We left the Cottonwood Camp site, better described as an overpriced gravel pit with Utilities and headed for the Valley of Fire State Park. ( Vof F ). We have heard great things about the V of F , especially the scenery so we were anxious to spend a couple of days in the area but we had no idea the scenery would be so spectacular.
Since we were coming from the south we could enter Lake Mead National park and pay the 10.00 daily fee ,then follow the Lake for 50 miles to reach V of F State park. The other option was to drive thru Las Vegas and fight the holiday traffic and then enter from I-15 which would add another hour to the trip to save 10.00.
After driving along Lake Meade we finally reached V of F and the camping is " first come :first served" bases and the Full Hookups area was full; this caused some concern but we proceded another mile or so to the "No Hookup" sites and we found a vacant site that we could barely "fit in". Our neighbours were from BC and they ( 2 couples) were on their way home from spending 5 months in MX so we had a few Cool Ones and swapped MX stories. This camp site is located right in the middle of V of fire called Rim rock Canyon.
Now for the V of Fire: This State park covers a very large mountain area ( albeit not very high ) but they are all a rich red colour. The entire area is very interesting and a scenic geological marvel amd is definitely a must see. If you are visiting Las Vegas you must, plan a day trip to V of F, rent a car, take this 50 mile drive to the park. There are no hotels or resturaunts in the park so you must take a cooler with water, a cool one and a sandwich because it will take you all day to see the beauty. There is a 10.00 entery fee ( self register ) to enter the park. If you are interested I suggest you goggle it for your own interest.
While talking to other tourist we were advised of a free " Boondocking " area on Lake Meade so we drove about 10 miles away to check out the area and there were a few campers on the lake. We spotted a couple from BC to stopped for a chat and I think they stop here every year on their way home. While driving around this area I decide to give the " Ford " a shot at a small gravel hill using the 4 Wheel drive on the Fly. Half way up the hill I got stopped out so i back down and got stuck because the 4 wheel drive did not connect. After a lecture from Carroll I recalled that Ford also had manual locks on the front wheels so I locked them in and out she comes. the problem was solved and the lecture wasn't necessary. Tomorrow we move to Mesquite, NV
Friday, 6 April 2012
Thursday, 5 April 2012
2 April Truck repairs
The oil leak was too much to " live with " so first thing this morning we headed for the Ford dealer. After explaning my problems , the service sales pers said he would have his Mechanic look at the problem to tell me if I could get home without the repairs but he could not possibly take another customer until Wedesday. I gave him the typical " song and dance " about being stranded and that i had to get home for medical reasons. His mechanic took my truck in and advised me that the oil leak was an "O" ring on the oil temp sending unit and it had to be replaced. So for 538.00 he replaced the "O" ring which too about 2 hours to get at it and also installed a new water reservoir as the original one had deteroated and would not hold water. I was on the road in 3 hours.
We then went back to Sedona to finish the touring we started yesterday; as Carroll said we have now "Been there... Done that"
I forgot to mention that Carroll spotted a Casino on our way to Sedona so we went in for lunch and the "one arm bandit " stole two buck off her.
We then went back to Sedona to finish the touring we started yesterday; as Carroll said we have now "Been there... Done that"
I forgot to mention that Carroll spotted a Casino on our way to Sedona so we went in for lunch and the "one arm bandit " stole two buck off her.
Monday, 2 April 2012
1 April Sedona, AZ
I checked the patch job on the water reservoir in the truck and the leak was very slow or maybe solved so we set off the Sedona some 15 miles away. Sedona is situated in a unique Geological area 50 miles south of Flagstaff, AZ and the land formation are rugged but beautiful and mesmerizing. You can not help but to continually snapping photos.The earth is rich red soil hence it is called Red Rock Canyon. Sedona is definitely a tourist paradise as they have a smorgasboard of things to do. It seems to be a "Hikers " paradise because every parking area at the hiking spots were full even thought it cost 5.00 per car,per day to hike. Besides hiking, there is camping , fishing, trolley tours, jeep tours and a host of store willing to take your money.
Thirty- eight miles north towards Flagstaff over a very narrow, winding mountain road is the location of a Lookout Point. Just as you leave Sedona a large sign reads" No Vehicle alloed over 50 ft long ", so i would not be allowed to tow my 5 th wheel on this road as i am over the limit. The Lookout area is large enough to provide an area for the Navajoe Indains to sell their Jewery and other artifacts. The Navajoe's have 25 booths and only they are allowed to sell items in this area and all items are authentic and are made only by the Navajoe's. This area is located at 6500 ft and it was freezing cold and windy so we did not spend too much time " window shopping ". The prices were to high for Carroll to purchase anything.
