I drive back roads. I mean BACK ROADS. Back roads to the back roads. On this particular day I was heading to Hovenweep National Monument in Utah. I left the Grand Canyon in the morning and was heading through Monument Valley on U.S. 163 to get there. Just because it is a Federal highway, don’t think it isn’t a long lonely drive through some desolate spots.
This was somewhere close to the Arizona – Utah border.
Looking at Sleeping Ute Mountain in South East Colorado from Hovenweep National Monument in Utah.
May 27, 2015
This was all the further we made it into Utah. The RV was totaled and we were on our way home a day or so later.
The insurance company and I have come to a financial agreement. The T.O.A.D. will be totaled.
And so it begins all over again. Time to go hunting for an RV.
A couple shots of some of the damage.
I can’t help but wonder how this can be repaired. A young lady pulled out of a side road and hit me. She first made contact in front of the side door. Since both she and I were moving forward she plowed further into the RV as I moved past her. I believe the frame may have been bent as the screen door no longer stays shut. The latch just doesn’t grab enough to stay latched. And then there’s the fact that both of the hardened trunk lock shafts sheared off. And I can hear wind rushing past the coach door when I drive. The propane tank was damaged (blender valve broken off) spewing a cloud of propane into the air for about 45 minutes. The fresh water pump next to the propane tank was broken. There is a lot of rattling coming from the rear when I drive. A constant noise really. And I think the wheel or axle may be bent. The fiberglass end cap (rear end) is broken as well as the structural parts it connects to. Even the bicycle frame is bent.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I was going to be out of here by now. Well, taking off for a couple months at the beginning of the year kind of put me behind on some things. I’ve had meetings to attend, tasks to work on from several committees I sit on, and in general, needed to catch up on things here at home. And then there’s the T.O.A.D. ! I made a list of items I wanted to look into while we were on the road in Florida. The good news is that almost all of them are done.
I replaced the serpentine belt along with the tensioner pulley. Neither were calling out to be worked on. I just couldn’t confirm when they had been serviced. As it turns out, it’s good I did as the ball bearing in the tensioner pulley wasn’t in the best of condition.
I also repaired 2 water leaks that appeared when I hooked up to municipal water for the first time. I have to say that as Duane (Dr. Rialta) said, “Winnebago didn’t use an inch more plumbing tubing than necessary”. I have repaired both leaks and have had water hooked up for several days now with no signs of dampness anywhere. Fortunately, the plumbing leaks, while difficult to get to, were not in places that caused any damage.
Next on the list is brakes. Winnebago used rear brake calipers from two different sources. Guess I’ll have to take it apart before I’ll be able to identify which ones are on the T.O.A.D.. Again, there are no signs of trouble but I’d rather head across country with new brakes than old ones of unknown condition.
So, it’s time I began to build my itinerary. I hope to head west through the south then knock around in the national parks near the Rockies and then on to the north west, returning east along the Canadian border and finally picking a place to turn back south when I get there.
Yep, its my usual loose itinerary. I haven’t a clue where to go or how to get there. I hope you will help me out with some suggestions.
Cheers
Paul and the Dog
I wasn’t certain the T.O.A.D. would haul the Harley easily. So, today I loaded it up and went for a spin. I guess that 140 horsepower is adequate because we had no problem climbing some of the hills close by.
This means that I can bring the bike along when we do the Snowbird T.O.A.D. trip in a few weeks.
I’m a sailor. Having spent a lot of time anchored in out of the way places I am familiar with rationing water and electricity. If you use your 12volt cabin lights a lot, you have to recharge the batteries. On the boat, that meant running the engine long enough to charge the batteries. This was ok because it also chilled the zero degree holding plated in the freezer. In cooler weather I burned oil lamps in the cabin for light to save battery (and make heat).
I figure that traveling in the T.O.A.D. isn’t much different. Oh sure, we do have a generator if we choose to run it. And the refrigerator will operate using 12v, 110v or propane so it doesn’t need to deplete the house batteries. But lighting in the coach still has the same issues. High battery draw and heat. Those automotive type bulbs can really put out some BTUs.
Here is my solution: 12v LED bulbs. Yesterday I swapped out several of the old incandescent bulbs with LEDs. They draw only a 10th of the power and are oh so bright and white. I mean white as in a cooler white similar to the old fluorescent tubes. Not warm like the original bulbs. Bright. Very bright. I put one in the lamp over the easy chair where I expect reading a book in the evening will be easy on the eyes.
Have a merry Christmas, Y’all.
It crossed my mind recently that once we are on the road I won’t have my bowflex handy so I’ll have to find some new ways to exercise. Of course I expect to hike often and keep active but that won’t be enough. I’ll probably refresh my Tai Chi routine but that also won’t be enough.
I tried planking this morning! WOW! I have never, ever exercised without moving and worked so many different muscles. I like it. I can plank in the T.O.A.D. regardless of the weather or where we’re parked.
I will incorporate planking in my mobile exercise routine.
Each day we’re inching ever closer to departure: Heartland Road Tour.
Yesterday I ordered spark plugs and plug wires. The current plugs have around 80,000 miles and the wires have never been changed. Replacing them may just bump my fuel economy a bit. Although I’m not complaining about the 17 to 20 mpg I’m getting now.
This morning I washed and waxed the roof. I figure that the T.O.A.D. Should look good for the shakedown run to Florida in a few weeks. I’ll start on the sides tomorrow. Oh, while I was up there, I snugged down the rotating television antenna. It was pretty loose on its pivot. I’ll probably never use it as I have no TV in there but I figured it should still work properly.
I think that’s it for the day. I’m off to a friend’s place to cut and split some firewood.