easy access when performing battery maintenance. The rearmost driver-side compartment houses an 8,000-watt Onan Quiet Diesel generator while a power cord reel makes quick work of rewinding the 50-amp power cord. A 10-gallon propane/electric hot water heater is located at the driver-side rear of the coach, while the 40,000 BTU propane furnace is located on the passenger side. A 56-pound chassis-mounted LP tank provides fuel for the water heater, furnace, and cooktop.
The plumbing service bay is spacious, offering plenty of room to store sewer hoses, fresh-water hoses, or a macerator pump. A whole-house water filter feeds the coach’s fresh-water system and an array of valves and controls offers access to operations such as filling the fresh-water tank, bypassing the water heater during winterizing, or operating the water pump. A paper towel holder, outside handheld shower attachment, black-tank flush attachment, and dump valves for the black and gray tanks complete that area.
storage bay features a long pass-through area that reaches to the far side of the RV for storing ladders or other tall items."> Photo 16/18   |   Basement storage space is cavernous in a Seneca. This particular storage bay features a long pass-through area that reaches to the far side of the RV for storing ladders or other tall items.
Driving the Seneca
Driving the Seneca imparted more of a big-rig feeling than in your typical Class C motorhome. The aerodynamically sculptured fiberglass hood tapers down at the front, which makes it easy to judge distances. The 340-horsepower Cummins diesel brought us up to speed rapidly, and the crisp handling of this chassis made the Seneca feel quite sporty for an RV. The hydraulic brakes were adequate to bring this 21,000-pound vehicle to a stop in short order, although it does take a bit more pedal pressure than the air brakes I am used to from driving Class A diesel pushers. This is a front-engine diesel chassis, so you won’t get the quiet sound of a rear engine diesel pusher, but I didn’t find the noise to be objectionable at highway speeds.
Photo 17/18   |   2013 Jayco Seneca 37fs floorplan
The change to the air-ride suspension that Jayco made during the 2013 model year is a welcome improvement. The fully automatic air-ride rear suspension system provided a much smoother ride. This is a big step forward for the Seneca and will probably make for an enticing upgrade to owners of earlier models with rear leaf spring suspensions.
The Seneca fills a sweet spot between typical Class C motorhomes and their more expensive Class A cousins. The Seneca is a great choice for Class A owners who want to downsize but don’t want to lose the quality, amenities, and storage that they are accustomed to. From its solid surface countertops, to its wood floor, to hardwood cabinetry with screwed stile construction, they may even find it exceeds what they were accustomed to. While large in size, most Class A motor-home floor plans aren’t designed to sleep many people. The 37FS Seneca can easily sleep eight, so large families will find this particular floor plan very desirable. For a couple who travels alone, the rear bath 37RB floor plan is another popular choice.
The torque and power of the Cummins diesel combined with a 10,000-pound trailer hitch means you won’t have any trouble hauling anything you need. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the Seneca is its huge amount of storage space. With a generous cargo-carrying capacity in excess of 4,000 pounds, you can feel free to load it up.
Jayco has equipped the Seneca with a ton of upgrades as standard equipment. In fact, our well-appointed Seneca only had two options—a larger 8kW generator and the DVD players in the bunk beds. The only other available options that were not selected were a choice of combo or stackable washer-dryer and a front entertainment center to replace the overhead bunk. This pricing method is a plus at resale time because RV dealers generally look at base price without options when determining a trade-in value, so the Seneca should fare well when it’s time to trade up. Jayco backs the Seneca with a two-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is also a plus when comparing it to other motorhomes and does add a testament to the quality they put into this unit. With all these features packed into an attractive motorhome, the Seneca will be a tough act to beat.
Photo 18/18   |   2013 Jayco Seneca 37fs onan Generator
At a Glance
Base Price: $216,720 (MSRP)
Standard Features:
• Full-body paint
• Accuride aluminum wheels
• 32-inch exterior LCD TV in galley slide
• 1,800-watt true sine wave inverter
• 32-inch LCD TV in main living area
• 26-inch bedroom LCD TV
• 40,000 BTU LP furnace
• 10-gallon gas/electric DSI water heater
• King bed with pillow-top mattress
Customer Value Package
Includes:
• 12-cubic-feet refrigerator with ice maker
• Two 15,000 BTU ducted air conditioners with heat pumps
• Backup and side view cameras and monitor
• Convection microwave oven
• Power electric cord reel
• In-motion Minimax satellite dome
• Touch screen in-dash CD/DVD/MP3 sound system with GPS navigation
• Flexsteel UltraLeather driver (powered) and passenger (no power) seats
Optional Features:
• Onan 8,000kW Quiet Diesel generator (6kW standard)
• Dual CD/DVD players in bunk beds
Price as Tested $218,779 (MSRP)
Specifications
2013 Jayco Seneca 37FS
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVWR): 26,000 lbs
Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR): 33,000 lbs
Cargo Carrying Capacity (CCC): 4,639 lbs
Wheelbase: 275 in
Overall Length: 39 ft, 1 in
Overall Width: 102 in
Overall Height: 151 in
Interior Height: 84 in
Fresh Water: 81.5 gallons
Gray Water: 41 gallons
Black Water: 52 gallons
Chassis: Freightliner M2 Business Class front-engine diesel
Tires: Michelin XZE2 275/80R22.5 14 Ply Load Range G
Front Suspension: 8,000lb Taperleaf leaf springs
Rear Suspension: 18,000lb Airliner fully automatic air-ride suspension
Brakes: Hydraulic disc brakes, front and rear
Fuel Tank: 30- and 40-gallon saddle tanks (74-gallon total), plus 6-gallon DEF tank
Trailer Hitch Capacity: 10,000 lbs
Engine: Cummins 6.7L ISB with exhaust brake
Horsepower: 340 hp @ 2,800 rpm
Torque: 660 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Allison 2500 six-speed automatic

