Back on the Road

After spending 3 months or so at Dan’s house, I was ready to get back on the road. Tuesday morning, March 17th, I headed North towards Death Valley.

While dropping down into the valley from the west on US190, I stopped at a small RV place called Pinamint RV. An older place with resturant, model & bar. The place was surprisingly busy. Lots of people in and out. Spent the night boondocking for $13. Happened to stay next to a guy and his wife that came from Eugene for some hot weather. Boy were they surprised with the 50F temps, clouds, lite rain and gusting wind. The guy is a rabid Ducks fan so we had something to talk about. The next morning was nice and sunny and the further I got into the valley the hotter it got.

After leaving the RV park, the way into the valley is a long hill, of 6 degrees incline. I went down using brakes mostly and at about the 7 mile mark started smelling hot brakes inside the cab. Bailed off the road at a small rest stop at the 8 mile mark and stopped to take a look. All the brake disks were very hot and the right front brakes were smoking! Since it was nice and cool, I just sat there for about 15 minutes. The right front was still smoking occasionally so I thought I’d move about 100 feet to an area where there was more consistent cool wind.

After I started moving, I pressed on the brakes and…nothing!! So, I’m pumping like mad, the 22,000 pound RV is heading down a slight hill gathering speed and I don’t have a good emergency brake. About 20 feet from the edge of the parking lot, I jamb it into ‘Park’ and the parking brake finally starts to grab (it’s the type that is made with brake shoes that clamp the drive shaft) and slows me down to a crawl, and finally a stop. Whew. At the time I thought I’d lost it all…

So I sit there for the next 2 hours letting the brakes cool down while pondering what to do. Call for a tow? Head back up hill, only to be followed by another downhill? Or head downhill using nothing but engine compression to slow down?

While waiting I replace the brake fluid that was puked out during my stay at the rest stop, about one cup.

Finally I decide to head downhill to where there is flat ground and some service stations in the valley. So off I go, at a 15mph clip, using engine compression to slow the rig. A sign just past the rest stop I was at says ‘downhill 8 miles’, then later, ‘4 degrees’. Using compression keeps my speed at 15 to 25 the whole way, never used the brakes once. Since the traffic was so light, I didn’t bunch people up behind either. Later that day the brakes seemed to get better. I stayed at Furnace Creek that night at the RV park and visited the Death Valley Museum and headed towards Salt Lake the next day, backtracking via US267. Again the brakes were better. On the way out of Death Valley, I stopped for several hours at ‘Scotty’s Castle’. Pretty neat, got some good pixs too. Headed north on US267 towards US95.

On the way to US95, the main road to Salt Lake, I stopped at a small park named Black Rock Lava Flow and spent Thursday night. It is just a turn off the road, and up a gravel road to a giant lava flow of black rocks. It started snowing around 6pm and continued until about 1-2″ had fallen. It got down to 19F during the nite. Didn’t freeze my ass off, but it took a half hour to get the RV started the next morning(diesel engines have trouble starting in the cold). But I do have a block heater that worked, after I figured out I needed to leave it on for 30 minutes or so. Glad the furace worked so well. Oh, and the genset (LP fired generator of 6500 Watts 120Vac) helped alot to keep the batteries charged too. Also had a problem with the genset the next morning. I started it up easily the first try so I could make coffee, then I shut it down. About 1/2 hour later I tried to start it again and it wouldn’t go. Took several tries over another 1/2hour. I’ve got no idea why. Tis a mystery.

Friday I got to Salt Lake, spent two nights at WalMart, and today Monday, the brakes were like they had never had a problem! Geese, weird. Also, I have picked up 15 internet hotspots since I got to SL but I wasn’t able to connect to the internet on any of them! Grrrrr.

I’ll put up a bunch of pixs when I get the chance.

See ya all later…

It’s later in the day and I’m parked at a RV park and it’s a hotspot so I’ll be getting the pixs up soon!