5C's Que Pasa

Thanks you so much for all of your comments and support.  What a crazy few weeks what with Mommio passing away.  This past Monday would have been her 105th.  The last 24 hours have been hectic. Got an email yesterday from friends who have decided that they are having too many RV issues and have headed back home to BC 😯 and plan to spend the winter there.  They have been RVing to Mexico as long as we have, perhaps a few years longer.  We plan to keep limping along.

I have spent about 4 – 5 hours each day researching parts and getting them ordered. Two came in today and a big one should come in tomorrow.  More about those later.

Today we needed to pick up our final wine supply so that Colin can get them packed into the basement.  They go in first for obvious reasons.

So you really think Colin bought this? We don’t ever drink red wine. Quite the large bottle.

The other thing that happening last night was that my computer desk fell apart. Colin did fix that.

Our big shop for today.

Saw this at the store. I think I need Soul Food.

So tonight there is a freeze warning for Las Vegas.  Just our luck. As suggested we have brought in our water hoses and filters.

No matter what the day has been like, Mother Nature still gives us a lovely end to the day.

We need a mental lift and are thinking about heading our for dinner despite it being 47F right now.  I will let you know tomorrow the que pasa of it all.

More problems… can’t deal with it tonight.  To bout, some of the wine we purchased to taste today,  is mostly garbage and will be thrown out. That bad.  Not worth drinking past a few sips.  None of the weather channels I was watching mentioned wind. Huge winds.  Colin had at least a dozen heavy duty rubber straps on the tripod.  The wind blew the tripod right out of the ground  We have lost our LNB and arm  🙁

Enough for tonight 😐

We actually made a full dinner last night ( not lox and creme cheese on croissants nor other quick dinners ).  Caesar salad and sloppy joes.

Well it was a cold night.  I got up at 7:30AM and it was 25F/-3.9C with a real feel of 12/-8.4C.  It certainly did feel like that real feel.  I checked on Ely and yes it did get down to-13F/-25C.  Glad that we dodged that bullet.

At the Alamo RV park this morning. Check out was at 12 noon as was the check out the Las Vegas RV park where are were checking in, so we were not in a rush to leave.

However we should have left earlier 😕  Just as we are getting ready to leave a skunk came by. Phew 🙁  We were finally driving by 10:20AM. It was a very short drive and only 105 miles.

We got to I15 and Loves’s at 11:30AM.

I thought it was Sunday and then remembered that today was Monday. Where is the traffic? In over twenty years of passing along here, I have never seen I15 so empty.

Ahh here is some congestion.

From that last photo you do a large loop in the opposite direction. The construction is complete and it looks wonderful. They have done a wonderful job with the landscaping  in between the loop.

A bit of congestion as our lane joins the main road.  Not a long wait at all and once on that road, it was smooth driving.  We were at the checkin area of the RV park by 12:10PM and set up by 1:15PM.

Once set up, we went back to the office to pick up our many boxes of Amazon orders.

Our new RV batteries were delivered about 40 minutes later.  Looks like our front window needs cleaning.  Any volunteers?

Someone asked about getting them installed here.  Sadly we need to change our existing battery tray for a new one that will fit the new batteries. That was also delivered today but we will wait until we get to Mexico and have our RV tech Erik install the tray and then add the batteries. Other than two days we will be  plugged into electricity so we should be all right.

Having said that, Las Vegas is at the beginning of a cold snap.  There is even a warning out about a freeze for Wednesday night until 10AM Thursday.  I sure hope that the Isla will have warmer temps this winter.

