Well the day started out okay. We left Thousand Trails in
Cottonwood, AZ around 8:00 am. We traveled
50 plus miles north on I17 to Flagstaff. Just west of Flagstaff we needed to
refuel. There was a Pilot Truck stop
about 20 miles west. (Truck Stops are
easier for us to use because they offer diesel fuel and the truck lanes are
wider. There is more room to maneuver.) While Terry was refueling, I walked back to
see if all the connections to the car (we tow a car) were secure. I discovered the air line to the car’s
braking system had detached from the motorhome and was dragging on the
road. The brass nibble looked like
someone held it to a grinding stone. I
went into the station (which sells Big Rig stuff) and asked if they sold that
type of brass nibble. The associate and
I looked where she thought it might be and had no luck finding one. She suggested we cross over the highway and
check the Camping World Store just down the road. Great!
That should do it.
Following her suggestion, we drove to the Camping
World. The parking lot was so crowded
with RVs for sale that there was no room to pull the motorhome in. Terry parked on the shoulder of the
road. Not to worry. The road was not well traveled. I ran in to ask for the part and was told
they had no merchandise or parts for sale because the store was being renovated
and all the stock was packed up or sent elsewhere.
“Okay, where can we turn our rig around?”, I asked. We were sent down the road and told there
were two storage facilities that would be large enough for us to use.
An aside for those of you reading that may not know, our
motorhome is 43 feet long, the hitch is 3 feet and the car is about 20
feet. Oh, and we can’t back the motorhome
up when the car is attached. So we need
a space large enough to accommodate 66 feet of motorhome and enough room to
make a wide turn. In other words, a big
area.
The two storage areas were not going to work. We drove down the road a bit farther and
discovered an abandoned gas station.
Terry figured we could disconnect the car. Turn into the station and back out onto the
road. Like a three point turn. Reattach the car and be on our way. We were in the process of disconnecting when
a very nice man came out saying we could drive around the building (on a gravel
road) and get right back onto the main road.
I walked the road to see if there was enough room and that the big pine
trees along the way would not scratch the coach. It looked good. Terry turned onto the gravel road, made the
first left turn around the building while I was guiding him to make wide
turns. Then it happened. I could see the front driver tire was
spinning and sinking. I told him to stop. I walked to the other side of the coach to discover
along the road were freshly cut trees and our passenger side front tire was sunk
about two and a half feet into wood chips from the cut trees. We were stuck good! We disconnected the car. I was about to call for a wrecker, when Terry
suggested he straighten the wheels and back up.
The rear wheels (dual axles) where still on solid ground. Cautiously, he turned the wheel; put the
coach in reverse and gingerly backed out.
It worked!! Yippee! The nice man came back with a shovel. I asked if we could help him fill the
hole. He smiled and said ‘No, it’s
alright.” Terry pulled back on the road
headed in the correct direction. We reattached
the car and we were on our way.
There was one problem, the steps which go in and out when
the door opens and closes, would not go all the way out. We will have to take care of that when we get
to Las Vegas. Oh, I forgot to tell you
Las Vegas is where we were headed.
We pulled into the Thousand Trails in Las Vegas around 3:05 Pacific
Time; beat to death. We parked next to
our friends the Chandler’s who were in the area and decided to spend a few days
with us. Ed helped Terry get all the
connections made (water, electric, and sewer) while I told Peggy about our
day. When we got all set up and rested a
bit, the four of us went to KFC for a quick meal. KFC is Terry and Ed’s favorite fast food restaurant. Peg and I tolerate it.
After supper, we made a quick run to WalMart and headed back
to the campground. Tomorrow the four of
us will tour the Hoover Dam. Tonight, we
are going to get a good night’s sleep.
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