Repairs on Annie...
Well... Annie had a pretty massive oil leak develop since I bought her. I was losing 1-2 quarts of oil for every 200 miles traveled. I had it checked out because I thought it was coming from the rear main oil seal of the engine, but the shop in Quartzite AZ that I took it to said they thought it was the oil pan gasket. Anyway, since it was a pretty extensive job because of it being in a motorhome, I decided just to keep the oil topped off and return to KY where I could get if fixed by someone I trusted. I also had a vibration from about 45-55 mph which I wanted checked out too.
I talked to my son-in-law Lucas, and he arranged for the repairs at the shop where he works. The day I took it in to drop it off, on the way to the shop, the U-joint in the driveshaft gave way (the source of the vibration I later discovered) and I almost didn't make it to the shop before the driveshaft came out completely. And... Twyla was following me in the van to pick me up and the brake pedal went to the floor about the same time that the driveshaft U-joint gave way. She still had enough pedal to stop safely so she kept going since the shop was just a few miles away. After dropping Annie off I drove the van back to my daughter's house and parked it by the garage. I borrowed one of their spare vehicles to get a few errands done while I waited for the van to be repaired. While on the way back from the store, in my daughter's vehicle, someone rear ended me. Evidently they were preoccupied and didn't hit the brakes in time to stop. Fortunately there was literally no damage that I could find on the back of the car so we got a police report and went our separate ways. It was good to get home, it had been a busy day.
Luke repaired the rusted out brake line for me to get the van back on the road and worked on Annie for a couple of weeks on and off, when he wasn't super busy with other jobs. He found the rear main oil seal was badly worn and deformed when he got it out. He replaced the old seal and oil pan gasket and once back together the leak has stopped. Oh, and the vibration is also gone. He managed to save the driveshaft even though it had been damaged which was a real blessing.
I now feel more confident about taking Annie on long trips, that much oil leaking was both aggravating and embarrassing. Every time I stopped to refuel, or to park for the night, I left a puddle of oil on the ground and anyone that got behind me on the interstate was treated to a misty rain of oil created by the air flow under the motorhome while driving. Yeah, sorry people, but the upside was that no one tailgated me for very long before they hit the brakes and backed off several car lengths. I guess it was that misty residue that began to collect on their windshields that made them back off.
Other Stuff...
I'm also blessed to have a house to reside in for the time I spend her at my daughter's place. It's an old mobile home that was on the property when they bought the land it was on. They had a renter for a couple of years or so but that didn't work out too well, so they just decided not to rent it and keep it as a 'guest house'. It's still being renovated inside, they work on it as they can, so there's a lot of unfinished rooms right now. I have been happily camping in the living room and kitchen/dining areas. All the amenities one could want including A/C, and believe me, Kentucky gets hazy, hot, and humid, in the late spring and early summer, so A/C is pretty much a requirement for survival.
I needed to come back to Kentucky this year for sure to get my driver's license renewed. Since my birthdate is in mid December, the earliest they will allow you to renew is six months prior to my birthday so hopefully mid July I can get this done. After that, well, I simply don't know what I'll do or where I'll be, but I'll keep you informed.
What's next...
I really don't know what's next, or where I'll be heading, the door is wide open and there are lots of options. My concerns over the past couple of years living in AZ is how dry it is becoming in that region. I've watched it carefully this spring to see if the spring bloom flourished, but it was just too dry and so many the plants and trees (including cactus) are dying back. I have a friend Dan that is a full-time nomad as well who I stay in contact with. Everywhere he has gone this year in AZ he says has been extremely dry. The monsoon rains were not much last year and expected to fall short this year. Plus, with the dry conditions there is a growing concern of water shortages, especially around the southern AZ and CA regions. The Colorado River which I cross to go into CA has been pretty dry this year, not a good sign.
Also, with the COVID-19 thing going on, the RV industry is experiencing a boom in RV sales. It's estimated that there are now more RV's on the road than there are RV parks for them to camp in. Many RVers are taking up boondocking too, which means they will be staying more and more in the areas that I like to camp. I've noticed this myself this past year. Boondocking is also called dispersed camping or dry camping. All it means is that you have no amenities like water, electricity, dump stations, showers, garbage facilities, etc... It's not for everybody but the trade off for no amenities is that you can park in some of the most beautiful and secluded spots around at no charge.
So this may be the year of experimentation, trying different states and locales that are a little off the beaten path. I just don't know right now, but I'm sure something will come up and things will work out. I do enjoy the nomadic lifestyle. It's no picnic, you have to work at it, but the benefits far outweigh the alternatives.
So glad you stopped by to read my blog. Stay in touch!
Much love, much peace,
Bernie
