Broke Down in Lake Elsinore

We left Jojoba Hills about 9:00 AM on Thursday headed for Seal Beach.  It was fairly uneventful and a bit cool on the weather side.  We were cruising along on I-15 passing through Lake Elsinore when our day changed.  I heard a shrill alarm along with a very red check engine light and immediately pulled over to the shoulder and stopped.

Over the past few months this has happened maybe four or five times but usually after some seriously shaky roads or some bumps in the roads.  Sometimes a bridge transition would jar the Roadrunner and the alarm would go off.  I'd pull over, stop the engine and all would be fine.

Not this time.

Plus I was losing my gauges fast.  The needles on battery, temperature, oil and water went south.  The air pressure needles were not affected.  Hmm.  I pulled off a little farther into a wide area off the pavement.

Pam immediately said, "Looks like we lost our computer."  I didn't see any computer on the dash -- only the gauges.  But she was right -- the gauges are all connected to the computer.  We have an ISL Cummins engine on an XC Freightliner chassis.

In our 4+ years on the road, we have had to have the Roadrunner towed once before.  We broke down outside of Waco and were towed into Dallas.  But it took three attempts before we got a wrecker big enough to hoist our 40' diesel pusher.

I checked to see if I had renew our member ship with Coach-Net.  I thought I did but wanted to make sure.

Yep, so that was good.  Next we checked our location and found a couple of Freightliner repair shops near our location just south of exit 78.  We called one that was not an option then another in Fontana, almost 40 miles away.  Hmm.  That may be a problem, not sure if that is the closest one.

In our Waco experience, they tried to tow us back to Waco and we wanted to head toward Dallas.  Eventually, they agreed to Dallas.  This time I wanted to have some options in mind and not be at their mercy...

I called, they were very prompt and agreeable.  They took all our information, said they'd call us back after they checked on where to tow us and who could do the job.  25 minutes later we discussed getting towed to a different Freightliner place in Fontana.  They even said they have Express Service and would promise to check things out and give us an initial estimate of the issue(s) and the fix(es).

Sounds good.

Next, they said the trucker towing company should be calling us in a bit.  OK fine.

Sure enough about 20 minutes later 'Brothers Towing' called and said they'd send an operator in a few minutes.  About 15 minutes later Jon showed up.

I was very impressed when the young man got out, introduced himself and we all discussed the situation.

Then he began doing his thing and was very careful.

He had to put together some heavy pieces to go around the tires.  Then he operated the hydraulic lift with a hand held device.  He had to do a whole lot of things before we were all ready to go.

He was quick but in no rush and very methodical.  And careful.  Which we appreciated.  One thing he did that he said many do not do, it dis-engage the drive shaft.  Anything over 10 miles of towing, he said the drive shaft should be disconnected.  Then he hooked up an long air hose and tapped into our air system brake line back near the rear axle.

After about an hour, we were ready and on our way.

When we got to the repair facility, he really took his time into the driveway and over some speed bumps.  He was able to raise and lower the back end a few inches to make sure there was no touching or dragging.

After checking in we were pulled into our parking spot.

The driver disconnected everything and reattached the towbar and put the mudflap back down.  But his air hose adapter connection broke off underneath the coach.  I wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about so I crawled under the coach and he showed me.

He did not have a replacement but thought the Freightliner parts department would certainly have the $2 part.  Hmm.  Not much we could do about that at the moment.

Next, we said adios and he went on his way.  The Service writer said someone would be out within two hours to give us a Quick Check.  This was Friday afternoon and he was thinking we probably would need to get in to service sometime Monday or Tuesday....

We were glad to see a mechanic come out after a little more than an hour.  He plugged into a connection in the back and got some readings.

Yep - looks like the computer and it will have to go into the shop for further diagnostics and trouble shooting.

So that is our fate at the moment -- we will see what happens on Monday.

I did go into the parts store and a sales rep was able to find the part for the air hose connection that I needed.  But they were out of stock and don't expect on in until Jan 14.  Whoops -- that won't work. At this point I am thinking we will wait for the mechanics to take a look and have them run one down.  The "$2" item in the store is surely going to be more costly but for now, we have no idea what this is going to cost us.  But my guess is ---$$$$ we will see.

Fontana, CA is only a few miles from Redlands and our friends Bob and Sue.  The same ones we saw about six weeks ago.  They are good friends.  As in, "we are broke down and need a place to stay friends".
They have been great and we are staying with them for a few days.

Over the weekend we have been going over to the Freightliner place to start up the generator in the morning and evening.  We need to keep the batteries charged up so there aren't any issues with the refrigerator.

So our last couple of days have been exciting.  We are very thankful to have had this happen when and where it did.  And we fully expect to be on our way down to Seal Beach in the next few days.  We're looking forward to getting into the shop tomorrow hopefully and see what's going on.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time... keep warm!

