San Antonio--Part One

(Somehow I first titled this post Albuquerque! Hope I didn't mess anyone up!)

So now we had some time to catch up on  a few things: laundry for one, and a few minor maintenance items.

Both of the bedside lights had developed intermittent switches and were very fussy to turn on and off so we went looking for replacements. We couldn't find the right ones but later we found a couple at Radio Shack that will do for now. They'll just need a little work with the soldering iron.

Also the shower is coming loose at one edge. Hopefully a good sealant will be enough. A proper repair would entail dismantling the whole thing and that is not going to happen--at least not this trip!

And the towbar is being difficult. One of the sliding arms isn't sliding which makes hooking up awkward. We have had trouble like this before and it should be a simple fix; just a matter of flushing out dust and dirt and adjusting a tensioning bolt.


Art got the galley fan working Thursday. We came in and found it running! We had left it open but it hadn't been running when we left a few hours before! Closing and opening the vent a few times caused the problem to return. Removing the screen and fan and giving the interior of the switch several shots of cleaner and flicking the switch leaver up several times in between each shot seemed to do the trick. The spray residue was quite dirty at first but eventually ran clean. Its been working fine since. One down!


Friday

The morning didn't start well. Art took his milk from the fridge and poured it onto his porridge and it came out in lumps! UGHHHH! A check on the expiration date showed October 20th! Fortunately there was a fresh carton in the fridge and five minutes later he continued his breakfast.

He later he tackled the towbar only to find that even with the tensioning bold completely backed off the inner arm was very tight. We have a diagram of the towbar workings on the computer but looking at it didn't provide any inspiration. Next was a phone call to Roadmaster's Tech Support in Vancouver Washington. Vinnie suggested that Art would have to take the arm apart and clean a bushing with fine sandpaper.

While Art was starting to dismantle the arm Gillian came out to say that the vet had called and that Tia had a urinary tract infection and that we could come and pick up the lab report and also a special diet.

So back to the same part of town again--on the way stopping at Home Depot (again) to pick up the fine sandpaper (Art thinks there might be a sheet of 1000 grit near the bottom if the tool bin but that would entail trying to get everything back in again!) and once again at a Radio Shack we spotted on the way, to see if they had a switch for the bedside lights. As noted at the beginning he found a couple that will do.

Then to the vet.  The lab report showed no stones or crystals, but there was occult blood and high white and red cell counts which seem to indicate an infection. The vet stated that we should have another urinalysis done in ten days to ensure that the antibotics are doing or have done their job. We decided that we would stay here rather than risk running into problems halfway through Mexico. We'll take a sample in the afternoon of Monday the 12th and should have the results back on the 13th.

So we have booked into the RV Park here until the 14th.

Tonight the RV Park served diner! Lasagne, veggies, salad and ice cream with a large assortment of toppings for desert. A pretty good deal for $7.00





Saturday

We seem to still be on PDT or at least MDT, waking up at 9:00 AM or later. Texas is on Central Daylight time. This morning it was 9:20 before Art crawled out of bed. Perhaps when we change to Central Standard Time tonight we'll get more in step with the locals. Art is looking forward for the $5.00 Sunday breakfast tomorrow: all you can eat pancakes or waffles with sides of bacon, eggs, toast hash brown, and coffee and wouldn't want to miss it!

After breakfast we tackled the shower. It seemed to go OK. A table knife wedged under the door seems to be holding the side in place until the caulking cures over 24 hours.  Only time will tell.

Next job on the To Do List was the towbar. It did not come apart as easily as the tech had described. Not too surprising as in order to take it apart the parts that wouldn't slide had to! A little gentle persuasion with a 2 pound hammer did the trick.

Now to clean it. The tech had suggested very fine sandpaper but cautioned not to take too much off. So Art set to work using 600 grit "wet or dry" paper. Eventually he rigged a power rotary sander using an electric drill for power and a 9/19 deep socket padded with layers of masking tape to increase the diameter.

