2 weeks after our truck broke down 10 miles west of Laughlin NV, the new engine is on order, everything should be covered by warranty for which we are extremely thankful.
However, we're also facing the realization that we're likely to be here another 1-2 weeks and it's getting uncomfortably warm. We did find someone to tow us to a new campground over the weekend as the Laughlin River Run starts in 2 days and we couldn't stay where we were, plus we didn't want to put up with the noise and traffic of the motorcycle rally while we were trying to work.
I keep thinking I really didn't need this lesson in patience, with everything that went wrong 2 years ago with our original truck order, getting the 5th wheel home and the delays in getting our house on the market and then the delays in closing, I became much better at realizing I wasn't in control and needed to be more flexible. Continued to learn that lesson over the next few months with the fridge replacement, delays in getting a truck upgrade done and thought I was getting used to being flexible. Even last fall's RV repair didn't bother me that much, just figured things happen.
I think the big difference is that every time we've had something go wrong we were somewhere we were comfortable or happy to be staying, we could find new activities to keep us busy and new things/places to explore. However, this time we're much more isolated, the interesting things to do are a much longer drive, this is costing us extra out of pocket costs for the rental car and higher camp ground fees than we had planned on and I'm just ready to be on our way. Our longest delay in the past changed our plans by 2 weeks, I wasn't mentally ready for a 1 month delay and I'm really not liking it.
Thanks for letting me vent, just needed to share my frustrations with a community of like minded people who can relate
TRAILERKING said
09:45 PM Apr 20, 2015
It's just one of the "Joys" of choosing the "Life Style".
BiggarView said
04:53 AM Apr 21, 2015
We can certainly relate to the "frustration" when the "plan" doesn't follow the script. Just don't forget to share the exquisitely delicious moments as well.
Linda said
05:21 AM Apr 21, 2015
Ruth,
I can so relate with what you are going through. We were stuck for a month in Gillette, WY in a "campground" that was a field at the Camplex Convention Center. The temps were in the low 100's with constant high winds and only 30 amp hookup. There were no other RVs in the field with us so we felt very isolated and alone in our misery. At least we had our jeep and didn't have to rent a vehicle. It was one of the lowest times we have had on the road. I can remember singing "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" over and over and over!!!!
Hang in there, and big hugs to you two!!!
Diana and Jim said
06:19 AM Apr 21, 2015
That is TOO funny, Linda...as that song popped into my head when I read Ruth's post. :)
This too shall pass, Ruth. Diana and I made it through 17 below temps this winter...you and Dale will make it too! :)
Jim
Dog Folks said
07:03 AM Apr 21, 2015
The difference between an ordeal and an adventure is..............................attitude.
Barbaraok said
09:07 AM Apr 21, 2015
We've had enough 'hiccups' that I wrote a page for our blog about How To Survive Repairs. When the baristas at the nearest Starbucks shout out your drink order as you walk in the door, you know you've been there too long. And while later these make great stories at the time they can be miserable. But we all get through it or those you can't adjust leave the lifestyle.
Hang in there, it will get better.
Barb
PIEERE said
09:41 AM Apr 21, 2015
Wow! Life will be very frustrating at times. I remember back to 2012 with my having to give up work camping! I think you read my posts in the traveling with health problems. I had to accept the reality of life! Seems like this will give you both some time to reassess or regroup what is important! Please don't take this wrong! I am far from being where I want, but have what I need! Remember the song, It's a long, long road with many a winding turn! Yes the road will become straight again!
Hdrider said
09:43 AM Apr 21, 2015
Hang in there!!! This will be nothing more than a new story you can tell around the campfire even though it may not seem like it now.
As you know we were stuck in Seffner Florida for 5 months while going through the hassles with our new rig having problem after problem. We camped on the dealers lot (even though not a bad place to be as far as lots go) most of that time and part of the time in a campground across the street. The good thing is the rest of the country was in a deep freeze so it SEEMED to make things better LOL!! And we didn't have any place we needed to be like you guys do.
Good luck and keep us posted!!