Shortly after arriving today Colin checked the engine coolant level.  It was empty 😯  That created some concern for him and stress for me.  Next up was a 50 minute phone call back to Freightliner in Kelowna. It could be bad, we could have water in the engine, but not likely. However Colin had just filled the reservoir last evening and it was empty today and we only drove 105 miles. Perhaps there is a leak but we have yet to see that or perhaps something is wrong with the valve.  So we will start with the small tests first.  Next week we drive to Lake Havasu to see Libby.  If we empty out that reservoir on that drive we will likely have to go to Mesa and Freitghtliner there.  Is it a small fix or do that have to take our engine apart?  My first impulse was to hop a plane back to Kelowna for the winter.  I was done.  After some (lots ) of wine I calmed down.  Likely it is a simple fix.  Similar to the next water leak problem Colin found and sorted out.  Maybe I am too sensitive this year but I am finding all these issues too much for me.  I need a vacation but it’s killing me to go through all of this to get to the Isla.

Next up was setting up our Shaw Direct dish.  Colin has always said that being level is the key.

We got 89% and new satellite or not we do have TV.  Perhaps our out of bounds dish is the answer.  We will have to check next in Lake Havasu but then we don’t set up again until the Isla.  Happy to have TV although it is not necessary to have it.

All is well, I have discovered two new lovely wines, well to me at least.  We have a lovely dinner in the oven.  Soon we will sitting with our feet up and enjoying dinner watching some show on TV.  Life goes on.  Thank for all our comments.  Too tired tonight to reply but I will in the morning.

Sorry for the abrupt end to the post yesterday. Colin heard the squealing of the generator when he went out to check the bedroom slide coming in. He also could smell something burning so he rushed in and shut off the generator. There was barely enough battery power to complete my post. In fact without the generator we had no electric  heaters and within a very small period of time we had to turn off the furnace. Our batteries are weak and are being changed as soon as we get to the Isla. However they are what allows the propane furnace to function. However right now we need the generator to power the batteries to allow the furnace to give us heat.  So we were hooped, a Canadian expression that means we were ( and still are ) in trouble.

A long story to tell you that we were in bed by 9:15pm. Who is that in my bed? It was that cold inside the RV and supposed to get much colder. I was not sleepy. My mind was still on my blog and wanting to reply to my comments and to read a few other blogs before retiring for the night. I must have dozed for a bit and shortly after 10pm I looked out and noticed a light snow falling. Strange as no precipitation was in the forecast. A few hours later I observed a world of white. Colin slept well but I was up looking outside every hour or so. Once I saw two inches of snow on the roads my thoughts were everywhere. “Do we have a shovel, boots, etc.”  I noticed around 3AM that the snow had stopped and it was a world of white.

We woke up about 5:45. Colin didn’t know about the snow and was surprised to see it. It had started to melt over the pavement. And it was not freezing cold. Our outdoor weather station showed 30F/0C. I believe that the snow and clouds kept the extreme cold away. We got ready as quickly as we could. We could only let the furnace run for about 15 minutes. Colin finally started the RV engine and turned on the dash heat.  We were driving  with coffee by 6:40, we had to heat the water on the stovetop.

6:30AM PST time but local time was 7:30AM. So glad that we had brought in our slide. It would have been frozen.

We got about a mile down the interstate when we were shrouded in a thick fog. We went forward slowly thinking of deer and other things. The semis were shooting past us.  I had planned to check the current temps but the laptop was dead.  Fortunately we have a thingy that plugs in that allows us to charge the laptop.  With my ATT hot spot I have internet on the go.  Thank goodness.

The fog suddenly let up a bit and we saw a peep of colour from the sunrise.  The fog came and went for several miles.  Eventually we just had cloud and no snow at all.  Strange that we were the only area that we knew of that had snow.  Colin was happy to use the heated mirrors for perhaps the second time ever.

It was cool even inside the RV with the heat on.  I was wearing thick fleece pants and a matching pullover covered with a fleece jacket, a neck scarf and my black fleece shawl.  I had fleece socks on and my new warm slippers that I had got last night at Walmart.  Finally I had a thick green fleece blanket covering my lap and legs.  I even had fleece gloves nearby but did not need them. Even Colin was wearing fleece pants, a shirt and a medium fleece pullover.

Just as we were coming into Twin Falls the snow began and quickly escalated. It was 15F/-10C.  The snow kept getting thicker.

