A Not-so-normal Travel Day

Friday was a normal travel day.  We woke up, did our Bible reading and prayers, spent an hour doing weight training.  Then we prepared the RV for travel.  I stowed the coffee pot and the glass tray for the microwave, hooked the closet doors and the sliding door to the bedroom.  John disconnected the water and electric.  I put the cats and the Trailer Life Directory and the map and water bottle in the truck.  I closed the slides.  The back struts were raised, and then it was time to extend the front landing gear to raise the trailer so it could be hitched to the truck. 

 

I pushed the button and it want "brr-brr-brr-clank, brr-brr-brr-clank."  "Stop," said John.   I stopped and he opened the storage compartment under the bedroom overhang, then said, "Try it again."  I did.  "Brr-brr-brr-clank."  "Stop."  This repeated several times.  Then we tried the hand crank—nothing worked.  John and I agreed it was probably a stripped gear.  So John took the cell phone and called one of the two trailer repair people listed in the campground folder. 

 

After describing what was going on, Mike said he would see if he could find the part.   We put the cats back in the trailer and waited.  Then we decided we would probably be here for a while.  We put down the rear stabilizers and opened the slides.  A couple of hours later, we visited Mike's shop.  He showed us another stabilizer gear assembly he was working on and explained that he doesn't like working with the Keystone dealers in Oregon (Montana is part of the Keystone company), so he had called a dealer in Colorado that he works with.  They hadn't called him back.

 

We returned to the trailer, called Keystone/Team Montana and determined that the landing gear was made by Lippert.  We called Mike with that information and asked him to call our extended warranty company for approval.  After several more phone calls and several hours, we learned the part had been ordered, but it wouldn't be shipped till Monday.  It should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

What a change in plans!  We had made reservations for three nights in Hat Creek, California, so we could explore Lassen Volcanic National Park.  We drove through the park four years ago and wanted to return so we could see more of its beauty.  I cancelled that reservation and we started looking at what there is to do here.

 

We like to plan our time.  And then we like to carry out those plans.  What that means is, we like to be in control of our lives.  And right now we aren't.  We must wait for the part and hope that is really the problem.  After all, Mike hasn't ever looked at our trailer.

 

All that said, by this morning we both realized that the only thing we are missing right now is mobility.  We have each other and our love, we have our home (a 2003 Montana 2850 RK), we have our two cats, we have internet access and good cell phone service and our truck is working fine. 

 

        After running three miles, we ran some errands.  We are parked in a water and electric site—no sewer. That's fine for two days, but not for a week.  We need to drain our tanks.  So we bought a portable waste tank and some more novels to read. 

 

Next we went to the Klamath Falls Blue Festival.  It is not our favorite music, but it was fun to see who attended and share in the local festival.  Part of the proceeds benefits the VFW.  Since our older son is serving in Iraq with the Marines right now, that is valuable.  When we returned to the RV park, our new neighbors turned out to be from Colorado, so we visited with them for a while.  Then we drained our tanks and relaxed for the evening.

 

Almost all communities have a lot of interesting sights and things to do if you really look.  Stay tuned for what we find here.