You may recall from my last article that back on December 30th my RV went into limp mode, and I limped into Winnemucca to a Diesel shop where they replaced the fuel/water separator and I also had them do some extra work. I liked the shop and the work they did for me, so I planned on coming back and having them do the other work I needed when I past by heading north.
“Usually I’m traveling 55-60 MPH and it’s only a 6 hour drive to Winnemucca, but as I got closer to McDermitt OR, I couldn’t get the RV to move above 55, then 45, then 35, etc. And then the snow started getting thick. And by then I couldn’t get the RV above 25 MPH anyway. Definitely something wrong.”
So I stopped at an older RV park (that I’ve passed many many times in the last 19 years of RVing) right at the state line between Oregon and Nevada and paid an outrageous price for a spot with just 30 amp for the night. With 6″ of snow on the ground, more falling, and an RV that was limping, I didn’t want to mess around trying to find a bargain so that was where I stayed. There is a casino parking lot just across the border around 1/2 mile away but no power and I didn’t want to run my generator all night. Here’s that story if you’re interested in more detail about battling the weather and then the engine going into limp mode…Back in the USA…
That was Dec. 30th, 31st of 2022 and to pick up this story thread again, it was now mid-May of 2023 and I was heading north after staying 4 months in Tucson. I’d called the shop a few days prior and was informed that I could bring it in for what I needed.
I arrived in Winnemucca late afternoon before a weekend, after driving for nearly 9 hours and signed in at the Model T Casino and RV Park. I’ve meant to stay here for years but never have. I thought I knew which one it was as the first year I was RV’ing, 2004, I’d stopped where I thought this park was, and it was just a small parking lot across the street from a casino in downtown Winnemucca with 30 amp on power poles. And no other services like sewer or water except places to dump and fill. Turned out I was wrong for many many years thinking that that place was the Model T RV park. Actually, that’s a different park, the Model T is a large RV park (undergoing a remodel right now!) on the edge of Winnemucca so the traffic isn’t all that heavy, and it’s just an easy mile off the freeway. Not even sure that other RV park is even there still. The Model T is easy to get to BUT…fair warning, this place insists on seeing your RVs registration AND your insurance documents at check in. WTF?
So I arrived at their RV entrance and there’s no one in the RV kiosk. So I trudge (‘cus I’d been driving for 8 hours) way over to the casino around 75 yards away, wander around until I find the motel lobby way in the back, hidden behind all the gambling machines, find I have to have my reg and ins cards so trudge all the way back out to my RV, dig those out, trudge way back inside, they make copies of those AND my DL, I pay for 5 nights, then trudge back to my RV, drive to a nearby shaded spot, and park. I’m getting exhausted. Minutes later, the office gal comes out and tells me I can’t park there because that’s the row they are remodeling (entire row was empty, but this first spot in the row still had water and electric, nearby spaces were torn up). So I had to de-camp and move. Dammit. Here is where I parked, 50 amp, W&S. No shade. This row is for big rigs. Pull though too. That’s the casino way in the background. What’s funny, and one thing they show on their website is that they are a 30 amp park. But they have entire rows of 50 amp service. Why they haven’t fixed that mistake on their website after upgrading what must have been 3 decades ago I’ll never know. Keeps the traffic low maybe? So they don’t have to deal with RV’ers to much?
Remember that my AC had died just a few days before but getting this far north in mid-May meant it wasn’t all that hot, in the mid-70’s. And at dusk, the temps dropped quickly. So, overall, I was comfortable even without shade.
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