Made it to Plan F, but we're finally mobile again!!
NWescapee said
05:48 PM Nov 21, 2015
I'm a planner, always have been, probably always will be. I always have a plan A, plan B and sometimes plan C. Well, this time we've made it all the way to plan F and it's been a frustrating journey. We had planned on vacation in the Grand Canyon and then 4 more stops before flying out of Phoenix for our family Thanksgiving visit.
29 days ago a sealed bearing failed and we ended up being towed to Fort Mohave. The repair shop specialized in tires, brakes, axles, etc, not your standard RV shop but made us feel confident that they could fix the rig and get us back on the road. However, the bearings with a new axle had to be ordered from Lippert and before they could ship it, it had to be manufactured so we were told 2.5-3 weeks and with a great deal of help from the shop, got ourselves relocated to an RV park, limping down 0.5 miles down the highway on 3 wheels.
Then we had to prove to the Extended Warranty company that our bearings were sealed bearings because they called Lippert who said they didn't manufacture sealed bearings, but they did in 2010, so I had to get the build sheet with the axle serial numbers from DRV, then get a written statement from Lippert that our bearings were sealed when manufactured. Finally got the Extended Warranty company to approve our claim after much angst and lots of emails, phone calls, etc.
Lippert was late shipping the axles, they told our shop they went out on Oct 9th, shipping documents show they went out on the 12th with 5 day shipping. The shipping company said they tried to deliver on the 19th, but no one answered the phone at the shop and claimed their voice mail said they closed at 4:30 which is a bald faced lie, I've heard the voice mail, it's clear they close at 5:30. I had to then track down the shipping company to get them delivered on the 20th and they acted like they were doing me a huge favor when they messed up in the first place and their driver lied.
The only folks who were truly easy to deal with in the entire process was the local repair shop and we're thankful they were so persistent in getting our rig repaired.
So, we now have new axles, bearings, brake line is fixed, shock replaced, brake caliper replaced, new tire and wheel, etc. and are finally mobile again. We have 2 repairs left to complete that were caused by damage done during the towing process.
And we've cancelled multiple reservations, changed our scheduled flight for Thanksgiving, found new pet sitters (thanks to Allen & Donna, aka Fergizmo), we've finally gotten to Plan F and at this point I'm hoping for NO MORE changes. We've cut our family visit short by 3 days and have a drop dead date of Dec. 3rd to be on the road again due to Dale's art show schedule. 1 of the 2 repairs due to the towing damage will be done on Monday, the other one will have to wait until after the December art shows are complete.
Breathing a big sigh of relief right now. I've always been good at logistics planning but my patience and flexibility has been stretched to my limit this time around. For those of you offering words of advice and encouragement over the past month, thank you, having this RV Dreams family to share the frustrations with helps me keep things in perspective!!
Terry and Jo said
07:40 PM Nov 21, 2015
Good Grief, Ruth!!!!
It sounds like you really need to go to Plan G (for Go Vacationing) for an extended time. But, I know you both have work yet to do, which dictates that you can't get done what you want.
Here is hoping that all your major issues are now behind you and that smooth sailing is ahead for you. At least you seemed to have been blessed to have been where friends were located. It's just too bad you can't come here to Colorado and let us go up on a mountain somewhere and let Jo and I pat you on the shoulder. (Oh, by the way....we could be here for another year to year and a half...just sayin'.)
Terry
el Rojo and Pam said
07:39 AM Nov 22, 2015
Glad you and Dale are finally on the road. Now you can relax on your vacation.
-- Edited by el Rojo and Pam on Sunday 22nd of November 2015 07:39:48 AM
NWescapee said
06:24 PM Nov 22, 2015
The upcoming "vacation" is a family visit, I'm sure it will be fun, but probably not a relaxing vacation. However, vacation truly starts in Quartzsite on Christmas Eve, really looking forward to some "down time" before we then head to So Cal.
But, it's so good to know we have the freedom to move around a bit more, just very disappointed that the last month we had where I wasn't expected to be in the office for an entire month ended up in one location. Our ongoing moving about will be a bit more limited as of January, but at least we're still mobile.
Very thankful for Donna and Allen (Fergizmo) who will be Tazzy Kat sitting while we fly out for Thanksgiving, great to have some very kind friends in the area.
PIEERE said
11:25 AM Nov 23, 2015
Ruth and Dale: I hate it when plans don't come together; but we know WHO we have to trust in! There is a reason and maybe we will never understand it until way in the future! I know I looked back at my life a few times; the times I was having big problems and the worst of the situations that could have been!!! I sure found out what GRATEFUL really meant with hopefully the last big one!!!!
As this Thursday is the big day for being Thankful I wish the best for your family visit! I prayed to hard for peace and quiet during the Holidays and I received what i asked for. Just have to be more cautious what I ask for now!
Happy Thanksgiving and hopefully no real drop dead dates; you both are suppose to be enjoying the RV lifestyle and relieving the stress of the rat race! One day at time and sometimes just by seconds to make it through the turmoil!
Camper Chronicles said
01:31 PM Nov 23, 2015
Ruth as a fellow super planner so happy things finally came together. I will say I agree with Pierre. Ever lose your car keys and get delayed five minutes and pass an accident you just missed? Many people think that is coincidence, but I tend to lean towards the fact there is a Master Plan and sometimes I just don't understand it until later. It's about the only thing that gives me any comfort when my carefully laid plans get completely upended. Anyways, so glad things are finally back on track!!