He also buffed the inner arm with a piece of the same 600 grit to smooth of some rough spots probably caused by rock chips in Alaska back on our Round Continent trip a few years ago.

It took quite a while (600 is pretty fine!) but eventually the inner arm would move though the bushing without a lot of force. Reassembled, a bit tricky getting the nylon spacers in, Art tried it out. It worked, but was still tight. However it was now lunchtime, followed by nap time for Art as Gillian took the dogs to a near by park.

When Gillian and the dogs returned Art tackled the towbar again but this time things went a much faster as he had already figured out the procedure. And of course all the tools were at hand. Reassembled, it seems to be working fine. Now, to put all the tools and stuff away!

Three down. Perhaps the bedside lamps tomorrow. Or perhaps not.

As we were getting ready to go the bed an alarm went off in the 5th wheel next door. And again. And again etc etc etc. Art and another neighbour went over to see what was going on. It was the propane detector. Since there was no propane in the rig at all, the owner finally cut the ground wire to silence it. It turned out to have been caused by a low battery in the trailer. The owner seems to have no idea how to look after an RV. The grey water tank has been leaking onto the pad for a full day now with no interest in fixing it. He said he is leaving soon any way.

Sunday 

3:00 AM is not what we had in mind by waking up a little earlier this morning.

We were roused by the sounds of rolling thunder and the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Gillian awoke with a start--The Jeep! We had taken the vinyl windows out and replaced them with netting to make it cooler for the dogs in the hot sunny days. They're not watertight though! We donned a minimal of clothing and dashed out into the dark and wind. So far the rain was light. It was quicker to tarp than find and install the vinyl windows in the dark. Just as we finished the clouds opened up and we were both soaked through by the time we got back to the motorhome door.
 
We woke again to sunshine at a more reasonable time and were even in to breakfast shortly after the 8:30 start time. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, English muffins, a huge selection of topping and sauces, and of course coffee. We enjoyed a very nice breakfast and the company of some of the other campers.

The day passed quietly, the most energetic thing undertaken was Art's 10 K ride on his electric bike. The battery charge indicator barely  dropped to 75% on the flat straight road and that only on the slight inclines. One house that he rode by had a dog warning sign posted and as he approached Art could see a large alert German Shepherd watching, tail wagging. As he rode past the house a large Basset Hound ran along the fence keeping pace and barking furiously. The Shepherd gave a few half-hearted woofs. Art had never seen a Basset Hound so excited or move so quickly. It was quite funny. 

The rest of the day just drifted along. We both got some reading in and not much else.

The owner of the trailer next door did leave late this morning with a friend but left the still leaking trailer behind. A complaint to the park office resulted in a note being attached to the door but since he isn't home it won't have much effect. Not a nice thing to look at from the dinette window. (End of rant!)


A nice pasta dinner using up some already cooked chicken breast, a glass (or two) of wine, and the TV finished our evening. We watched a new to us episode of New Tricks (one of our favourites) which ended on a surprising note; it could even be a sign of the end of the series.  :-(   We checked with Mr Google and we are partially correct: It was the last episode for one character and it seems the show will run only two more seasons, 2012 and 2013.


And no, the bedside lights didn't get done, other than a trial spray with contact cleaner.

Carlsbad to San Antonio.

The Carlsbad RV Park is a  very nice park,which we have stayed in before, with a nice little dog park which, according to Trekker, we were fortunate enough to park beside.

The free wireless internet was slow, but we got a little bit done. We also wrote and posted a couple of Christmas cards for people that aren't on the internet. We needed to mail them before we get into Mexico or they might arrive for Valentine's Day or even Easter! Mexico's Correo makes Canada Post look good!

Before departing Carlsbad Art carefully inspected the electric bike and the new Yakima Spare Time bike rack purchased just be for we left Victoria and was pleased to see that everything was secure. This is the best and most solid bike rack we have had. (We have at least three more various types at home!) It has so far shown no sign of loosening or vibrating.