Just before i left the area i decide to check my water leak and low and behold there was oil dripping on the ground. At first it appeared as if the oil came from the front differenial but I have never used the 4 wheel drive since last winter so that did not seem possible. Therfore i crawled under the truck and I could see that it was engine oil and it was coming fromm the rear of the engine. Now I'm thinking, what the hell else can go wrong. Since it was a slow leak we drove home and i decided to visit the Ford dealer in the morning, hoping that the problem was minor.
Thirty- eight miles north towards Flagstaff over a very narrow, winding mountain road is the location of a Lookout Point. Just as you leave Sedona a large sign reads" No Vehicle alloed over 50 ft long ", so i would not be allowed to tow my 5 th wheel on this road as i am over the limit. The Lookout area is large enough to provide an area for the Navajoe Indains to sell their Jewery and other artifacts. The Navajoe's have 25 booths and only they are allowed to sell items in this area and all items are authentic and are made only by the Navajoe's. This area is located at 6500 ft and it was freezing cold and windy so we did not spend too much time " window shopping ". The prices were to high for Carroll to purchase anything.
Just before i left the area i decide to check my water leak and low and behold there was oil dripping on the ground. At first it appeared as if the oil came from the front differenial but I have never used the 4 wheel drive since last winter so that did not seem possible. Therfore i crawled under the truck and I could see that it was engine oil and it was coming fromm the rear of the engine. Now I'm thinking, what the hell else can go wrong. Since it was a slow leak we drove home and i decided to visit the Ford dealer in the morning, hoping that the problem was minor.
Sunday, 1 April 2012
31 March Touring Cottonwood and Jerome
Temp 4C @7AM
This morning I tried to analyis why my truck overheated on the mountains but return to normal once we reached the apex. My mechanical thinking said to check the water level in the radiator reservoir. Low and behold it was empty but since I have never seen any water under truck I figure it was down a pint or so. I was shocked when it took a gallon before it was full to the Min level. I ran the engine for about 5 min and everything seem normal so we decided to tour the town of Old Cottonwood. Cottonwood has an old town which has the 100 year old facade while the new town is contemporary and has the latest stores like Wal-mart and Home Depot. After walking around the Old Town for a couple of hours we return to the truck and noticed a pool of water on the ground under the truck. After inspecting the problem area it seemed like the leak was from the hose attached to the bottom of the resovoir. The leak was a very slow drip but this was because the pressure had dropped in the reservoir. Since there was some water in the reservior I determined it was not urgent so we venture to another small mining town some 12 miles away.
The town is called Jerome and it is located about 4500 ft high in the mountains. It was the first copper mine in Az, founded in the late 1800's. Of course the mine is now a Museum/ Tourist trap but the town attracts thousands of visitors every year. There was so many tourists , we could not find a parking space even thought we circled the town twice. It is the tourisum that keeps this town alive but good for them. On the way out of town we stopped to snap a picture of the Copper Mountain and Carroll said Hi to this gentleman taking some pics. During the conversation he said he was from Woodstock and went to school with Carroll's brother Lyle. Small world: Eh.
We returned home in the late afternoon so I could do a further check on the water leak on the Truck . Besides we had a reservation for a Cowboy Dinner and Music at 6:30 with cocktails ( actually a beer ) from 5:30 to 6:00.
Back to the truck; upon further inspection i found that the reservior had a 2 inch crack right on the botton and it was dripping on the hose which i thought was leaking. So I used the oldest but best repair method known to man. SEALS-ALL. I carry two tubes in my tool box because it will seal every crack except the "Crack of your Ass and the Crack of Dawn ", so it sealed the leak as I knew it would. After fixing the leak we proceed to the Cowboy Dinner at the " Blazing M Ranch". The dinner was served cowboy style, ( buffett style ) but it included ribs, chicken, beans, baked potatoes, cole slaw and also second helping were served followed by desert, which i did not need as my pants are getting tighter by the day. The music was ; lets just say "cowboy". I'm not really in to Yod ooly ( however you spell it.
