
All of my good intentions are out of the window as we are parked here for yet another day and night because among other things, neither slide will pull in. A.J. had texted me to say he would be back around 4:00 pm to finish work on the refrigerator, and he can check the slides at the same time. We have run out of propane and can only safely use the electric heaters if we are hooked up to a 50 amp supply. It is getting pretty cold in the RV with no form of heating at all and the outside temperature hovering around the freezing mark. The plan is to move to site 78 for this evening as we will have 50 amp power there and that depends on how well A.J. does with his work.
I had called around to see if there was a propane delivery service that would come to the park as I thought I had seen a propane truck here a couple of times. I even talked to Gerry, and he gave me a number but when I called, they told me they do not deliver to RV parks because apparently, it is illegal in this State. My other alternative is to drive the RV to them and then they will fill it but with the slides not retracting I cannot do that either.
We went out for the morning walk around a very cold and chilly park before returning to see what I could do. I packed the RV for travelling as much as I could in the hope that we would move to site 78 with 50 amp power for this evening and the heat that it could provide. I also called the next campground where I had arranged a site and told them I would be coming a day later because of the problems.
I turned my attention inside the RV and put stuff away in the shower and other such places ready for travelling. I also installed the expansion bars in the cabinets to stop the contents from sliding around and then, with as much done as I can do without the slides working, I settled down to write in the blog.
Thinking back over this trip, what started so well and with such expectations has turned into a real bust and it is not over yet. First of all, I carelessly backed into the Jeep while trying to reverse direction after the map system I was using sent me down the wrong road not only with a dead end but not much room to turn around. Incidentally, I hooked and unhooked the Jeep 8 times that day because of various and different circumstances. This was followed by waiting 2.5 months to get the Jeep repaired only for it to go back in the shop after I got it back, due to shoddy workmanship. This after they had “finished” the work.
I moved campsites to be closer to the Jeep’s location but before I did, we had yet another problem which was caused when a heavy rain storm broke the awning that I had left out on purpose to protect the couch and such. Apparently, the rain collected on the awning causing it to break under the weight. This resulted in having to call the local Camping World and have them order and then come out and replace the broken arm. Their basic cost for the house call to do the job, which did not include the cost of the new parts, was $1000.00. Very, very expensive.
I had no choice other than to pay as I could not retract the damaged awning to move campsites as I had planned. Then the Jeep would not start, and I had to have it towed to Collision Center for it to be repaired. It took three separate tow trucks before the right one came out that had a tow dolly.
I moved to Southgate RV Park and with all the delays to the Jeep, I kept extending my stay here. With news that the Jeep would be ready, I gave notice to the campsite. When I got the Jeep back, there were problems with the computer system resulting in having to to send it back for further work which also took longer than expected
I had to move from my original site because of the Jeep’s problems because I had given my notice that I was moving on and Gerry had rented it out. In changing sites, all that was available because of the upcoming Football Game, was a 30 amp site which resulted in damage to the electrical system in the RV including the refrigerator not working. Then, when I finally think I am ready to move temporarily, to site 78 with a 50 amp system, the slides will not go in. Because I am out of propane, it is bloody freezing inside of Quatro. I called A.J. and he thought it would be OK to run just one portable heater on low. It is placed right in front of me and just about keeps the chill off.
My original plan was to go to Walmart’s to stock up and had put that on hold because the refrigerator was not working. We are still working our way through the not so frozen stuff from the freezer. In some respects, it is a good job it is not 65 degrees outside…
A.J.,the mechanic came back later today and worked on the unit and eventually got everything fixed including the slides. He said that he had inquired around to find out just what he could do to bypass some of the circuits to make it all work. Turns out, he is an ex-Marine and seems to be a very honest and straight up person. I thanked him profusely and he went on his way.
As I mentioned, I had run out of Propane to heat the RV which is why I have had to use the heaters. Today, it barely got above freezing all day and tonight it is going down with a low of 20 degrees, again way too cold for my liking. The mechanic recommended that both heaters should be OK, so I decided against changing sites as we plan on pulling out tomorrow. I hope the new park has propane a they advertise.
The plan is that we still have at least 3 more stops before getting back to the comparative comfort of Henly which has its own Propane Tank fill where we plan to see out the winter. The longer we stay here, the shorter each next stop gets as I am shooting for a December first arrival at Henly. If our luck continues like this, they will be just overnighters, which is a shame as every park has something of interest. I prefer to keep driving to 200 miles or less daily. This is the one time that I wish I had a second driver so we could cover 400 miles in a day. But it just isn’t going to happen. Ever…
With everything working once more, I took the dogs out for the last walk of the day. I was bundled up and it was very cold. We wandered around and made friends with a little Scottie that had come over to say hello. Even Mikey was friendly which is a first.
Back in Quatro, after finishing up the blog, we settled in for the usual evening meal and entertainment.
Written 11/18/2022. Read my other blogs at https://pondblog2011.com
Oh my gosh!! What a disastrous trip! At least it seems that now everything is working out. Mainly because there’s nothing else that can possibly go wrong. Well, I guess that’s not true, but I think I can say that you will probably never ever go back to Arkansas.
Arkansas is a pretty State and well worth the visit. Remember, it was me the created some of the problems and the rest just followed along…
Ah, it wasn’t Arkansas’ fault.
We will be glad to have you back in Texas. Be safe on your way home.
I cannot wait to get back to be among the rednecks again.
Have a safe trip back. I’m not sure where you stay in Texas, but we’re in the Houston area. Weather has been rainy, but definitely not freezing. Take care. Happy Thanksgiving!
I stay just outside of Austin in a campground in Henly.
That’s a nice area!
Happy Thanksgiving, Francis. Here is an excerpt of a song by Alanis Morissette that i like a lot:
Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence
The moment I let go of it was the moment
I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it
Was the moment I touched down
How ’bout no longer being masochistic?
How ’bout remembering your divinity?
How ’bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out?
How ’bout not equating death with stopping?
Yes, I did feel like bawling my eyes out and a couple of the other things as well. Thanks for commenting, Tom.