Escaping the cold

Lucie tells me that it is not good to run away from things, so I should probably rethink the title for this post.  Maybe it should be, "Finding warm weather"!

Our stay in the Denver area got colder as the month wore on.  Warren and Allison left for Hawaii and rather than Lucie and I leaving at the same time we stayed as a cold front moved through dumping snow.  I decided that making the run south through snow covered passes would not be wise, so we waited for a weather window. 

On November 23rd we grabbed a one day opening between snow storms and headed south to Santa Fe where we stayed at the rodeo grounds and went to dinner with our friend Jackie Gernstien.  We didn't stay beyond the one night because at 8,000' elevation it was cold.  The next day we headed further south to Deming NM where we were out of the freeze zone for the first time.






We spent the night at a Harvest Host site, a Winery just outside Deming with a large parking lot.  Although the camping was free, between the wine tasting and buying a couple of bottles we did leave a few dollars there.

The next day we drove to Tucson.  We had made reservations at Cactus Country RV park because they had a hot tub.  However when we got there we discovered the hot tub was closed for renovations and would remain closed for the duration of our stay.  We decided to move on to our other choice, Desert Trails RV Park and stayed there for 2 weeks.

We thawed out in Tucson, the weather was wonderful.  We shared thanksgiving with the other campers at a potluck in the Rec Hall.  In the middle of our time there we took the PT Cruiser and drove up to Cottonwood AZ where my Father lives.  There we met my sister Joy who flew in from San Diego.  We all celebrated Dad's 88th birthday.  After 2 nights in an Airbnb we returned to Tucson, visiting our friend Steve Jerrett on the way through Phoenix.

The remainder of our time in Tucson was spent working on the bus, hiking in the desert, going to music programs at the Rec Hall in the evening and Lucie working on a microprocessor enabled apron.  We even bought a sewing machine that now travels with us.  

On December 9th we left Tucson headed for Holtville Hot Springs BLM campground west of Yuma in California.  We didn't make it.  Just outside Yuma AZ we had a tire blow out on the RV.  We limped off the Interstate to an exit in Welton AZ where our road service, Coach Net had a truck deliver and mount a tire.  By the time we were back up and running the sun was going down so we spent the night behind the Chevron gas station and continued on to California the next day.

We spent 10 days in Holtville.  It was our first extended boondocking (camping without hookups) of this trip.  It was comfortable and quiet, with daily soaks in the hot springs.  During the first couple of days we drove to the border town of Los Algodones Mexico where we had some dental work done and I got new glasses.  

While we were at the hot springs I discovered that the 2 flexible solar panels I had mounted on the storage containers on the roof last year had both failed.  We still have enough solar to charge on a sunny day, but I'm missing the extra capacity.

On December 20th we drove the RV from Holtville to Oceanside CA.  This is a hard drive with a good 40 mile uphill climb over the coastal mountain range then So Cal interstate driving for the rest of the way (5 to 8 lanes each direction - crowded and moving fast).  We are currently at Guajome County Park, finishing our 3 week stay.  

We spent Christmas at Lucie's Sister's house in Temecula CA, it's always nice to spend the holidays with family.  

We were going to spend Boxing Day with my sister Joy in Encinitas CA but first Lucie then I came down with a bad head cold that kept us at home through New Years. 

We've now recovered and are enjoying this beautiful part of the country.  I've been working on some of the bus's issues.  I replaced the fittings on the used fuel filter I got in Iowa.  The fittings to the fuel lines the mobile mechanic had welded together to get me back up and running leaked.  I have also been chasing air leaks in an attempt to resolve all the issues with the air system cycling constantly.  I purchased an electric air compressor that was delivered to Joy's.  Our campsite here is paved so I've been able to jack up the bus, block it so it won't fall on me and squirm around under it hunting down air leaks.

In 2 days Lucie will fly out to spend 3 weeks back east working and visiting Grandchildren.  The following day I will leave Oceanside for Quartzsite AZ where I will attend the Wanderlodge Rally and wait for Lucie to return.

On the move again - Mid October - Mid November 2019

Hard to believe it has been a year since I've cracked open this blog.  Certainly does not mean nothing has happened since last November,  just that I've not paid much attention to our personal blog.  But here we are in Year 7 traveling full time with our usual May - October stay in Mallet's Bay Campground (Vermont) And now we're on the move again.

We left Mallet's Bay mid October and headed to southern Vermont, where we parked in a school yard for almost 10 days.  

and worked with students and teachers at Shaftsbury Elementary School to integrate more creating and making into their learning.  I'll blog more about that at the Create Make Learn blog,  but if you're wondering what our days look like inside a school, check out these short videos.

From Shaftsbury, the bus  headed to to Turkey Swamp Campground in Freehold, NJ.   It's one of our go-to campground when we want to spend time with Craig's NJ kids and Lucie's Brooklyn kids and grandkids.  And as you can see, it's a beautiful spot.

Craig got to spend his 65th birthday with both his kids and their spouses (and even 3 of his 4 sisters) as everyone gathered in Manhattan for a very fancy wedding. 

and for those of you who have never seen Craig in a suit - here's  a rare occasion.

Then Craig and I said goodbye for a few weeks, as he headed out in the bus towards Iowa to get the leveling jacks repaired at a factory in Moscow, Iowa and I headed into Brooklyn to spend some time with these babies and their parents. 

Not only did I get to spend Halloween with my grand babies, but I got to cheer on runners in the New York City marathon with them, too.

