More lessons learned

I finally arrived in northern California late this afternoon. Here is what I learned on my latest road trip:

It is very easy to get lost in Tucson. Fortunately, once you find the freeway, all is well.

Gas in Arizona is different from gas in California. When I tried to fill up in Ehrenberg, Arizona on the way home, I had vapor lock. For those of you unfamiliar with this phenomenon, the gas vapor in the tank causes the new gas with which you're trying to fill the tank to foam and boil out of the filler neck. I managed to put $17 at $3.07 per gallon into the tank before giving up. My tank holds 72 gallons.

When your engine is losing power and your oil gauge is fluctuating wildly, you look for a place that has oil. I saw a sign for a "travel center" and took the Morongo Valley exit as directed. The travel center is in Twenty-Nine Palms. I made it to Morongo Valley traveling 15 MPH behind a hay truck. The good news is that Leo and his shop, Leo's Auto Repair, is in Morongo Valley. He added six quarts of oil, charged me only for the oil (very fair), waited to be sure I could start the engine, and I waved good-by as I went back to I-10 to look for gas. As I left the small town, I passed my nemesis: Rocky's Pawn Shop. On the way to Tucson, I made fun of his billboard. It had a picture of a smiling woman and the caption said, Rocky's Pawn Shop. It's the only place I go.I thought, "You need a life." I mentally apologized to the shop to avoid more bad karma.

I found a gas station, pumped very slowly and thought I had added $60 in gas. I took my receipt and noticed $6. On to the next station.

There are two 210 freeways: a local version in San Bernardino/Redlands that leads to Pasadena, and the correct I-210. By the time I found out where the correct freeway is (many people in many businesses in San Bernardino have no clue what Camping World is or where it is located either in English or Spanish), and found Camping World in San Bernardino so I could boondock for the night, it was two hours later than I planned.

It's hot in the Arizona and California deserts in March. It's so hot, the adhesive on duct tape melts.

It's windy in Arizona and California. When you're headed west, you have headwinds that make your mileage worse than it usually is. Crosswinds don't help much either because you feel like you're traveling sideways just as much as ahead.

The generator door repair is still in place but has at least a couple of pounds of duct tape hanging off it.

Because of the vapor lock problem, it took 20 minutes to pump 30 gallons of gas VERY SLOWLY. By the time I gave up, my hands were shaking so badly, I picked up the menu in Denny's and the waiter brought me coffee and ice water immediately without asking. I was either in serious need for caffeine or had just experienced a traumatic event (true on both counts).

I stopped at the Apricot Inn and was going to get some gas until I saw $3.68. I decided to have some warm apricot pie and raspberry iced tea. Both were delicious.

California roads suck. I-5 is so bad (how bad is it?), the vibration shook all the screws out of the air conditioner shroud and the screws, shroud, filter and both vents fell to the floor. The TV bounced so much, it warped the hinge on the folding shelf, allowing the weight of the TV to loosen the Velcro and drop the TV on the bed. Neither of the appliances is permanently damaged.

I bought gas in California and was able to pump it into the tank at normal flow. Maybe the vapor lock problem is gone.

Big motorhome windshields attract every suicidal insect for miles. I'll face cleaning the critters off the glass tomorrow.

It's good to be back in northern California and have the day off tomorrow to R&R.

Desert Hot Springs ate my door

I left Fairfield, CA and Camping World at 6:30 AM yesterday and drove to the San Bernardino Camping World, arriving at 3:00 PM. When I arrived at the store, I asked about how long it would take to drive to Blythe, CA where there is a Flying J. When I found out it was three hours, I decided to boondock in the parking lot.

At 6:30 this morning, I purchased gas and left for Tucson. I passed Desert Hot Springs and many warning signs about gusty winds ahead. I'm sure the signs were referring to new and improved gusty winds rather than the 30-40 MPH winds. Half the surface of the desert seemed to be crossing the road and the sand made visibility poor. I was going to pull over and wait, but since I had no idea when or if the winds would calm, I pushed on.

Generator door before












At 10:30, I arrived at the Flying J in Ehrenberg, Arizona, just across the state line. I climbed out of the rig and turned to go into the restaurant. I was astonished: half the door covering my generator was gone as if a giant animal had chewed it off and spit it out. The backing board was sitting on top of the generator and both door locks were hanging loose, as was the door itself. Once I closed my gaping mouth, I went for the duct tape. I used what was left of the roll and knew I needed more.
Generator door after












The store had duct tape and I went to the store counter to ask about how to receive a discount on my gas purchase. I've had a Flying J card for a couple of years but never used it. It seems I was in luck: with a $10 purchase, I received 3 cents off per gallon of gas or propane. The more I spent in the store and restaurant, the more I saved in gas. So I had breakfast, receiving a senior discount too.

I put more duct tape on the door and sealed it quite well (I thought). Then I filled up the RV with gas and left for Tucson.

The Arizona desert was just as windy as California and my hands were cramping as I fought to keep the six-ton RV in the lane.

When I arrived at the college and the parking crew found a space for me, I left the rig and surveyed the door. All the duct tape was there. The door was there. The backing board was gone and the remaining piece of the door was bent. I sighed. I peeled off the duct tape and smoothed the panel. Then I started the generator. Whew! It still works. Now I have a few days to decide how to repair the door until I can find a new one.

Good news: Life on Wheels

Short and sweet: I will be in Moscow, Idaho teaching at least four classes at the Life on Wheels July 6-12. If you are in the area, please enroll. I promise you'll enjoy yourself while learning.

*Correction: Life on Wheels will be in Lewiston, Idaho, about 30 miles south of Moscow, at Lewis-Clark State College.