As we left Twin Falls traffic was very slow and cautious. Fortunately we were following a very good driver in that semi, front right.  I could see the snow accumulating on the backs of the cattle in the nearby fields.

Jackpot, Nevada and still a light snowfall but not as much on the ground. We took our first 15 minute break of the day to make another coffee. We also ran the furnace for about 10 minutes, fortunately when we run the furnace it heats the basement and our pipes.  It was 27F/-3.5C here. What is amazing is that yesterday there was no precipitation in the forecast.

Somewhere between Jackpot and Wells, Nevada, we saw blue sky again. This is a wildlife crossing over the highway.

We stopped at the Golden Gate Petroleum in Wells for diesel, the cheapest in town @ 1.339. there a lot of snow on the RV roof and the Jeep roof.  No snow but 30F/-1C.  This was our second stop of the day for 20 minutes.

Not only was the window washing fluid frozen, so was the door to our fuel area.  Colin had to chip the solid ice out in order to open it.

There was free Wifi at this fuel station so I did some research. There was no way we were stopping for the night in Ely @ 6437′ elevation at our regular stop with temps of -15F/-26C forecast for tonight.  I needed to get us to a lower elevation but there was not any choice.  Just Picketts RV Park in Alamo @ 3449′.  When I called, I was told that they don’t take reservations on Sunday and to call back on Monday! I pushed a bit and was told that they were full.  So I went onto their website where for an additional $10.00 you can book and prepay.  I did so, however I had to wait close to 30 minutes to find out that they would accept our reservation and then we got a confirmation for a pull thru site. I did ask when we checked in today and was told that they had four open spots, I don’t get it.  Why tell me that they were full.  We were just grateful that we would have heat tonight and power to write this post.

We finally got to Ely and stopped for our third and final travel stop of the day. Longest stop yet at 25 minutes to make a quick lunch to eat as we drove and for Colin to do a wee walk and stretch.  Diesel prices in Ely are great at Love’s on the far edge of town @ 3.12 cash. Clouds started to form again around 3:30PM.  The wind picked up and we could feel the temperature drop within the RV.

I did not like the look of this cloud formation.

We arrived at the RV park at 4:30PM.  So very happy to be here.  We have been told to bring in our water lines as it will be freezing tonight.  We are only using electricity.  We drove 488.3 miles, yes that is miles, today.  It took us 9 hours and 50 minutes to do that drive but we took 60 minutes off over three breaks so we were actually only driving for 8 hours and 50 minutes steady.  We have shore power and are so happy to be warm and have unlimited wifi. It only cost us $44.00USD.  No matter the cost, we are happy.

We have air ride suspension and as you can see very very comfortable seats.  Those cushions are so thick that we never feel any discomfort from long drives.  We have done 504 mile days a few times in Mexico.  This is not something we enjoy but if it has to done as it was today, thank goodness it is comfortable.

This is the forecast for tonight for Alamo, where we are, which means that the real feel of 15F  is -9.5C.  I think that we will stay inside and avoid frostbite and hypothermia.  Colin added more antifreeze and distilled water to the engine because the level was lower than normal due to the cold weather.

It took us 8 hours and 50 minutes to drive 488.3 miles.  Amazing how this Bing map came in at 485 miles.  It took us longer as we had to deal with fog, then snow and more snow plus we only drive 65mph.

Erik called us tonight to let us know that he believes that our generator can be repaired as everything can be repaired.  So we will not be purchasing a portable Honda generator.  Instead we will decrease our dry camping and stay in RV parks for power.  We still have to deal with two nights in Mexico but are working on how we can handle that.  No A/C, no power, no slides out nor jacks down, only propane to cook.  Sigh!

Thanks for sticking with us thus far.

Having said that, tomorrow will be even longer.  Because of very cold weather in our path we will be making some changes.  This morning ( Saturday ) I awoke at 5:45AM bur stayed in bed until the alarm went off at 6:30AM.  Colin had already turned on the furnace and that took some of the chill out of the air.  It was 38.4F/3.5C outside and not much warmer inside.  I dressed in my normal layers of fleece while Colin wore his usual shorts and shirt. We were ready and driving by 7:27AM, each with a coffee.