The Bear II said
10:07 AM Apr 21, 2015
It seems to me there is a cycle.... 5 years of trouble free RVing and then a year of problems, then 5 years trouble free, then a year of problems.... or sometimes it's 2 years good, one year bad...
And then again it can be 6 months good and 1 year bad...
However the good always outweighs the bad.... what's that saying " A bad day RVing is better than a good day working"
NWescapee said
10:30 AM Apr 21, 2015
Thanks all for your encouragement. We really are trying to keep a good attitude and keep telling ourselves a sure way of proving that God has a sense of humor is to make plans and actually think we're going to carry through with them
We then do remind ourselves that at least when we broke down we had good data / cell coverage, that's not true for all the spots along that highway, it was daylight, we were able to get off the road, we didn't have to wait too long for a tow, we're in an area of the country with lots of RV parks and relatively cheap rates and we broke down at a time when we didn't actually have to be anywhere for a month. So while we're not where we wanted to be, when we wanted to be, many things could have been much worse.
Researching hikes for this weekend and think I found a good one with petroglyphs to explore, hoping the forecasters are right and we have a cooling trend heading our way for a few days. And it's giving us time to take care of some little RV maintenance chores, we're getting the carpets cleaned Friday afternoon and we actually went on a purge through our closets and dressers, 2 bags of clothes to donate.
Barbaraok said
10:43 AM Apr 21, 2015
Yup, lemonade is being made!
FOSJ said
12:33 PM Apr 21, 2015
Take a drive up Christmas Tree Pass. Pretty scenery.
marianne57 said
05:47 PM Apr 21, 2015
Ruth, sometimes things other people are going through like yourselves, (and Cheryl recently) are used as an example to those of us still waiting to go full-time. They are a lesson on how to handle things graciously. You sure have. Hang in and as Diana stated.....this too shall pass. We know that we're bound to have those times when it seems like nothing goes right too, but I hope I remember your attitude and handle it as well as you all have. Thanks so much!
-- Edited by marianne57 on Tuesday 21st of April 2015 05:50:11 PM
Bill and Jodee said
10:04 PM Apr 22, 2015
I didn't make it there yet, but there is a walking labyrinth near Laughlin - it is a short hike to get there. You can probably ask any local, or try Google. They are wonderful for meditation, especially when one wants/needs to find a little peace. Hopefully you can find it If our weather makes it from SoCal to Laughlin you will definitely get cooler temps this week.
Wish I had been on the forum last week as we were in Laughlin over the weekend for a high school reunion at the Colorado Belle and would have wanted to offer assistance Glad you were able to get moved out of the chaos that is the annual River Run - it was crazy enough last week with just the Blues and Brews event!
One more happy option - D' Place coffee shop in Bullhead City serves wonderful breakfast at a good price (they close at 2). Have been stopping there for 10 years.
Jodee
NWescapee said
10:23 PM Apr 22, 2015
Thanks Jodee, found a hike for this weekend, actually found 2 good options so depending on temperature and what time we get ourselves going on Saturday will dictate which hike we do. Hopefully both will keep us out of the Laughlin River Rally crowds. I think it might also be time to get the Sea Eagle out and do a little paddling, with temps this high, being on the water sounds really inviting.
Sorry we missed you last weekend, we're coping and finding time for a few more RV maintenance projects that have been on the back burner for a month or three.
Will be happy to report when we're moving again, looking forward to heading a little further northwest when we're mobile again.
cherylbrv said
07:50 AM Apr 23, 2015
In the 8 months I've been on the road, I can so much relate to all of this, including spending 1 1/2 months isolated alone in a field while waiting for repairs. Ruth, your positive outlook has always been my inspiration to remain positive. This too shall pass, although it's extremely frustrating. I also second everyone else's wise advice here.