We left late next morning, about 11:30 Mountain Time, then stopped a mile down the highway for reasonably priced fuel ($3.999), and were rolling at noon. Shortly after that we lost another hour as we entered Texas and changed to Central Time.

Lunch too was late; 3:00 PM Central Time at a roadside picnic area (Rest area without services.) Here we turned the ceiling vent fans on and found the galley fan not working! Now we are heading into warmer even hotter weather, this is not what we wanted. With a bit of fiddling it started to spin then stopped, then started- Art quickly realised that is has a defecting micro-switch that is controlled by the vent cover as it opens and closes. It may just need cleaning. Replacing it could be difficult but it is easily bypassed.

Also somewhere along  the way Art noticed that the front air pressure gauge was against the stop at Zero! We obviously had air pressure since the front air tank also supplies air to the air suspension which was fully inflated and there was no "Low Air" alarm screeching. This had happened twice before years ago. The first time it was a loose connection to the gauge behind the dash, which Art fixed himself, the second time it was a faulty gauge which we went without through much of Mexico. Art will check when we get to San Antonio. Hope it is something simple!

At 4:30 we were both feeling a bit sleepy so we pulled of at the next rest area for a half hour nap and a 10 minute dog walk. With a wake-up bottle of caffeinated Coca beside him (The only time Art drinks coke--before and after lunch freeway drive!) we were prepared for an hour or so more of driving before parking for the night.

About 6:30 we pulled into the town of Ozona following a sign for an RV park. It didn't look too appealing but that was beside the point as there was a NO VACANCY sign on the office door. 7 miles further down the road was another, right along the freeway--it won't be quiet!

As we pulled up in front of the office of the Circle Bar RV Park and Motel, a man walked over and asked if we had been here before. Apparently the set up is a bit different: Find a space if there is one (he thought there was) and in the morning there maybe a white pickup parked by the office who we could pay. Failing that, we pay in the motel office also as we leave! But the free wireless works! We wouldn't want to stay here in the rain--there were many deep ruts in the dried mud and a couple of good sizes holes in the road. There was a windowed building labeled Auto Museum containing fast boats and classic cars which we didn't investigate. The link above shows the connection.

We were set up quickly, not even disconnecting the jeep and CHEK news was on by 7:15. We were also able to connect to a slow but free wireless signal to check in with the outside world. There was an e-mail from Lulu, hopefully we will see her and her daughter tomorrow or Thursday.


October 31, Hallowe'en.

We woke to bright sunshine and no need for the furnace this morning! Slept in again!

Tia was having difficulty with her pee again this morning, as had first noted a couple of days ago. When Art got up she was standing on her bed giving a few demanding yelps and bouncing about a bit--unusual for her so Art took her out right away. Although she squatted frequently, nothing seemed to be happening. When Gillian knelt on the dog bed (still made up on the collapsed dinette) it was wet! Quite a lot had soaked the top blanket and onto the second but not through. Tia has never peed in the house since we first got her 7 years ago. We are not sure if this happened before or after Art took her out. The blankets were rinsed then dropped on the shower floor to be dealt with later. At least her lack of urination was no longer an urgent concern but we still needed to find a vet, sooner rather than later. Just before we left Tia managed another tiny pee. She may have passed a stone.

The RV Park office was actually open as we drove past looking for someone, somewhere, to pay. The price was quite reasonable at $27.00 with our FMCA discount.

We left at 10:30, stopping at at rest area a couple of hours later for 15 minutes to give Tia another chance to pee if she needed it.

 The terrain along our route was very flat and dry.  As we drove through several cuts made to accommodate the highway we could see why the vegetation was so sparse.

 Closer to San Antonio vegetation become more tree than shrub though there seemed to be precious little soil or water to support it.

An hour and a half later were were entering the outskirts of San Antonio and by 2:40 we were in Braunig Lake RV Resort, parked and leveled.

We then went into town to see the Vet recommended by the receptionist.

