We left the park and turned right for a quick trip to the propane distributor to top up tank to ensure a sufficient supply to keep the furnace going on the way home. Heading east again we stopped at the nearby Pemex to top up with diesel as well. While the tank was filling we connected the towing equipment to the still symptom free tracker and left the station with the car following happily behind.
One problem surfaced; the “Brake Buddy”, the tracker's auxiliary braking system was not functioning—it wouldn't charge with air. The motorhome is heavy enough, and has sufficient braking capacity to safely tow without our auxiliary system, but will slightly reduce our stopping distance and some states require it by law. Art will take it apart tomorrow to see if it is something he can deal with.
It was 11:00 AM by the time we were finally on the road for what we guessed would be a four hour trip. Arriving at the Morelia periferico the GPS wanted us to turn right and take the counter-clockwise route around, following the airport signs. We had always taken the next exit for the town of Salamanca which was directly on our way. We went with what we knew and went clockwise, to the annoyance of the GPS, which for the next 10 or so minutes tried to convince us to make a right turn and drive through the centre of the city! Eventually it quit arguing and agreed that we were on track.
Although at the entrance to the ring road from the Patzcuaro road the airport and Salamanca exits take one around the periferico in different directions, at the other end, they are the same exit! The airport road then exits from the highway to Salamanca! The clockwise direction looks ot be only 1/3 of the way round. Maybe there is less traffic going the otherway. Who knows?
Pic 145
The first time we came this way many years ago the road north of Morelia across the lake had a few very narrow and tight turns through a couple of towns. Now there is a toll road the whole way—much easier on fuel and nerves but quite expensive—the tolls set us back a good $40.00 (500 pesos). At one of the toll booths we pulled of to check wheel and brake temperatures (great little infra red thermometer) and all was normal. We also took the time for a quick sandwich before continuing. Salami, tomato, cucumber, avocado, dijon mustard and mayonnaise!
No difficulties this time finding the RV Park—the first year we turned a block too soon and ended up in a bus headquarters and industrial park! We arrived at about 3:00PM, 4 other rigs already here, 2 from Quebec and 2 from Alberta.
Since the wind was howling from the west we parked facing north so that the main (passenger side) awning would be downwind and therefore safer if we decided to extend it. Even the small window awnings on the west side were flapping vigorously. The sun was bright and strong. Even with the wind it was comfortable sitting out relaxing. This is a great park for Trekker—a large field where he can run at full speed chasing his ball.
pics
Tomorrow? Either touring this historic town or a drive to Delores Hidalgo to the northwest to look for a sink for the basement bathroom. (At home—not for the rig!)
>In the morning we discovered that the hot water heater was not working on propane—it would not ignite. It appears be a 12 volt electrical problem but we cannot locate any tripped breakers or blown fuses. The AC electrical power here is marginal and really won't run the electric heating element. No hot water on the coast was one thing, but here in the mountains is something else again! Fortunately the engine coolant automatically heats the hot water tank when we are driving so at least we have hot water on arrival. Fixing this will have to wait for a tech, possible at the Albuquerque FMCA Convention in a week or so.
After breakfast we decided to postpone the Guanajuato tour until Maňana. With Gillian driving and Art in the right hand seat (and of course the dogs in the back) we set off on the round about south eastern route to Dolores Hidalgo. After several kilometers, as we made a left turn, we heard the dreaded squeek-squeek again. Gillian stopped while Art got out and had her move the car slowly back and forth while he tried try to pinpoint the exact location. It appeared to be coming from the left rear wheel. After some thought we carried on, the noise coming and going, but never getting any worse.
Approaching Dolores Hidalgo were were unsure which way to go so headed for centro, which we had already put into the GPS just for the fun of it. Well it took us to centro, trying to get us to the Zocalo or Plaza, but every turn brought us to a dug up road! We eventually gave up and proceeded on our own and eventually found the street lined with pottery shops where we even found a place to park.
