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Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Monday, September 26, 2011

Full Time RV Maintenance–This is Getting Old Fast

Well. . .as beautiful as it is. . .and as much as I love it. . .the “Beast” is acting beastly this week. . .
and is really starting to get on my last nerve!
DSC_6147
A week ago Saturday, the master cylinder starting going out, and the brakes were mushy. 
Now of course this happened on a day that we had the RV attached,
and were halfway to a new destination, and of course the repair shops are closed on the weekends,
so we very carefully, and prayerfully continued on our way to Crystal River FL. 
Bright and early Monday morning Dave presented himself and the Beast at the local Ford Dealership.
A new master cylinder, new brake pads on the front, grind the rotors, yada, yada,
and a boatload of cash later, all was well, and we had an entire week to explore the Nature Coast of Florida. 
The Beast was performing beautifully, took us everywhere we wanted to go. . .not even one hiccup. . .
A week later, moving day again. . .get the RV all attached, headed for Pensacola. . .
get about thirty miles down the road, horrible, horrible shimmy.  What on earth?  
My first thought was, just having had front brake work done, that something was bad out of alignment,
or a tire was out of balance. . .it was that sort of vibration.  Stop. . .check everything. . .
no bubbles on any tires. . .nothing loose. . .weird. . .continue on.
Dave thinks it seems like a vacuum hose is off. . .since the next town has a Ford Dealership that is ACTUALLY open on Saturday. . .we decide we will stop by there. . .but alas, they only do oil changes on Saturdays. 
Ahhh. . .but you know how charming my hubby can be. . .he convinces them to just run a diagnostic. . .just so he’ll know if there’s a major problem.  Those guys were so nice. . .they dragged their laptop all the way out to where the truck was, since we couldn’t get it and the RV into the service bay. . .and determined that some electronic module thinga ma jiggy, which controlled the fuel injectors probably needed to be replaced. . .BUT. . .they assured us that it was not going to hurt to drive it, and that he was sure we would not get stranded on the side of the road.
Being the weekend, not wanting to be stranded in a podunk town in Florida, needing to be in Pensacola to meet up with our nephew on Monday, we decided to continue on. . . and here we are, thankfully without incident in beautiful Pensacola Beach FL. . .
Gulf of Mexico at Pensacola Beach FL
Here it is. . .another Monday morning, and once again,
Dave has presented himself and the Beast at the local Ford Dealership. . .
oh Lord, please let it be something simple.
Now, I have no problem understanding that the Beast is almost 10 years old. . .that things must be replaced. . .
and Lord knows. . .a repair is still cheaper than a truck payment. . .
but please, if you could just have your temper tantrums when the RV is NOT attached. . .
that would be so great. . .really!  I promise we’ll get you whatever you need. . .
but being stranded on the side of the road with a big ole’ fifth wheel attached is just NOT a fun proposition. . .
been there, done that!
DSC_2365
But on a brighter note. . .here we are in a campground on Gulf Shores National Seashore. . .across the street from a gorgeous beautiful,  white, sugar sand beach. . .crystal blue water. . .just fantastic.
Dave’s nephew Nick, his beautiful bride, Lindsey, and our two great nephews, Caden, 3 1/2, and Ashton, 6 months, will be here for lunch. . .Caden will be so grown up, we haven’t seen him since his first birthday,
and we will have the privilege of meeting Ashton for the very first time. . .it’s going to be a great day.
The last time we were in Pensacola,  my grandson, who is now seventeen,
wasn’t too much older than Caden is now. . .here’s a flashback. . .
08252000 Grammy (Juanita Kellum), David, Jordan - Pensacola Beach
My grandson Jordan, his Pa, and his Great Grammy, my wonderful mother in law on the beach. . .
right down from where we are staying this trip. . .
now. . .THIS is what I’m talking about, when I say I want to go to the beach. . .
Safe travels everybody,
Janice



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Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle.

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5 comments:

  1. Janice...my heart goes out to you on the Beast's misbehavior! We are due to be in Pensacola next Sunday. This will be about our 6th time there. The Pilot absoluely loves the museum and can't get enough of it. So, we've designated two days for that. That's our first big stop on our Shakedown Cruise. I hope this is the end of your troubles with your RV.

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  2. Since our Freddie (MDT Freightliner) is also 10 years old (and paid for), I completely understand your pain. LOL! Seems like it's always something, either on the truck or the trailer. It does get discouraging at times but we just keep rolling along!

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  3. Vickie. . we love Pensacola. Such a beautiful place and the campground is between the ocean and the bay. My niece tells me we should be able to see the Blue Angels practice on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, as the base is directly across the bay from where we are staying.

    As far as this being the last of the "Beastly" issues, it's just part of the lifestyle. . .so you quickly learn to go with the flow. . .I just prefer going with the flow a little less frequently. . .LOL!

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  4. Donna. . .I always say to newbies. . .if you're gonna go into a meltdown every time something needs to be fixed. . .this is NOT the life for you. . .however, two major repairs in a weeks time even has me a little rattled.

    Oh well. . .it is what it is. . .and anyway. . .what'cha gonna do. . .life goes on, go with the flow. . .I'm repeating mantras to myself today. . .LOL! It's great to hear from someone that you KNOW has been there and understands.

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  5. In Destin my brother, Captain Frank of Destincruise.net offers sunset and other cruises that give one a view from the water. Check him out, and tell him his big sister says Hi!

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