I am sort of getting the fifthwheel ready to hit the road

I am sort of getting the fifthwheel ready to hit the road and doing some things that just have to be done. Hitting the road if we do that is going to be some time after Christmas and we are paid up herein this RV park until January 6. So we will be looking at a good opening in the weather from Idaho down through Nevada. Yesterday I replaced the cover at top of the fifthwheel that covers the chase that allows the heat and fumes to rise escape from the RV refrigerator. It was falling apart after spending too much time aging in the sun. I in my mind thought this would be easy. I would just be able to purchase the cover or lid that screws into the plastic housing already fastened and sealed to the top of the fifthwheel. So a couple days ago I removed and salvaged as much of the lid as I could and bundled it like an archaeological find. Carefully loaded in to my pick up and drove to my favorite RV parts place. It is over in the town were we lived. Though there were several closer. The owner has become a friend as we have grown to know each other over the years. He is about my age and has been in the RV repair business all his life. And we both have a gift to gab. And I trust his advise.

I carefully unwrapped my archaeological find. Larry is unimpressed. I plead my case “Just sell me a replacement lid wit the same screw pattern.” He shook his head and he handed down his verdict. My idea would not work because the screw pattern had been changed a couple years ago and besides, “The whole dam thing needs to be replaced anyway. You know that.” I knew he was right because the screen over the housing was shot but I figured a little hardware cloth and it is good as new. But no! So he hand me a new vent housing, a tube of self leveling sealer with some smiling guy’s picture was on it. It must have been some sort of famous RV repair man. Or maybe a lost person advertised for his recovery on a tube of self leveling sealer. Sort of like the milk carton thing a few years ago. And my buddy says he will throw in the strip of putty tape to put it on with. I started shaking uncontrollable the thought of removing the old self leveling sealer and the low thirties. I never liked it when it was warm, I can just imagine with it will be like now. I started to explain my concerns and he stopped me mid-sentence and reminded me I have worked outside in the cold before and it would not be that bad. So suck it up and just do it. This only served to scare me more because I have been there before. But he settled me down and I paid my bill.

Next on this safari I stopped off at another buddy’s hardware - lumber yard and stared at a pegboard full of scrappers and putty knives. He asked me what I needed and I started to explain and he handed me a real cool scrapper tool. I put it on my account and headed back home. Well not home, we have no home, back to the RV Park. So yesterday I hit it hard after I figured the frost had left the roof. About an hour latter I had the housing removed and all the sealer and putty tape along with about thirty screws. Clearly the engineers of this vent did not want it blowing off. The other one went on very easy and the tube of self leveling seal worked great. No wonder the famous smiling RV repair guy was on the tube. I gazed at his picture. I think I like him and his product. “Thanks! Who ever you are.” And I saved about $100 shop rate. Larry, he might be a friend but he has his employees to pay and keep his doors open, and his hot rods painted. And with anything you do and do it right there is a warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment especially after removing the old self leveling sealer at 34 degrees. And where as we live in the unit full time it is sort of hard to schedule a shop time.

After I got that done I discovered the vent covers over the 14 X 14 vents were not going to last out our proposed road trip. So back to the RV parts place. Today I mounted them. Today a cold blustery wind blew here today in the RV Park. It was one of those winds at acts like a snake. Its tongue flicking here and there and sensing where the openings are. So that it can invade. It slips past caulking that was left undone when it was warmer and doable and pliable. Now it is looking for anything hard, gapping and lifeless. It seeks to sneak in around the door and the weatherstripping that should have been replace. Or a door that just does not fit right. Oh this breeze is a crafty serpent. Tongue flicking and testing looking for any gap. Then it pushes in with a sharp noise where ever it senses it might make some head way. All in all our fifthwheel though aged a bit repels this serpent pretty well though there are a few chinks in the armor.

This RV life is sort of weird in that I am more use to stable friends and acquaintances. Parked over in the short term was a real nice guy and his wife and a yellow lab. They were staying here for a few days while they visited there son here. They have a huge motorhome and were really friendly. They were pulling out the other day and I walked over and said good bye. We discussed his route as he was going from here to Bakersfield Ca. He was concerned about Donner Pass and I reassured him if it is not safe or not passable they will let them know. Just hunker down there and Reno and gave them some real good places to dine if they have to do so. We assured each other we will see each other on down the road knowing that most likely that will never happen. Our next door neighbor since we have been here left this morning for Parump, Nv. Where they live they wanted to escape before another storm moved through. We are heading down that way and he gave me some good ideas about RV parks there in Parump if we want to base out of there while going to Death Valley and making a trip or two to Vegas before heading on down in to Az. But on the other side of the coin there is the huge new motor home that pull into the short term where the friendly couple stayed. As I was outside today doing stuff. He was fussing and messing with his pride and joy and it is a beautiful unit. He was looking my ways so I waved. He just stood there and stared like I was from the wrong side of the tracks. Oh well so goes RV living………