A RAIN DRENCHED DAY AND KELLY FIGURES OUT THE JEEP’S ERROR CODES

Kelly, using the internet was able to figure out and download the computer codes for our 2006 Jeep TJ Wrangler.  By doing that and following the instructions regarding number of ignition key turns she was able to determine the exact code number regarding our amber engine warning light that appeared on the dash a few days ago.  Could be something as simple as a gas cap problem or more involved as a slight emissions leak somewhere.  Some folks have solved this same problem with a new gas cap while others have had to crawl around in the engine compartment and under their vehicle trying to find the problem.  Our decision this morning was in deciding what to do.  Go with the already booked appointment at the garage or try replacing our gas cap.  In the end we decided to keep our garage appointment. 

We talked to garage owner Don and decided to simply cancel out the amber engine light for now and give it a few days to see if the light reappears.  If it does we'll take the Jeep back to the garage and they will 'smoke test' the emission system for leaks.  Regardless of the results, the problem is not serious and the most annoying thing would simply be having that amber light come back on.  And, as the internet forum suggested, it is not uncommon for the problem to just be the gas cap and is easily fixable if that were to be the case.

  

Turned out to be a real drencher of a day but at least it was milder.   And milder at this time of year is totally acceptable, wet or dry. We slipped down to Mitchell and had a visit with my Uncle Harry who continues to do well. We will be back again Tuesday morning to take him to a dentist appointment.

Also, because of today's heavy rains and in agreement with the Stormrunner RV folks, we have rescheduled the caulking of our Motor Home's roof until Tuesday or possibly Wednesday.  Weatherman is calling for sunny skies Tuesday and it is important to have the seams on the roof dry before undertaking the re-caulking.  Picked up our assembled Shaw Star Choice satellite dish and tripod today as well so things are beginning to fall nicely into place. 

RV SUE AND HER CANINE CREW are currently in Truth or Consequences and that of course reminded me of the time we spent there back in February of 2008.  Below are a few photos from our stay in T or C.  If you type Hillsboro, Chloride or Monticello into our sites 'Search Bar' you can also see our posts from the little semi ghost towns we visited in that area.  By the way, I did receive an email from the tourism board in Truth or Consequences after we left there informing me that I had incorrectly and frequently called the town Truth AND Consequences in my Blog while we had been there.  It was not a nasty email and I did appreciate the correction.

THE TURTLE ON TURTLE BACK MOUNTAIN IS CLEARLY DISCERNABLE

 

KELLY TESTS THE WARM WATERS IN ONE OF THE SPRINGS…HER SISTER BECKY AND BROTHER-IN-LAW NORM WERE WORKAMPING THERE FOR A FEW MONTHS

 

THIS IS THE PARK WE BOON DOCKED AT RIGHT ALONGSIDE THE RIO GRAND RIVER

Of course I hope everyone reading my Sunday night post realized my reference to wearing 37 layers of clothing was just a humorous exaggeration about the cold desert nights.  Because of the elevation in south-eastern Arizona it is cooler during the day and does get really cold at night.  Last winter our below freezing night time temps were at times colder than it was right here in Bayfield.  We still have no idea if we'll be in that part of Arizona this coming winter or not.  In fact, due to recent circumstances I have no idea when we are leaving now or whether we will even be able to make it to the Four Corners area of Colorado before the snows set in for the winter:((

OK MOM AND DAD, I’M READY TO HIT THE ROAD ANY TIME YOU ARE

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Sign seen hanging on a divorce lawyer's wall:  "Satisfaction guaranteed or your honey back."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
OUR PICASA WEB ALBUMS

The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

A BUSY VEHICLE DAY AT THE BAYFIELD GARAGE

ON THE FOREST TRAIL (NIKON D40 AT 300MM)

Rained steadily through the night and for sure I thought we would not be having the Motor Home undercoated this morning.  Had I bet a hundred dollars on that.......I would have lost.  The rains quit about 6 and by 7 there were some breaks in the cloud cover.  By 8:30 I had both the Jeep and Motor Home at the BAYFIELD GARAGE and the undercoating was a 'GO':))

JUST AS I ARRIVED WITH THE MOTOR HOME THEY WERE TAKING THE JEEP IN FOR SERVICING (CANON SX210IS)

Due to a poor night's sleep I was snoozing in my chair about noon when a phone call from the garage woke Pheebs and I up.  The 40 pound Pheebs had fallen asleep on my lap so I didn't exactly jump out of my chair and grab the phone.  Jeep was done so Kelly came home from work and drove me to the garage. 