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Here are Ten Terrifying New York Housing Stories to Mess Up Your Day

Read article : Here are Ten Terrifying New York Housing Stories to Mess Up Your Day

There are so many ways housing in New York can go wrong: a Craigslist scam, a crazed roommate, a radiator that screams like a jet engine without heating the apartment, or, best case scenario, just an enormous rat king that takes up residence beneath the stove. But no matter how bad you think you’ve got it, this Reddit thread of terrible apartment stories has something worse. There are wolf spiders and screaming junkies and cockroaches. Thousands and thousands of cockroaches.

There are dozens of stories on the thread so far, many of them involving vermin, poop, and various kinds of roommate mental instability. Here’s a sampling. Let’s start with the ones that are funny in an awful way and descend downwards, ending with the the stories that make us retch with despair and our souls long to leave our bodies. Gird yourselves:

(All reactions courtesy of Reaction Gifs and Giphy)

– See also: NYC’s Ten Worst Tenants

10. Odd couple:

I had a roommate that was a hippie. She didn’t shave, use deodorant, work out, etc. Her parents dumped $500 into her bank account weekly. She never did laundry. Dishes (including mine that she and the other suitemates would use) would end up growing ecosystems when left in the sink for weeks. I had to wash my dishes in the shower and kept them in my room to avoid sharing. She would have weekly movie viewing parties on weekdays like Tuesday and Wednesday in the living room with far more people than should fit in that room until 2 AM when I was trying to study or sleep. Pubes consistently everywhere in the bathroom. (Mine were a different color so that eliminated that problem.) She took fiber supplements and took the most massive shits that left shit rings in the toilet after she flushed. (Earning her the nickname “Queen of Saturn” from me and my boyfriend.) The final straw was when she left a used tampon behind the toilet. Still don’t understand how you miss throwing it out/dropping it into the toilet.

Appropriate reaction:

Terminator smiling

9. Kool-Aid Man sounds like a real dick:

A guy I used to be friends with lived in Queens and his neighbor was FUCKING crazy. One day while he was at work, his neighbor busted through his wall like Kool-Aid man, leaving a man sized hole in the wall. His neighbor thought my friend was fucking his wife and wanted to kill him.

Appropriate reaction:

8. Ordinary Williamsburg Apartment:

While looking for a place I went to look at a place in East Williamsburg kinda near the Morgan L. It was a loft with about seven ramshackle bedrooms with eight roommates already, some stacked on top of each other, most of them closed off with cloth instead of doors, the whole place was probably about a 750sq ft. The shower didn’t work and was made from a plastic water tank and some tubing and was located in a closet along with two cats’ litter boxes.

