Apr 14, 2012
Home at last….
…safe and sound….just to let you know.
Major computer problems with internet connections…..once I sort that out, then you will the whole scoop!!
Apr 13, 2012
Getting there…
…mile by mile!! Several stops to check things out, Colin keeps adding antifreeze to the engine, which means we have a slow leak or there still wasn’t enough added or ????? We are almost home, happy and pleasantly relaxed ( I wonder how that happened – details at the end )
Love the drive up I5 this time of year....the median is full of blooming daffodils, many cherry tress are in bloom and of course seeing the newborn lambs and the wonderful bright green c0lour of new leaves.
We started our drive Thursday morning about 7:20AM….okay, exactly then, cuz Colin made a point of letting me know he had wanted to start at 7AM~
As we drove I got to thinking about home and for the first time since October I got a small twinge of “maybe it will be nice to go home”…yikes, where did that thought come from. Well I do want do see how my roses survived, how the new tree we planted in July on the lake site survived and how both yards are doing in general. That got me thinking about work and our company and the thoughts just kept coming.
Colin and I have officially declared that the best roads from Mazatlan to Canada are in Mexico!! Well at least if you travel via Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington! The best fuel prices are on Oregon!!
About 100 miles North of Portland we stopped at a rest area to give the girls a run. We were blown away by this fellow who had two huge polishing brushes out and was very actively cleaning his tow car....however about 10 minutes later we were fully engulfed in a heavy rain shower.....so does he go out and do it again??? Actually I don't care.
Still adding antifreeze…very strange as we have no leaks!!!
The end is near.....we are approaching Seattle!
We are going to 'do' the underground express lanes....
...we have so many friends...that would include you Ken, who won't drive thru Seattle and especially Los Angeles. No problem for the 5C's!!
Finally got to Everett, WA., where Colin had an appointment......so I hooked up my Verizon.......problema.....not such a great connection ( first time EVER ) but we were parked under many big trees...! I did get online and after half an hour opened my last bottle of vino that had to be consumed before crossing the border. YUMMY....Pinot Grigio by Sutter....I must make a note to stock up on this next October. We are parked in a Safeway lot, the girls are in the front seats sleeping ( heavily covered with blankets ), I am using the inverter to power the computer. Good place to be, very relaxing!!
Colin is back, girls are walked and we are off to complete a few errands and then to settle into the Walmart at Exit 200 just before the Tualip Resort Casino. At least here at Walmart I get something for my dollars. I spent about 175.00 on food….stuff that we can’t get in Canada, things that are 5 X the price in Canada….and most important replaced my empty jar of Miracle Whip.
Stopped early tonight at 6:10PM having driven 388 miles this Thursday.
Friday, the 13th….hopefully will be a good day for us. We will cross into Canada and spend the day in Vancouver. Stayed tuned….thanks for checking in!
PS…I recommend the above mentioned wine for relaxation…..still on the same bottle 6 hours later….did I mention the size of the bottle???
Apr 12, 2012
What next?
We had a great 5.5 hours of sleep. We were ready Wednesday when the shop opened at 7AM, only they weren’t ready for us till 8:15AM….I guess they are on Mexican time!
Ben's Truck Repair, Exit 647 & I 5, in Red Bluff, California
Of course they did not have the water pump in stock so Colin drove to a Cummins shop in Redding to pick it up. We also needed a new fan belt which was not in stock but we had one, in one of our many bins full of stuff for ‘just in case’ scenarios like this one.
While Colin drove to Redding I continued my love affair with Verizon and read emails. Very sadly I received news of the sudden passing of Judy Raber, our RV neighbor at Tres Amigos RV Park for 4 months this past winter. She died Monday, in Jackpot, Nevada, of a heart attack, at the end of a day’s drive heading home to Canada. Her husband, Avy, will miss her so very much.
This was Judy's favorite photo of all my sunset shots. Before she left Tres Amigos, she asked for a copy of it. It was taken November 30, 2011. Venus and a crescent waxing moon. I know you are up there Judy!
Colin got back with the pump about 10AM. At 11:10AM, after putting the tow shield back together and on the car, the hitch back on, etc. he took it off again because he was driving back to Redding!! The first pump was defective!! It took the technician an hour of fiddling to decide it wasn’t going to work. I am sad with a heavy heart. Colin is concerned about getting through the mountains today as he has an appointment Thursday in Seattle and on Friday morning we have an appointment for the RV in Vancouver, but there is nothing we can do but wait.
So Colin is back with the second pump at 12:20PM. However it is lunchtime….so we sit and wait and watch the techs having their lunch just outside our RV window…..tick tock, tick tock. Still no action at 1PM. You have no idea where this is going….but hey I sure do :(….oh oh was that non smiley face a hint?