Camper Chronicles said
11:20 AM Apr 23, 2015
It is funny Ruth how you hit a rough patch, then get through it and think well now I'm stronger, get comfortable. and another rough patch comes along and takes you right back there. I think my improvements have come in increments so even if I still struggle with things I know I am making progress because it would have been much worse a couple of months ago and certainly last year. I do lose patience with myself sometimes though wanting to be a person who can totally go with the flow, although frankly I am not sure I'll ever get there. And maybe that's ok too. We know we have something that matters to lose when we react to losing it. The day I don't care, maybe I am taking it all for granted and that's a problem in and of itself.
Anyways, I think your attitude is amazing and I appreciate your openness about the not so glamorous parts of the lifestyle.
Trace
Barbaraok said
12:50 PM Apr 23, 2015
Owning an RV really does take the patience of JOB.
BiggarView said
02:30 PM Apr 23, 2015
Barbaraok wrote:
Owning an RV really does take the patience of JOB.
Especially if you a carry a large note on it. True for stixenbrix models also.
TRAILERKING said
03:08 PM Apr 23, 2015
Yeah..............There's no "Free Lunch". Anything (especially an RV) is going to require maintenance and with an RV there's LOTS of it. If don't keep up on it the thing will turn into a big "turd" quite fast.
Also if unable to do most of everything yourself and have to pay someone else to do it........Can empty your pockets pretty fast.
NWescapee said
12:59 PM Apr 24, 2015
Update: Truck is supposed to be ready by Tuesday!!! Yay! Looks like we might have a long distance drive for dinner Tuesday night just to make sure everything is working as expected.
Plans for the weekend include a hike on Saturday, kayaking on Sunday and hopefully by Wednesday we'll be on the road north out of the triple digits that we're supposed to start experiencing on Monday. Tentative plan right now is to drive ~175 miles each afternoon / evening after my "day job" is done for 3 days so we can reach our next art show destination in time to have a little down time and time to prepare for the show without feeling unduly rushed. Now, there I go again making plans
dianneandsteve said
09:24 AM Apr 25, 2015
Happy to hear your almost over this bump in the road. Good luck and safe travels heading north!
Hdrider said
11:00 AM Apr 25, 2015
Well, I hope your "plan" come together. Here's wishing you luck.
2 weeks after our truck broke down 10 miles west of Laughlin NV, the new engine is on order, everything should be covered by warranty for which we are extremely thankful.
However, we're also facing the realization that we're likely to be here another 1-2 weeks and it's getting uncomfortably warm. We did find someone to tow us to a new campground over the weekend as the Laughlin River Run starts in 2 days and we couldn't stay where we were, plus we didn't want to put up with the noise and traffic of the motorcycle rally while we were trying to work.
I keep thinking I really didn't need this lesson in patience, with everything that went wrong 2 years ago with our original truck order, getting the 5th wheel home and the delays in getting our house on the market and then the delays in closing, I became much better at realizing I wasn't in control and needed to be more flexible. Continued to learn that lesson over the next few months with the fridge replacement, delays in getting a truck upgrade done and thought I was getting used to being flexible. Even last fall's RV repair didn't bother me that much, just figured things happen.
I think the big difference is that every time we've had something go wrong we were somewhere we were comfortable or happy to be staying, we could find new activities to keep us busy and new things/places to explore. However, this time we're much more isolated, the interesting things to do are a much longer drive, this is costing us extra out of pocket costs for the rental car and higher camp ground fees than we had planned on and I'm just ready to be on our way. Our longest delay in the past changed our plans by 2 weeks, I wasn't mentally ready for a 1 month delay and I'm really not liking it.
Thanks for letting me vent, just needed to share my frustrations with a community of like minded people who can relate
We can certainly relate to the "frustration" when the "plan" doesn't follow the script.
Just don't forget to share the exquisitely delicious moments as well.
Ruth,
I can so relate with what you are going through. We were stuck for a month in Gillette, WY in a "campground" that was a field at the Camplex Convention Center. The temps were in the low 100's with constant high winds and only 30 amp hookup. There were no other RVs in the field with us so we felt very isolated and alone in our misery. At least we had our jeep and didn't have to rent a vehicle. It was one of the lowest times we have had on the road. I can remember singing "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" over and over and over!!!!
Hang in there, and big hugs to you two!!!
