No, not the pressure you get when you’re hooked up to city water. I’m talking about water pressure when you’re using your freshwater tank and water pump. Many RVers abhor using their water pump because the pressure is just not satisfactory.
My 2017 Open Range didn’t have a very good water pump from the factory. I can’t even remember the brand/model because it failed in the first year. I talked to the manufacturer and quickly rejected their offer to take it to the nearest dealer for replacement. As a full-timer who’s gotten fairly handy with tools, I felt a replacement would be well within my capabilities. They ultimately agreed so I purchased a new water pump and got reimbursed for it. When I chose it I really didn’t go top of the line since I rarely boondock. It was sufficient for the infrequent overnight in a rest area while traveling but certainly nothing to write home about.
Fast forward 3 years and that water pump failed. For the record, it was a Shurflo model 4028, 2.3 gallons per minute (gpm). How did I find out when it failed? Freezing temps. The kind where you fill the freshwater tank and disconnect your outside hose to prevent frozen hoses and filters. I started the water pump and just got a fast trickle from the faucet. Fortunately, I was in a decent size city with quick access to RV parts. Off I went in search of a replacement. This time I decided to spend more in hopes of much better water pressure when needed and hopefully longer lasting.
I bought a Remco 55 AquaJet, rated at 5.3 gpm. Swap out was simple but since it was a bit bigger than the last one I had to make some new holes when screwing down the base. The first test was a roaring success. I really couldn’t tell the difference between the water pump and city water. It came with a 2 year warranty so I’m hoping it lasts at least 6 years.
It’s not really that wonderful. I just felt like being alliterative.
I’m currently finishing up a seasonal warehouse gig at JC Penney in Haslet TX. I’ve seen a new method of picking that I never knew existed. It’s called ‘pick to lights’. Each picker is assigned to a zone, approximately 45 feet long with 3 levels of totes in a rack system. When you scan your tote, LEDs light up telling you the quantity you need to pick from each bin. You pick the required number of items, then extinguish the LED at that bin. When your hands are full, you put all the items in the tote you scanned. Typically, similar items are contained within a zone. I’m sure the system was designed by some efficiency expert to be as simple as possible, and it is. It’s also mind-numbingly boring. It’s very easy to let your mind wander just enough to pick the wrong number of items, or from the wrong bin, or put them in the wrong tote – because there are no built-in safeguards.
It’s also a lot more physical than I anticipated. Not as much walking as Amazon but just enough to feel it at the end of the night and a lot more tote slinging to make all the upper body muscles sore. Totes weigh about 11 lbs empty. They’re nested in threes and sometimes need a bit of persuasion to get out of the nest. Full totes aren’t usually a problem since you’re just sliding those around on the conveyor. Maybe I was sore since I’d just finished another warehouse job before coming here.
Oh well, I have a week to go and reached my goal – paying for the next 4 months in the RGV, plus a little sightseeing money between here and there.
Of the 3 warehouse jobs I’ve worked, I still consider Amazon the gold standard. For all the hit pieces you read about Amazon work online I enjoyed all 3 of my seasons there – mostly. There were a few bad shifts but it was mostly good. They treated me well and did everything they could to make sure I was successful. They also tried to make the best of the situation. Upbeat music over the speaker system on late shift, providing holiday meals and free snacks on breaks, contests during the shift.
DigiKey and JC Penney? Not so much. There are individuals at each location that make you feel like part of the team and help you to succeed but I never felt it was part of the company culture. JCP in particular has a very high turnover rate.
I may add a few more details after I’ve rested for a few weeks but this should suffice for now.
As I was mapping out my activities for this year, I decided to skip both Amazon and the sugar beet harvest. Amazon was kind of a no-brainer since they’d made some changes that made it tougher for CamperForce folks to secure affordable camping.
The sugar beet harvest was a different story. I was already going to be in the right part of the country but I had to balance that with my memories of previous harvests, mainly unpredictable weather. I opted to continue working for DigiKey (good pay, inside, consistent hours) instead of the harvest. And as I sit here watching the weather (very warm for this time of year) I slyly pat myself on the back. While the sugar beet harvest workers are still waiting for the harvest to start, I’m still getting my regular hours.
The other advantage is I’ll be out of MN before the middle of the month, instead of committing for entire month with the harvest. And it couldn’t come too soon. The job itself is very frustrating. For you FB folks, you can check out my review in this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/765664136797525
Beyond that, the wind almost never stops up here and TV reception is terrible. We’re ready to head south.
