Full Time RVing: A portable water treatment system might be a wise investment

Pam and I have been on the road for almost two years. We have experienced everything from crystal clear water to the hardest of hard waters. Result: mineral deposits everywhere in the Providence water system and water appliances. I concluded I had to do something when our new automatic coffee maker had to be de-scaled after only 1 month of use.

Here's a site that offers a great description of the different types of water conditioners for the RV traveler; from portable water softeners to reverse osmosis systems: The RV Water Filter Store. After reviewing all the options, I chose the "On the Go" double capacity portable water softener. It is simple to use and recharges with regular table salt. Double Capacity to get a longer interval between recharges as we are probably on the high side of usage. It was a bit expensive but should pay back big over time protecting our water system components.

Onthego_softenerdouble

The new system was just installed yesterday and I can already tell the difference in clarity and even taste. The best indicator will be the clarity of the ice cubes made on our refrigerator.

Uneven RV Tire Wear: Learning the hard way

When we experienced the rear tire problem a week or so ago, I asked the technician to look at my front tires as they appeared to be cusping on the outer edges; very severe on the passenger side. His diagnosis: out of alignment. I also concluded I needed to carry a spare as noted in the Disaster Averted post. So, here was my plan:

  1. Have the front end aligned as soon as possible.
  2. Replace both steering axle tires with new Michelins.
  3. Replace the off brand rear tire installed in our emergency a week ago with the driver side front Goodyear, discard the badly cusped front passenger Goodyear tire. Result is matched Goodyears on the rear and the off brand tire becomes a spare.

So, before we left McCall, I arranged to have the front end aligned at the nearest Freightliner service dealer which happened to be in Lewiston, Idaho. I also arranged to have the new Michelins available in Coeur D'Alene, our next stop.

Arrived at the Lewiston Freightliner dealer this morning (Saturday). After an intitlial inspection, the service technician reported discovering two problems: the passenger side axle had a loose bearing and the driver side axle had a wheel seal leak. His opinion was the loose bearing was causing the severe tire edge cusping. Also, he recommended that the front end NOT be realigned until after the new tires are installed ... good point. They had time to tighten the loose bearing but did not have time to investigate the seal leak as they were only open until noon. He advised to simply check the hub oil level frequently and keep it topped off until I could have it repaired.

The wheel seal leak was disturbing news as Las Vegas Freightliner had diagnosed and supposedly fixed this two years in a row when I had them perform routine annual service. The most recent "fix" just occured in April; just two months ago!! Also, the Freightliner service manager alerted me to the front tire cusping but only advised that we keep an eye on it. Why did they not detect the loose bearing? Good question.

Current dilemma: Find a convenient Freightliner dealer to have the remaining repairs done without interfering with our "Northwest Tour" currently underway with our close friends; Rod and Betty from Sacramento.

Note: with the bearing tightened, it is amazing how much quieter the ride is. Maybe this should have been another clue something was wrong.

 

 

McCall RV Resort: An Idaho Experience

June 23 - 26, 2010

We were fortunate to find this amazingly beautiful and tidy RV resort in the heart of Idaho's vacation village on the Payette Lake. The original owner developed this property and spared no expense in amenities. It was once part of the KOA network. Unfortunately, the owner went into foreclosure and the investors/lenders took it over. We were here in late June and the resort had only a few guests. We were able to obtain a "pull in" site right on the Payette River.

The resort is under new management and renamed to Payette River RV Park. Highly recommended!!

The photos were taken from our site overlooking the river. The foggy scene under a full moon was taken at 3:00 AM in the morning (don't ask) with my Konika/Minolta Dimage A2 on a tripod in auto exposure mode. It took nearly a 30 second exposure to capture the scene.

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Crooked River Ranch: A Central Oregon Gem

June 19 - 22, 2010

The ranch is located just a few miles north of Redmond and up until 1972 was an immense cattle ranch between the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. Developed as a recreational site, it is now the largest homeowners' association in Oregon and has grown to over 4,000 in population and is continuing an upward trend towards becoming the largest subdivision of its kind. Crooked River Ranch amenities include an RV Resort, a great 18 hole golf course, pool, restaurant and a lodge.

Crooked River has carved a rugged canyon over many centuries and is very picturesque. The photos included were within a short walk of our RV space. The snow covered mountain in the background is Mt. Jefferson. The RV resort is very reasonably priced and the staff friendly and helpful. Reservations are recommended, especially during holidays.