Roadrunner Financials - November 2013

In November, we continued our travels in Southern California, seeing friends and relatives.
Roadrunner Recap

We spent time in Redlands (not far from March ARB) seeing Bob and Sue and their families for a few days before going over to Seal Beach.  From their we were able to spend time with nephews Nate and Ben and their families.
Then on to San Diego where we saw cousin Kevin and some of his family.
We also saw nephews Rob and Matt (who was visiting) and their families.  Brother Marty and wife Elena were also visiting for Thanksgiving so we saw them also.

Our stops along the way in November were:

• A - Moreno Valley (March Air Reserve Base)
• B - Seal Beach (Sea Breeze RV Park at the Naval Weapons Training Center)
• C - San Diego (Admiral Baker Navy RV Park)

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget

We saved a lot in November because we didn't have to fill up with any diesel.  We also were $400 under budget in repairs and maintenance, enjoying a combined $1000 during the month.
Biggest Expenses
Our biggest cost items were in the catch all:  Misc.  
We did some early Christmas shopping and spent a little too much time in the golf pro shop at Torrey Pines.  We also played some golf in Seal Beach and a couple of rounds in San Diego.
Large One Time Cost Item
The largest single item for the month was for a gift card/Christmas present from IKEA.

Monthly Average

So for the first half of our fifth year on the road, we are a little under our $4000 monthly budget.  We'll see if we can keep that up in the coming months.  We still be in California through the end of the year, so we will see.

Thanks again for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!
As always - if you find this type of tracking useful and would like a free copy of my spreadsheet, I'd be glad to send it to you.
Hope you are enjoying the holiday season.  Until next time...

More from Jojoba Hills

Yesterday we enjoyed Day 2 at Jojoba Hills.  We went for a walk around the park which is very good exercise.  Along the way I decided to take a lot of pictures to augment the photos I showed yesterday. This time I had a lot of campsite pictures.  And a couple of folks enjoying their day.

The property  has lots of inclines and hills among the terraced roads.  They sure did an excellent job of laying out this place 25 years ago.  Despite the hills, the sites are level.  And it looks like they tried to maximize the views.  They are great!

One thing we noticed were the sheds.  All the sheds are the same size and painted the same color.  Nice.  Gives the place a real look of standards and style.  If I got the story right, the sheds were all built by women (while the guys did other things) who called themselves the 'You-Bangers'.  As in, "you bang this while I bang that..."  No surprise they did a very good job.  

Another impression I get around the place is the sense of pride and orderliness.  No gaudy signs or hangings or yard art, no clutter.  Yet everyone has some discretion in how they want to fix up their grounds and yard.  Lots of plants and bushes if you want them.  Others have roses or cacti.

And some have large patios and some have a few brick pavers.  Some have free standing campfire pits or fountains.  Some are more plain.

Some live here most of the year and some are here only a few months and travel.  Those that travel and put their sites in the 'pool' allow visitors like us to rent the lot and stay for a few days.  The money goes back to the resort which helps in the overall funding and budget.

I am surprised there are something like four open lots for sale here.  This is definitely a great option for those that are looking to go 'part-time'.  I have often said there are so many ways to do this RV thing.  Part time, full-time, half time, extended time, some time....

One gets the sense that the folks are very good 'stewards' of what they have.  They have little fund raisers during the week like 'Ice Cream Hour' for $1 at 3:00 PM.  And they have lots of volunteers.  It doesn't seem like there is any coercion but more or, 'hey - join in the fun'. And they recycle and have a recycle committee that runs it.

And then after our walk around the resort, we had lunch and were doing some reading when a couple drove up.  Nikki and Joe introduced themselves and reminded us we had met way back in 2009 at an RV-Dreams Rally in Kerrville, TX.

They are from Newport Beach area and started full-timing about he same time we did.  And they told us about their adventures to Alaska and how much they like the Corpus Christi, TX area.  Good RV story stuff.  And how they came here and bought a lot.  They are volunteers in probably half a dozen committees.  It was a very nice surprise and nice of them to come by!

That's it for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for stopping by!!  Even though you may not leave a comment or for those that do -- we appreciate it!  Until next time...

A Short Trip over to Jojoba Hills

We left our campground about 9:30 AM and had an easy drive to Temecula and then on to Jojoba Hills.  

We have been Escapees Members for probably six years.  We joined before we had an RV so we could learn and do some research.  Escapees have a number of RV parks and campgrounds all over the country.  We try to stop in and get a feel for them.

We couldn't make a reservation, but we did call ahead to see if there were possibilities.  Sue at the front desk indicated we probably would be able to get into a site and not have to be in overflow.  So off we went and arrived at the office about 11:30 AM.

Sure enough, we are renting an owner's site who is no here.  Pretty great space and it looks out over the canyon and surrounding hills.

Once we got set up we had lunch and then worked on the water pump.  We will be boondocking/dry camping next month at Quartzite, so we need to have the water pump working.  A couple of days ago I turned it on just to check it out and it was not drawing water into the pipes.  It was acting almost as if the 'pump needed to be primed'.

Pam checked out the filter and then removed the pump.  I had been carrying we an extra pump from a previous replacement.

