Back on the road south!

We had taken advantage of the delightful summer that finally arrived after a particularly poor cold damp spring and the motorhome was now pretty much ready to go. The outside bins had been reorganised and repacked, the rig washed and waxed (thanks to a couple of energetic young neighbours); all that remained was the clothes, food, computers and other electronics, etc, etc etc.  Art had also purchased 4 new deep cycle 6V batteries to be installed when the new battery trays are done. For the moment they will travel on the floor of the Jeep in front of the rear seats.





On Friday, the day the rain started, Art moved the motorhome parallel to the house, 90 degrees to the driveway, in order to be able to get it level enough for the fridge. (RV fridges are an absorption device that use a circulating liquid/gas system rather than a compressor and need to be level to work properly and to avoid costly repairs.) Once the fridge had cooled down ( at least a day) we could start loading the perishables. Not that there would be a lot, what with the risk of loosing food at the border.

Of our last 5 nights at home we only had to cook twice! One night we were invited to our next door neighbours for dinner (Always a treat!) Saturday Art's niece and husband came to town and took us to an excellent dinner at Il Traviata, and on Sunday we went out with neighbours just back from the UK and our house sitter Jan and her friend.

After returning home Sunday evening we still had some laundry to do so it was still a couple of hours before we could go to bed.

Monday 15 October

We were up at 6:30, hoping to be on the road by 7:00. Of course it was 7:15. Good news was there was no sign of rain!

Gillian set off in the Jeep, Art right behind in the motorhome. Within a few hundred feet after leaving the driveway Art heard a loud BANG!  It seemed that he had forgotten to retract the door awning! The fabric looked a little worse for wear and the metal trim was a bit bent, but when the switch was pushed it retracted just fine. We'll get the guys at McKay Truck in Albany to have a look. We have to go there for the battery trays anyway! When Art told Gillian, her comment was "Well, more blog fodder"!

We had a rushed breakfast at the Days Inn Restaurant across the street from the ferry, taking most of it back to the rig in a carton. We have to be and remain in the terminal area at 9:00 AM for US immigration and inspection.

The crossing was calm and pleasant, though the cafeteria was cold--the aft door was open! Once we had finished our Mocha we moved to the midship lounge.

On arrival in Port Angeles Art handed his passport to the agent who asked if there was anyone else in the vehicle. Art replied that his wife was somewhere behind him in the Jeep. He asked were we were going and for how long, Art said that after a week or two crossing the US we were going to Mexico and would be back April 1st. The passport was handed back and Art was on his way.

A short distance down the road Art found a place to park on the side of the street and waited for Gillian to arrive. She soon pulled in behind and within 5 minutes or so the Jeep was ready for towing and we were on our way.

Before long the clouds gathered and a bit of rain began to fall. All in all though it was quite pleasant the temperature about 17C. We arrived at The Tides Restaurant near Hoodsport, our long time habitual lunch stop on this route. Back at the Ferry terminal we had recommended The Tides to several groups of fellow passengers so were not too surprised to see three of them there.

We chatted a bit then ordered our lunch; cup of chowder and an oyster burger for Art and a bowl of chowder for Gillian. And coffee of course. As usual the food was very good and we were on the road in the rain again.

Today's trip seems to be composed of several distinct phases: Home to the ferry and the crossing to Port Angeles, the drive down the 101, both of which are usually quite pleasant. The next bits just have to be done: The I-5 to Portland, the I-205 around Portland, and the I-5 again.

 Olympia was soon behind us, we're now southbound on the I-5 in quite heavy rain for most of it along with strong gusts of wind. The wipers were struggling to stay on the windshield on the driver's side. We maintained about 55 MPH without obstructing the traffic too much. At one of the rest areas we pulled off to change drivers to give Art a short rest. Trekker wasn't too impressed with the trip at this point. An hour later just before the I-205 exit we swapped back.

It was approaching 6:00 by this time and the worst of the rush hour was over. We never actually came to a stop though it was quite slow for a few miles. At 7:00 PM we stopped for half an hour at a rest area to walk and feed the dogs and by 8:30 we had arrived at McKay Truck in Albany, though we had overshot by a couple of exits and had to double back! Fortunately we had been here before this spring as well as last year so once off the freeway we knew exactly where we were and more to the point, where McKay was!

McKay Truck is set up for RVs to stay the night with a few spaces outside the gate and a couple inside the compound. Inside there is power and water available and they have a sanidump.



Tuesday morning, Art was into the Service Managers office at 7:45. He was the second one in line! Serves him right for unlocking the door before the 8:00 AM opening time!

Everything confirmed, we set off for breakfast after which Gillian dropped Art off back at the shop waiting room while she walked the dogs.

The rest of the afternoon was taken up with grocery shopping and lunch from the deli at Albertsons. Gillian took the dogs for another walk around a lake in a local park while Art had a snooze in the car.

Rig was ready, so back to the shop. The batteries were a tight fit but went in without having to modify the trays. They were even able to reuse the original cables.  The only thing on the list not completed was the awning--waiting to hear on the availability of parts.

Then to Knox Butte RV park where we booked in for two nights. Tomorrow the Jeep goes to the local shop to see if they sort out the nasty wind whistle from the soft top, not to mention the water leak!

Dinner in the motorhome, breaded cod, spuds and veggies. Perfect for the cold night! The satellite dish found the satellite but the front receiver wasn't working though the one in the bedroom worked fine! Art finally called Shaw Direct (formerly StarChoice) and using the self-serve options was able to have a refresh signal sent and withing a minute we were watching the news from CHEK TV (our home independent TV station). This is what we call Roughing it Smoothly!


Wednesday morning Art was up bright and early (well, at least before 8:00) to take the Jeep into the dealer. He then rode his electric bike back to the RV park. Happily not a long ride as it was still pretty cool. Sunny and not raining which was a bonus. In the afternoon he rode back to get the jeep, much nicer! Beautiful sunny day, warming up a bit and he did not need the multi-layers he had worn in the morning: T shirt, demin shirt, heavy sweat shirt, jacket, and reflective jacket which wouldn't zip up as it was much too tight!

Not happy with the so called service at Mark Thomas Motors. They seem to be part replacers rather than technicians with diagnostic skills. Art had specified and described the problem and explained that the soft top did not fit square on the windshield and he thought that perhaps the top has shifted. The top gasket was compressed more on one side than the other. When he went to pick up the car (they had spoken on the phone first) he was told the the problem was the door seal on the driver's side which is where most of the water entry was, and of course the needed seal was on back order! When he mentioned the wind noise again they said we'll have to replace that gasket as well. They had done that in the spring and the fix didn't stay. They obviously hadn't listened to what Art had told them. When Art mentioned again that he thought the top may have shifted a bit and that may well be causing the noise problem they sounded like they had never heard that before and more or less brushed him off. $50.00 for nothing.We had saved $1000.00 by buying the top in the US but are now regretting that.  End of Rant!