This morning I tried to analyis why my truck overheated on the mountains but return to normal once we reached the apex. My mechanical thinking said to check the water level in the radiator reservoir. Low and behold it was empty but since I have never seen any water under truck I figure it was down a pint or so. I was shocked when it took a gallon before it was full to the Min level. I ran the engine for about 5 min and everything seem normal so we decided to tour the town of Old Cottonwood. Cottonwood has an old town which has the 100 year old facade while the new town is contemporary and has the latest stores like Wal-mart and Home Depot. After walking around the Old Town for a couple of hours we return to the truck and noticed a pool of water on the ground under the truck. After inspecting the problem area it seemed like the leak was from the hose attached to the bottom of the resovoir. The leak was a very slow drip but this was because the pressure had dropped in the reservoir. Since there was some water in the reservior I determined it was not urgent so we venture to another small mining town some 12 miles away.
The town is called Jerome and it is located about 4500 ft high in the mountains. It was the first copper mine in Az, founded in the late 1800's. Of course the mine is now a Museum/ Tourist trap but the town attracts thousands of visitors every year. There was so many tourists , we could not find a parking space even thought we circled the town twice. It is the tourisum that keeps this town alive but good for them. On the way out of town we stopped to snap a picture of the Copper Mountain and Carroll said Hi to this gentleman taking some pics. During the conversation he said he was from Woodstock and went to school with Carroll's brother Lyle. Small world: Eh.
We returned home in the late afternoon so I could do a further check on the water leak on the Truck . Besides we had a reservation for a Cowboy Dinner and Music at 6:30 with cocktails ( actually a beer ) from 5:30 to 6:00.
Back to the truck; upon further inspection i found that the reservior had a 2 inch crack right on the botton and it was dripping on the hose which i thought was leaking. So I used the oldest but best repair method known to man. SEALS-ALL. I carry two tubes in my tool box because it will seal every crack except the "Crack of your Ass and the Crack of Dawn ", so it sealed the leak as I knew it would. After fixing the leak we proceed to the Cowboy Dinner at the " Blazing M Ranch". The dinner was served cowboy style, ( buffett style ) but it included ribs, chicken, beans, baked potatoes, cole slaw and also second helping were served followed by desert, which i did not need as my pants are getting tighter by the day. The music was ; lets just say "cowboy". I'm not really in to Yod ooly ( however you spell it.
30 March Heading North
Temp 10 C at 6 PM. Price of Diesel fuel 4.21/ gal.
We left the camp site 9:30 and by checking the route we would have a 5 hour lesiure trip to Sedona ( actually Cottonwood near Sedona)assume there was nothing along the way that would bite my ass. First we had to do a brake check on the trailer as we had purchased a new brake actuator and it can only be adjusted with the trailer connected and the brakes have been applied to warm them. So we choice a street with very limited traffic so we could adjust the brakes. The new brake system has a digital indicator and it was not reading with the proper power application and I could not seem to correct it, so we called the 1-800 help line. While talking to the Techy and doing some checks the actuator corrected itself so I told the Techy i would continue and adjust my brakes and if I had any further problem back. The brakes worked great so we preceeded.
Our next hurdle was going thru Tucson as the traffic seemed to be always heavy even with 5 lanes. I always try for the 3 rd or middle lane so i don't get caught in the Exit Only lane. The Americans are no different than Canadians when it comes to merging... Well, we got thru Tucson and were motoring along at 105 KPH ( 65 MPH ) musing about stopping in Casa Grande for lunch when all of a sudden there was a loud explosion. Now, I'm no rocket Scientist but I do know the sound of a tire exploding so i immediately pulled over to the shoulder. Luckily, if you consider a blown tire luck, we just passed an on ramp from an exit so there was lots of room to pull over and a very wide shoulder. Normally, a blown tire causes untold damage to the undercarriage but we probably hit a bolt or a small piece of metal that puncture the tire letting the air escape without the tire flying apart. The only damage was the fender skirt which can be replaced for 150.00. One week ago another RV blew a tire and it caused 1500.00 damage so we felt a little fortunate. Since I did not feel like changing a tire and that we were only 20 miles from Casa Grande, we called our Good Sam Roadside Assistance . The tow Truck arrived in about 1/2 an hour. I now required a new tire so I ask the Tow Truck driver and he advise me to go to Discount Tire in Casa Grande so I did. While the tireman and i were checking the tires for size and type we noticed that another tire had some small cracks. I ask the tireman for the price to replace the "blown tire " so after punching about 100 keys on his computer he said 164.00 bottom line. Since I figured that this tire would cost at least 225.00 in Med Hat, I ask if he better the price if I took 2 tires. So again he punch the computer another 100 times and said the best i can do is 264.00 for two. I was a little shocked so I said is this the bottom line; no extra for taxes, environment, valve stem or balancing. he said ;bottom line and I'll have you on the road in an hour and 15 mins. I said .. itis a deal, get at it. After leaving the tire shop we stopped at the Cracker Barrel for a late lunch.
