Take that Mr. Jello!

We love it when a plan comes together!  "What?!"  You're thinking.......what about serendipity, and no reservations, and just taking it as it comes?  No one is perfect, and I am the least perfect nomad there may be, but when it comes to vehicle maintenance you have to have a plan.....you cannot just wing it.  The steerer tires on our coach are about 6 years old, and that is right on the edge of being too old for comfort.  Most RV tires are good for 5-7 years, and these tires were right at the end of their life expectancy.  In fact, the right front tire was showing some obvious unusual wear patterns, which in the end caused it to become out of balance.  There was a noticeable wobble at a 45-50 mph, but it disappeared over 50, so I lived with it.  Nevertheless, just after we arrived at RJRP I noticed the wear patterns had reached the critical stage and to drive much further was just "rolling the dice" as they say.

Monday we had a 7:30 am appointment at my mechanic, Joel's Automotive (owned and operated by Joel LeBron) in Upland, CA to have new steerer tires put on our coach, and to replace the defective 8D battery that caused me so much grief a few weeks ago.

We were up by 5:30 and egressing RJRP by 6:35......we waved and honked at Mike and Terrie as they were arriving at the Kiosk to open for the day....it was bitter sweet to say our until next times, but we were so excited about getting on the road again.  TLE was following in the VW.....we didn't see any point in putting it in the trailer, and then taking it out at Joel's so we could run some errands, so we didn't.  

We arrived without incident at Joel's around 7:20, parked on the street, dropped the trailer, and then pulled into his back lot to await our service.  Joel recommended a local diner just half a bloc away called Rabi's, so we hopped in the Bug and headed over for breakfast.....Yelp gives them 4.5 stars, and we would have to agree!  We both chose biscuits and gravy chased with delicious coffee.  Next up we headed down to our bank to make a deposit, then to Stater Brothers to stock up on Snap-E-Tom Tomato Cocktail that I love so much, and then over to Trader's Joe's to stock up on our various adult beverages......they will never be cheaper than California.  We made our last shopping stop at Costco where we stocked up on our favorite French Roast coffee beans (Newhall Coffee Roasting Company).  Not only do their whole beans make great coffee, it is about 1/3 less in cost than Starbuck's French Roast.

By the time we arrived back at Joel's the new steerer tires and the replacement battery had arrived.  Within a few more minutes the new "shoes" were being installed on our baby.

Look at the size of that impact wrench!  I need one of those!

New "shoes"

Everything was done just before Noon, and that was our plan.....we wanted to be on our way southeast by early afternoon, and Joel, bless his heart, delivered big time.  Next it was time to drop the trailer back on the hitch........I supervised while TLE handled the heavy bars that must be attached, then we pulled the VW into the trailer for the first time.  As it turns out the VW is way more than 1 foot shorter than the T-Bird, and several inches narrower.  We can pull the VW in with the bike rack attached and there is plenty of room.  TLE can get in and out of the car much easier, too......of course part of the reason is that she is also much skinnier now than she was a few months ago.

By the time we finished tying down the car it was getting on to 12:30, and I was hungry, so we walked over to one of our favorite eating places on God's green earth....."The Hat" to get a Pastrami Dip sandwich......this is another reason I love going to Joel's Automotive.....they are right across the street from "The Hat".

We got there just between the crowds, and got our order within a couple of minutes, then sat there savoring every bite.  So much pastrami falls from the sandwich as you are eating it that we always take it home and east the rest later......which we did!

We were back at the coach by 1, and on our way!  Finally after over 3 months we are moving again, and of course, once again I turned to The Lovely Elaine and said...."It's good to be moving again", and she, as she always does, replied...."yes it is!".

We cruised east first on HWY 210, then in I-10 through Redlands, Yucaipa, then Palms Springs to Indio where we took a break at the 100 mile mark at the local Travel Centers of America truck stop.....all, and I mean ALL of the Rest Areas between Upland and the California border at Blythe are closed....what is up with that?  The first 100 miles of our renewed nomadic wanderings were in the books, and the drive was wonderful.....the new Firestone 225 x 22.5 tires have really smoothed out our ride, and I love how much better the coach is handling.

Our goal was to reach Mayflower County Park in Blythe, CA......this Riverside County park is right on the Colorado River which forms the border in the area between Arizona an California.  Tuesday we will cross over the river into Mountain Time losing an hour, but it doesn't matter, because we were going to lose that hour to Daylight Savings Time this Sunday anyway.....thankfully Arizona does not participate in farce that is called Daylight Savings Time, otherwise we would have lost 2 hours come this Sunday!

About 50 miles out from Blythe I asked TLE to call the park to be sure they were open, and that there were sites available.  The answers to both questions were "YES".  We arrived without incident 10 minutes before the Kiosk closed at 5 pm, paid for one night and found our site easily.  We were set up (only plugged in), and had the satellite dialed in for TV all before sundown.

We took a short walk around the park, and caught a beautiful sunset....

Yup, we are very happy, and yup, I haven't shaved in a few days

TLE cooked up a wonderful dinner utilizing the left overs from lunch Sunday (some corned beef, pastrami, curly french fries,etc), and from lunch Monday.....WOW!!!  What a great meal.....I'll have go go back on a diet Tuesday to lose a couple of pounds I "found" again over the past few days, but that was a dinner to remember for a long, long time!

It was a wonderful, uneventful travel day filled with all the sights and sounds we love....the sound of the Detroit Diesel purring in the background, the sound of new tires humming along on ashpalt, and the view of the open road stretching out before us.  This is where we belong.....seeking out new adventures, places and people......life is good!

Thank you for stopping by!