The table in the main room was covered end to end with empties and then there were stacks of empties near the windows and alongside the walls. When I asked the roommates what they did for fun “We drink a lot.” The “room” was a 5 foot high cubby box up a step ladder with no door.

They wanted 800 dollars a month for it.

Appropriate Reaction:

[

7. Love story, with weed:

I was a subletting from this young couple in Queens. Everything was going decently well other than over hearing a few verbal fights between them. Then one day I get a call from the girl’s sister asking when I was going to be back at the apartment, because both of my roommates were in jail.

Long story short, it turned out that she assaulted him and he defended himself, then they both called the cops on each other. The cops came quickly, and they forgot that they had left a POUND of weed out in the open.

They used my security deposit on bail, and the girl apparently snapped and had a mental breakdown of some sort. She accused me of being a cop because on my license I used to live on a street that ended with “Court.” So she apparently thought I lived in a courthouse or some shit. I noped out as soon as I could and found my own place.

Appropriate reaction:

image

6. Furniture party:

I once had one of my roommates move out on short notice and had to rush to find a replacement. My other roommate found someone through her coworker that needed a 3 month sublet. The girl came over on 2 separate occasions to take a look at the apartment and the room, and decided that she wanted to move in, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

My first red flag was when she asked me the day before moving in if it was okay for her to bring a “large desk and small couch” that she really didn’t want to part with. Now, my apartment is a loft so it’s pretty open feeling, but it’s not actually that big, the bedrooms are tiny, and it was obviously already fully furnished. I told her we could try and find room for it, and she assured me that if I ended up not being okay with it she would move them to storage.

The next morning she came with movers to bring her bed, dresser and the aforementioned furniture. The couch actually fit okay, and we propped up the disassembled desk in a corner – a slight eyesore but not too in the way, I could live with it for a few months. Sublet girl left to get the rest of her personal belongs, and my roommate and I left for a friend’s barbecue for the day.

What we came home to that night was surreal and terrifying (I should add that we ate a pot brownie and were super-duper stoned.) When we entered we found what appeared the be the entire contents of another apartment in our apartment. Tables, stools, chairs, dressers, a standing keyboard, floor lamps, table lamps, full length mirrors, a full set of pots and pans, plates and flatware, a toaster oven, and just boxes upon boxes of things. You could barely walk it was so cluttered.

When we told her that she had brought way more stuff than we agreed to she started insisting that she could make it all fit. Apparently, she had planned on just getting rid of most of her furniture but “at the last minute realized it would be a waste of money” (she seriously phrased it just like that,) so she had her dad help her bring it all over while we were gone. I told her there was no way it would all fit and that she would have to move the stuff into storage (as she had previously offered) and she flipped out. She started screaming about how I thought I knew everything was generally very rude and insulting, telling me how I “must have never lived with roommates before.”

As she became more aggressive I really started to freak out, realizing I was going to have to kick this girl out. I had to just leave the apartment at that point to avoid a full blown panic attack. When I came back I told her that this wasn’t going to work and she had to find somewhere else to live. She continued to be angry and aggressive, screaming at me and throwing a fit, but finally agreed to have all her stuff out by the next week.

Appropriate reaction:

Huh! what?

5. The Double Move:

For a few months during the Summer of 2009 I was floating between different living situations in Greenpoint while waiting for a more permanent place to become available.

One location was near McGolrick Park, which I found on Craigslist. I checked out the room and met the roommates, and it seemed ideal for the month or two I’d be there. I rented the U Haul, got a friend to help me move, packed up my belongings and moved them to this new spot on the top floor of a four floor walk up. It took a good part of a day, and as is customary, I took my helper friend out to dinner after the move.

After dinner I went back to the new apartment to unpack and setup my bed. I get in the front door, turn on the lights, and the walls and floor are moving: cockroaches of all sizes, thousands of them. I’ve never seen so many roaches. I stood there in disbelief. Fear turned to anger.

I called up my buddy and told him the situation. He offered me his couch to sleep on for the night, so I headed down to Williamsburg.

The next day I went to work and told my coworkers the story. One of them knew of an open apartment down the street from the infested place that I could use for two weeks. My boss told me to deal with is ASAP, so I left work, went back to U Haul, packed my shit up and moved.

