Yesterday Plumbing, Today Electrical

Our night in the Sparks Marina RV park wasn't the best or the most comfortable, but first nights on the road in the RV generally aren't for some reason.  I always get a migraine! Never fails.  It was hot, a different bed, different lights shining in the windows, and different night noises. We were parked a few sites away from their propane dispensing area and I smelled propane all night - enough to awaken with a headache this morning.  An Imitrex tablet fixed me right up and it half an hour I was doing fine. It was an uncomfortable night, but I expect tonight to be better!  

As we did our pre-flight check this morning before getting on the road, I spotted an outside light on.  Rog went in to turn it off.  The switch was in the off position, but the light was on. Hmmm.  There were two of those lights - one on each side of the RV - that are called "scare" lights for some reason.  They are pretty bright and neighbors don't like them in the middle of the night shining in their windows.  We have no idea if they were on all night or they just decided on their own to come on this morning.  So, we had outside lights on all day while Roger contemplated how to fix this issue.   In the meantime, the galley sink faucet water flow has slowed down to barely a dribble.    

I know the Google maps says it should only take 4 hours for today's journey, but that is at the normal speed limit of 75mph.  Besides the fact that speed is too fast to drive with a large RV behind you, travel trailer tires are only rated for 65mph or they have a tendency to explode.  So, we poke along and everyone passes us.  It's a slow journey, but it gives Roger more time to figure out how to fix things that need attention when we get to our destination.

Our route today followed the California Trail used by the pioneers - including the 49rs on their way to California to look for gold. I thought it a bit ironic that they were headed for the gold fields of northern California and they just walked across the wealthiest gold producing area in the United States - northern Nevada. Nevada, I think, is about the 5th largest producer of gold in the world.  Of course getting to the Nevada gold is totally different that picking up nuggets in the rivers.  The California Trail, the railroad, and the interstate all follow the Humbolt River across most of Nevada. It was a life saving water source for them and their animals and because there was water, there was grass for the livestock.  

It was a clear day and very warm - mid 90s. We found a nice rest area for lunch. We were all quite hungry when we finally found a rest stop that was open.  The wind was blowing pretty hard, but we sat outside anyway and enjoyed being out of the truck. There was even a grassy area for Maggie to cool herself off in.  We had a tail wind most of the way, but when we finally headed due east, the wind made it a little harder to drive in.   We did get good mileage, though (17 mpg pulling a 14,000 lb. trailer is pretty good!) with that tail wind most of the day.  

After lunch Maggie finally chilled out enough to take a nap, but she wasn't getting far from me. She got half a doggie valium this morning and did pretty well most of the day.  Maggie and I aren't very good at selfies.  We need more practice. 

We are staying at the Iron Horse RV park at the east end of Elko. It is owned by the Hilton Garden Inn which sits at the top of the hill from the RV park.  It's a very nice park with grass and trees between the spaces and a big grassy doggie run.  The spaces aren't very level - it took a stack of three of the leveling legos to make us not list to one side. 

We parked the rig, put Maggs in her pen in the shade of a tree and got hooked up to the utilities.   

It was brutally hot in the sun-the RV blistering hot to the touch, but Rog had to fix those lights that wouldn't turn off.  His solution - pull the bulb out! So, he pulled out his trusty ladder, climbed up trying to ignore his vertigo, popped the lenses off, pulled the bulb out, replaced the lenses.  Voila!! 

Then, he tackled the water pressure issue again.  He took the compressor and blew air through the lines in the galley area. Again, Voila!  There must have been something stuck in the line and it got blown out to who knows where.  No need for new plumbing fixtures.   For someone who can't remember where he put his glasses, keys, phone, etc., he sure is great at solving problems. It just takes a long boring five hours with nothing else to think about.

After dinner - a well deserved rest for Roger at the end of the day. 

P.S.   Rog just got back from getting fuel and noticed that the LED lights on the front of the RV near the hitch are on - they aren't suposed to be on either.  They haven't been on all day.  He's going out now to cut the wires because he can't take the "bulbs" out.  What the heck is up with the electrical system? Actually, this isn't a new problem. We experienced this same problem 2 or 3 years ago.  The dealer did the repair and it and everything worked as it should. Rog wishes he knew what they did.    Stay tuned to this space......