The vet examined Tia, saying that he couldn't palpate any stones and that her bladder was empty or nearly so. Since the pickup for the lab hadn't been made yet he had a tech take Tia outside to see if she would be able to provide a urine sample. Fortunately she was successful. This would save us a day in the diagnosis.

The vet said that there was blood in the urine so may well have, or had, stones and agreed with Art that she may well have passed one this morning. We should have the lab report back by Thursday or Friday at the latest. In the meantime she received a shot of an anti inflammatory  and we were given a supply or oral antibiotics to start her on in the morning. Now we wait.

It was now 5:00 PM and we hadn't had lunch yet so we followed the GPS to Ruben's Cafe, only to find that it closed at 2:00PM. We tried again--there was an Applee's nearby. That would do us just fine.

We opted for their 2 for $20 deal: Two entrees from a choice of eight plus an appie to share. We shared the artichoke and spinnich dip, Gillian had a chicken salad while Art ordered the steak. The food arrived promptly and was very good. Art pronounced his steak excellent and perfectly cooked to his requested medium rare. Gillian took half of her dinner home for dinner.

We had a quiet evening, except for the three or four loud diesel pickup trucks coming and going from several trailers parked near us. The receptionist at the office had told us when we checked in that the neighbour would be starting his diesel early and would be back late. That wouldn't have been a problem if it had been just that: One of the pickups parked in the road very close to us, engine running, while a neighbour was chatting with the driver. The exhaust was being sucked into our rig so we had to close all the widows on that side.

Eventually things quieted down. The dogs got their diner, Art wasn't interested, but Gillian eventually nibbled her way through the remains of her lunch.

We tried again to contact Lulu without any luck. We'll try again tomorrow.

Hallowe'en passed quietly (other than the trucks). not a ghost, ghoul or hob-goblin in sight.

Albuquerque and to Carlsbad, via Roswell.

We left Canyon de Chelly at 3:50 heading for a town on the Arizona/New Mexico border with the intriguing name of Window Rock. It sounded like a geological formation; we thought we would take a look.

As we drove through the centre of town (in the right lane! we spotted a small sign Window Rock indicating a left turn. Signals on Art managed to move over one lane but no one would let him into either of the TWO left turn lanes! There was no easy return, so we missed the window rock this round. Maybe another time.

A few miles later we stopped for fuel in Gallop New Mexico, almost on the I-40. We spotted the price, 4.14 so swung in and took on 54 gallons or so. Ou.r mileage this trip so far is 9.1 miles per US gallon (almost 11 Imperial measure).

We had thought to stop at a rest area at Mile 22 on the I-40 but could not see it. It may have been at a commercial truck stop but that's not what we were looking for so we carried on to a Walmart at MM 84 in the town of Grants, some 70 miles west of Albuquerque. Thanks to the new batteries, the Xantrex inverter and ShawDirect we watched a little TV during dinner and went to bed fairly early.

We don't normally shop at Walmart but we needed a few things so in the morning we popped in. Art was delighted to find Johnny Walker Scotch at $18.00! Go well with his oarmeal? :) We were back on the road for Albuquerque.

We hoped to find friends that lived here but so far there was no answer on their phones. We remembered seeing signs for an RV park on the east side of town on previous trips so went to check it out. No space at this time! Just as well, it looked rather grotty! There was, according to the Next Exit, another one 5 miles further east. Some 5 miles past the exit we had seem no sign of it so turned around and at that time spotted their sign. However we were already well into our U turn and realised that it was much farther out of town than we wanted.

Back into town we stopped at an RV shop to pick up a few things. We asked about a good restaurant and and RV park nearby and were sent to the Olive Garden. Great food and went away with enough for another meal. (Which we have just eaten tonight, a day later as I write this!)

 The nearest RV Park was a KOA which we usually ignore as over priced. You can buy an annual membership which brings their price down to match the rest. To be fair they are usually very clean, full service and up scale. However it was convenient, had wireless and a good dog play area. Over $100.00 for two nights though!

