Definitely 5 o’clock… Somewhere

Day 1  — Leaving Puerto Peñasco

 

So…  it is getting time for us to leave Puerto Peñasco and head back to the US.

A few days ago I finished repairing the loose  rear-view mirror on the RV. I would be able to see behind me properly again.

We actually had a relaxing packing-up session. There was not much stuff scattered outside. The rig was cleaned and waxed. So was the car. We were 99% ready to go the day before departure.

It would be a short travel day – maybe 120 miles or so to Gila Bend, AZ – so when I sauntered out in the morning to finish up the last few things, I discovered that the driver’s side dual was flat.

So what’s with this?

Our good neighbour from Alberta, Drew, volunteered his compressor and it wasn’t long before the tire was up to a healthy 90 psi. (Nice compressor. I need to get one of these. Nothing like the many compressors I have tried to use in the past that just make a loud racket, get exceedingly hot, and don’t put any air into the tire.)

I unhooked the compressor. No suspicious hissing sounds. A half hour later the pressure was still good – so I had a slow leak, But how slow?

I decided to hit the road and keep an eye on the tire. With directions to a tire shop in town and to another one in Sonoyta (the border town we were passing through – about 60 miles away) we set off.

Still good in town. Also just fine in Sonoyta. We headed for the border, and breezed through. I glanced back at the disappearing border crossing and saw…. that my rear-view mirror was listing to the side and shaking ever looser.

I drifted over to the shoulder and, fortunately, had a bungee cord that would hold things in place for the time being. (I can fix it later.)

Back on the road. We arrived at the RV park in Gila Bend in good time.

I told Margaret, “For Valentine’s Day I’m taking you to… the tire shop.”

A painful hour-and-a-half of fussing with motorhome jacks, tire shop jacks, ill-fitting sockets and two impact wrenches, the wheel was off, back on, and apparently fixed. (“The tire’s OK, but it was leaking at the valve extension. I tightened the hell out of it.)

Back to the RV park. It was definitely 5 o’clock somewhere.

 

Day 2 – Off to Palm Springs

 

A beautiful clear sunny morning greeted us.

The tire had dropped 3 pounds overnight. Apparently it was not quite fixed, but at least the leak was slower. I figured we were fine to do the 250-mile drive along the I-10 to Palm Springs. There had to be better tire shops there.

We treated ourselves to a fast-food lunch in Quartzite. (Fast food maybe, but a very long, slow lineup to get it. Margaret kept watch at the motorhome. There was no RV parking, so I parked the rig on the street right in front of a “Fire Lane – No Parking, No Stopping “ sign.)

It was there I also saw that the mud flap was not hanging where it should be – behind the tires –  but was sticking out at an odd angle and pushed up against the duals. Out came the tools and we soon had a dusty mud flap sitting on our bathroom floor. (Oh well, I can fix that later.)

After topping up with cheaper Arizona fuel, we crossed the Colorado River – the Arizona/California border – and rolled up to the California agricultural inspection station. The attendant came running out of the booth, frantically waving his arms to get us to stop.

“Did you know your steps are out?”

How would I know that? I was obviously just about to crunch them into the concrete barrier at the booth.

“Just trying to save you a thousand-dollar repair bill.”

Yes. Well. I was thankful.

He guided us through the booth so that nothing hit anything. Whew!

On the other side I pulled over. Switches – OK. Fuses – OK. The steps were still sticking out and there’s no way to close them manually. Groveling around under the motorhome, I found a questionable connection in the wiring under the steps. I just managed to get my hands out of the way in time as the little motor whirred and steps folded shut. (Good to go. I can fix it later.)

In spite of it all, we were all set up in the Thousand Trails RV Park in Palm Springs before 3 o’clock.

But it was definitely 5 o’clock somewhere.