Moving twice in a 24 hour period is not fun.

Appropriate reaction:

[

4. Shower Party Favors:

The ceiling above the bathtub dripped for over a year. Luckily, it was the best place to have a leak. But the thing dripped almost daily.

The super, management and 311 were called on a biweekly basis. The super would come, paint over the leak and the new paint would fall into the tub with that night’s dripping.

One day it was real bad. Water bubbles appear all over the ceiling, a stream of water running down the walls. The super told me he’d be over in 20 minutes. I wanted to take a quick shower, so I hopped in. I stepped forward to pick up the soap and the ceiling caved in on me. But it wasn’t just the drywall, oh no, the ceiling had all sorts of goodies stuffed in it: a Trader Joes bag, tiles, sponges, t-shirts, towels, rags, tupperware. It was as if the previous tenants made the same complaints and the super just stuffed junk in to absorb the leak.

The super repaired the leak by patching the hole, and the whole process repeated itself over and over again. He told me there was no leak.

After over 20 calls to 311 a lawyer contacted me (how did they find out?). I told management it just three weeks ago they retiled the bathroom upstairs and redid our ceiling. It hasn’t leaked since.

Appropriate reaction:

3. All the rats everywhere:

I was living in Bushwick, and after Sandy, a lot of Brooklyn’s rats got pushed inland. One night i heard a rustle, something got got on a plastic bag. It was too loud to be a mouse. After investigating my girlfriend and I found large droppings under the sink, so we invested in glue traps. The next night, the rat got into a bag of cadbury eggs left on the table. So I think: great, they like chocolate. I put the eggs on the glue traps hoping it would catch it. The next morning, I woke up to see all of the eggs plucked off. Smart bastard. So instead of placing the glue traps in different parts of the kitchen, I put them all together like one large glue trap valley, and this time it worked. Later that night I heard a squeaking and the rat got all jumbled up in traps, hysterically scampering across the floor. I had to throw another glue trap on top of it, making a bit of a rat-trap sandwich. I knew I had to kill it as reminded by my girlfriend, standing on a chair screaming bloody murder — it was honestly the largest animal I’ve ever had to kill. Rising to the occasion, I crushed it with my foot until the squeaking stopped. You know in movies when the villain suffocates the person in the hospital with a pillow? It was kind of like that.

I lifted my foot and took a deep breath — sending a prayer out to the rat gods. There was silence for a moment. An then it started squeaking… again. Because, as I would find out later, rats can RESTART their fucking hearts. So we go through the whole excruciating scene again, with the suffocating with the foot like the villain with the pillow in the hospital until this time I was sure it was dead. I didn’t pray to the rat gods that time. Undead fucker.

Crisis over. Right? What I didn’t know was that, when you see one rat…it means there are hundreds. Rats are routine based, they have a list of stops per day, and if they put you on their schedule, there is no way getting off of it. So it began that every night, as soon as the sun went down, they came. Like gremlins. The following things actually happened:

  • woke rat up after getting home from work, was sleeping in my sweater
  • rat jumped out of garbage, as I was discarding soup contents.
  • woke rat up after getting home from a show, was sleeping in my bed.
  • scratching, lots of scratching everywhere.
  • dead rat under kitchen table
  • rat staring at me having sex
  • rats playing in the walls. loudly.
  • two rats hiding out in my kitchen
  • rat poop on my bed

Appropriate reaction:

when my friends send me a disgusting picture thinking it will be funny

[

2. Wild Kingdom:

Used to live in a five bedroom basement apartment in Alphabet City. It was gross, and dark, and damp. We kept it very clean though, and the rent was absurdly cheap so I was willing to put up with literally anything, including:

Lots and lots of wolf spiders. Wolf spiders in the bed, wolf spiders in your shoes, wolf spiders crawling on naked girlfriend’s back as she slept.

A thousand times more of those whiskery centipedes. We got used to those and just let them live to help us out against the…

Massive waterbug infestation. Every. Single. Morning. I would hunt and kill a huge cockroach before taking a shower. But that was fine by comparison because…

A rat died in the bathroom ceiling, it wasn’t the first (we’ll get to that later), but it led to…

A huge infestation of maggots dropping out of the bathroom ceiling fan on naked female roommate as she was about to get into the shower. Those weren’t the only larva in the bathroom though, at another point we had these really long thin worms attacking our toilet brush.