As soon as we were parked, Gillian took the dogs out while Art set the motorhome up. When she returned we left the dogs in the rig and set off to take care of a few things: Photo copies of documents for the crossing into Mexico, good bread and grain free dog food. We knew from previous visits that next to Pet Vet was a bakery, and across the road, a Staples.

Back at the motorhome, we watched a bit of TV and Art tried to get on the free wireless internet without success. He finally gave up in disgust, sampled his new bottle of Red Label and went to bed.

Next morning, we were taken by reports on the Global TV News of the 7.7 earthquake in Haida Gwaii, on the coast of British Columbia. Thankfully there were no injuries and no damage. After a cup of tea, his oatmeal still in the microwave, Art and the laptop setoff for the office.

The lady there had a few suggestions, offered the use of the office computer to check e-mails, and suggested he find Jeff in the Rec Room who could probably help him.

Jeff said that for some reason Canadians computers always have trouble with their system. He cleared cache and cookies and tried a few other things and presto! We were connected. He also explained that up link was slow but down links we 10 times faster. When we finally got on we found it slower than our Shaw at home.


Now that we were online we sent an email to our friends Cathy and Ken to which they replied promptly--they were RVing in Spain and Portugal! No wonder they weren't answering or returning calls!

We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, washing the Jeep (after Bluff!) and on the internet -- doing the banking, e-mails and catching up on the blog. Oh, and Art decided to put the first aid kit to good use to repair a broken latch on the screen door:

Dinner was the remains of yesterdays lunch: Pasta! Always as good the next day.

One of the e-mails was from our dear friend Lulu from Morelia, Mexico, who said that she was arriving in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday. Today! Her daughter is due to deliver in a few days, Lulu will be with her for a month. This will likely cause a change in direction--to San Antonio to have at least a short visit with Lulu. We met Lulu and her husband Jorge in Zihuatanejo several years ago and see them every year. We have visited them in their home in Morelia. We hope to hear soon but in any case will head that way. At worst, it will add a day to our time in the states!

After dinner Art went back to do some more things on line and while trying to upload to the blog found the internet connection gone! A short time later he could see it but could not connect--it wanted a username and password. We had logged on with a "coupon" which could only be used once but was valid for three days of free internet.

In the morning, still no internet. We packed up, drove to the office to replenish all the propane the furnace has used and hit the road. Destination probably Carlsbad for the night.

We have done this route a few times in the past so didn't bother with a lot of new photos. Not that the scenery changed much over the miles. One interesting thing we spotted was an antelope, all alone in the vast landscape.  We went by too quickly for a picture unfortunately.

Somewhere along the road we picked up a small rock chip in the driver's side windshield. Having just replaced the passenger side window because of a rock chip that grew into two large cracks, we decided that we would try to get it fixed sooner rather than later.





Approaching the town of Roswell we missed the bypass and ended in city traffic through the middle. Suddenly we spotted a mechanic garage sign, and at the bottom of the sign were the words Windshield Repair! There was no room at the curb without blocking the garage entrance and the right turn lane so we turned right and parked around the corner.

Gillian walked back and soon returned with someone from the garage. He had a look, said the person who did that wasn't in at the moment but  he would phone him. The news was good--we would be here in 15 minutes or so.

Art stretched out on the couch to wait, he arrived in about half an hour. He said to drive around and park in front of the shop which we did, blocking the entrance and part of the right turn lane! Jessy introduced himself--he was the owner of the garage, baby sitting three young kids as his wife was sick! The kids happily watched the procedure from the windows of daddy's truck.

Jessy said that it was a difficult one, particularly on the vertical surface, he wasn't completely happy with the job but he was sure that the resin had penetrated completely and that it would hold. The $30.00 cost seemed reasonable, and an hour later we were back on the road.


We arrived at the RV Park in Carlbad, one we have stayed in before, and were set up and watching the 5:00 CHEK news by 6:04 (Mountain Time).