We replaced the defective one with the 'Used' pump.  While we were at it, we replaced the water filter.  We had to adjust the connections a bit but we were done in less than an hour and all is well.

We signed up for a tour of the property and Charlie arrived a little after 1:30 PM to show us around.
There are 283 sites that are approximately 50' x 70'.  The one that we are on at the moment is even bigger.
We started over near the Office and took a look at the Ranch House.

They hold meetings there and members can reserve the facility for family gatherings and those kind of things.

Then over to the Art Center which was near the overflow/boondocking area.

We stopped by the woodworking and automotive shops that were pretty impressive.

And we drove around all the roads and neighborhoods that are terraced on the hills.  Interesting enough I did not take one picture of the sites as we went by?  But you can see some great photos of some nice sites here.

We also walked through the Clubhouse known as the 'Friendship Hall.  It was very impressive.  Lots of activities to get involved with and things to do.

The library had a huge selection of books and DVDs. To my surprise I found the 1940 edition of 'Grapes of Wrath' starring Henry Fonda!

(Which we watched last night.)

And a heated pool and a couple of Jacuzzis.

Charlie did a great job of explaining things and showing us around.  If I understand it right, the cost of a site is $31,000.  Then the monthly fee is $240.  When you leave, you get your $31,000 back.  So you own it as long as your fees are current.  But you can not resell it to someone else or keep it.  It goes back to Escapees.

Though I don't think we want to move here, a lots of things impressed us including:

• Friendly people.  From the minute you walk in, to everyone (yes everyone) we met or talked to,  they were completely friendly and glad to meet you.  Escapees definitely lead the way in the that department.  Totally friendly environment.
• Activities.  There are a lot of things going on here and everything is done by committee. Library, Talent Show, Post Office, Kitchen --- seems as if everyone was involved with some committee (or more than one.)
• Spacious and well kept sites.  This is the nicest Escapee park we have ever been to and we have probably visited 8 or 9.  The building and codes committee definitely has done well.  There are not a lot of real different buildings and storage on sites.  All are unique but they have a very consistent sense of orderliness.
• Cost.  At $24 a night for full hookups and access to all the facilities ($1 for washers and dryers), it is very reasonable.
• Design of campground.  Lots of thought and planning went into the campground.  The sides of the hills have an immense watering system to grow underbrush for erosion control.

So that's a quick look at Jojoba Hills and our latest on the Roadrunner Chronicles.  Thanks for joining us!

Brothers vs. Brothers at Torrey Pines

A few months ago we knew we were going to be at Del Mar to see Rob and Chris and everyone for Thanksgiving.  When we first visited here in December 2009 we discovered Torrey Pines just a few miles away.  

Torrey Pines is one of those famous Championship municipal courses that is open to the public.  I thought about it and asked Marty if he would be up for 18 holes at Torrey Pines after Thanksgiving.  He was and we were aiming for a round of golf on Monday.  But then we talked about Sunday and asked Rob and Matt about the possibility of us all playing.

Sure enough, Rob set up a tee time for us (twilight rates) at 12:30 P.M. on Sunday.  So we locked that in.  And it was a day to remember!  I arrived early enough to practice my putting a little bit.  And took some pictures.

The practice putting green near the clubhouse.  The clock indicates the course was built in 1957.

When everyone else arrived, we hit some balls on the range and practices some putts before we teed off.

The course was in fantastic shape!  The fairways are surprisingly wide.  But the rough is deep.  And so were the traps!

The views off many holes were simply majestic.  Breathtaking.

I think this was hole #3.  Marty was aiming for the green down below.  In the distance along the horizon in the middle of the picture is San Diego.

We were in no rush and stopped for a number of photos along the way.  It was a simply gorgeous December day.

We all hit some good shots here and there, but no one had a particularly good day.  I think I'd say it was about as good a day one could have on the golf course while playing some not-so-memorable golf.

But it was a once-in-a lifetime type of place.  With two nephews (Rob and Matt) vs Marty and me.

The matches were close both nines but Marty eeked out a win.  But we should have since we have a chance to play a lot more golf than these guys do.  It was loads of fun and they can really smack that golf ball!

Another group shot, this time we figured out the time delay mechanism on the camera.

Marty is the real student of the game and the golf swing.  We always learn something from him.  I kept our match fairly close until the last three holes.  Then I promptly imploded.  Or rather got into the deep sand traps and couldn't get out.

Not surprisingly, Marty beat us all.  And he and I won the match between Rob and Matt.  But the most fun of all was just being out there with them.  It was a pretty fantastic time.

We knew it would be close and the last few holes we were trying to get in the club house before the sun went down.  I must have taken 20 pictures of the sunset...

Sometimes the camera makes things look a little brighter than it actually is.  It was really pretty dark out there by the time we finished up.

And one final group shot.  

So there is a look at Pam's Christmas present to me this year:  a round of golf at Torrey Pines South.  A beautiful day with my bro and his sons.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...