A challenging RV journey east
We continued on without unusual noises from the engine and enjoyed a scenic route. It turned out to be a challenging RV journey east. Find out why.
About 30 minutes into the first leg of our seventh season of RV travel, a ding sounded from the truck dash. We didn’t see the message that followed, but it didn’t take us long to figure out the issue. The truck started whistling again, like it had the previous August while towing our fifth wheel up a Montana mountain.
Having spent thousands of dollars to fix the issue while wintering in Arizona, we were shocked to hear the annoying sound again so soon. Gulliver hadn’t made the high-pitched noise when not towing.
We turned off the exhaust brake, and the sound dissipated. Clearly, it was related to that, which is also part of the turbo.
We continued on without unusual noises from the engine and enjoyed a scenic route through Eastern Arizona on state highways before transitioning to Interstate 10 in Lordsburg, New Mexico, en route to our Texas property. It turned out to be a challenging RV journey east.
Peculiar happenings
Before long, a rock struck our windshield with such impact that the crack immediately splintered. Fortunately, the chip didn’t affect either of our driving views.
Having spent thousands of dollars to fix the issue while wintering in Arizona, we were shocked to hear the annoying sound again so soon. Gulliver hadn’t made the high-pitched noise when not towing.
We turned off the exhaust brake, and the sound dissipated. Clearly, it was related to that, which is also part of the turbo.
We continued on without unusual noises from the engine and enjoyed a scenic route through Eastern Arizona on state highways before transitioning to Interstate 10 in Lordsburg, New Mexico, en route to our Texas property. It turned out to be a challenging RV journey east.
Peculiar happenings
Before long, a rock struck our windshield with such impact that the crack immediately splintered. Fortunately, the chip didn’t affect either of our driving views.
In addition, the truck whistle returned and seemed to increase in intensity the longer we drove.
We made it almost to El Paso, Texas, that night and hunkered down at a Boondockers Welcome host. It turned out to be the perfect overnight stop, offering easy access, quiet tranquility, and the ability to open a couple of slide-outs so that we could feel at home after a long day’s drive.
We made it almost to El Paso, Texas, that night and hunkered down at a Boondockers Welcome host. It turned out to be the perfect overnight stop, offering easy access, quiet tranquility, and the ability to open a couple of slide-outs so that we could feel at home after a long day’s drive.
Upon our arrival there, I went to open the stairs to the rig, but something seemed to prevent them from going down like normal. I heard a loud pop. Upon closer examination, I discovered that a water bottle had escaped the plastic-sealed package stored inside the door and wedged itself under the stairs. The pressure of the stairs going down on the bottle forced the lid off.
I chuckled, cleaned up the mess, and climbed the steps to open the living/dining room slide-out and the bedroom slide-out.
After finishing outside, Bob joined me and went to fetch a saucepan to reheat homemade soup for dinner. He found a puddle of oil in the bottom of the drawer. Either the change in elevation or the impact of hitting bumps had caused our olive oil dispenser to fall over and empty its contents, something that had never happened in six years of storing it in the same spot.
I chuckled, cleaned up the mess, and climbed the steps to open the living/dining room slide-out and the bedroom slide-out.
After finishing outside, Bob joined me and went to fetch a saucepan to reheat homemade soup for dinner. He found a puddle of oil in the bottom of the drawer. Either the change in elevation or the impact of hitting bumps had caused our olive oil dispenser to fall over and empty its contents, something that had never happened in six years of storing it in the same spot.
A maze of clouds
Wanting to avoid precipitation in our target destination the next day, we got an early start and checked the weather radar regularly throughout the day. Although Bob had spent a couple of pre-travel days under our slide-outs to seal them against water penetration, we don’t like to drive our RV in the rain. God had cleared the way for our travel. We hit only light rain and a couple of cloud bursts as thunderstorms rolled by, nothing major.
At one point while I was behind the steering wheel, I noticed in my rearview mirror a piece of trim on the trailer flapping in the wind. I kept one eye on the road and one on the mirror. The trim kept getting looser. Not wanting it to beat against the fifth wheel, we pulled to the side of the road. Bob got out, forced the trim back into place, and taped it down to keep it from popping out again. With that, we continued our journey.
Wanting to avoid precipitation in our target destination the next day, we got an early start and checked the weather radar regularly throughout the day. Although Bob had spent a couple of pre-travel days under our slide-outs to seal them against water penetration, we don’t like to drive our RV in the rain. God had cleared the way for our travel. We hit only light rain and a couple of cloud bursts as thunderstorms rolled by, nothing major.
At one point while I was behind the steering wheel, I noticed in my rearview mirror a piece of trim on the trailer flapping in the wind. I kept one eye on the road and one on the mirror. The trim kept getting looser. Not wanting it to beat against the fifth wheel, we pulled to the side of the road. Bob got out, forced the trim back into place, and taped it down to keep it from popping out again. With that, we continued our journey.
Exhausted when we finally reached San Antonio, we parked in a Bass Pro Shops parking lot for the night (keeping all slide-outs closed), walked to a restaurant for dinner, patronized Bass Pro, and returned to the RV to crash.
We awoke to a wet morning. The forecast called for worse weather in the area as the day progressed, so we didn’t linger. We got right on the freeway, stopping only for coffee and fuel, and encountered a little more rain than the day before.
A welcoming sight
It didn’t slow us down too much, though. We reached our property near the Gulf of America by noon, laying eyes on our driveway for the first time, beckoning us to park on it. We had arranged to have it installed while we were away. We also had the overgrown bush on our land pruned down and discovered we have eight trees. We thought there were only four or five in there.
We awoke to a wet morning. The forecast called for worse weather in the area as the day progressed, so we didn’t linger. We got right on the freeway, stopping only for coffee and fuel, and encountered a little more rain than the day before.
A welcoming sight
It didn’t slow us down too much, though. We reached our property near the Gulf of America by noon, laying eyes on our driveway for the first time, beckoning us to park on it. We had arranged to have it installed while we were away. We also had the overgrown bush on our land pruned down and discovered we have eight trees. We thought there were only four or five in there.
We’re thrilled to have a respite from long drives and high fuel costs, and we really like it here. It’s peaceful and quiet. Birds sing us melodies, a rabbit dashes about, green grass and trees refresh our souls, and sea breezes keep the humid climate from feeling unbearable.
You might also like Surprises on the first visit to our property.
You might also like Surprises on the first visit to our property.