A few months ago, I realized that the valve on one of my 20 lb propane cylinders would only turn fractionally. Of course, I discovered this shortly after I filled it. I started checking into valve replacements and soon realized that it would be more cost effective to just get a new cylinder. While exploring different options, I reconnected the cylinder in the RV. Surprise!! It opened just enough for gas to flow so I could at least get use of the existing propane.
When the cylinder finally ran out of propane, I headed down to the nearest L&M Fleet Supply store for a new cylinder. As luck would have it, they were right next door to a Tractor Supply that could purge and fill the tank. And that’s where the unexpected lesson took place.
I’ve been a certified propane dispenser for a few years, with actual training from the state of FL, so I was familiar with the purging requirement for new cylinders. Well, things have changed over the last few years and this cylinder had a sticker on it that said it had already been vacuum purged. Great! One less thing to do. The guy from TSC hooked up the hose and started pumping propane. At any other time, I would have insisted that he open the spit valve for safety reasons but since this was a brand new cylinder I let him proceed. Lo and behold, the OPD (overfill protection device) on this brand new cylinder did NOT work. He put over 5 gallons of liquid propane in that cylinder before shutting off the pump himself. Under normal circumstances, the OPD would have cut off around 4.8 gallons (max). So in this instance, bypassing normal safety procedures alerted me to a faulty OPD on a brand new cylinder. The propane guy bled off excess propane and I made arrangements with L&M Fleet Supply to replace the cylinder. When I got the replacement I was sure to ask the guy to leave the spit valve closed to check the OPD.
My plans for the spring/summer/fall were pretty much set when I left the RGV for Utah. Or so I thought. The job in Utah went as planned but while I was there I started calling around Salem Oregon for monthly sites. I was going to try working for Amazon as a regular temp in Salem until August, then quit 30 days prior to my Amazon CamperForce assignment in Troutdale Oregon to finish up the year there.
Well, it seems that with the pandemic, many RV parks are filling up with fulltime residents. In very old fashioned terms, monthly sites are harder to find than hen’s teeth 🙂 Just as I was ready to give up on Amazon for the summer, I got a text from a temp agency that I’d previously worked with. They were starting a new program for warehouse jobs with a company in Minnesota. Not only was the pay higher than Amazon but this company also picked up the entire campsite fee, non-taxable. Overall, much better than Amazon.
So, I did some new trip planning and off to Minnesota I went. I even had a few days to stop over in Grand Forks ND and visit my favorite Chinese buffet there while camping at the nearby Air Force Base. I did my orientation and drug testing right there in Grand Forks, then left the next morning for Thief River Falls. And that’s where I almost ran out of options.
They’d known for awhile the size and power requirements of my RV. I arrived at assigned campground, found the reservation tag on my site and just started shaking my head. It was a 50 amp full hookup site but would be fairly challenging backing in to since the sites were crowded so closely together. I commenced my maneuvering and quickly discovered that the site was just too short for my 5th wheel, by 3 or 4 feet. Getting out of the site when the neighboring sites were occupied would’ve been impossible.
I called the temp agency (since the camp host was still nowhere to be found) and they offered another site elsewhere in the same campground. That site was certainly long enough for me but had no water or sewer. The temp agency said they would deliver water and a pump-out truck twice a week. While not ideal, I could live with that. Unfortunately, the electric service was only 30 amp. With daytime temps frequently in the 90s, the inside of the RV would’ve been unbearable with only 1 AC at a time running.
Already thinking about where else I could spend the summer, I called the temp agency again and explained the predicament. To my surprise, they had 2 other options for me. I quickly unhitched and checked out the other 2 places. I settled on a place only a few miles away and got settled in. The TV reception isn’t great but I have my full hookups and a quiet park.
Now, I just have to decide how long I’m going to stay here and whether or not I’ll work for Amazon this year. Just finished my first week of training so that decision will certainly wait for a month or 2.