So lets fast forward this a bit…..
~Repair cost $388.78….reasonable we think
~driving out of Ben’s at 1:55PM….Colin is still hearing ( and me too ) a distinct sound at 1400RPM….can’t hear a thing says our tech guy…
~ on the road and freedom….6 miles later Colin steers us to the side of the road…major overheating….I call the shop…3 times before I see the whites of a techs eyes! Air bubble….I don’t even want to go there….. did I say that???
..this is the guy with the 3 gallon burp problem.....
~yup an air bubble, about the size of 3 gallons of liquid cuz that is the amount of antifreeze that was added, road side I might add, after 3 calls ( said that already I believe ) and of course the rain started right about then….and though it was only 2:30PM I had no vino in the casa….big sigh.….but I am a big girl!! I did not write that. Oh yeah…the CHP are back knocking at the door….we are just fine sir….happens to us about every 12 hours or six miles…not to worry we have it totally under control. Adios to you also, sir!
FYI….I really am trying to fast forward this BUT the title is “What happens in the RV stays in the RV”….non..oh well, blame it on the vino blanco.
We received an email from the girls...." next year, please just leave us on the Isla"!!
~bottom line…no charge for the one hour roadside service and 3 gallons of antifreeze……”excuse me…you thought I was going to actually pay you…again….nada!!”
Family meeting....we have had it....except Caeli who just sleeps through it all....I think that if I was totally in charge of today.... it might have gone just a tad quicker!
~pressing on….rapido….22.5 hours after the first engine incident we were on the road heading home. Mr. 3 Gallon man nicely followed us for the first 6 miles just be sure we really good to go.
~ quick stop in Redding for diesel fuel….we were going for the Valero at 4.35/GAL and in the middle of turning around I found the ‘Handy Spot Market’ giving it away for 4.20/GAL using VISA….yahoo….they also filled any wine requests…I was very happy.
~so with 4 empty bladders we headed North as in home to Canada @ 4PM
..within 30 minutes we went from rain, to hail to snow but we pressed on!!
~hopefully you are fully aware that I am leaving much of the good stuff out as I know your have limited time. Your loss!!
Heaven on earth...no just the Klamath River rest area in northern California. Time to water the girls and feed them, now they will sleep till morning. Colin adds more antifreeze to the system...sorry no more details as to the whys tonight.
What next you ask……?????<<<<<<>>>>>????
Our hearts are torn....this young dog is starving, very timid yet knows people. His collar is tight around his neck and has been bitten off.........we feed him....he is familiar with kibble as he devours what we feed.....wish we could help him more...but just not possible!!!
Hopefully one of the many truckers at this rest area will become involved. Pressing on….we get thru the Siskiyou Mountain Pass @ 6:55PM. This is the highest elevation on I 5 at 4310 feet. Another quick stop to add antifreeze ( we really think that Ben’s fellows didn’t add enough….obviously ).
Got thru Grants Pass about 8:30PM….dark now….we pushed on just a bit more to Roseburg,, Oregon, exit 125 and the very welcoming Walmart.
Time 9:30PM
Miles travelled today….well very late in the day…279!!
Wow….must be a million frogs out there…just waiting to lull us to sleep.
Whatever have we planned for tomorrow or what will it bring us….no more surprises….PLEASE!
Apr 11, 2012
‘Whine’ time…..
So Tuesday morning started off slowly as is our style…..on the road about 10AM! Driving along Colin states that the roads in California are the worst of the entire trip with Mexico being the best! It became overcast as we headed towards Modesto and soon that turned into rain. We left home Oct. 24th and have had one day of rain, November 15th while on the Isla.
RAIN = REALITY = SPRING = WORK!!!!
Our clients are tuned into us returning about now but we are a week later. The work requests are coming in. Bueno!!
Once again Caeli did not want to leave. She loved the freedom of roaming the huge area as did Carmeh. By the way...Chuck and Sandy....Pat & Gord from Lo de Marcos, last season, say hola!!!
So we are driving along enjoying the wildflowers along the highway discussing this and that, planning a summer trip to celebrate a number of milestones. Then we discuss, overnight tonight at a Casino or a Walmart.....I did not vote for the Walmart but I wasn't driving. THANK GOD!!!!!!!!
Suddenly at about 4:45PM, a mere 36 miles short of our overnight stop a yellow check engine light comes on, followed by a red light and alarm sounding……we are not sure but think that the engine shut itself down due to overheating. It happened in seconds but Colin was able to pull us over the the shoulder. The engine was steaming……
….then the nightmare began! I immediately called our roadside service provider, Good Sam. I am still on our cell with them at 6:15PM ( 1.5 hours later ) when Ralph who is a freelance RV Technician stops to see if he can help. He quickly diagnosed our problem.
