A door and more

After a very busy week in the shop, my generator door was finally installed. Now it looks better than the rest of the RV! Since the surface looks like a white board, I was thinking of creating my own graffiti with eraseable markers. It was tempting until I realized someone might tag it with something permanent.

I was checking the Life on Wheels website to see the class schedule and realized I had been removed from the instructors page. It was a bit disconcerting when I didn't find the listing. It was as if I had never existed. Ah well. It's a great program and I still recommend it, especially for new RVers.

On Thursday, I will be a guest at the Thousand Trails preserve at the Russian River about 90 miles away. I never thought I would miss trees, birds, deer and other animals as much as I do. There is wi-fi and cable TV as well as a clubhouse with other amenities.

I've thought about joining Thousand Trails for several years. As much as I enjoy traveling and seeing new places, I also like returning to the familiar favorites. I hope the Russian River locale will be one of the favorites.

Where oh where is the oil leak? Uh--

After two hours under and around the RV, running the compression test and finding everything well within limits. the oil leak location is still a mystery.

The generator door arrived and looked nothing like what I ordered. It had rounded corners and was attached to a frame. It wasn't even close to the picture. The guys in the shop muttered something about round pegs in square holes and couldn't fit it in the space.

So I sent an email with my complaint, left my work number, spoke with the manager on Thursday, and they are shipping another door with a return label which should arrive Monday or Tuesday. The incorrect door will be shipped back to them in the same box and I can only hope that this one is what I originally ordered. I can't travel very far or very fast without shredding the cardboard insert and peeling off the duct tape.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Lewiston, Idaho

This is a difficult blog to write. When I taught at the Life on Wheels in Tucson, I received evaluations from each of the students in my four classes. They were not good. Even the students in my saving space and weight class, usually very popular, complained about the size of the room and the fact that I ran out of handouts. The classroom held 25, I had 55 students and only 50 handouts. I was told in a note from Gaylord Maxwell that I don't meet their high professional standards.

Therefore, I will not be teaching in Lewiston nor any other Life on Wheels locations. I do have some terrific memories, met some great RVing experts for the first time and enjoyed teaching again. For those who are not aware, I was a college professor (taught Developmental Reading, Developmental Writing, Developmental Grammar, English 101, English 102, Literature and Psychology, and Study Skills), and was nominated by the students (and won) as Part-Time Faculty of the Year. The plaque hangs on the wall in my bedroom across the doorway from my B.A.(Sociology/Psychology) and M.A. (Rhetoric/Composition) diplomas. Ah well. Colleges and universities aren't Life on Wheels.

To those of you who enrolled for Lewiston to take my classes, I apologize. You'll have some excellent instructors and classes tailored to your needs. Enjoy!

Where oh where is the oil leak?

Last Wednesday, I took the RV to a local mechanic who is also an RVer. He's the same man who smogged the RV a couple of months ago. I told him about the oil leak and the report of leaking oil seals from the last place I had the oil changed.

After two men spent two hours on a creeper under and around the RV, neither of the men could find the leak. Losing six quarts of oil should have created a trail of black smoke and an oil slick. That didn't happen. The oil was just gone. They both scratched their heads and suggested a compression test. I made an appointment for Monday, and I hope the leak can be located and fixed. Although the engine runs fine for the miles (94K) and I didn't have any problems with it even in the southern California and Arizona heat, I don't want to lose any more oil. It would be great to listen to some road music on the terrific CD player I have too instead of listening to the engine.

The air conditioner shroud is remounted securely, the shower vent is reattached and the bathroom window valance is rehung thanks to Ed in the Camping World shop.

I decided to purchase a new generator door for two reasons: the RV is the only vehicle I have and I don't want to drive it to salvage yards while it has cardboard and duct tape holding the door frame. Also, the same thing may happen to the replacement door if I run into high winds again. The new door should arrive next week and one of the guys in the shop will mount it for me.

With those two problems repaired, the RV should be fine (knock wood).