This will probably be my last hike here in Utah, at least for this year. It was close by, just a short drive from the RV. I might have walked or ridden a bike to the trailhead if I’d known about their pricing. It’s $10 per vehicle, up to 8 people but only $4 per person if you walk or ride in. AllTrails listed this one as moderate to strenuous. There’s several hundred feet of elevation changes. At the start of the trail that’s done via switchback trails. If you do the optional Sleeping Rainbow loop, those ups and downs are more straight forward. BTW, that loop had pieces of petrified wood scattered all over the place. Just out of curiosity, I picked a piece up and it was surprisingly heavy.
petrified log at the trailheadmuch better signage on this trailThe view down to the parking lot, about halfway up the trail
This hike was very convenient when I had mechanical problems with the truck. The trailhead is only 1.5 miles from the RV so I just added a few miles of road walking to the actual hike.
I was warned beforehand to wear (or at least take) water shoes since the trail crossed back and forth over the Escalante river numerous times. Turns out it was a very dry winter in UT with very little snowpack to melt so getting my feet wet was not an issue. The low river level was actually kind of helpful. In these parts they don’t do a real good job of marking trails. Back east, if I saw a tree trunk down across a path, it would mean I needed to turn left, right or back the way I came. Around here it just means that’s where the tree fell. With the low river level, my most reliable indicator of the trail was frequently the stone bridges built by other hikers to cross the river. And of course, looking at the boulders strewn through the river, my inner kayaker came out and thought it would be a great river to paddle at higher water levels.
The goal for today’s hike was about 3 miles in, some petroglyphs on a rock wall. Fortunately, when I arrived there were was a couple there who agreed to take my pic standing next to the petroglyphs. As an added bonus, they were in a giant, natural amphitheater. And just walking along the river I had to wonder why there were no rock climbers here. It looked like a paradise for them.
Enjoy the pics!
How do those trees ever take root?The actual riverJust walk across the obstacleSpookyTop of amphitheaterMe and the petroglyphs
I’ve been thinking about this post for awhile and decided to actually write after seeing some YouTube videos. Those videos involved travel trailers being towed down the highway and swaying so much that they eventually caused major accidents. In each case, the TT would have been a total loss for insurance purposes.
Many people think RVing is a happy go lucky, carefree way to see the country whether it’s for a vacation or as a way of life. Whoa! Not so fast. I’m just going to discuss the traveling part of RVing, not the actual camping part of it. And of course, my perspective is that of someone towing a large 5th wheel RV with a one ton pickup truck.
I’ve been doing this now for about 15 years and had my share of problems while driving. What I hadn’t considered until just recently is how lucky I’ve been. I’ve always maintained emergency roadside assistance and, while it can be problematic in some situations, it has certainly saved my bacon on many occasions.
One of the more common, but still dreaded, problems we face as RVers are flat tires or blowouts. My first flat tire on the 5er happened on a secondary road in central Florida. There was nothing dramatic about it. I felt and heard nothing so I have no idea if it was an actual blowout or if it started as a flat and progressed to the tire shredding. I only knew it happened because I was watching my side view mirrors and noticed small black debris kicking out behind the RV. I found a safe place to pull over and walked around the RV. I found a tire that was more gone than there. What was left was wrapped around the axle. I placed my call to roadside assistance and gave my location and problem. While waiting for the mobile mechanic, I got the spare ready and made some minor repairs where the tire had beat up the RV wheel well. Assistance arrived within 45 minutes, cut the old tire off the axle with a hacksaw and mounted the spare. All things considered, fairly painless.
I’ve heard first person accounts of far more chilling incidents of wheels coming totally detached from the axle and rolling down the highway alongside the tow vehicle. How would you like to see that in your mirror? And then there’s the people who experience blowouts on the front axle of a motorhome or tow vehicle. Those are trickier because you need to immediately do something that’s counterintuitive. Your brain is probably screaming at you to hit the brakes as the vehicle veers to one side or the other. The proper way to handle this situation is to accelerate just enough to keep the vehicle going in a straight line, then start gradual braking to get off the road.
I’m not a mechanic so I never even thought about this next problem, until it happened to me 3 different times. I’m talking about broken axle hangars. They’re welded to the frames of towed RVs and keep the axles in the correct position. Again, although the break downs were inconvenient and cost money I could have put to more fun uses, I was very lucky each time (2 different 5th wheels). The first 2 times, I discovered the problem at interstate exits where I could get fast assistance. The first time I noticed lots of blue smoke in the mirror as I was exiting the interstate. I stopped on the exit ramp to investigate. About all I knew for certain was that 2 tires were rubbing together. There was a large truck stop at this exit so I slowly pulled into their lot and parked. There was a trailer and tire shop just across the street. I spent the night in the RV in that truck stop and walked across the street first thing the next morning. They sent a truck to align the axles enough to drive it across the street, welded the axle hangar and put a new tire on. I was on my way within a few hours. The other 2 incidents were fairly similar. It’s like I was surrounded by 4 leaf clovers.