See the bright green above the big hose near the middle bottom of the shot.....that is antifreeze!! See the small round pulley on the bottom right....well our engine water pump is directly behind that held into place by three screws. Looks like the engine noise we have been hearing since we left Mexico on April 1st was a result of the vibration within the water pump at a certain RMP....all according to Ralph of course....he thinks the pump burst....Ralph is willing to leave us on the side of the road until Wed. afternoon when he can do the repairs!!!!!!!
Thanks for trying Ralph......
Meanwhile I am still on the phone with Good Sam. By now we have set up Magic Jack via our Verizon stick ( which I am loving even more and more ) and each of us are on the phone, calling repair shops, towing companies, anything we can think of.
By 7PM I am onto my first glass of wine, my fingernails are gone and I need to relax ( joke ) a bit!! It seems that we are too big to tow or at least in this area. We are, for the record, 3/4 of a mile south of Corning! Good Sam has finally found 2 companies that can tow us but neither will accept Good Sam’s form of payment:( We are informed that we could pay for it ourself and out for in a claim for repayment with Good Sam!! We have been sitting there since 4:45PM so at 7:00PM we said go for it. As it turned out only the one company had the capability to tow us.
Waiting and waiting and waiting…more vino for me. Colin is out unhooking the HHR, putting out reflector triangles, etc.
If only we could have been rescued before dark!!
Of course the girls have to ‘go’! We are at an angle, leaning into the wet ditch, being buffeted by each passing semi. It is cold, damp and wet….I change into warmer clothes and discover that I am in major trouble. I barely have any wine left!!!
8:00PM ! Dark ! The tow truck arrives....we each have certain jobs to do. Here Colin is attempting to start the engine to move the RV just a few inches because the tow truck is worried about sinking....HELLO.....we have been sitting here on the edge for hours and hours....I forgot to mention that we have already had a visit from the CHP, California Highway Patrol....just wanted to make sure we were okay. Apparently many have have to spend the night on the side of the road...no way I say!
Fingernails totally gone, 2nd glass of wine gone, RV drive shaft disconnected, tow truck driver comes in with muddy boots on my beige carpet to check something…..sigh…..Ma’m he calls me……I’m doing stuff inside at the wheel, Colin is checking the 2 fellows on the outside, the girls are shaking!!
These two fellas were outstanding....they knew what they were dealing with.
Finally at 9PM we were ready to be towed...Colin and I followed in the car. We were only going 16 miles.....
It took an hour to get to the repair shop, fortunately someone was already there who unlocked the gate for us......it was a slight incline...the RV was drastically shaking, the rear bumper was dangerously close to damage....that is when I, sitting behind the wheel of the car, totally lost it.....big tears!!! I just couldn't help it....this was traumatic!
So at 10:15 PM, 5.5 hours later and $1000.00 dollars later we lay broken at a repair shop somewhere in Red Bluff, California, waiting for daylight and what it might bring.........................!!
Colin went for the comfort food, Kraft Dinner, while I emptied the wine bottle and worked on this post. Here we are, locked into a yard, somewhere with no place but cement for the girls. Thank goodness for the generator and heaters….and my lovely Verizon connection.
...so ends our day at 338 miles. Overall it worked out pretty well are we used our evening hours to get relocated and the shop opens at 7AM so we may be able to maintain our schedule.
Stay tuned for the next development of our ongoing drama………….
……as I finish this post at 12:15AM we get a request from a client via email for photography and that is how this bill will be paid!
Apr 10, 2012
Another late start….
Just couldn’t tear ourselves away from our cozy rest area but finally hit the road about 11:00AM. For those who might want to use this for an overnight stop be sure to use the rest area on the South side of CA58. There is an easy cross over at either end.
We travelled 185 miles to Exeter to visit friends.
Hundreds maybe thousands of these wind turbines along this area. At this point we are still aware of our engine noise that we noticed in Mazatlan.
I wonder if this fellow had been racing on the Colorado River over the weekend.
As we came into Bakersfield we noticed a Cummins engine service centre and stopped in to have them check out our engine. After 15 minutes of careful checking they could see nothing wrong so we will proceed North on I 5 as planned.
Shortly thereafter we arrived in the Exeter area about 20 miles West of the Sequoia National Park. This is Sandy and Chuck's view.
Lots of space for us here. We stopped here last year on the way home also and since then Chuck has built the huge red garage for his RV.
Chuck and Sandy spend their winters in Mexico. We have seen them on the Isla for visit and visited them in Teacapan but have never travelled together…..yet! Have a look at last years photos and blog post. It is amazing how much we have in common with this couple.
Thanks for your hospitality, great happy hour and dinner. See you next time.
Today we have to make huge tracks so I better get going……adios for now!!