Then for a real treat, my son, Matt, invited me to join him for his Broadway debut where he played piano, accordion, and conducted the music  for Hadestown - a Broadway play with a Vermont origin.

and as a bonus I got to enjoy the show with his twin brother, Adam.

Lucky me! 

Then back to Vermont via a beautiful train ride along the Hudson river

just in time to watch the white stuff cover the ground, as I spent a few days with my Dad

where 2 of my sisters showed up unexpectedly for an early birthday lunch.

The visit also allowed me to sneak in a little extra time with my 3 Vermont grandkids.

Got to watch my oldest grandson and his friends building a skateboard ramp in their barn

and take my only grand daughter to the gym

and play in the snow with this special guy. 

And finally one more early birthday dinner with my cousin, my Mom, and sister at the Single Pebble!

After some great family time, I put my work hat back on and made a quick trip back to 

Shaftsbury school for more making with 4th graders

and then launched right into my conference director role

for VermontFest 2019 - Vermont's annual Fall EdTech event. 

Exhausted but pleased with the outcome of the conference, 

I put EMMA (my mobile studio) into winter storage and took a cab to the airport.

After several false starts due to mechanical issues with planes in the Burlington Airport, I finally made it to Denver.

It was great to reunite with Craig after 3 weeks of traveling in separate states.

The Trip West Fall 2019

Lucie leftTurkey Swamp in New Jersey for Brooklyn to spend time with the grandchildren on Monday October 28. That left me a few days in New Jersey to hang out with my daughter Maggie, Peter and Skeeter the granddog. On October 31st (Halloween) I emptied and filled the tanks on the Wanderlodge and headed West.

I stopped after about 300 miles at a Flying J truck stop near Lamar Penn. Throughout the day I had become aware that the air system on the bus was cycling much faster than it had in the past. Every 2.5 minutes the compressor would come on and build up air pressure to 125 lbs, then the air dryer would spit and 2.5 minutes later it would repeat. Normally it would take over 10 minutes for one of these cycles. I started doing research and reaching out to the Wanderlodge community online. It was a rainy day and I was glad to have made it to a suitable resting place for the night.

The next day, Friday, I traveled another 300 plus miles to Castella Ohio. I was taking a more northerly route, I80, because I had made an appointment at HWH, the company that made the leveling jacks on the RV, in Iowa to have a broken jack repaired. I stayed at an Interstate rest area in Ohio. I80 is a toll road in Ohio, so I figured I could at least get a nights rest out of the toll. In the morning I noticed a little puddle of diesel under the Racor fuel filter on the Wanderlodge.

Saturday I proceeded to a Flying J truck stop in Lasalle IL. As evening approached I called 3 Walmarts along my route that were marked as OK for RVs to park overnight. All 3 said they no longer allowed RV parking.

There was snow on the ground here and it was quite cold. I filled the propane tank on Bella in the morning.

Sunday I traveled less than 200 miles to the HWH factory in Moscow Iowa. It was below freezing with snow on the ground. I parked in a parking lot in preparation for my 7AM appointment to get the leveling jack fixed.

I ended up spending four days at HWH. What started out as repairing one leveling jack ended up having another jack replaced and rebuilding the control manifold being added. I figured that I might as well get the system working correctly while I was there. One of the things that added to the time it took is they assigned some new people to work on Bella. There were always experienced people supervising and I was not charged anywhere near the number of hours they actually worked, but it did end up taking quite a long time.

The first night I parked outside where HWH provides electrical hookups for their customers.

After that they let me stay inside, which was a good thing because the temperatures plummeted.

Being on the inside the diesel leak from the Racor fuel filter became very obvious. I tried to tighten up the valve that is used to drain water from the filter and ended up making the leak worse. By the last day it was leaking a quart of fuel a day.

By the last day the leak was so bad the Wanderlodge would not start. There was air where there should be fuel in the injector pump. I ended up calling a mobile mechanic who had a spare, used, fuel filter that he sold me and then we bled the air out of the engine. Once it was running the HWH people could finish up their work. After paying they allowed me to spend another night inside,which was nice as it was 15 degrees Friday November 8th when I headed out for Topeka KS.

It was 400 miles to Topeka where I was welcomed by Tim, who had helped us last year when the water pump broke and stranded us. He has a 30 Amp hookup at his business where I settled in for 3 days. He very generously helped me replace the air dryer on Bella which at that time was the prime suspect for what was causing problems with the air system. The one on the RV was so old that parts were not available and one of the truck dealerships in Topeka had a more modern replacement. Tim fabricated a mount and he and I worked under the bus, in the snow in 20 degree weather, replacing the air dryer.

I am eternally grateful to Tim who so generously shares his master mechanic skills with fellow Wanderlodge owners. He refused payment, but did except small remuneration in maple syrup, which he has developed a taste for.

On Tuesday November 12th I left Topeka in 8 degree weather. I had not frozen up any pipes, but I’m pretty sure my holding tanks were solid blocks of ice. I drove over 400 miles to Sebert Colorado, where it was above freezing and I got a campsite with full hookups to empty and fill the tanks in preparation for stealth camping on the street at my son Warren and Allison's place.

 

On Wednesday I drove the 125 miles to Broomfield CO where we are now. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with my Son and his Wife and for the beginning of the stay, the weather was sunny and above freezing. Warren has a 30 amp electrical connection wired up to his house that makes it welcoming to stay here.

On Sunday November 17th Lucie flew to Denver. Now we are back together and preparing to head South for the winter. We decided that instead of taking off immediately we would wait for the next spell of cold weather to pass, so we would not get stuck in any of the mountain passes we need to pass through.