Unstoppable regular cockroaches everywhere. Every single appliance would have tiny dead cockroaches in the little LED screen. We were like “fuck it” though because you can only kill so many bugs in a day.

Then there was the rat invasion. Somehow rats managed to work their way into the walls of the apartment from the front of the building. We’d hear them running across the ceiling, fucking, fighting, etc. I’ll always remember the Beijing Olympics as being punctuated by the screams of a constant rat orgy. Then the exterminator came, and then we had a solid New York summer of decomposing rat smell.

And yet, despite all this the place remained populated (not by me, but by other roommates) all the way up until Sandy took it out.

Appropriate reaction: Sheldon hyperventilating Big Bang Theory

1. Oh dear God:

I had neighbor a few years ago. It was an older woman who apparently let a war vet stay with her some 2 years before I moved in, but he was only supposed to be there for “a few weeks”.

Well I frequently told my landlord about the very wrong noises, shouts, screams coming from the apartment. Sometimes so loud I’d leave my apartment to go to the bar and I could still hear the sounds all the way down the block. Moans, yelps, “fuck me, fuck you”, whimpers… very disturbing stuff.

The cops would sometimes spend an hour or more when they’d get called trying to get in, or get the guy in question out. I watched him take on 12 officers in a scuffle outside our doors in the hallway, him spitting, swinging, yelling “I’ll KILL you!” usually followed by “Just KILL me!”… Always with the same end result. Dude getting put on a gurney and mask looking like Hannibal.

After almost 2 years of living next to this, the landlord got eviction granted. The woman was taken to the psych ward and put under suicide watch and some family of hers was contacted. Apparently the war-vet was physically and mentally torturing her and another war-vet that was a quadriplegic. Blood letting, drugs, fucked up fetishes… the dirt/disease and stench of the place when they finally started clearing it out… My landlord likened it to “Up the river in Apocalypse Now” in terms of depravity.

After that the roaches largely left the building and now there is a nice family living there.

Appropriate reaction: That one is too terrible for a funny GIF. Never mind. We’re very sorry for ruining your morning.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

I vacationed at the East Coast’s quintessential rest stop. It’s more inviting than it looks.

Read article : I vacationed at the East Coast’s quintessential rest stop. It’s more inviting than it looks.
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Breezewood caters to all motorists, but the town is especially trucker-friendly. In the half-mile strip, drivers find two truck stops, both with laundry facilities and showers. (Melanie D.G. Kaplan/For The Washington Post)

I expected to live my entire life without price-shopping for truck-stop showers. Then I spent the night in Breezewood.

The adventure began last August when my main squeeze James and I drove to Colorado. We passed through Breezewood, Pa., as do many drivers heading to the Rust Belt and beyond.

“What do you think about vacationing here for a week,” James asked. I laughed loudly and dismissed the idea.

If you’ve been there, you understand why. Breezewood has been a travel hub for centuries. It was a stagecoach stop in the late 1700s and then became a stop on the Lincoln Highway, America’s first cross-country road. The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, and thousands of World War II veterans exited at Breezewood, stopping at what now is the Gateway Travel Plaza to trade their unit patches for meals. Today, motorists driving between I-70 and the turnpike are forced off the highway and onto a congested half-mile stretch of expensive gas stations, fast-food joints, truck stops and motels. That’s what people do in Breezewood, I thought. Get a quick caffeine fix, then refuel and get back on the road. They don’t sleep there.

“I’m game,” I said last summer, accepting James’s challenge. “But only for one night.”

By the time we finally rolled into town last month, I was excited about our adventure.

I had learned about Pike 2 Bike, a graffiti-covered, crumbling section of the original four-lane turnpike that was abandoned 50 years ago after the two-lane tunnels became bottlenecks. We packed bike shorts and were ready to explore. But on our first day, I was determined to walk up and down the Breezewood strip, U.S. Route 30, to better understand this town people love to hate.

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Crawford’s Museum, which once displayed hundreds of taxidermied animals, is now a sports souvenir store filled with Pittsburgh Steelers tchotchkes. (Melanie D.G. Kaplan/For The Washington Post)

In the shadow of prominently placed no-pedestrian signs, we set off single file, along the shoulder — looking like hobos — and scuttled across intersections between groaning semis.