Back on the road again, we headed for Phoenix, 1/2 an hour away, as the only way to Sedona is thru Phoenix. The population of Phoenix is somewhere between 3 and 4 million and most of them were on I-10 ahead of me so we were bumper to bumper until we reached I-17 north. After about 1/2 an hour we were ready for a "Pit Stop" so we took an Off ramp with the thought that we would get the ON ramp at the top of the overpass. Well, this has to be the only off ramp in the USA that does not have an On ramp. There was one other road but it had a sign that said " City of Phoenix Landfill " but we did not have a choice so we followed it for about a mile. This road lead to another road that said " private road , authorized users only". i stopped an looked at Carroll and said Now what. She said I'm authorizing to use it. So we turned on the GPS to see if we could find our way and after several lefts and rights, winding our way thru a subdivsion we finally reached I-17. Now we are really running late so Carroll called the Camp site to advise them and they gave us our site number and the directions . Now we were clear sailing and hoped to be at our camp site by 5:30 and be set up so we could make supper and have a beer.
However, we still had some Bad Luck that we had not used yet!!!! As we were climbing a mountain ( 4400 ft ) the engine temp guage started to climb very quickly so i immediately racked my brain for a possible cause and i could only think of a blown head gasket. However once I reached the top the guage quickly returned to normal, so then I'm thinking and hoping it could be a faulty guage. This happened again at the next mountain but returned to normal once we reached the top. I determined it was not that serious so we carried on.
We finally arrived at the camp site and we were surprised to find that it is an overpriced gravel pit with power, water and sewer, but acceptable under the circumstances. There is also 2 other Albertans in the park. So we setup the camper including the satellite because there hockey to watch, and I decided to deal with the Truck problems tommorrow.
We left the camp site 9:30 and by checking the route we would have a 5 hour lesiure trip to Sedona ( actually Cottonwood near Sedona)assume there was nothing along the way that would bite my ass. First we had to do a brake check on the trailer as we had purchased a new brake actuator and it can only be adjusted with the trailer connected and the brakes have been applied to warm them. So we choice a street with very limited traffic so we could adjust the brakes. The new brake system has a digital indicator and it was not reading with the proper power application and I could not seem to correct it, so we called the 1-800 help line. While talking to the Techy and doing some checks the actuator corrected itself so I told the Techy i would continue and adjust my brakes and if I had any further problem back. The brakes worked great so we preceeded.
Our next hurdle was going thru Tucson as the traffic seemed to be always heavy even with 5 lanes. I always try for the 3 rd or middle lane so i don't get caught in the Exit Only lane. The Americans are no different than Canadians when it comes to merging... Well, we got thru Tucson and were motoring along at 105 KPH ( 65 MPH ) musing about stopping in Casa Grande for lunch when all of a sudden there was a loud explosion. Now, I'm no rocket Scientist but I do know the sound of a tire exploding so i immediately pulled over to the shoulder. Luckily, if you consider a blown tire luck, we just passed an on ramp from an exit so there was lots of room to pull over and a very wide shoulder. Normally, a blown tire causes untold damage to the undercarriage but we probably hit a bolt or a small piece of metal that puncture the tire letting the air escape without the tire flying apart. The only damage was the fender skirt which can be replaced for 150.00. One week ago another RV blew a tire and it caused 1500.00 damage so we felt a little fortunate. Since I did not feel like changing a tire and that we were only 20 miles from Casa Grande, we called our Good Sam Roadside Assistance . The tow Truck arrived in about 1/2 an hour. I now required a new tire so I ask the Tow Truck driver and he advise me to go to Discount Tire in Casa Grande so I did. While the tireman and i were checking the tires for size and type we noticed that another tire had some small cracks. I ask the tireman for the price to replace the "blown tire " so after punching about 100 keys on his computer he said 164.00 bottom line. Since I figured that this tire would cost at least 225.00 in Med Hat, I ask if he better the price if I took 2 tires. So again he punch the computer another 100 times and said the best i can do is 264.00 for two. I was a little shocked so I said is this the bottom line; no extra for taxes, environment, valve stem or balancing. he said ;bottom line and I'll have you on the road in an hour and 15 mins. I said .. itis a deal, get at it. After leaving the tire shop we stopped at the Cracker Barrel for a late lunch.