Next was to convert the dinette from doggie bed to table and plug the laptop in. The internet connected right away so the blog is getting caught up!

A few pictures to come--Tia is sleeping on the floor in front of the drawer that contains the download cable for the camera. We'll have to wait until she wakes up!

Obviously she did eventually wake up and the photos have been posted but we couldn't resist posting Tia's photo!

Canyon de Chelly

Friday morning as soon as we had washed, breakfasted, watched the news from home, fed the dogs, walked the dogs we were almost ready to go. Art had already connected the Jeep and put the hoses away, all that remained was to bring in the slides, retract the jacks, stow the electric cord and we were on our way.

Not too far though. We had half a tank of fuel and our route was one of open spaces and very small towns. The cost of running a diesel engine out of fuel was the deciding factor here though we were horrified at the price of diesel but bit the bullet and put in $100.00 worth at 4.499 per US gallon ($1.18 per litre). Guess we've been spoiled. The cheapest we have filled at was 4.049 (1.066/litre). We are looking forward to Mexico where it will likely be somewhere between 80 and 90 cents per litre.

We were on the road again before 9:30 for Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northern Arizona. Chelly is a Spanish corruption of the Native American name Tseyi. (In Spanish the ll is pronounced y.) De Chelly is pronounced De Shay.

The scenery along the way was interesting in itself.  You couldn't tell from the terrain where Utah ended and Arizona began.

We arrived at the Visitor Center at 12:20 after passing several service stations with diesel significantly cheaper than that which we had on board! Ah well, better safe than sorry!

After a quick lunch parked at the Visitor Center (and checking with them) we set off on our tour of the South Road in the motorhome, Jeep in tow. There are 7 view points on the south rim; we decided to visit them choosing the order by the terrain: We would stop in the viewpoint if we could leave on  a downhill run, rather than grinding up the steep grades from a standing start. This meant that the first two were actually the last two to view but the order was really irrelevant. Here are some pics in no particular order:

 

In the last photo you can just make out a fenced area on the left and a house at the lower right. This area is in the Navajo Nation and is populated and actively farmed. Seems a little too dry for our liking!

Bluff and off roading!

A lazy start today, just a short trip into Bluff, a little over three hours. We arrived at the Cadillac Ranch RV Park where we have stayed several times before. There were two rigs ahead of us checking in, both towing Jeeps. The photo here was taken when we stopped, hence no dust.

Once we were settled in and just starting lunch one of the newly arrived people came over and said he had notice that we too have a jeep, they were going out shortly on an easy trail to a very picturesque area nearby with some interesting ruins, rock painting, pottery shards etc. and we would be welcome to come along.

We scoffed down our sandwiches and trailed along. (Actually were in the middle.) Harry and Nancy took the lead, and their Jeep was certainly a little better set up for this kind of driving than ours. Joe and Judy took the rear, their Jeep too is well equipped.

Nancy suggested that we ask Harry why the body and paint looked so good on their 5 year old off-roading jeep. Harry admitted that he had rolled it last year! It was a lot of fun and also Gillian's first off road, or to be more precise, unimproved dirt road/trail. There was lots of deep sand and a few rocky places, in and out and even along a few washes. We needed 4WD low range in a few spots.




Sometimes we could see where we were going:

 Sometime not so much:

Sometimes Gillian didn't know which to worry about most, the paint; 

 

Or the whole Jeep!

We finally got to the end of the trail. It was worth the drive:

Then we had to do the whole route back the other way. The photo of the Jeep going down the switch back was taken on the return.

Surprisingly, the trail we were on had a name, Comb Wash Road, and was even on the GPS! The river is the San Juan. While looking at some ruins along the way we saw some people rafting.

Back at the RV park Art hooked up the Jeep so we would be ready to go in the morning while Gillian took the dogs for their walk. He also gave the interior a bit of a dusting!

The weather had been sunny all day but the wind was cold and the overnight temperatures were below freezing. The forecast was for 27F tonight so after we had both showered Art emptied the holding tanks, disconnected everything except the electrical cord and put the hoses away.

