A Wonderful Rest

August 26, 2009
Chimacum, WA

Wow, how quickly two weeks can go by! We decided to "drop anchor" for a bit to recharge after our trip north through western Canada to Alaska and back, and we certainly picked a good spot for that. The Escapees park in Chimacum was quiet and relaxing. Other than some minor issues with the 30 amp power, we enjoyed the full hook-ups. We'll have 50 amp power or be dry camping for the rest of the trip.

The weather has been great, with mostly sunny days and cool nights. We relaxed, read some, and finally got the energy to run through all the laundry and tackle a few minor maintenance projects around the coach. I replaced a switch for the water pump with one I got at Napa Auto Parts, and fixed a loose spot in the rubber gasket that protects the bottom on the radiator. I cleaned the drain in the lavatory sink. You get the idea.

We did dodge three bullets during the visit, though. The first was a week ago Wednesday. I dropped Geri off so she could get her hair done and explored the area a bit in the nearby town of Poulsbo. I found the Home Depot and the WalMart Supercenter (the essentials of life, in that order), and picked her up on schedule. As we left the hair place, she spotted a Central Market and we knew we had to stop. Central Market is a grocery chain that's not quite as foo-foo as Whole Foods but way more interesting than Safeway. It's most like Stew Leonard's or Wegman's, which are mostly in the northeast.

Anyway, we picked up a few things, made some notes on things to get on a return trip with menu ideas mapped out, and headed for WalMart to grab the remaining things on "the list". As I was walking into the store, I took of my sunglasses and reached to my collar to get my "regular" pair - uh oh - where are my glasses? Instantly, I vaguely remembered hearing a clicking sound as I was loading bags into the car at Central Market. Just as quickly, I started to rue the decision I made to not have my spare pair (yes, I got spares before we headed off to the wilds of Alaska) made with the bifocals I so desperately need). Leaving Geri to do the shopping, I high-tailed it back to Central Market, found our parking spot and dropped to my knees to see if the glasses were there (crushed or not). Nope. Let's look all around the area. Nada. OK, let's pull everything out of the cooler and the bags to see if I got lucky. Ha. OK, into the store to see if anyone found them. "Sorry, fella; give us your name and number and we'll call you if they're found". Dejected, I head back to WalMart to pick Geri up. As I park, the phone rings; I figure it's Geri asking me where I am. But, no! It's Central Market - someone found the glasses in their cart. Whew! Back to Central Market and back in business on the sight thing. Bullet #1 dodged.

The other two dodged bullets involve the Range Rover. As we've been traveling, we've found that there's a tolerance for towing with respect to the battery life. It seems that the internal "alarm" on the dash display that tells you the transferbox is in neutral (basically allowing all four wheels to roll free and that you should apply the handbrake) stays on all the time. Towing for a long day will pretty much guarantee that the battery is brought down to the level where it may not start the engine. Well, over the last several weeks, that tow time has gradually been shrinking, and we finally got to the point where towing wasn't needed to drop the voltage too low. Oh, how I'm so glad I bought that portable "jump start in a box" device that we carry with us! Anyway, not wanting to pay dealer prices for a replacement, I start calling around for a Group 95 battery. Costco: no. WalMart: no. Sam's: no. Napa: sure. Well, this sounds promising. Do you have one? No, but we can get it. How long? Well, there's one in Portland we can have in a week. Hmmm, not optimum but how much? $320 plus shipping. Whoa; it's a battery, not gold. Finally, I call the nearest dealer, in Tacoma. $150, plus $50 to install. Sold. Turns out it was only $136, which is a standard price for an Interstate starting battery (I was quoted roughly the same for Interstates for the coach starting batteries) - at the dealer, no less. I decided to let them put it in, since I'd given it the eyeball and couldn't see how it could be done without removing the hood. Turns out, I was partially right; they had to release the struts and flip the bonnet back to the windscreen (it's British, after all) to get access - good to know for the future. While I was there, I had then change the brake sensors which had worn out and thrown a "check brake pads" alarm. Yes, the thing tells you when it's time to change the brakes and, yes, I should have changed the sensors when I changed the pads and rotors back in April. Hmmm, maybe the brake alarm contributed to the battery drain? No matter, all fixed. Bullet #2.

When the service writer brought back the paperwork and keys, he asked if I knew I needed new tires. Well, yes, I've been tracking the wear, especially on the rears, and was hoping I could get back to AZ, or at least no-tax Oregon before changing them. With a warning that I was on borrowed time, off I went. As I drove back home (Tacoma is about 90 minutes away), I started thinking I'd better check the tires, so I made a quick stop. Yes, they're pretty worn but what's the crisis. Let's crawl under and check the inside. Wow, they're worn all the way down to the cords, with the steel belts biting my fingers as I passed over them. Ouch! This really is critical. I diverted to the nearest Discount Tire (yes, the web browser on the BlackBerry actually is useful for some things) and found that they could get replacements the next day, Friday. OK, they lied and didn't get them until Monday (I called on Friday before driving there), but we're good for another 60,000 miles (towed plus driven) there. When I checked on the old tires as they were pulled off, I was amazed that we made it as far as we did (and ticked at myself that I didn't check them more thoroughly - lesson learned). I think they had an abnormal wear pattern due to the towing, so I'll try an adjustment in air bag height in the future. And that's Bullet # 3 avoided.

So, we wrapped up our time in Chimacum with a few nice meals. Steaks with parmesan-truffle fries and a wonderful aged Rioja from Spain. Bowties with chicken and brie with a wonderful creamy cheese from Central Market and a young Chianti. Geri's famous Lo Mein with chicken and shrimp and a nice fruity Zinfandel. MMMM!

Tonight, we wrapped up everything, packed the grill away, dumped the tanks and prepared to "set sail". Tomorrow, the adventure continues...