Back on the road again, we headed for Phoenix, 1/2 an hour away, as the only way to Sedona is thru Phoenix. The population of Phoenix is somewhere between 3 and 4 million and most of them were on I-10 ahead of me so we were bumper to bumper until we reached I-17 north. After about 1/2 an hour we were ready for a "Pit Stop" so we took an Off ramp with the thought that we would get the ON ramp at the top of the overpass. Well, this has to be the only off ramp in the USA that does not have an On ramp. There was one other road but it had a sign that said " City of Phoenix Landfill " but we did not have a choice so we followed it for about a mile. This road lead to another road that said " private road , authorized users only". i stopped an looked at Carroll and said Now what. She said I'm authorizing to use it. So we turned on the GPS to see if we could find our way and after several lefts and rights, winding our way thru a subdivsion we finally reached I-17. Now we are really running late so Carroll called the Camp site to advise them and they gave us our site number and the directions . Now we were clear sailing and hoped to be at our camp site by 5:30 and be set up so we could make supper and have a beer.
However, we still had some Bad Luck that we had not used yet!!!! As we were climbing a mountain ( 4400 ft ) the engine temp guage started to climb very quickly so i immediately racked my brain for a possible cause and i could only think of a blown head gasket. However once I reached the top the guage quickly returned to normal, so then I'm thinking and hoping it could be a faulty guage. This happened again at the next mountain but returned to normal once we reached the top. I determined it was not that serious so we carried on.
We finally arrived at the camp site and we were surprised to find that it is an overpriced gravel pit with power, water and sewer, but acceptable under the circumstances. There is also 2 other Albertans in the park. So we setup the camper including the satellite because there hockey to watch, and I decided to deal with the Truck problems tommorrow.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
29 March. Packing up
Since we are leaving tomorrow, today is the day we put things away that we will not require such as the extra chairs, Bar-B-Q and the second TV. For some reason the storage area seems to shrink after we take everything out but by packing and repacking the orginal space re-appears. Then the wind started to blow in gusts so that reminded me to roll up the awning before it ended up in some other State.
We then went to Safeway to pick up a few groceries so we wiould not have to shop on our trip north. Also, we have enough Safeway points to get 10 cents off per gal of diesel and I needed to fill up before leaving. Furthermore, Safeway fuel is the least expenive in this area. The down side is that I'm not the only one that knows that, hence the line up exceeded my patience level so i left. Since the Safeway fuel station is open 24 hrs I decided to return after the Seniors have gone to bed.
We had arranged to have supper with Bob and Karen since they too are heading back to Alberta on Saturday. After supper we returned to B and K's house for a desert and to watch the remaing period of hockey.
We then went to Safeway to pick up a few groceries so we wiould not have to shop on our trip north. Also, we have enough Safeway points to get 10 cents off per gal of diesel and I needed to fill up before leaving. Furthermore, Safeway fuel is the least expenive in this area. The down side is that I'm not the only one that knows that, hence the line up exceeded my patience level so i left. Since the Safeway fuel station is open 24 hrs I decided to return after the Seniors have gone to bed.
We had arranged to have supper with Bob and Karen since they too are heading back to Alberta on Saturday. After supper we returned to B and K's house for a desert and to watch the remaing period of hockey.
Friday, 30 March 2012
28 March Wedesday
Today is Farmers market day in Green Valley and of course this is a weekly event. However, farmers market is totally the wrong name for it... it is nothing more that a Flea market , albeit a dam good one. I'm sure there was at least 200 booths and we ( mostly Carroll ) checked our every item. I was surprised with some of the booths as one had danish bakery, another had special lasagne booth; there was a fruit and vegetable store on the same parking lot but that was all that was related to a Farmers market. I even talked to one guy who was selling a Catus tree called the Saguara... that is the huge one with several arms ( probably called branches but I have never herd anyone call them branches ). O K, so that took 2 hours out of our life. Then I went to the gas station to get the 30 lb ( 7 gal) propane bottle filled. I should have ask the price.. it was 4.75 a gal. In Apache Junction it was 3.00 a gal and i assume the price would have been close to that or I never would have filled the bottle.
Wed night is Potluck night and we always attend, if for know other reason to meet people. Carroll checked the list to see what was needed and determined it was potatoes so she did Scalloped potatoes.We did met some new ( to us ) folks but as usually they were friendly and informative.
Wed night is Potluck night and we always attend, if for know other reason to meet people. Carroll checked the list to see what was needed and determined it was potatoes so she did Scalloped potatoes.We did met some new ( to us ) folks but as usually they were friendly and informative.
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