Category: Planning the next stop

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The warm slog to a very small rally in Nephi Utah.

We had planned events at home in May (the wonderful wedding of our son and our new daughter-in-law!), and those, plus finishing up the bus, we got a late start on this year’s summer trip.  It was quite a bit warmer than last year’s April shove-off.  Most of the way north is really a desert of various elevations.  Some places were a lot warmer than others.  Barstow for the night was pretty warm, but the next day we got to Vegas for the weekend and it was hot.

Lucky for us we were leaving because it was supposed to get even hotter the day we left for the rest of that week there.   We ordered Amazon Fresh groceries delivery while at the Oasis Resort, and they delivered them right to the coach’s front door.

We left early to beat the heat and get fuel in a truck stop just north of St. George, Utah.  This truck stop was the worst I ever experienced anywhere.  It was an unattended Sinclair truck fueling station, with a single pump for cars & gas.   The craziest thing with these pumps is they stopped at 17 gallons.  Not some even dollar amount.  Each time the dollars were $95.38 and exactly 17 gallons.  The pump took about 60 seconds to pump in 15 gallons, then it slowed to less than a crawl and took 5 minutes to hit 17 gallons.  Needless to say, I had to restart the pump 6 times to get a full tank.   It was excruciating at best to get a full tank.

We ended up in Beaver, UT, for the night, cool weather, such a nice break from the heat.  I wanted to stop in Beaver as I thought we had an exhaust leak and I had used a diesel mechanic shop there on our way to Alaska a few years back.  I was impressed by them at the time.   The next morning I drove the coach over and the owner crawled under the engine and after a bit popped out and told me it wasn’t an exhaust leak, but a manifold leak.   He said they were very understaffed and barely could keep up with their mobile service, so they couldn’t do the work.   (I wished it was an exhaust leak!)

So that morning we headed off to Juab County Fairgrounds for the rally in Nephi.   It was a Good Sam rally.   Prior to finding it online last winter, I didn’t even know there was such a thing.   We arrived, set up, and then I got on the phone with places to have the exhaust manifold looked at.

I called a few local shops and they all said they could do it; but I decided it might be smarter to have a mainline shop in Salt Lake City do the work, so I called the Freightliner shop and they said to bring it in ASAP as they had time the next day.  We left without ever attending anything at the rally, although we did get to experience someone testing the loudspeaker mic @ 6am,  insistently tapping for about 10 minutes.  He must have been deaf, as it was extremely loud and seemed to go on forever.  Lucky for us,  we were already awake; others weren’t as fortunate.

June 2nd, thru June 9th

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Rest Day

[From Kathy]  Thank goodness for the rest days interspersed between all the hiking and driving to do the sightseeing!  I really need the down days when we don’t have to be anywhere, or we just drive a little to see the small towns nearby.  I am so curious about the people that choose to live in these really small towns.  I can’t imagine it.  Why do they stay?

Today we just relaxed.  In the morning looking out the window it is like being in a painting.  The ranch across from us has about 40 cows, 10 calves, and one horse. The bucolic scene of the cows grazing on the lush, green grass against the hills of red earth, grey hillside rocks, and then forest of trees at the top is just incredible.  The cows are totally used to people and graze right around the wire fence that separates the RV park.  In the evening you see the calves playing and running around chasing each other and almost frolicking!!  It is crazy to be able to walk right up close with the dogs.  They are all black except two cream-colored ones.  Even the horse is black!  Bill doesn’t understand my obsession with them.  He worked on a farm growing up in New Jersey and took care of cows.  They are just so interesting to watch and to be able to be so close you could pet them!

The green, lush grass here has been a blessing.  The dogs absolutely love it, and there is not a sticker in sight!!!!  They water continuously with little sprinklers on the end of hoses and someone moves them every several hours.  Have no idea why they don’t have in-ground sprinklers.  I guess water is cheaper here too.

The other reason we need the day off is to clean and do laundry.  There is even time for a nap if we need it, how crazy is that!!!  All the walking at this elevation really poops you out.  Well, we are off to Mesa Verde tomorrow to see the cliff dwellings there!

 

 

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Working on the punch list prior to leaving for the long trip .

Where has the time gone  Last minute updates to the coach are happening right now at a feverish pace.   Swapping a white outlet under the dining room table for the brown one that was impossible to find when you needed to plug in your phone or tablet, extending that circuit over to the side of that cabinet for plugging in the TV I installed behind the couch.  And hopefully I will have time to install the Linear actuator that will raise and lower that same TV with the push of a remote.

Ordered a new See Level Bluetooth tank monitoring system to replace the OEM system that always had me wondering how full they were.  While it’s slowly making its way here, I’ve been pulling wire from all the tanks and finding a place to draw power etc.

 

I sold the Jeep last Monday after Kathy said enough of the jarring ride.  Had the Equinox modified on Thursday to be able to tow it behind the coach.

We had a Base-plate installed along with a wiring kit to have the Equinox’s tail lights show followers what we intend to do.   And as a bonus I had a switch installed so we don’t need to unplug a fuse each time we tow and replace it when we get there and need to drive the car somewhere.