Leaving Ash Meadows we didn't get an early start. Instead of going east through Las Vegas and hot rodding our engines to pull steeper grades we went south to Baker CA. The plan was to cut through Mojave Preserve to I-40. But gentle headwind and uphill grade proved too much for the motorhome.
It took too many miles to build up speed to get the power train in its sweet spot. Until the torque converter clutch "locks," the transmission gets hot. Which makes the engine hotter as well. Once locked the transmission, and engine, cool back down. But they heat up faster than they cool down. Slowing down for curves loses momentum. Bye bye sweet spot. Start again.
I tried pushing through a curve too fast. Crash! A stack of plates flew out of a cupboard, bounced off the counter and scattered all over the floor. Only one broke. But when Corelle does break it shatters spectacularly. Leaving a collateral wake of dents and scratches. Ugh!
The best jockeys win by letting the horse run its best race. It just wasn't our horse's day. So we changed track. Doubling back to Baker we picked up I-15 south to Barstow, then I-40 east. I prefer more scenic roads. But the RV needed interstates so that was that. The detour from plan cost us extra hours. And more fuel. We stopped in Needles for just enough gas to leave CA pump prices in the rear view mirror. No point overheating the credit card as well.
Topping up in Parker AZ for $2.44/gal was much easier on the wallet. Then we aimed for Yuma. But between the late start and course change setback, no dice. So after dinner in Parker we rolled south on 95 through Quartzsite in the cool dark. We stopped at the Roadrunner BLM area for the night. In the light of morning we noticed black residue between the motorhome and Scamp.
My first thought was a tire rubbing. But I couldn't see where it was coming from. So we rolled on, more cautiously, in the early morning cool. We parked the entourage behind the Quechan casino and unhitched the truck. Loretta dropped me off at the border and I walked across to Los Algodones an hour and a half early for my dentist appointment. They were able to get started sooner so I was on my way by Noon. But there was already a long line at customs.
It took about 50 minutes to get through. Free at last. We topped up on gas in Yuma and started east on I-40 towards Phoenix. But wouldn't you know it. In the afternoon heat the motorhome's air conditioner went out. Fully stretched yet the belt still slipped. I tried spraying some belt dressing on it. But it would only stop the squealing momentarily.
Time for a new belt. But the engine was too hot to work on. I had to bust out my welding gloves just to do the adjustment without burning myself on the radiator hose. It was mid 80s in Yuma and full sun. So we found some shade beside a tall enough building. Then started the generator to run the house AC. But the generator was almost out of gas. So I unhitched the truck and found a gas station to refill it. At least we comfortably rode out the heat of day.
After dinner and a refreshing shower we stopped by an AutoZone to pick up a new belt. Then kept rolling east on I-40 in the cool dark. By 9pm it was bedtime, so we overnighted at a rest area. The next morning revealed more residue. This time I could also see the rear dually tires touching (rubbing!) on the driver side. They needed air. I lacked a compressor. We stopped at each rest area to check tire temps and let them cool down. Still, before reaching the truck stop in Gila Bend that inside tire blew. I couldn't budge the lug nuts so we called for roadside assistance, and waited. I also started calling ahead in the Phoenix area for new tires.
Loretta had new tires installed when she bought the motorhome several years ago. Unfortunately, that tire shop installed wider tires. So long as we always kept them inflated to max pressure, we got away with skimpy clearance between the wheels. I had just topped up all the tires before leaving Ash Meadows the day before. Maybe we picked up a nail. Sigh.
Good Sam's came through to save our day. We rolled in to Pinal County Park southwest of Phoenix. It's really a nice park with only 23 sites and lots of elbow room between them. And we only had 7 neighbors, including the park host. So we found a lovely site with a huge Saguaro Cactus towering over our own personal ramada and checked in for two nights.
The next day we found a shop with a full set of 7 proper tires and had them installed. That improved the gap between tires from millimeters to centimeters. Then we stopped by Lowe's for an air compressor and impact wrench. Hopefully just Murphy Insurance against ever actually needing to change a tire ourselves. Be prepared.
The second morning at camp I installed the new AC belt in the morning cool before weighing anchor. We headed over to Casa Grande Ruins for a visit. We didn't need AC getting there but afterwards it was hot. And the new belt started slipping. Turned out it got twisted. Gr. Fortunately, there was another AutoZone just outside the park. So while the engine was still cool I got to replace that belt. Again.
We rolled east on I-10 through Tucson, then stopped for gas and dinner. Afterwards we rolled east until deciding 8pm was close enough to bed time at the Texas Canyon rest area. There was a nice cool breeze so we didn't even need the generator for house AC.
The following morning we continued east on I-10 to Las Cruces. NM brags about something like 350 days of sunshine per year. They fail to mention 370 some days of wind! We surfed the prevailing west wind into Las Cruces.
Just before town we stopped at a rest area with a giant road runner.
The sculpture was not only dancing in the wind but made entirely from junk.
After lunching there we rolled into Las Cruces for gas. Then north on I-25. The wind increased, becoming a cross wind battle going north. The motorhome struggled to hold enough speed to keep the torque converter locked. The engine and transmission both worked hard and broke a heavy sweat pushing along.
By mid afternoon we made a strategic stop in Truth or Consequences for chips, salsa, beer and ice. Then checked in to Elephant Butte Lake State Park. We dumped gray water and snatched the last available first-come site on Ridge Road overlooking the water. Just in time for beer thirty on Friday. It was a long week. Time to kick back and enjoy the weekend.
