Thank You To My Forum Friends ..............
.......... for all kinds of input over the years but more specifically to fine tune our 42 day trip to CO and UT for the Fall colors. Most places we have been to at least once before but got great new input on things to see and do.
We packed up on Monday only to find out refer was dying - got freezer but only 48 deg in refer part. Figured we could make that do.
Headed out Tues morning from our place into Tucson and up Hwy 77 toward Show Low. This is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever do; but it is also the Salt River Canyon and many, many 7 and 8% grades. Done it before so were fine with it.
Got out 140 miles to about 10 miles south of Globe and pulled into a safety area for potty stop for us and Sadie.
Hmm, refer is totally dead. Not good. But we will figure out something.
Go to start truck. Grinds and grinds and does not fire. Not good. Hey, will call 911. Hey, no cell phone service.
Put hood up and wave at passers by. They wave back. And keep going.
Walk down the road and get cell out and state police on the way.
Nice guy arrives and is from Globe. They call Good Sam for us and he knows locals well and gets local guy so don't have to wait for contract G S guy from Phoenix - thank God.
Wrecker bigger than our truck and 35' fiver (is seems pulls up). Young lad about 160 pounds - son of owner. My God, does this kid know his business.
Tows us - whole rig - into Globe and to a guy he had already contacted. Drops us and I pay him; very reasonable to be sure.
Guy comes out with a screwdriver, has me raise the hood and 10 seconds later tells me to try it. Fires right up. Lost the prime he says. Tells me I should own a large screwdriver like that and how to deal with it in the future. Learned something about diesel engines there.
Refuses to take a dime.
We head out and soon realize air conditioning in truck does not work. Turn around and back to same guy. Says we lost ground connection someplace - maybe pack rats while truck was in storage? (I had traps out). Does a temp ground to ground plate with alligator clip. Don't leave it on though, he says, will run battery down.
Still will not take any money. I give him some anyhow.
Hit first bump down the road and clip must have come off. No a/c.
Get back to Hwy 77 and pull over. Decision time. No refer and maybe no a/c and 42 days ahead of us. Turn north and continue or south and back home?
We come to the conclusion that even with a year of planning and all the help here, etc, God was telling us we should not be on this trip.
We headed south - coming home.
About 15 miles from home on a county road we had to detour due to an earlier storm. Took us thru neighborhoods and all and wound up by a gas station. Barbara asks, "How are we doing on fuel?"
Oh crap, never even thought about that.
Low fuel light is definitely on.
I pull in and it is packed and me with the 5er and all the town idiots there being P E O P L E ! There are about dozen pumps - one green nozzle. I snake the 5er there and just about make it when a little cutesy whips in with her piece of junk to that pump - many others open for her to get gas. P E O P L E !
I get diesel and work my way otta there.
God was good; He did not let us run out of fuel.
Trip is, of course, aborted. I spent the day calling and cancelling all the reservations. And arranging with Camping World on a new refer and working out the warranty stuff on that. Will take a couple of weeks as they are moving down the road here in Tucson.
But there will be another time. God willing. If not, we have the memories of all the good times at these places in the past.
Thunder Mountain will keep B V in good condition until we get there again! :-)
Sorry I rambled but I thought it would give you a good chuckle.
We still count our blessings for all the good things in life.
God bless.
Lauren
We packed up on Monday only to find out refer was dying - got freezer but only 48 deg in refer part. Figured we could make that do.
Headed out Tues morning from our place into Tucson and up Hwy 77 toward Show Low. This is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever do; but it is also the Salt River Canyon and many, many 7 and 8% grades. Done it before so were fine with it.
Got out 140 miles to about 10 miles south of Globe and pulled into a safety area for potty stop for us and Sadie.
Hmm, refer is totally dead. Not good. But we will figure out something.
Go to start truck. Grinds and grinds and does not fire. Not good. Hey, will call 911. Hey, no cell phone service.
Put hood up and wave at passers by. They wave back. And keep going.
Walk down the road and get cell out and state police on the way.
Nice guy arrives and is from Globe. They call Good Sam for us and he knows locals well and gets local guy so don't have to wait for contract G S guy from Phoenix - thank God.
Wrecker bigger than our truck and 35' fiver (is seems pulls up). Young lad about 160 pounds - son of owner. My God, does this kid know his business.
Tows us - whole rig - into Globe and to a guy he had already contacted. Drops us and I pay him; very reasonable to be sure.
Guy comes out with a screwdriver, has me raise the hood and 10 seconds later tells me to try it. Fires right up. Lost the prime he says. Tells me I should own a large screwdriver like that and how to deal with it in the future. Learned something about diesel engines there.
Refuses to take a dime.
We head out and soon realize air conditioning in truck does not work. Turn around and back to same guy. Says we lost ground connection someplace - maybe pack rats while truck was in storage? (I had traps out). Does a temp ground to ground plate with alligator clip. Don't leave it on though, he says, will run battery down.
Still will not take any money. I give him some anyhow.
Hit first bump down the road and clip must have come off. No a/c.
Get back to Hwy 77 and pull over. Decision time. No refer and maybe no a/c and 42 days ahead of us. Turn north and continue or south and back home?
We come to the conclusion that even with a year of planning and all the help here, etc, God was telling us we should not be on this trip.
We headed south - coming home.
About 15 miles from home on a county road we had to detour due to an earlier storm. Took us thru neighborhoods and all and wound up by a gas station. Barbara asks, "How are we doing on fuel?"
Oh crap, never even thought about that.
Low fuel light is definitely on.
I pull in and it is packed and me with the 5er and all the town idiots there being P E O P L E ! There are about dozen pumps - one green nozzle. I snake the 5er there and just about make it when a little cutesy whips in with her piece of junk to that pump - many others open for her to get gas. P E O P L E !
I get diesel and work my way otta there.
God was good; He did not let us run out of fuel.
Trip is, of course, aborted. I spent the day calling and cancelling all the reservations. And arranging with Camping World on a new refer and working out the warranty stuff on that. Will take a couple of weeks as they are moving down the road here in Tucson.
But there will be another time. God willing. If not, we have the memories of all the good times at these places in the past.
Thunder Mountain will keep B V in good condition until we get there again! :-)
Sorry I rambled but I thought it would give you a good chuckle.
We still count our blessings for all the good things in life.
God bless.
Lauren
