Thursday, August 9, 2012

On The Road Again


I’m sitting in my motorhome while two gentlemen are installing a new fan belt…

Look Mom...clean socks and no holes!


It’s 9:15 AM and already 92 degrees here in St. George, UT.  I thought I’d use this time to share some pictures I’ve taken and haven’t published.

My friend in Horse Heaven Hills…



has three dogs.   Winston likes to watch TV.  He’s a giant, and I mean GIANT, Schnauzer, two years old and pretty typical for a two year old…



Then there’s Skye.  She likes to play soccer…




Last but not least, Kaydon…



He and I hit it off from the start and if he weren’t so old (13) he could have been my next dog.   It’s hard to say how much time he has left and he has pretty severe arthritis that would make it difficult for him to get in and out of my motorhome.  I know where he lives and can go visit any time I want.

They’re great company when you live in the middle of 1400 acres and nobody else is around.

When I was at the Lazy J Ranch in Twin Falls, ID, a young man would show up to trim a neighbor’s yard.  He drove this 1974 Winnebago…



If I remember correctly, he said it had 5,000 miles on it when his father found it on somebody’s farm.  It cost him $500.  He said it was built on a Dodge Sprinter chassis, the same as my Winnebago View.  What a difference 38 years makes…



I was on the road by 11:00 AM.  Fortunately, a broken fan belt was the only problem.  Chris, the man who installed the new fan belt, checked all the fluids and said everything was fine.  What a relief.

Driving towards Las Vegas, shortly before another lane closure, I drove up an incline and noticed the temperature gauge going up.  Luckily, at the top of the grade there was truck parking so I drove in and sat for about half an hour.  I got back on the freeway and had no further problems.

I would like to thank Dick, Don, Darren, CJ and Chris.  They all had a part in helping me and fixing my motorhome and I’m most appreciative.

If you ever need help near St. George, UT, I recommend Bracken’s Auto Tech for towing and Southwest Diesel Service for diesel engine work. 

I knew this before but now I really know it…have all your electronic devices fully charged at all times!!!  Yesterday, when I really needed them my cell phone was low as was my MiFi.  My iPad was charged but without my MiFi it was worthless.  I chose to get an iPad without the internet feature because I already had MiFi from Verizon.  Now I can use the internet for my computer or my iPad.  Most of the time I’m using it on both at the same time. 

Speaking of my iPad…I love it!!  I have some great apps for finding RV parks and Love’s and Flying J truck stops.  Flying J is located as myPilot.  I couldn’t be an RVer without it.

I’m currently at Love’s outside of Las Vegas.  I’ve already spent a night at Flying J, tonight I’ll spend the night here at Love’s.  I would rather drive through Las Vegas early in the morning and miss the traffic.  I’m also trying to slow down and drive less per day. 

There’s an “Excessive Heat Warning” in Las Vegas and the current temperature is 110.  I know because I have an app for The Weather Channel and can check out weather anywhere I want.  I also have an app called MyRadar that shows active weather anywhere in the US.  It’s a good visual with cloud movement and is showing lots of clouds over Henderson, NV but none for Las Vegas.  Bummer.  Same with Tucson…no clouds.

I’ve allowed all my apps to mark my location so they know where I am when I open them up.  Pretty handy.

I just saw a Target (the store) bus with “$1 Billion for Education“ painted all over it, attached to a tow truck!!!  I wonder what happened to it.

I’m not sure I can explain it, but towing my Volvo through my fear of towing it has really helped me.  I feel like I’ve truly accomplished something huge and I’m proud of myself.  Since I left Twin Falls I’ve pulled my car, dry camped in truck stops and used my generator to stay cool.  Not to mention surviving a breakdown on the freeway…my motorhome, not me.  Can you think of anything else I haven’t covered?  Lay it on me because I don’t want to miss a thing.  I want to be an all around RVer!!

My next post will probably be from Tucson.

Feeling RV confident,

Jeana












8 comments:

  1. You ARE RV confident!!!! Just one step at a time and we can get thru most everything!Yes, u should be proud of yourself!!

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  2. Congrats on developing your RV confidence, Jeana. Miles on the road is what does it, I think. A few more years and you will be even more of a pro. So glad it was only a fan belt.

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  3. Enjoy your evening - you have surely earned a nice rest! So good that it was an easy fix.

    Great dogs at your friend's home. Don't you love the Horse Heaven Hills?! I was born in Prosser and played up there with friends as a child. Each year in June we camp and judge a BBQ competition at McKinley Springs Winery in the Horse Heaven area - such fun!!

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  4. you are doing a fine job on being an all round RV'er..is the volvo in a trailer?..can't remember what you decided?

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  5. You are sounding very confident. Good for you. Love the photo of the guys working on the fan belt. Now that's dedication.

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  6. Great job! I think you will enjoy traveling more now that you are driving fewer miles a day. Your destination will be there whenever you arrive.

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  7. Glad to hear you are gaining confidence. I am actually losing some of mine if truth be told. I really need to get out there and go. I am feeling quite housebound lately, but things going on in family I need to be here right now. Have at it, Girl, and enjoy yourself!

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  8. We spent about 2 months last year in Cedar City Utah. About 20 Degrees coooler than St George. Visited St George about 4 times and could watch the Outside temp guage lower the closer we got to cedar city.

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