How about clutch problems on the truck? Inconvenient? You bet. Lucky? Also true. One time my clutch stopped working as I was coming down a stretch of interstate called Dead Man’s Pass. There was a rest area at the bottom that I was able to get safely into. Another call to roadside assistance. They found a mobile mechanic who came to the rest area and had me back on the road within a couple of hours. The second time was definitely more involved. I had to get my truck and RV towed to the nearest big city. I already had campground reservations and the roadside assistance covered that tow 100%. The truck cost me a little extra since I wanted a different transmission shop to do the work instead of the closest one. Once again, my travel plans were only delayed a couple of hours. The transmission shop was within bicycle distance of my campground (where I was going to be for at least 6 weeks anyway) and a new clutch was installed within a week.
I could go on with a few more personal examples but I think you get the drift. As I said, I’ve been very lucky, or at least I think so. Others may not be so lucky. I see internet posts all the time from younger people who still need to work for a living but they want to ‘live the RV lifestyle before they’re too old to enjoy it’. These are usually the same people who have to start a Go Fund Me page when they encounter problems, or stand on an interstate exit ramp with a ‘God bless’ sign, or beg relatives for help getting a new set of tires. Folks, I’m not making any of this up. I’ve seen evidence of each of these situations.
I guess the moral of this post is: RVing is NOT all rainbows and unicorns.
My primary reason for coming to UT for a month was to see more of the countryside. I was able to complete a very nice hike this morning to Lower Calf Creek Falls, between Escalante and Boulder UT.
The owner of the place I’m working suggested that I download an app called All Trails. This made my life so much easier finding local trails to hike. It also mentioned that this was a very popular hike and could get crowded at times so I planned on a very early start. I arrived at the trailhead about 7:30 and found plenty of parking spots open. There’s also a small campground, mostly suitable for tenters, vans or small Class C motorhomes.
If you’re just hiking here, there’s a day use fee of $5, envelopes at the kiosk. I filled out the envelope, paid my money and hit the trail. I’m still getting acclimated to the elevation so there was some heavy breathing involved due to exertion. Take away the altitude and there might still deep breaths just from looking at the landscape.
I didn’t time this hike, and there’s no cell service so I couldn’t use my fitness app but it probably took about 90 minutes to get to the falls. There were a few stops just for photo opps, numerous ups and downs on the trail and lots of deep sand to walk through but it was worth it. The temp at the falls dropped considerably.
By the time I got back to the parking lot, it was full and cars were parked on the side of the road. Seems like I timed this one very well.
Those sandy parts of the trail? A lot of that sand wound up inside my socks. I found that out when taking off shoes and socks after getting back to the RV. If you find yourself in this part of Utah, I would highly recommend this hike.
My planned departure from the RGV was delayed by several weeks due to getting Covid vaccinations. My age group became eligible and I was lucky enough to find a clinic that had cancellations. Figuring in the 2 week wait for the second dose, I eagerly got my first shot. The second dose at the same clinic was delayed but I was able to find an opening at a local WalMart and saved a few extra days by doing that. I’m happy to report that I suffered ZERO side effects from either shot.
Since my departure date was chiseled in Jello, I hadn’t made any reservations although I did have a short list of places to stay depending on how far I felt like driving each day. My first day drive was supposed to be a short one, just up to Ft. Sam Houston RV park in San Antonio. I assumed that at this time of year there would certainly be open sites for me. Just in case, I called 2 days prior and discovered they were booked solid. I would have to bypass a commissary trip and a stop at an old favorite Chinese buffet there. I found another small RV park less than 1 hour NW of San Antonio and headed out.
After my last 2 trips in the RV, I was very apprehensive about mechanical breakdowns. Maybe doubly so since I had personally replaced 2 leaf springs. I was absolutely relentless about checking my sideview mirrors for signs of trouble. Anytime another vehicle (especially 18 wheelers) passed me, I made sure to look at them to see if they were signaling something. As the trip progressed, I worried a little less but it was always lingering just below the surface.