  

CAME ACROSS THIS LITTLE FELLOW ON THE FOREST PATH THIS AFTERNOON (NIKON D40-300MM)

Don, the soft spoken and easy going garage owner had taken time out of his busy schedule to undercoat the Jeep himself.  This is a very personalized garage and I couldn't help draw a comparison with an old TV show from the past.  Remember the sitcom 'Cheer's and that great theme song they had.  In there was a line that went, ♫Where everybody knows your name.♫  Unlike a lot of big garages we are fortunate enough here in Bayfield where the staff and owner actually remember your name and who you are when you come in.  Now, how nice is that, to be treated as a person and not a number.  And hey, they even put the gas right in your gas tank for you:)) 

EVEN SOME OF OUR PARK’S BIRDS HAVE THEIR OWN CABLE TV

We have been dealing with the BAYFIELD GARAGE ever since moving to Bayfield late in 2002 and wouldn't think of taking our vehicles anywhere else.  Besides the undercoating and tire rotation we had an oil change which included the windshield washer and power steering fluid topped up/front and rear differentials checked/transfer case oil checked/brakes checked and the front end greased.  Now, can you just see me trying to do any of that stuff at home….no, I didn’t think so.  There is a lot to be said about having a vehicle serviced professionally.

 

Other than taking the Pheebs for a spin around the forest trail this afternoon I spent most of my time in my recliner sleeping again.  This time with a little Motormouse on my lap.  In other words, not what I would call a very productive day. 

Came across a blog today called, AMERICAN TRAVELER.  The line that caught me up right quick was, " We love the RV-lifestyle and are boondockers at heart."  Being fellow boondockers ourselves I knew we already had something in common.  I can also see this fellow has a photographic eye and in the first post I read he talked about a friend down on his luck.  That told me this fellow is a caring and thoughtful person whom I think has a good insight into life.  He has a nice easy flowing writing style as well. 

 

And, speaking of blogs, I like the header photo entitled, Ocean Beach, Oregon on the GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL'S BLOG.

 

CAUGHT MYSELF A VERY ELUSIVE BELTED KINGFISHER TODAY….THIS IS THE BIRD DEPICTED ON THE CANADIAN $5 BILLS  (NIKON D40-300MM)

Bayfield Garage called at 5:17.  Motor Home undercoating was done and the rig was ready to go.  Don had done the Motor Home undercoating as well and it sure looks a whole lot better on the underside of the rig now.  Looks like a new chassis and, same as the Jeep, he did a great job.  Nice to have things done right.  And, once again, so nice to have all these great trustworthy service facilities in and around Bayfield.  I think that is a direct result of the small town factor........♫where everybody knows your name:))♫

THE PHEEBSMOGATOR HEARS A TREED SQUIRREL CHATTERING AT HER

GROANER'S CORNER:(( If you don't have a sense of humour, you probably don't have any sense at all.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.

-OUR PICASA WEB ALBUMS

The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

ONE MONTH TO DEPARTURE....THE EXCITMENT & APPREHENSION BUILDS

A COUPLE OF TO-DAY'S PHOTOS ARE BORROWED FROM LAST SEPTEMBER (all photos should be clickable to enlarge now)

Purolator delivered our new Star Choice satellite dish yesterday & I knew I was in trouble right off the bat. I had unrealistically hoped the dish would have arrived in more of an assembled state. When I opened the box & saw all the screws, nuts & bolts, washers, tubes, & pieces, my mechanically challenged mind went into automatic shut down mode & seized up. I did force myself to waste some valuable time looking at the instructions but couldn't even comprehend step one. It didn't take Kelly long to get on the phone.

AWWWW NUTS, I WAS HOPING IT WOULD COME ASSEMBLED!!

 van rolled into our driveway this afteroon with the words L & A Southwest Satellite Systems on the side. (hmmmmm, how did they know we're going to the southwest:)) Two fellows jumped out & within mintues the satellite dish assembly was taking shape. Luckily, with a few simple modifications by the satellite guys we were able to use the same heavy duty tripod from our previous satellite internet/Star Choice set up. And, like I've blogged about before......if I want something done right it's usually better for me to get someone else to do it & to-day was another good example of that!! (that's why someone else is painting the kitchen cupboard doors right now too)

THE BOYS FROM L & A SOUTHWEST SATELLITE SYSTEMS TO MY RESCUE

My knee & I battled back & forth all day with both sides winning & losing a few wee battles here & there. Sometimes the knee was fine as I walked briskly around & then zap, a zinger of pain would flash around the joint like a small lightning storm causing me to wince & go into a limp & hobble shuffle. But, at least it's an improvement over the past few days so I'm looking forward to great & wondrous things from that knee in the very near future..........or else!!!!

Just as some fellow bloggers I'm not exactly singing the praises of the new post editor in blogger yet. Had a hard time placing photos last night plus a few other small things. Almost reverted back to the old editor but it was probably my old blogging habits interfering with the newer generation of doing things. I'll have another go at it to-night. I do like the fact that all my photos in the blog are now clickily enlargeable again. I had lost that feature a long time ago.

OUR NEW  SATELLITE DISH WILL BE USED WITH OUR OLD INTERNET TRIPOD

One month from to-day we will be on the eve of having the big wheels rolling for the southwest once more. As usual the excitement is always kept in check by it's counter part, apprehension. Will the tires be alright for another year, how about the brakes, hope we don't have any leaks in the water system, what if the aging sewer hose explodes in my face, is that Allison transmission as good as they say it is, what if a slide gets stuck in the out position, what if a Chinaman falls off his bicycle in Teananmen Square, will the dogs be OK this year, what if they don't let us across the border because one of the guards reads this blog, will our solar panel system work flawlessly again, hope the fridge doesn't quit, will Al's bad knee cause his right leg to fall off leaving him with only being able to do hikes going around in tight left circles, hope we don't get any bad dings in the windshield & I hope the car doesn't break loose from the tow bar on an interstate. There, I feel much calmer now. The excitement was just getting to be toooooo much when I realized to-day that we would be leaving in another month!! Nothing like a good solid dose of some really fine nerve rattling apprehension to keep that excitment in check.  Kinda like when you were a kid waiting on the platform for that first roller coaster ride.  Excited like crazy but scared like nuts that the roller coaster car was gonna fly right off the track on that first downhill curve!!

Took the van to Goderich to-day on a shake down cruise to check out the different transmission. All systems were go. We are very fortunate here in Bayfield to have a great garage & repair facility. The Bayfield Garage is run by an honest & soft spoken fellow by the name of Don Mcllwain. Fortunately Don isn't as old as the front part of the garage which I'm sure was lovingly constructed somewhere back in the last ice age. Additions to the garage have brought everything including equipment & staff up into the modern computer techno era & we the motoring public are very lucky to have Don, his equipment & his crew here to attend our rusty mufflers, worn tires, dead batteries, aging engines, squeaking brakes, overdo tune-ups, price war gas, & in our case....a flunky transmission. Would you believe they had that transmission changed in less than a day!!

AFTERNOON SIESTA WITH THE KID

The foliage is dying back in the flower beds, some leaves are drooping, & some shrubs are beginning to take on that worried pre-death look to winter. Soon it will be time to begin the annual ritual of returning all the lawn ornaments & furniture to the sheds for another season. In a few short months all this glorious green jungle of ours will look like the gray barren wastelands of Russian Siberia!!!! And feel about the same as well:((

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know 'why' I look this way..... I've traveled a long distance and some of the roads were definitely not paved!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.

2 NEW WINDSHIELD WIPERS PLEASE.....WHAT!!!!

It was time to take the motorhome in for it's pre-trip inspection & tune-up last week. The windshield wipers were totally worn out, plugs were still original, needed a broken muffler hanger fixed amongst other things. That hanger had broken in Arizona last year & I had it wired up with about 2.4 miles of clothesline wire. I have a tendency to over-do things you know. Probably half the labor cost was for the mechanic cutting all that wire off. The bill for the tune up was about what I was worried it would be, but the real kicker was the price of 2 windshield wiper blades. Yes, they are 29 inch blades & specially made for that type of windshield I guess, but we were all flabbergasted at the price, including the people at the garage. $137.00 for 2 blades!!!! Guess that didn't make 8 spark plugs for S104.00 seem so bad. They are Iridium plugs which Google tells me is, "One of the world's finest spark plugs. The result are spark plugs that require less voltage to spark, burns fuel more efficiently, sparks at leaner air/fuel mixtures, and delivers higher horsepower and better gas mileage."
Well, I sure hope the engine appreciates all this pampering & the windshield understands it's being wiped clean by the finest of blades!! Maybe the tailpipe will even feel better now knowing it's not so wired!!
We sure had a go-around with the Actia company in Elkhart, Indiana who are the makers of speedometer/odometer clusters for motorhomes. There has been a software problem for quite awhile in their computer versioned set-ups. The cluster in our motorhome was originally replaced back in 2005. The software goes & the LED read-out becomes unreadable. You lose your mileage, trip meter, fuel calculations, oil & transmission pressures, etc. It does a lot more calculations, engine updates, & reminders but do I really need it to tell me when my next colonoscopy appointment is. I think not!!
We phoned Actia about the odometer problem & they said it would not be covered under warranty & would cost us $354 for another cluster. They sent us a form to fill out regarding mileage on the coach. We then had to get the form signed by a mechanic to verify we weren't shysters & the actual mileage was accurate. They then program that mileage into the new cluster before shipping it out to us. The cluster was sent by UPS courier which cost us another $107.00 because of tax stuff at the border + courier costs. We had wrongly assumed they would have sent it by post which would have been a fraction of the cost. The odd thing about this, is that 3 days after UPS brought that cluster, another one arrived via UPS & the shipping costs on that one was $51. Of course we refused the second cluster but why the two different shipping charges, & as it turns out.....that second delivered cluster may very well have been the right one!!!! When we had the motorhome tune-up we had the mechanic swap out the defective cluster for the good one which added some labor costs. After picking up the motorhome at the garage I was about half way home when I realized the new odometer cluster.......was the wrong one!!!! Unbeknownst to us, there are 2 clusters for these rigs. A standard one & a computer version one. I wanted the same cluster as had been in the motorhome so it was back on the phone for Kelly to Elkhart, Indiana. More back & forth calls finally led to them shipping us a third cluster & with that, it was back to the garage with the motorhome for hopefully the last swap. Success, the cluster was correct. While at the garage I figured I may as well get the rig's propane tank filled up, but then discovered another problem. Could not get the bin door open to access the propane tank. Well, out came the trusty mechanic again & within a few minutes was able to get the bin door opened from underneath with a wire somehow. Turns out there was a piece of white metal in the lock assembly that was broken. Glad that happened at the garage & not at some Flying J gas bar in the middle of nowhere someplace. And, once again, no way around the problem but to get a new part. And where do we have to get that part of course.........Elkhart, Indiana again. That is where Damon Motorhomes are made so it will be back on the phone this week & here we go again. We are familiar with Elkhart in more ways than one. Last year we had to make a special trip there on our way home to have a damaged screen door replaced. We had traveled & put up with that bent door for 4 months & finally got it replaced one day before arriving home. It just don't figure, do it!! By the way, we ended up shipping 2 odometer clusters (original broken one & incorrect one) back to Actia....C.O.D.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday Sept. 8 Update on this Actia problem. Kelly has been on the phone this morning with UPS & it's looking like we are going to be re-imbursed for some of those shipping charges.) Ok, looks like I've nearly worn out another keyboard here but it's raining this morning so figured it was a good time to catch up the blog. Been a busy morning though. Kelly's working at the Lodge to-day. I'm on the second load of laundry, dishes are done, been to the store for milk & bananas, vacuumed the sunroom, have 2 of about 23 windows cleaned, dogs are fed, forwarded some jokes, took a picture of the wiper blades, made a coffee, & am contemplating making my bed. (that's always a tough contemplation) Might even go & BBQ me up a big bowl of oatmeal. All & all it seems like I'm quite the little multi-taskar this morning & I'm looking forward to my next favorite multi thing soon.........multi relaxing. Hey, I might even catch a few minutes of Sesame Street:))))) Oh ya, passed my 1rst complete physical in 3 years with almost flying colors last week. That cholesterol thingy is always a tough one but I've been working real hard at it. Have dropped from 212 pounds in June to 203 as of yesterday. Totally cut out all fried foods & sweets for starters. Doctor says I'm good for another 50 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first................ And with that, I'd better get back to my morning multi-taskinating. (Had to use a tele-photo lens shot through our living room window for the windshield wipers because it's pouring rain out there. RV television photo shows where the TV folds back to the wall for travel & is secured there. Forgot to add that pic in the previous post. The 2 geese on the pond photos was taken yesterday morning across the road from our place & once again I used a telephoto lens so as not to stampede the geese off the water)