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After market pressure sensors on our motorhome averts potential disaster

I hope this story will be beneficial to my fellow RVers:

Background:

Back in August, 2009 attending the FMCA regional rally in Burlingame Burlington, VT, I was convinced to add an after market tire pressure monitoring system to the Providence. A tire blowout or other loss of pressure on a 32,000 lb vehicle could be a disaster to the motorhome or tow vehicle. In addition to alerting to a potential tire problem, I would always know my tires were set to the right pressure for load safety, tire wear and fuel economy. The system purchased was from Pressure Pro.

Fast forward 10 months:

June 18, 2010 - On our trip leg from Grants Pass, OR  on I-5 to meet up with friends in Redding, CA  I was notified by the Pressure Pro monitor that our right, inside, rear tire on the Providence was losing pressure; reading 85 lbs from a normal road pressure of about 105 lbs. We were about 10 miles north of Weed, CA. The pressure continued to drop at a rate of about 10 lbs per minute. We pulled over to the shoulder and stopped. The pressure monitor was now reading 50 lbs. A quick inspection certainly revealed a deflated tire but could not determine the cause. Next step: limp at low speed to the Weed southbound rest stop about 1.5 miles away to get off the highway.

Diagnosis:

I called the closest Les Shcwab tire store (Mt. Shasta) and ordered mobile tire service. When the wheel was removed it showed the tread literally separating from the tire (see below). It was a defective Goodyear tire. We were fortunate to have the technician find a replacement, but not a Goodyear. I was a bit surprised this size tire (275/70R 22.5) is not readily available (the technician had to drive to the Oregon border to pick up a tire of the right size).

Conclusion:

  1. The pressure monitoring system prevented a potentially disasterous outcome. I could not feel any difference in handling and if the tread had completely separated without my knowledge it could have caused significant damage to the motorhome as well as the tow vehicle.
  2. Motorhome tires are not readily available. I eventually removed the new tire and replaced it with a Goodyear from the front then put two new Michelins on the steering axle. The non-Goodyear replacement tire is now stored as a spare.

I can't imagine being stuck on the side of a highway with a motorhome tire issue waiting for a replacement.

Thank you Pressure Pro and the initiative of the Les Schwab technician for getting us back on the road within 3 hours of the incident. I now feel a bit more confortable with a spare tire.

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Grants Pass, Oregon and the Rogue River

We were looking forward to this stop on the Rogue River in Oregon. We stayed at the Moon Mountain RV Resort in Grants Pass. I would say it was "one" of the finest except the sites were very narrrow.

Here are photos from the upper Rogue River towards Crater Lake in the east. They include the Mill Creek Falls, a living stump and a natural bridge that the river runs through.

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Phoenix RV Park: Salem, Oregon

On our way to meet our friends in California we made a two night stop in Salem and stayed at Phoenix RV Park, one of the finest RV resorts in our experience full time RV'ing. We also took a day to visit Pacific City on the Oregon Coast, about a 60 mile drive. Had lunch at the Pelican Pub and Brewery. Got a magnificant picture of the fourth highest "haystack" rock in the world from the pub outdoor deck/patio.

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Mount Rainier National Park

During our stay in Chehalis, WA we took a day and visited Mt. Rainier National Park. Drove all the way to the end of the road to Paradise. Had lunch at the Copper Creek Inn and enjoyed one of the best burgers I ever had. Took two slices of homemade blackberry pie home to have for dinner ;-) Highly recommended if you are touring this park. Copper Creek is just two miles from the park entrance.

The attached photos were taken as we traveled to the top (Paradise). The volcanic mountain is covered in glaciers. The canyons you see in the photos were carved by gacier activity.

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Next stop: Thousand Trails Preserve near Chehalis, WA

We departed Lake Pleasnt (Seattle area) this AM heading south. Quick stop at Freightliner to have a couple issues checked. Whew, no problems. Now in Chehalis, WA, just 30 mi south of Olympia, at the Thousand Trails Preserve. Absolutely beautiful; old forest, ferns, wildlife. So many trees, no DirecTV. Like a rain forest and wet, wet, wet. Here until Monday then south into Oregon. Maybe we can get out of the rain soon!

Visit to Snoqualmie Falls, just east of Seattle, WA

A rare day with no rain in the Northwest. Off to Snoqualmie Falls for a photo op! Some of the photos are rather unique. Woodman Lodge Grill served the best fish and chips I ever had: fresh halibut in beer batter. Pam had the best salad ever: "Grilled" romain wedge with Blue Cheese and bacon! Highly recommend the restaurant.

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