You never know when your turn is coming.....

I talked with a friend last night whose coach overheated going down a grade near Ashland, MT.  His Detroit Diesel engine shut down, as they are supposed to when they overheat, and his "home" is now stranded on the side of a lonely highway in an area where there is no cell, or internet service.  Chris and Cherie (Technomadia) do pull a car behind their coach, so they were able to drive into a local town and use their phones to call their ERS (emergency road service) company for a tow.  Chris and Cherie were there for us back in Melbourne, FL when we had the fuel mishap and helped us form a plan of action to solve our problem, so I am totally confident in their ability to deal with this crisis.  Most likely that tow will occur today, Saturday, and their destination will probably be Billings, MT.

My reason for telling you this story is so you will understand that this lifestyle is not always a "bowl of cherries".....okay, most of the time it is, but it's not a matter of will you breakdown, but more a matter of when.  So far on our journey we have have had, by comparison, minor problems.  Minor because they occurred where help was readily available, but the more miles you travel, the more likely it is a breakdown will occur in the middle of no where, which is most everyone's nightmare who thinks about this lifestyle.  I was asked recently by some new fulltimers we met in Indianapolis what advice we would give anyone starting out on the road, and my immediate response was purchase a good ERS service (Coachnet, Good Sam, etc.).  This will buy you a little peace of mind, and save you a bucket of money.....like this tow for Chris and Cherie is going to cost.....it is 124 miles from Ashland, MT to Billings, MT.  Since they have Coachnet most, if not 100% of that very expensive tow will be covered.  We have had Good Sam ERS for many years, and have used them a few times......all with wonderful results.  

The first time we used Good Sam was just after we bought our Newell.  We were on the way back to our home  from watching our daughter graduate at Arizona State, on I-10 90 miles west of Mesa, AZ when the left front tire blew out.  As soon as we got the coach on to the shoulder I called Good Sam.  They located a mobile tire service in Mesa, who brought a tire out and changed the tire on the spot.  All I paid for was the tire.  Good Sam paid for 3 hours of travel time for the mechanic, and his labor to change the tire.  I dare say that bill would have been higher than the cost of the tire at $345.  Of course we were there a few hours....it was a 90 minute drive to our location from Mesa, and it took about an hour to find the mobile service.  All we did was turn on the generator, and the A/C, put up the satellite dish and watch a Lakers playoff game while we waited for help to arrive.

So, what is my point?  Don't let the fear of a breakdown stop you from taking up this lifestyle.  Chris and Cherie's breakdown in the middle of no where is the exception, but even in that extreme situation they have been able to find help and get their coach moved to a repair facility.  It may take a few days, or longer for their repairs to be completed....we don't yet know how serious a problem their engine has.....it could be as simple as a bad thermostat, or broken fan belt, or as serious as a cracked head.  Nevertheless, it will get fixed.  It's the same as living in an S&B (sticks and bricks).....it's never convenient when the A/C goes out when the outside temperature is 115 degrees, but you handle it, you handle the expense, and it gets fixed.  Like you, Chris and Cherie will still sleep in their home tonight...the only difference is their home has wheels.  Things will break, even if you are diligent about preventative maintenance.....it's just a matter of being prepared.

Now, what happened on Friday you ask?  Well, I spent a large part of my day watching the U.S. Open Golf tournament on TV.  At some point in the afternoon we got the T-Bird out of the trailer so we could drive into town for some Mexican food, and to get a couple of things at the store, but most the day was a lazy day for me and TLE.  I took a long nap just before we headed into Fairmont, MN for dinner, and then another long one after we returned.  The weather was blustery most of the day....no doubt the wind was blowing in the front that eventually dumped more rain on us last night.

We have sun again!

Saturday we will bid farewell to the lovely town of Welcome, MN and move 110 miles further west to Sioux Falls, SD.....our 35th state.  We'll be there for about 6 days before moving another 400 miles northwest up to Spearfish, SD for the Newell mini rally.  Life is good, our coach is running great....except for the speedo issue, which will be fixed soon.  Do I expect it will always be a "bowl of cherries"....no.  As my good friend Tom says.....there is nothing that can break on your coach that a credit card can't fix.  If the worst happens we will deal with it as we have in the past, and then continue on with style.

A cool bus conversion departing

Thanks for stopping by!