Trace
cherylbrv said
07:12 PM Nov 24, 2015
I also have to agree with Pierre and Trace. One of the first things I learned when I went f/t was how plans are made in bubbles. One of the biggest character changes I made since then was learning how to be a little more patient and flexible. As a fellow planner who used to have major anxiety attacks if plans went off track by even 5 minutes, I knew I'd never adjust to this lifestyle if I didn't learn to let go a little. But, boy, you have had way more than your share of off-tracking!!! My heartfelt prayers go out to you. I do hope things start running smoother for you!
-- Edited by Fergizmo on Thursday 26th of November 2015 10:49:35 AM
bjoyce said
11:32 AM Nov 26, 2015
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Hopefully the weather is decent where you are for Thanksgiving. It is cold both in the PNW and here in the mountains of Southern California.
I think it helped both Diane and I that we worked for many years in PC software development, where plans and schedules are advisory and chaos common. It helped us deal with RV issues and unexpected plan changes.
I'm a planner, always have been, probably always will be. I always have a plan A, plan B and sometimes plan C. Well, this time we've made it all the way to plan F and it's been a frustrating journey. We had planned on vacation in the Grand Canyon and then 4 more stops before flying out of Phoenix for our family Thanksgiving visit.
29 days ago a sealed bearing failed and we ended up being towed to Fort Mohave. The repair shop specialized in tires, brakes, axles, etc, not your standard RV shop but made us feel confident that they could fix the rig and get us back on the road. However, the bearings with a new axle had to be ordered from Lippert and before they could ship it, it had to be manufactured so we were told 2.5-3 weeks and with a great deal of help from the shop, got ourselves relocated to an RV park, limping down 0.5 miles down the highway on 3 wheels.
Then we had to prove to the Extended Warranty company that our bearings were sealed bearings because they called Lippert who said they didn't manufacture sealed bearings, but they did in 2010, so I had to get the build sheet with the axle serial numbers from DRV, then get a written statement from Lippert that our bearings were sealed when manufactured. Finally got the Extended Warranty company to approve our claim after much angst and lots of emails, phone calls, etc.
Lippert was late shipping the axles, they told our shop they went out on Oct 9th, shipping documents show they went out on the 12th with 5 day shipping. The shipping company said they tried to deliver on the 19th, but no one answered the phone at the shop and claimed their voice mail said they closed at 4:30 which is a bald faced lie, I've heard the voice mail, it's clear they close at 5:30. I had to then track down the shipping company to get them delivered on the 20th and they acted like they were doing me a huge favor when they messed up in the first place and their driver lied.
The only folks who were truly easy to deal with in the entire process was the local repair shop and we're thankful they were so persistent in getting our rig repaired.
So, we now have new axles, bearings, brake line is fixed, shock replaced, brake caliper replaced, new tire and wheel, etc. and are finally mobile again. We have 2 repairs left to complete that were caused by damage done during the towing process.
And we've cancelled multiple reservations, changed our scheduled flight for Thanksgiving, found new pet sitters (thanks to Allen & Donna, aka Fergizmo), we've finally gotten to Plan F and at this point I'm hoping for NO MORE changes. We've cut our family visit short by 3 days and have a drop dead date of Dec. 3rd to be on the road again due to Dale's art show schedule. 1 of the 2 repairs due to the towing damage will be done on Monday, the other one will have to wait until after the December art shows are complete.
Breathing a big sigh of relief right now. I've always been good at logistics planning but my patience and flexibility has been stretched to my limit this time around. For those of you offering words of advice and encouragement over the past month, thank you, having this RV Dreams family to share the frustrations with helps me keep things in perspective!!
Good Grief, Ruth!!!!
It sounds like you really need to go to Plan G (for Go Vacationing) for an extended time. But, I know you both have work yet to do, which dictates that you can't get done what you want.
Here is hoping that all your major issues are now behind you and that smooth sailing is ahead for you. At least you seemed to have been blessed to have been where friends were located. It's just too bad you can't come here to Colorado and let us go up on a mountain somewhere and let Jo and I pat you on the shoulder. (Oh, by the way....we could be here for another year to year and a half...just sayin'.)
Terry
Glad you and Dale are finally on the road. Now you can relax on your vacation.
-- Edited by el Rojo and Pam on Sunday 22nd of November 2015 07:39:48 AM
But, it's so good to know we have the freedom to move around a bit more, just very disappointed that the last month we had where I wasn't expected to be in the office for an entire month ended up in one location. Our ongoing moving about will be a bit more limited as of January, but at least we're still mobile.
Very thankful for Donna and Allen (Fergizmo) who will be Tazzy Kat sitting while we fly out for Thanksgiving, great to have some very kind friends in the area.
As this Thursday is the big day for being Thankful I wish the best for your family visit! I prayed to hard for peace and quiet during the Holidays and I received what i asked for. Just have to be more cautious what I ask for now!
Happy Thanksgiving and hopefully no real drop dead dates; you both are suppose to be enjoying the RV lifestyle and relieving the stress of the rat race! One day at time and sometimes just by seconds to make it through the turmoil!
Trace
Happy Thanksgiving Ruth & Dale (and fellow Dreamers). Tazzy says hi.
-- Edited by Fergizmo on Thursday 26th of November 2015 10:49:35 AM
Hopefully the weather is decent where you are for Thanksgiving. It is cold both in the PNW and here in the mountains of Southern California.
I think it helped both Diane and I that we worked for many years in PC software development, where plans and schedules are advisory and chaos common. It helped us deal with RV issues and unexpected plan changes.