Beautiful sunrise, second day in a row. I better be careful that this does not become a habit.

We were happy to see this cloud as it helped keep the sun out of our eyes. It was soon gone. But it sure made a pretty picture..

Crossing the first arm of the Columbia River.

And here as we cross the second arm you are looking at Oregon.

We have not driven this route for two years, at least not heading south. This huge solar farm is just at the entrance to Pendleton, something new to us.

The ever so long and slow uphill pass. Here you see the red truck and white truck coming from below and behind us as we keep climbing around the curve. The trucks you see on the top are heading north.

It was an odd day weather wise, one moment sunny and very warm and the next cool and dark and we had to turn on the heat. It went back and forth all day.  Hot or cold.

We finally made it to the top of the pass, 4,193 feet.

We found some snow up there.

Suddenly it became grey and dim and we had snow blowing across the highway. As we descended the snow disappeared.

This driver is an idiot. Who pulls a vehicle on a dolly like that?  The truck kept moving from side to side behind  the RV. The driver could hardly keep the RV in the lane.  Extremely dangerous.  Not to mention wear and tear on both vehicles.

Finally Idaho, only 95 more miles to go today.

I had been thinking about how great it was to leave on a Friday for a few reasons.  First off, is that we don’t watch anything on TV until Monday so we don’t have to set up the satellite dish to tape anything.  We never watch anything live.  Secondly, is that we will be spared road construction for today and tomorrow. This was a wee slow down from three lanes to four. Traffic moves very fast in Idaho. 80mph for cars and 70 for trucks. We never drive faster than 62 – 63mph as the manual says we should not tow the Jeep faster than that. Everyone was passing us at very rapid speeds.

We arrived much earlier than anticipated at 3:45PM at the Mountain Home, Idaho Walmart.  Our home for the night.  There was a high wind warning for the area and just as we were pulling in the winds really picked up.  The RV was rocking and things were flying all over.  So glad that we were off the road.  It was a beautiful day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine yet very cool and extremely windy.  We were almost blown away on our walk to and fro Walmart.  We are sitting with the generator running and two heaters on high.  It is 68F inside and 41F outside.  It appears that there is a cold front moving south and tonight we are going to get down to 21F/-6.1C  🙁  It is warmer back home in Kelowna.  Even Las Vegas, our stop for next week, is going to be very cool.

Tomorrow is going to be a tricky day for us.  Our usual overnight stop is Ely Nevada.  However the forecast for tomorrow night is -14F/-25.6C.  No that is not a typo.  There is no way we can stay here in that cold weather even in an RV Park.  We plan to drive at least another 188 miles in order to get to a lower elevation where the temperature is expected to be 16F/-9c tomorrow night.  Not ideal but far better than staying in Ely.

Read the fine print on this weather alert for Ely tomorrow night.  Record breaking cold temperatures.  We are supposed to be getting warmer as we travel south.  Does anyone still not believe in climate change?  -14F is -25.6C

As we pulled into Walmart this afternoon I took a quick snap of this older bus.  It is a Blue Bird with lots of solar panels on the roof.  I was going to get more photos but it left as we were setting up.

We drove a total of 410 miles today.  As I mentioned earlier, it was a longish day.  Not looking forward to tomorrow.

We usually keep the living room slide in when we travel but open the curb side  bedroom slide.  That way we can get around the bed.  However tonight we will be bringing in the bedroom slide as a precaution.  Drat, I should have had my shower earlier before the temps started to drop 🙄

Stay tuned for how tomorrow goes.  Will we freeze?  Or????

Quick update, we have to shut down the generator ASAP, Colin went outside to check the slide going in and it sounds bad and smells like it is burning up.  Remember how we had it serviced last winter but it never was quite right.  Not sure it I can post tomorrow.

Mini update, our batteries are dying so they are not reliable.  We will be changing them in Mexico.  Like I say, always some drama in our lives.