Salt Lake City to Moab, OR Our WInter Vacation

Art woke up this morning at about 7:30 and immediately turned the TV on for an up to date weather forecast. There was snow to the north of and rain and snow likely later in the day and Thursday. Southern Utah seemed quite a bit better. We thought the risk of snow on our southbound route to probably Moab was light so we decided to leave today.

Art climbed out of bed first, Gillian managed to make it 15 minutes later, and eventually everything got done. Because of the cold, the water hose refused to coil nicely so that it would fit properly in it's space, so it ended  up tossed in a tangle into the back of the Jeep. The 50 Amp electrical cord wasn't much easier to coil but it is attached to the motorhome at one end so it had to be dealt with. Art finally got everything back into the compartment and eventually we were ready to go.

We left the park at 9:20, Gillian stopping off at the laundry by the office to look for a sock that Art had left behind yesterday. (She found it.) Just across the highway we stopped at a Flying J for fuel. We still had half a tank but this was the cheapest diesel we have seen: $4.099 per gallon. We also get a three cent per gallon discount by using our "Flying J Loyalty Card". We saved a whopping $1.26!

At 9:45 we were on the I-215 the greater Salt Lake bypass to the I-15 South. The motorhomes thermometer was reading 3C, we were driving in light rain, though the surrounding hills had snow all the way down.

According to the log, at 11:20 we were down to 2C and the rain had turned to sleet. We were at an elevation of about 1600 meters. At noon we pulled off into a rest area to make our decision as the sleet was now getting thinker. Calling 511 on the cell phone for road and weather conditions, we heard that highway 50 ( we had about 30 miles to the 70 using the 50) was wet with snow flurries mixed with rain. Further south, the 70 had 2 areas with snow, but we could miss that by using the 50.

So off we went through Scipio and watched the temperature drop to 1C as the elevation rose to 6250 feet at the summit, (1900 meters according to the GPS) and the show was getting a little heaver, it was sticking to the trees and grass alongside the road.

As we descended from the summit the snow changed to rain and we joined the I-70 eastbound at MM 56 without incident. Even the rain was down to a drizzle.





At MM 83 we reached a pass summit signed as having an elevation of 7886 feet. Here we were in light sleet, and a few minutes later at 1:15 stopped at a rest area for lunch. Still cold, but the sun came out! The hot soup and sandwich were very welcome. The dogs too appreciated their stroll in spite of the temperature. Then a heavy snow squall hit.






We had several hours to go but the skies ahead were clear, the snow was coming from the rear. Back on the road at 1:55, we left the snow behind.

Unfortunately we eventually left the sun behind too as the cloud and rain returned. Temperatures however had increased nicely, it even touched on 12C at one point.






We were parked in our assigned space at Portal RV Park in Moab at 4:30 and while Gillian took the dog out for some exercise, (there is a fenced off leash dog park here as well as a pond so they were quite happy!) Art got the rig level, slides out, power and cable TV connected. At 5:00 he checked local TV weather and it looks like we have escaped the snow at least for now. Then he had a short nap while waiting for 6 O'clock to arrive to watch the 5 O'clock news from home.  Oh yes, he also turned on the furnace. We'll need propane before we head into Mexico.

But for tomorrow, we'll just head down to Bluff in the south east corner of the state.

Utah and Salt Lake City

During the night we were awakened by the drumming of rain pounding on the roof. Reminded us of home! We finally got up at 7:45, the weather seemed to be clearing

Before we left the rest area Art phoned a Jeep dealer in Salt Lake City and were told to bring the Jeep in. We were  on the road at 9:20 the day now looking quite pleasant. No idea why it takes us so long to get moving.

We were driving along and over the Bonnyville Salt Flats, miles and miles of dead straight road on quite a pleasant day now. As we got a little closer the dry flats became very shallow lakes, we're guessing due to the recent rain. The reflections made for some nice scenery.





