“I need to ship you quantity 1 of CRE2-35-single, to replace this equalizer.”
~Ryan, MORyde Customer Service Rep.
Any time we are packing up to leave, at regular intervals during longer stays, and I think sometimes because he’s bored, Vic is often under the trailer inspecting things. And it’s a good thing, too! There was that one time the bracket holding the fresh water tank had popped loose. Another time there was a bolt stuck in one of the tires. And sure enough, as we were getting ready to leave Carlsbad he noticed a crack in our suspension mechanism. Not to get all technical, but that’s the thing between the two axles at the tires that keeps things bouncy. Sort of like shock absorbers. And when you live in a 32′ long box that hits all the same potholes your truck does – you want these things to work reliably. This was a thing that needed fixing.
We made the decision to leave the campground we were at and get closer to urban services. Roswell, only an hour away, was the answer. We’d already planned a few layover days further north along our route for maintenance and resupply, so our schedule wasn’t terribly disrupted. We just did those things in a different place. The temps didn’t get any cooler and we’d already enjoyed the three big tourist traps, so we did laundry, prepped a few meals for our next stop, and waited for new suspension parts to arrive.
The part arrived Tuesday and the work was planned for the cooler part of the day Wednesday morning. With some help from Jose, the tow service guy equipped with a pneumatic jack (because you really can’t lift an RV with a bottle jack), Vic got us back on the road Thursday.
We ended up in Grants, NM, for two nights. We passed through there on last fall on our return from California. That time, we stayed at a Harvest Host location called the Rt 66 Junkyard Brewery. We booked a campsite nearby this time, but did pop in to the brewery for a visit. We both knew it wouldn’t be as fun as the first time, when we met other RV travelers and all sat around trading tales from the road over local craft beers. But it just wasn’t any fun at all this time and the food was not nearly as tasty. Oh well, can’t win them all. We did find a gem of a visitor center at El Malpais National Monument. We had no desire to hike, or to even drive the scenic route to the overlooks, but did want to see what we could learn at the visitor center. And wow, we were blown away by the movie, the exhibits, the museum – all of it! One of the most impressive ones we’ve visited.
After a restful day in Grants and a good night of sleep, we hit the road again – finally headed for that higher altitude. Timing really is everything. Our present campsite is up a US Forest Service Road in the San Juan Mountains in Durango, Colorado. Two miles of washboard rutted dirt road up mountain switchbacks. I am quite sure that had Vic not noticed the cracked suspension, we probably never would have made it up that hill in one piece! But we did. And wow, is this place amazing! New birds, tall Ponderosa Pines, creeks with water in them, a fun downtown scene, Mesa Verde National Park, trains, jeep rides…I’m not sure ten days will be enough.
Until next time…stay bouncy!
Where To Now 