During our stroll down the strip, where 18-wheelers often outnumber four-wheelers, James and I counted close to a dozen vacant buildings, including a former Wendy’s and KFC. We wandered around an empty, weed-filled motel lot; inside a chain-link fence sat a pool filled with brown water. Several businesses pleaded for workers. Taco Bell’s sign made me smile: “Need a job? Come taco bout it.”

Among the newest properties was the Holiday Inn Express, which sold in its lobby Hungry Man frozen dinners, build-your-own six packs of beer and a snow globe of Pennsylvania covered bridges. The busiest place (and our lunch spot) was Sheetz, in front of the touch-screen kiosks that facilitate made-to-order food.

At the Gateway — where you can see displays of the soldiers’ patches — we popped into the gift shop, and I bought a miniature license plate with my name on it, skipping “The Complete Venison Cookbook.” Upstairs, we found a laundromat and arcade, and a quiet lounge for truckers that offered complimentary Bibles in Spanish.

image

Having passed Crawford’s Museum many times, I was hopeful about finding some culture in town. Alas, we discovered that the museum sign is simply a leftover from the building’s days of exhibiting taxidermied animals. Today, it’s a sports souvenir shop — offering a frenzy of Pittsburgh Steelers tchotchkes. Some of the animal displays remain, cohabitating in this odd space. A Kodiak bear stands on his hind legs in the sale section; some of his claws were plucked out over the years. An elephant’s head rests on the back wall, its ears splayed, tusks stretching out over the baseball caps.

Before dinner, we left town, driving past farms and orchards, and slowing for bunnies scampering across the road. We stopped at a half-dozen covered bridges just long enough for selfies and found Gravity Hill, an optical illusion that makes cars look like they’re rolling uphill. (It was underwhelming to one of us and delightful to the other.)

That night at the Quality Inn Breeze Manor, a tidy hilltop motel, I found a walking path to the truck-service station, which was lit up like a ballfield. One truck carried 10 colorful Mini Coopers, another logs, another FedEx packages. Standing on a knoll, I watched the endless parade of trucks and was enthralled while listening to their strange noises until bed beckoned.

The next morning, we enjoyed a large and healthy breakfast at the 1788 Inn, a newly renovated bed-and-breakfast just beyond the strip — but not far enough away to escape the constant din of rumbling trucks. Fueled up for biking, we drove to the start of the Pike 2 Bike trail and met Murray Schrotenboer, a gray-bearded entrepreneur who runs Grouseland Tours and has been riding the abandoned section of turnpike for nearly 20 years.

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The 1788 Inn, recently renovated with fireplaces in every bedroom, was once a stagecoach stop. (Melanie D.G. Kaplan/For The Washington Post)

Under overcast skies, our small group set off. We pedaled at a comfortable pace, with gentle climbs and descents, and Schrotenboer narrated a history of the route starting with William Vanderbilt and a failed railroad project. In the old turnpike median, weeds grew to shoulder height and butterflies darted around wildflowers. Nature was repossessing its land. Locals describe it as post-apocalyptic.

We rode single file through two tunnels — dank, foggy, pitch black stretches, one more than a mile long. Condensation made the interior drippy, in some places like a waterfall. Our headlights shone cones of visibility through the dark droplets of water.

“We’re 400 feet underground,” Schrotenboer said, reminding us that we were under a mountain. We pulled over in an empty asphalt lot and he pointed to some trees. “This was once a Howard Johnson and Esso Station.”

On the return, we passed a dozen other cyclists, including a family of six driving between York and Pittsburgh. Schrotenboer, who stopped us often for stories, pointed out the spots where parts of movies “The Road” and “Zombie eXs” were shot. At one of the tunnel entrances, he unlocked a door and led us to the former control, boiler and ventilation rooms for the tunnel. This surreal steampunk hideaway is accessible only on Schrotenboer’s tour (although trespassers have found a way in), and I considered that alone worth the price. We walked by a fan the size of a jet engine, covered in bright graffiti, and continued about 150 feet into the gritty plenum, or attic, of the tunnel. Echoes bounced eerily back to the entrance.

image
The Pike 2 Bike trail along an abandoned section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike passes through two tunnels, one longer than a mile. (Melanie D.G. Kaplan/For The Washington Post)

After our five-hour, 17-mile tour, we were mud-splattered and sweaty. Inconveniently, we had checked out of our motel that morning. The previous day, we had learned that showers at the Gateway cost $14. (“Pricey,” I had muttered.) I suggested that we check out the less-spiffy Flying J across the street. Sure enough, that saved us $2. I bought a shower pass from the cashier, walked to the basement and keyed in a code at the assigned room. Easy as pie.