11:30 we arrived at the Jeep Dealer in Bountiful. and received excellent attention. A service rep looked at Jeep, discussed likely cause of problem, showing Art that the door seal had in fact been replace in the past following a service bulletin concerning a problem with the originals! The problem did seem to be in the top seal which was not placed exactly right and had therefore been deformed and was probably diverting water inside. He ordered the part and we are scheduled for an appointment of 2:00 PM tomorrow assuming the seal arrives from Denver! The weather between here and Denver however is not the greatest. Tomorrow will tell.

Just before lunch time (remember we eat late!) we were settled in at the Pony Express RV Park a few miles away. While disconnecting the towing arrangement Art noted splashes of oil on the Tow Shield on the front of the Jeep. On further checking he could see a small leak of red transmission fluid under the rig. Seems to be coming from a hydraulic line from either the slides or the stabilizer jacks. We are hoping that it is in fact the hydraulics and not from the transmission. The hydraulic system uses transmission fluid so it is hard to be sure.

On the bright side, the park is very nice, very clean with spacious concrete pads for the rig and the jeep and grass and shrubs between each site, laundry open 24 hours, and the entire park surrounded with a walking trail.  (The photo was taken next day)


The weather could be better though! Rain, cold wind, in fact the wind gusts were so strong we were loath to deploy the satellite dish. The weather forecast not good.  Even using the 4 letter S word!  AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!

The park has cable TV with all the major US Networks so Art had connected that along with the power, water and sewer lines. One problem: the Toshiba TV in the front won't respond to the remote. We bought a new remote last year but it doesn't work either! We can adjust on/off, sound and inputs using the buttons on top of the set but we cannot change channels without the remote! However the small bedroom TV works fine so we were able to catch local news and weather there.

The rest of the afternoon was spent first of all by Art taking a long nap while Gillian took the dogs along the walking trail. Later some more internet time and then the wind dropped enough for the satellite dish so we watched the news from home, steak for dinner with wine, a Scotch or two to follow, a little more TV and so to bed.

Tuesday

More driving rain over night but it cleared for the most part by mid morning. The Hydraulic tech was supposed to call about 10:00 and hadn't so at 10:30 Art called him. Recording answered so he left a message and was called back within half an our our so. The tech was running late and would be here in an hour or so.

Gillian took the washing down to the laundry and got it started, the tech showed up about 1:15 and soon diagnosed a leaking fitting on one of the hoses to the bedroom slide. Unable to repair the end, the hose needs to be replaced. All 25 feet of it!

As Art is typing this, the tech is under the rig removing the old hose which he will take to the shop to duplicate (Length DOES matter in this system). Gillian has headed off to the Jeep dealer for the top seal  repair and will lunch somewhere in town while waiting and do some grocery shopping on her way back.




We have pretty much written off Nebraska this trip. When we leave here we will likely cross to the south east corner of Utah, perhaps to Bluff, a small old historical town we have visited several times before. When we leave will depend on the weather and the hydraulic line repair. The forecast for later in the week in the south of Utah is very good; sunny and temperatures in the 70s.

Well the hydraulic leak was fixed, replaced 25 feet of hose at almost $10.00 per foot plus time. The hydraulic hose was deteriorating and leaking at the fitting. There was also a crack in the outer cover about halfway along. The Jeep repair was covered on warranty. Hopefully the rain leak has been fixed. Unfortunately according to the weather forecast we might be able to test it soon--if it doesn't snow!

The evening news here advises that the snow level will likely reach the valley bottoms as early as tomorrow morning and if not then, by Thursday. The high today was about 7C according to the thermometer in the Jeep when Gillian took it in for the service. The clouds have been moving lower all day, there is s little more snow on the nearby hills than there was when we arrived. The good news is that it is forecast to improve for the weekend. We will decide in the morning if we are moving south or not. We will be heading for the southeast corner of Utah, through Moab and on to Bluff. Meanwhile we have just come in from grocery shopping, dinner is under way and rain is falling on the roof. Time for a drink.