Well, I guess it’s been a while since we have posted anything. Time for an update.
So shortly after posting that last entry, and with less than 400 Kms on our new truck, we were parked at a bank in Red Deer. While we were inside some $h!thead decided he was in such a hurry that he either forgot to look behind him while backing up or didn’t care as he backed into the back right corner of the truck. He must of hit it pretty hard as in addition to the dented fender, he also managed to twist the bumper!
The estimated damage was somewhere around $6,000 as the bumper had to be replaced along with some sheet metal and the tail light. Fortunately, insurance covered it but as it was a hit and run, we had to foot the deductible of $500. This happened in early June but the body shop couldn’t get one part so the estimated repair wouldn’t happen til late August. End of July we managed to switch to a different body shop closer to our location and got it moved up to early August. I think we let them have it around the 3rd or 4th and they were going to need it for at least a week to 10 days.
By that time however, we were starting to realize that the campground we were at wasn’t the best fit for us. Amongst other things, we were being required to work way more hours than we were led to believe at the start. Around August 10, we had had enough and tendered our resignations.
Luckily, we were able to stay at our site at the campground a few extra days until our friend Mike was able to come and get us with his big Kenworth as our little rented Ram 1500 would not tow the trailer.
At this point, after contacting Reg at Alberta’s Littlest Airport just east of Camrose, Alberta, we were able to stay there for about a month on and off till about mid-September.
During that time, we were able to attend an RC airplane event just outside of Edmonton, and then on the way back to BC, we went to a new float fly event hosted by the MOFFA (Mostly Old Float Flyers Association) club at Clear Lake Park, near Barrhead, Alberta.
Over the summer, Rob was noticing that when we brought one of the front slides in, it was coming in a little cockeyed. As I was bringing that slide in before we left Clear Lake, there was a “POP” that Rob heard outside and I heard inside. Well, the slide wouldn’t move much after that. Since the ground where we were parked for the weekend, was quite uneven, the one side (the side with the broken slide) was up a fair bit, so much so, we needed a step to get to the lowest step of the stairs to enter the trailer.
We brought the rest of the slides in, hooked up the trailer and moved it to a flatter area, and then after about 5 to 10 mins of carefully hitting the slide switch in and out, we were able to get that slide in the majority of the way. The front wouldn’t quite come in all the way leaving about a ½” gap. Now it is trying to figure out where to get it repaired on our travels to Prince George, British Columbia.
At the end of August, Rob’s cousin Peter had passed away, so as a family, we met up with his mom and brother in Prince George for his Celebration of Life. On our way to Prince George, we overnighted in McBride, BC. Sure enough, a thunderstorm came through and it rained hard overnight. Even with the slide in, Rob noticed the next morning that the rug we have in the front area of the trailer was wet. After leaving Clear Lake, we had not put the broken slide out with worries of not being able to bring it back in. We continued onto Prince George and then when we got to the campground, as I was getting things set up, specifically putting the TV up, the area I needed to get to was the area of the wet rug. Well, it wasn’t just a little bit wet, it was drenched. Had to take the wet socks off. At this point, it was grab all the extra bath towels we had to soak up as much of the water as possible and get a fan going to help dry things out. I was lucky enough to be able to lift the rug up and fold it back in order to mop up the water underneath it (the rug was only held down by a couple pieces of carpet tape and not glued down to the linoleum). At this point, the main thing Rob wanted to get done was to seal the slide up to prevent any further water from getting in. Out came the roll of silver aluminum duct tape, and he sealed the outside of the slide to the trailer to keep out anymore water that may get in with anymore rain.
And guess what? I ended up doing laundry. Had to do some anyways.
While we were in Prince George, we were able to secure an appointment at a dealership in Quesnel, BC on our way home after the Celebration of Life. Thank goodness for extended warranty on the trailer, instead of $1200+, we only had to pay the $100 deductible. After a couple of hours, we were on our way.
We then spent about a month in Kamloops taking care of appointments for us and Maya. And also visiting with our parents in Vernon. We left Canada on Oct 22 and were in the Yuma area 5 days later. One of our quickest trips down south, but when you are trying to beat the cold weather you go when you can. But on the other side of that, boy oh boy, was it quite hot when we got to Yuma. When you have been used to sub 20C weather and then all of a sudden it is hitting 35C+, its was way too hot. Especially when you are not plugged in to power. Had to get Rob to run the generators for a bit in the evenings so we could run an air conditioner to help cool the trailer down.
Since being in Yuma, we haven’t done a whole lot. For November and December, we have been at our friends Robin and Michael’s place in the Foothills of Yuma.
After a quiet Christmas, we left them on January 1, to stay for a week at the KOFA Escapees RV park in Yuma. From there, the trailer was back into the shop to get a grey tank valve changed out on January 8 and then off to Quartzsite for a bit.
After the service work we headed up to Quartzsite and to our usual area just off Plomosa Road for the rest of the month. This is where the Escapees Boomers hold their annual 2 week Boomerville gathering.
Arizona certainly does get some fantastic sunsets!