This too shall pass, Ruth. Diana and I made it through 17 below temps this winter...you and Dale will make it too! :)
Jim
We've had enough 'hiccups' that I wrote a page for our blog about How To Survive Repairs. When the baristas at the nearest Starbucks shout out your drink order as you walk in the door, you know you've been there too long. And while later these make great stories at the time they can be miserable. But we all get through it or those you can't adjust leave the lifestyle.
Hang in there, it will get better.
Barb
As you know we were stuck in Seffner Florida for 5 months while going through the hassles with our new rig having problem after problem. We camped on the dealers lot (even though not a bad place to be as far as lots go) most of that time and part of the time in a campground across the street. The good thing is the rest of the country was in a deep freeze so it SEEMED to make things better LOL!! And we didn't have any place we needed to be like you guys do.
Good luck and keep us posted!!
And then again it can be 6 months good and 1 year bad...
However the good always outweighs the bad.... what's that saying " A bad day RVing is better than a good day working"
Thanks all for your encouragement. We really are trying to keep a good attitude and keep telling ourselves a sure way of proving that God has a sense of humor is to make plans and actually think we're going to carry through with them
We then do remind ourselves that at least when we broke down we had good data / cell coverage, that's not true for all the spots along that highway, it was daylight, we were able to get off the road, we didn't have to wait too long for a tow, we're in an area of the country with lots of RV parks and relatively cheap rates and we broke down at a time when we didn't actually have to be anywhere for a month. So while we're not where we wanted to be, when we wanted to be, many things could have been much worse.
Researching hikes for this weekend and think I found a good one with petroglyphs to explore, hoping the forecasters are right and we have a cooling trend heading our way for a few days. And it's giving us time to take care of some little RV maintenance chores, we're getting the carpets cleaned Friday afternoon and we actually went on a purge through our closets and dressers, 2 bags of clothes to donate.
Yup, lemonade is being made!
Ruth, sometimes things other people are going through like yourselves, (and Cheryl recently) are used as an example to those of us still waiting to go full-time. They are a lesson on how to handle things graciously. You sure have. Hang in and as Diana stated.....this too shall pass. We know that we're bound to have those times when it seems like nothing goes right too, but I hope I remember your attitude and handle it as well as you all have. Thanks so much!
-- Edited by marianne57 on Tuesday 21st of April 2015 05:50:11 PM
Wish I had been on the forum last week as we were in Laughlin over the weekend for a high school reunion at the Colorado Belle and would have wanted to offer assistance
One more happy option - D' Place coffee shop in Bullhead City serves wonderful breakfast at a good price (they close at 2). Have been stopping there for 10 years.
Jodee
Sorry we missed you last weekend, we're coping and finding time for a few more RV maintenance projects that have been on the back burner for a month or three.
Will be happy to report when we're moving again, looking forward to heading a little further northwest when we're mobile again.
In the 8 months I've been on the road, I can so much relate to all of this, including spending 1 1/2 months isolated alone in a field while waiting for repairs. Ruth, your positive outlook has always been my inspiration to remain positive. This too shall pass, although it's extremely frustrating. I also second everyone else's wise advice here.
Anyways, I think your attitude is amazing and I appreciate your openness about the not so glamorous parts of the lifestyle.
Trace
Especially if you a carry a large note on it. True for stixenbrix models also.
Also if unable to do most of everything yourself and have to pay someone else to do it........Can empty your pockets pretty fast.
Update: Truck is supposed to be ready by Tuesday!!! Yay! Looks like we might have a long distance drive for dinner Tuesday night just to make sure everything is working as expected.
Plans for the weekend include a hike on Saturday, kayaking on Sunday and hopefully by Wednesday we'll be on the road north out of the triple digits that we're supposed to start experiencing on Monday. Tentative plan right now is to drive ~175 miles each afternoon / evening after my "day job" is done for 3 days so we can reach our next art show destination in time to have a little down time and time to prepare for the show without feeling unduly rushed. Now, there I go again making plans
Happy to hear your almost over this bump in the road. Good luck and safe travels heading north!