Dec 17 – Port of Call & Waterworks

The park near Phoenix was very lively and had lots of amenities that would have been nice to enjoy if the stay had been a bit longer. Theresa had an early AM call but was done by 7am so the last days drive could get underway. Hooking up the Toad took a few tries to get it to register with the break buddy that sends braking instructions between the Smitanic and the tow vehicle. This was followed by the tow bars failing to lock into place as Theresa crept the RV out of the spot. This did not go as smooth as it could have (according to Kevin).

By 8:30 MT the rig was entering I-10 west to their CA destination of Hemet. There was not much traffic but some construction narrowed the lanes and reduce speeds down to 55mph, but this was not an issue as Theresa knows now how to manage the space by checking both mirrors and monitoring the toad in the rear camera. As she drove the first >100 miles Kevin received a call from yet another Medicaid person asking the same questions to get help for his sister, Torreen. The call was completed just in time for Kevin to help guide Theresa into a Pilot Gas station truck stall to top off the 150 gal tank.

Kevin took the helm to make the grand entrance into CA and Pacific Time. Yeahhhh. Kevin noticed the exit 1 of AZ was for Ehrenberger / Parker... whoa that was special, since it remind him of two special roommates in college Bob Ehrenberger and Dave Parker. They were inseparable and generally referred to as the Parkerbergers.

Theresa had another call for work in the afternoon while going down the road. Fortunately the 4G mifi was cooperating at that moment and got her thru the 30 min meeting with out too much disaster.

By noon the Smitanic had entered into civilization with much heavier and aggressive traffic. Off I-10 the route took the team south down a long decent into Hemet, Kevin had to use the engine brake to slow the vessel without buring up the brakes. The designated park site the vessel was directed to was very close to the doggie walk and had much needed afternoon shade as the temp for the day was hovering the 90 degree mark! The usual hook ups were performed and additionally stowed items that had been well packed in the basement were extracted for the longer stay and delivery to family. Theresa did the H2O hook up and struggled with a leak in the fresh water, but after 2 tries got it to stop.   She then noticed that the green hose used for the flush out of the Holding tank was not connected. She asked Kevin if he wanted this connected and with his positive response she took care of that. Kevin shouted out the window to make sure the stop valve on the green hose closed, funny Theresa does not recall this warning. The green hose is attached to an internal sprayer that helps to flush out the Holding tank and is only turned on during the activity of dumping the holding tank (the nasty stuff). With a faucet on inside the coach (to vent any air coming in thru the newly attached water lines (we now know that is a requirement from the dishwasher blowout at home), Theresa turned on the water and the agua flowed.

 After a clean up shower and into some cooler attire the couple drove the whopping 2 blocks to Theresa's Mom's house. Much anticipated hugs and greetings were exchanged as we all settled in for a nice visit and some delicious chilli and Xmas cookies. Theresa's sister, Dorothy, called to let us know she was on her way as well to join us. In true Dorothy style the plans for the rest of the week as well as each day of Xmas week was reviewed and organized (her attempt at herding the Blaisdell cats). All subject to change of course. Upon the return to the RV (about 5 hours), Theresa took Zin to the dog walk and Kevin entered the RV to discover water on the floor near the bathroom. He entered the bathroom and tried to flush the toilet and it spewed back up in his face … nasty. Then the overflow quickly covered the floor in the bathroom and soaked in the carpet under the dinning area. Kevin quickly turned off the water to the coach and discovered that the green line to the holding rinse out was slightly on and filled the tank to the brim causing the overflow! To assess the extent of the leak Kevin pulled out containers from the basement under the bath area to discover some water on top of containers and some soggy areas of the basement carpet. The team mopped up the water as best they could and wiped everything down with Clorox. Thank goodness that Kevin emptied the holding tank on their arrival so it was empty when the overflow occurred. The basement items were left out for the night so it could dry out and a fan was put on the dining carpet to dry out for the night. Exhausted from an early morning, long drive, the excitement of a long awaited visit and the RV surprise they were in bed before 9pm! The title for this blog might actually be SHIT HAPPENS. Now you understand why this post is a bit off schedule :)

FYI, Posts thru the Holidays will be as things happen so no commitment to a daily update but the plan is to keep the updates and the banter coming! Tomorrow the two longing parents will finally make there way into the heart of LA for a much anticipated day/evening with Kiehl and Madison. The plan is to spend as much time as schedules and LA traffic will allow with them during the extended stay in the area.