Made it to my first stop in Comfort TX with plenty of daylight left and no problems. The park had a nice, pull through site for me and Dakota and I were able to relax for a few hours before settling in for the night. Naturally, I checked driving distances and options for the next day.
My primary plan involved getting to Littlefield TX for a (free) night at Waylon Jennings Free RV Park. This is a small, no-frills park but they had 30amp and water, and a nearby Sonic restaurant. According to the website, you can stay for 4 24 hour periods without paying anything, $20/night after that. They have donation/payment boxes in the park. Since it was such a good deal, I left a donation anyway. Again, I deliberately made it a short driving day so I had time to relax and eat before going to bed.
I planned to drive to the western side of New Mexico the next day. Depending on how I felt, I had 2 options on my list. But it’s nice to be flexible too. I spotted a billboard for a casino RV park that was in the general area so I called them just to be sure they were open. (One other casino park had closed completely due to Covid.) I was in luck. They were open and had plenty of open spots. All pull through and all full hook up. The only downside was their restaurant. It was still open for dine-in but they discontinued the buffet because of the pandemic. I’m not a gambler but I did walk from the RV park back to the travel center for some snacks. If you don’t like snakes, you might not want to use the shortcut.
The next morning I was rolling westward again, crossing into AZ. I was still relaxed driving, with no signs of anything getting ready to fall off. But a couple of things combined to make my heart drop a little. The first was the radio. There was a commercial on the radio that featured a car horn. Those should be banned, just like the songs that have police sirens in them. With all the other road noises I had to contend with I couldn’t be sure if it was a real horn or not. So I checked the sideview mirror and saw a Class B conversion van very slowly overtaking me on the left. Like they were studying something on my RV so they would know exactly what to signal as they pulled next to me. They finally came even with my window and weren’t even paying attention to me. The driver was intent on watching the road ahead and the passenger had her nose buried in her phone. Just one of those coincidences.
I made it to Flagstaff and left the interstate for secondary roads for the remainder of the trip. I rolled the dice on my next stop and did not make a reservation, figuring I’d be there early enough to snag an open spot. I arrived at Cameron Trading Post very early in the afternoon and had no problem getting a spot. If you’re traveling through the area and want to stay here, I would recommend reservations. It looked like quite a few people were using this park as a home base to visit local attractions, including the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a very pleasant experience dealing with the staff. It reminded me of how most businesses were reacting to the pandemic a year ago. They sanitized a pen before handing it to me to sign the credit card receipt. The park itself is rather small and does not have 50 amp. Some of the RVs were hanging out, either at the front or back of their sites and there were some interesting ruts left after rains. I pulled into a site that I thought would be perfect to get out of in the morning, until someone pulled in next to me and pulled pretty far forward. The next morning I opted to back out of my spot instead of trying that tight turn. During the afternoon, I ordered curbside pickup from their restaurant ( a very tasty chef’s salad), then wandered around a bit. They have a decorated underpass for pedestrians to use.
And on the other side of the highway is a suspension bridge that I couldn’t quite figure out until I walked right up to it. Apparently, its sole reason for being is to support a gas pipeline going over the wash.
You can see the pipeline just to the left of the bridge.
This is the part of the trip that got more interesting. Although only a secondary road, route 89 had quite a bit of traffic. There were a lot of RVs even though it’s still early in the season. I had filled up the tank in Cameron but knew I wouldn’t make it to my final destination on that tank alone. I only saw 1 truck stop on this route using my Trucker Path app. I got lucky and spotted a Maverik fuel station in Page AZ that had an RV island. The rest of the trip was much slower than the previous 4 days. Like I said, there were lots of RVs on the road and lots of tourist destinations. While driving on UT-12 there was a warning sign about rock tunnels ahead with a clearance of 13’6″. Well, that got me worrying again. My RV specs say it’s 13’2″ tall but I’ve never measured it myself. And 4 inches just doesn’t seem like a huge safety buffer at 50mph. As I approached the first tunnel, I aimed for the center of the road where the clearance most likely exceeded what was listed on the sign. I also slowed down, rolled down my windows and held my breath, all in the hopes of hearing any damage to the first rooftop AC unit in time to stop and save the second AC unit. Made it through both tunnels without a scratch and pulled into Escalante about an hour later. I’ll be here for a month, putting in minimal hours for my site and hiking the local countryside as much as possible.