With that, our Breezewood adventure was over. Driving out of town, I saw Bob Evans, Shell, Best Western and a fluttering Stars and Stripes in my rearview mirror. In less than a mile, we were driving through green, rolling hills. I thought about the world we’d made — the crumbling facades, the abandoned highway, the declawed bear — and watched trucks across the median speeding toward a momentary stop in a strange yet utterly American town.

Kaplan is a freelance writer based in the District. Her website is melaniedgkaplan.com. Find her on Twitter: @MelanieDGKaplan.

Where to stay

The 1788 Inn

16200 Lincoln Hwy., Breezewood

814-626-1788

the1788inn.com

The Federal-style 1788 Inn is run by delightful hosts who care deeply about renovation and history. Each room has a fireplace and private bath with heated floor. Rooms from $125, including full breakfast; call ahead for a la carte breakfast at $25 for two.

Quality Inn Breeze Manor

16621 Lincoln Hwy., Breezewood

814-735-4311

choicehotels.com

Located on the Breezewood strip, the motel is a quarter-mile from the Pike 2 Bike trail. The Quality Inn has basic rooms, a clean outdoor pool, free continental breakfast, a view of the truck-service plaza and a black Labrador greeter named Sadie. Rooms from $119.

Where to eat

Mother Trucker’s Cafe

167 Posthouse Rd., Breezewood

814-735-4076

mothertruckerscafe.com

Located in the Flying J Travel Plaza, Mother Trucker’s is one of the few non-fast options in Breezewood, although fast it is. Cafeteria-style sides start at $2.36, including mac and cheese, cabbage and blueberry cobbler. Dinner plates, including with ham pot pie and pork sauerkraut, cost $9.43.

Horn O Plenty

220 Wolfsburg Rd., Bedford

814-623-0522

myhornoplenty.com

A short detour from the covered-bridge tour, this farm-to-table restaurant is the antithesis of the Breezewood strip — a beautiful, natural setting with organically grown ingredients. Homemade sourdough and condiments, wood-fired pizza and entrees such as quinoa cakes and stuffed peppers, starting at $16. Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.

What to do

Pike 2 Bike Behind the Scenes Guided Tours

Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30)

814-784-5000

pike2bike.com

Murray Schrotenboer’s Grouseland offers 17-mile bike tours along the abandoned highway and through its tunnels, as well as otherwise inaccessible parts of the turnpike, such as the control room. Ride and tour last three to five hours, or add on for a deluxe tour with a hike. One rider, $95; two, $110; three or more, $45 per person. Rental Cannondale bikes are available. If you venture out on your own, make sure to bring lights and water.

Covered Bridges of Bedford County Tour

Bedford County Visitors Bureau

814-623-1771

visitbedfordcounty.com/coveredbridges

Download a copy of this 100-minute driving tour or call for a brochure and map. The county has 14 century-old, hand-built covered bridges, nine of which are on the loop. Be sure to visit nearby Gravity Hill, an optical illusion where your car appears to roll uphill.

Bedford County Bike Loops

Bedford County Visitors Bureau

814-623-1771

visitbedfordcounty.com/biking

The county website has five printable maps of bike loops with lengths of 16 to 42 miles. Loops are generally rolling hills with light traffic and some good climbs. The rides pass farms, orchards and covered bridges.

End of the Road Marathon
and Half Marathon

Forbes Road High School

159 Red Bird Dr., Waterfall

pike2bike.com/event

Bring your flashlight or headlamp for this race. Held Oct. 29, the marathon route follows the abandoned turnpike, with water stop volunteers dressed in apocalypse-themed attire. Be prepared for rough patches, potholes and several miles inside the abandoned tunnels.

Information

visitbedfordcounty.com

M.K.