Anyway, called Bryan on the mobil and he met us at the gas station at his exit where he could work on the RV on the cement in fairly dry weather. He checked it out, I made the parts run and found the instructions on where the belts went (which I couldn't find last time) and he got ready to put them on and discovered that they had been put on wrong the last time because we didn't have the diagram...and soooo....I made the next parts run for the correct sized belts...he put them on and finally we hit the road about an hour before dark.
Got as far as Stanwood and the belt driving the generator broke again. Made the decision to drive back to Mt. Vernon where there was an RV campground I belong to and although it was closed for the winter, they allowed me to come in and hook up my RV to power to charge up the battery. Kim came down to pick up Jenny as she had to be home for the next day and we obviously wouldn't make it that night...so he took me to Bryan's for the night and took Jenny back home.
Ox in the mire Sunday...Bryan came down to Mt. Vernon with me and we went to Schucks with the generator, belt and regulator to be replaced...Bryan got it going again with the freshly recharged battery and off I went...got as far as 405 and the power went out again...just like when the belt broke...
Called Nathan this time...it was hillarious...the parking brake and park stopped working (just like in the movie RV) and I was in a slanting parking lot and if I let it roll, it would go out into the main drive of the lot...So after trying to run out for the wheel blocks before it got there and not making it...then holding my foot on the brake for about 10 minutes...knowing it would be at least 45 until Nate arrived, I finally cut the wheel as tight as I could and hurrah!!!, it slowed enough to run out and block the wheels without getting too far out in the driving lane!!! So I spent the time sweeping up, etc. until he arrived...
Nathan saw that the belt WASN'T broken but figured that the NEW alternator had died. He started the generator- hooked it to the running battery, charged the battery up with his truck and he drove the RV while I followed him in his truck.
We got down by the horse race track and the lights dimmed and it started losing power again. He pulled off and on the ramp, pulled his truck around the ditch side and charged it up. Apparently the generator isn't strong enough to keep it charged with all the lights on to drive at night! Truck made it out of the ditch- thank goodness for four wheel drive...and off we went again. Had to stop in Bonney Lake to re-charge the RV with the truck before making it in to Buckley...
Left the RV with Nathan at his house with the promise from him to get it all fixed up and use it some before I return home! He said I made a mistake buying the alternator from Schucks...says he's had bad luck with them...oh well...it has a lifetime warranty! Wonder how many replacement tries it will take to get one that works???? I defenately think the 2 days would qualify for "R
V-2"!!Finally arrived at Nathan and Ashley's house...looking so innocent...did it actually cause me all of that stress?????
Thank you my dear and talented sons for keeping me sane on this trip...it was a close call!!!!
Leaving for Sweden on Thursday....