We won't go into too much detail here except to say that we saw many beautiful things as well as some quirky and strange things and even a few downright ridiculous and absurd things. We even found quite a few nice sinks, but according to Gillian they weren't quite the right shade. We moved down a few more blocks and came across a few more shops and again a place to park, but this time Art stayed with the dogs while Gillian went to check things out.
She soon returned empty handed and we made the decision that on our next trip we will check Puebla and other likely places and if the perfect one doesn't show up we'll just have to make do with what Dolores Hidalgo can supply on our way home next year!
This is very reminiscent of our search 2 years ago for rose pink tiles for the kitchen window. After a day of searching all around lake Patzcuaro we finally found what Gillian thought was almost the right shade in the tiny village of Capula. Did I mention that we had neglected to bring the colour sample from home and were going on memory? Surprisingly the tiles were a perfect match with the kitchen décor!
We returned to centro without the help of the GPS and found that almost all approaches to the square were being repaired but still managed to get there and find a parking lot nearby. We left the car in care of the dogs and headed to the zocalo to find lunch. We saw a very nice restaurant with a very nice menu so went in were shown to a table.
Art had the comida del dia, which was fine except for the dry chicken. Gillian's enchilada also was ok, though neither were exactly hot and both were smothered in a so-so bright orange coloured carrot and orange sauce. Fortunately the price was commensurate with the quality!
We returned to the car for the dogs and a walk around the zocalo before heading home. On our return to the parking lot we noticed a sign out front indicating that parking was free for clients of the restaurant. If only we had had the parking ticket stamped when we paid the lunch bill!
We returned to Guanajuato via the nothern shorter hillier route which also took us through town. Fortunately we knew the the way through Guanajuato so had no problem. Except that the batteries in the camera died just out of Dolores Hidalgo and the spares too were dead! It appears that the rechargeable NiMh batteries have reached the end of their life. They're only about 4 years old and in constant use!
We decided to return part of the way next day to take a few pics of the area. As we drove through town the squeak returned! Art decided that we better get it looked at before going much further. Fortunately there was a large Servicio Mechanico near by so after dropping Gillian and the dogs back at the RV Park he went to see if anything something could be set up for the morning.
One of the mechanics (possibly the owner) came out and took a test drive. They went up the highway and on the return he had Art turn off and drive slowly through a dirt streeted neighbourhood while he hung halfway out the window listening. He slid back into the car and ith a grin announced “dust in the brake drum”! Back at the shop he had Art drive directly onto a hoist and put a man at work while Art retreated to the waiting room.
In less than an hour Art was back in the park—but as he pulled up, the left rear wheel began to drag. He returned to the shop—they were closing—not surprising as it was well after 6 PM. The mechanic said to bring it back in the morning, they would open at 9:30
The car got home OK but skidded a bit on the gravel in the shop parking area when leaving. Back at the rig Art used the infra-red surface temperature checker and found the left brake drum to be 100 degrees C hotter than the right! In the morning the right wheel wouldn't roll at all—just skidded on the grass—so he caught a ride with a neighbour into the shop. They eventually collected some tools and an old pickup and went back to the park where in a reasonably short time things were repaired without further cost.
While waiting for the brake repair Art tackled the brake buddy and was pleased to find that it was a re-occurrence of a previous failure—the screw that attaches the air pump piston connecting rod to the motor had unscrewed itself. It took longer to disassemble and reassemble the case than it did to make the repair—just a few turns with a socket wrench.
Pic 2010 03 14--033
(Later note—the tracker brakes still seem fine, no more noise or overheating. But we will have a full brake inspection when we get back home. Every stop all wheels and brakes are checked for temperature with the IR meter. This has proved to have been a very useful purchase.)
Once the car was ready we returned to the mountain road north east of the city to take a few pics and stop at a few places of interest including a restaurant that looked interesting the food was just OK. On the way home we stopped off at the grocery store for a few items then home for dinner. At the park we refilled the water tank before supper and packed up ready for our morning departure for Zacatecas.
Pic2010 03 14 pics 036 to 076
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment