Troubles in Paradise

12/21/04 - Engine Trouble on the Road
Today some other friends came to visit us at the Fairgrounds before we left. They were considering buying a coach and wanted to see how we were set up. It was fun talking with them and showing them around. We finally left Ukiah about 12:30pm.

We stopped in Rohnert Park to get the dogs new tags and collars which we had not done since moving, and it took much longer than I expected. We by the time we got down to Petaluma where we picked up our new mattress, it was nearly dark.

I really wanted to get to Concord (Map) to see my sister who had flown in with my niece from Columbus Ohio a couple of days earlier and were staying at my Mom's. So we drove down to Hwy 37 and battled some nasty traffic for a couple of hours. Then as we were climbing a moderate hill in Benicia I suddenly lost power and had to pull off at a convenient exit.

After pulling over and making a quick visual inspection of the motor, unhooking the car, testing to see that I still had enough power to move somewhat, I decided to drive a bit further and see if the situation got better or worse. After a few city blocks it was obvious that I still had a problem and found a suitable parking place under an overpass where I called Spartan Roadside Service who sent out a tow truck.

The tow truck driver was very friendly and we decided that rather than being towed to a service center in Oakland tonight we would drive the coach to a nearby shopping center where we would be much safer for the night. So he escorted us to where he had in mind, checked with the local police to make sure it was OK with them and agreed to come pick us up in the morning.

12/22/04 - Coach Towing and Repair Saga
The tow truck river showed up this morning at about 8:45 and asked me to move the coach across the street where he had found a good place to hook us up. It was a little after 9am by the time I got over there and he began making preparations, including removing the hub caps, the transmission drive line and the rear mud flap.

While the driver was making all these preparations two people came up to see what was going on. One was a fireman who worked in the station we were parked next to and the other was a little old man who was very interested in the coach. So I gave him a tour and made conversation with him for about half an hour.

As the driver was unhooking the mud flap, the last task before leaving, he looked up and noticed that a hose had come off the Turbo Charger and figured that was our whole problem. So he called his boss to see what he should do and asked me if I wanted him to put the hose back on for no charge. It sounded like the right thing to do at the time, and the fireman who knew a lot about diesel engines concurred, so I agreed.

So then the question was should we continue with the tow, unhook and go on our merry way or drive the coach to the service center to have the repair inspected and to make sure there were no other problems. So we called Spartan Roadside Service and they determined that the tow truck driver was taking too long to hook up and tow the vehicle and that they wanted to send another tow truck instead. This seemed totally unreasonable to me and it was only after several more phone calls (and after the driver getting us mostly unhooked again) that it was decided that the same tow truck should tow us to Oakland.

So while the driver was rehooking up the coach we went across the street to get some lunch. By the time we were ready to go it was well after noon. About ten miles down the road, with my wife and I and the dogs following in the Trailblazer, he pulled over and another driver joined us in a pickup truck. The other driver followed the tow truck and coach while we followed him the rest of the way to Oakland.

When we got to the Oakland Truck Center (about 1:15pm) we called the Spartan Roadside Service again and they agreed to pay for the drive line being put back together but not the inspection on the repair. Before the tow truck driver left I asked him to undo his repair, which he started to do, and then I changed my mind, fearing that might complicate things even further.

It was not until after 3:45pm that someone finally came out to install the driveshaft and inspect the repair. The installation took longer than normal because two of the bolts were missing. Then he took us on a long test drive and determined that we were OK to travel. I wound up paying $129 out of my own pocket for the extra time for the installation, the inspection and the test drive, which I was not very happy about.

So after that ordeal we decided to just look for a place to spend the night and headed toward Concord. We knew of only one RV Park but felt sure we would find another along the way. Unfortunately we did not see any other choices and would up driving all the way out to Antioch to the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds. It was mediocre accommodations at best and a rather fitting end to a very long and trying day.

12/23/04 - Concord / Antioch
We finally made it to my Mom's today and it was great to see her, my sister and my niece. We had some lunch and then went to have a legal document notarized stating that it was OK for my other sister to be my Mother's primary Trustee. After that we went back to her place and spent a couple of hours packing things and thinking about what we would move (and where we would put it in her new place) and what we would give away or sell.

Then we all drove out to the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch and had a great BBQ steak dinner in the coach. It is always a bit challenging, but mostly fun, to entertain in our new motorhome.

12/24/04 - Windy Roads and the Senior Center
Today we moved the coach back to Sonoma County. We decided to drive through Napa and go up to Santa Rosa (Map) via the Valley of the Moon, through the town of Sonoma. One of our books said that Sugarloaf Mountain, just north of Sonoma has RV spaces, so we decided to go check it out. My first clue that this was a bad idea was when I only saw a tent icon rather than a RV icon before the turn to the park. Thinking that it was going to be a fairly short drive we decided to check it out anyway and wound up going up a very windy mountain road for several miles before getting to the park. We found plenty of picnic areas and some tent camping but no RV spaces, so we turned around and drove carefully back down the mountain.

We had agreed to meet my sisters and mother at the retirement community she will be moving into after the first of the year. Our side trip up the mountain made us a bit late for that appointment, so we drove to within a couple of miles, found a place to park the coach and drove the rest of the way in Scout. The Sunrise Senior Living center in Santa Rosa is nestled in large Oak and Redwood trees and seems like a very nice place. They provide apartments for their residents as well as three meals a day and other services. We spend about an hour in the unit my mother will occupy, talking about what furniture will fit and other issues. Then we explored the dining room and other parts of the facility which were all very beautiful.

It was nearly sunset when we left, so we rushed back to the coach and began our search for a campsite for the night. Our research had shown that about the only other place to camp in the Santa Rosa area was at Spring Lake. We had directions but, despite the fact we were fairly familiar with the area, had trouble finding the campground. After driving completely around the lake we finally pulled into the campground after dark. It was a bit challenging choosing and then backing into the site we chose, but we felt fairly safe for the night.