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Lazy Days

I’ve had a couple of lazy days. Wednesday was mostly spent watching TV and dozing on the sofa. The post-surgery pain medication, oxycodone, makes me drowsy. It also causes vivid dreams. Although I was in bed early the night before, I didn’t sleep soundly and felt tired all day.

In the evening, I grilled a New York strip steak.

New York strip steak, hot off the grill

New York strip steak, hot off the grill

Donna prepared a recipe called steak with hot-sauce butter and corn-and-spinach salad. The steak looks rare in the photo, but it was actually medium-rare and really tender and tasty.

Strip steak over spinach-and-corn salad

Strip steak over corn-and-spinach salad

Yesterday I read a book, Big Lake, and lazed around the coach again. Big Lake was written by Nick Russell. I follow his blog, GypsyJournalRV. It was an entertaining mystery/suspense novel. I downloaded a free Kindle version from Amazon and read it with the Kindle app on my laptop. I think today is the last day of the free download promotion. You can get it here.

I quit taking the oxycodone yesterday. My last dose was at 4am. It still affected me all day though. I managed to get enough ambition to dump the gray water tank. Recuperation period notwithstanding, certain chores need to be handled.

In the late afternoon, I unwrapped the dressing on my hand and cleaned the incision. It was still swollen and tender. But it feels better without the thick layers of gauze and bandage.

my hand is swollen and a little messy

My hand is swollen and a little messy

I watched the Thursday night NFL game of course. The Colts jumped to an early lead, but the Texans kept it interesting.

Today, Donna has a doctor’s appointment. Her sister, Linda, will swing by to pick her and take her since I’m not quite up to scootering her there. While they’re out, Donna will pick up a few provisions. I expect another lazy day on my part.

A Few Stitches Later

I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. Monday, October 6th, was my 58th birthday. Donna cooked up a nice breakfast with scrambled eggs and Black Forest bacon and presented me with a four-pack of Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing (for consumption later).

We kept it low key for most of the day. Around 4pm, we drove to the Offshore Tavern and Grill. A few friends stopped by, including my longtime friend, Carole Sue Bringas, and our friends, Bud and Mona, plus Donna’s sister, Linda. Donna ordered a table full of appetizer plates. We enjoyed good food, beer and great company. We watched the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game, then called it a day.

I watched the rest of the game at home. I drank plenty of water, about 1.5 liters to hydrate myself in preparation for the minor surgery on my hand scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Last week, when I was examined by Dr. Leek, he checked my right ring finger and we agreed it would require surgery to release the trigger finger condition. At that time, he asked me if I was having trouble with any other fingers. I told him, “No.”

Over the weekend, my right middle (long) finger started sticking, though not as severely as my ring finger. I could get it to extend with some effort. When my ring finger sticks, I have to pull it straight with my left hand.

The surgery was scheduled for 10:15am Tuesday morning. We needed to be at the surgery center by 9am. I wasn’t allowed to have food or drink past midnight. Donna was up early and took a phone call at 7am. It was the surgery center. They had a cancellation and wanted to know if I could come in early.

I got up, showered and dressed and we were on our way by 7:30am. I had to complete the usual paperwork at the Mission Valley Heights Surgery Center and then they prepped me for the procedure. I talked to Dr, Leek and told him about my middle finger. He said he would give it a cortisone injection while I was sedated.

The people at the center were very friendly and efficient. Donna sat and visited with me while I was waiting to go the operating room (OR). I had an IV hydrating my body with Ringer’s solution. They added an antibiotic before I went to the OR. They had me draw an “X” on the finger that was slated for surgery, put a dot on the finger that would get the cortisone injection and off we went.

The anesthesiologist gave me a choice of deep sedation or light sedation. The light sedation is a combination of a valium-type drug and propofol. The propofol puts you into a trance-like state with no memory (amnesia) of what’s taking place. I opted for the light sedation. There’s less risk of complications and the recovery time is much quicker.

All went well. I’m having difficulty typing this today. I have stitches in the palm of my hand which will stay for about 10 days. I’ll take it easy today. I’m kicking back with my hand elevated and letting the oxycodone do it’s thing.

Recovery time

Recovery time

Pacific Beach Fest

Donna drove Shauna’s Volkswagen Beetle to Point Loma on Saturday to participate in her sister, Sheila’s exercise class. I put my blog post together and hung out at the Mission Bay RV Resort.

Later, Donna wanted to go shopping for a new bedspread and throw pillows for our living room. She drove north to Cost Plus World Market. I don’t enjoy shopping for household items nearly as much as Donna so I didn’t go with her. I thought she would enjoy shopping at her own pace without me. I usually go to the store, find the item I’m looking for, pay and leave. Donna likes to wander the aisles and look things over.

I opted to take the scooter and go to the self-serve car wash to clean it up. After that, I headed to the Pacific Beach Fest to check out some of the activities. The weather was hot with clear skies. Donna and I went to the Pacific Beach Fest last year – I wrote about it in this post.

The Pacific Beach Fest is a one-day annual event. They have numerous beach activities, such as sand castle contests, a Pro-Am surf contest, beach volleyball tournament, a 5k run, live music, beer gardens and many vendors. It happens along the beach walk between Thomas Street to the south and Diamond Street to the north. The roads are closed to vehicle traffic west of Mission Boulevard.

I parked the scooter by the Surfer Hotel at the end of Pacific Beach Drive and walked north on the boardwalk. The boardwalk, shops, bars and restaurants were packed with people. Although there were lots of people on the sandy beach, it still wasn’t as crowded as it gets in July or August.

Standing room only on the deck at the Lahaina Beach House

Standing room only on the deck at Lahaina Beach House

As I got closer to Crystal Pier, I could hear a blend of sounds. There was a band playing on a stage near the pier. An announcer was describing the surf contest action over a PA system.

Vendors on the beach walk

Vendors on the beach walk

After I passed the vendor tents, I saw the beach volleyball area. In the photo below, you can see the cottages on Crystal Pier I described in this post.

Beach volley ball area

Beach volleyball area

I walked down on the beach for a closer look at the volleyball game. The sand was hot, so I kept my flip-flops on. Once I was down on the beach, I could hear the announcer for the game.

Beach Volleyball tournament

Beach volleyball tournament

The volleyball tournament was nearly finished. I hung around and watched a few points, but it was hot standing in the sun and sand.

The band I heard playing was set up near the volleyball area.

10_4Bnd

I went down by the ocean and looped south along the hard-packed sand. It was a little cooler along the water. I made a detour and stopped at the Baja Cafe for a cold one. I went into the bar. It was packed. I ordered a Stone IPA, but soon regretted it. It was standing room only and so crowded, the heat was stifling. I didn’t linger. I finished my beer quickly and headed back to the scooter.

We took it easy Saturday night. We kicked back and watched a movie called Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey. It was an entertaining story.

On Sunday morning, Donna met her friend, Jana Hartwell, at Shelter Island. They went for a walk and talked. After their walk, they went to the Sunday farmers’ market on Shelter Island. In the San Diego area, you can find a farmers’ market in one community or another almost every day of the week. Anyway, Donna came home with a 10-lb. bag of oranges that were just picked the day before plus some tinga (spicy) chicken tamales that she steamed for lunch.

I stayed home and enjoyed NFL football. I flipped back and forth between two morning games. I mostly watched the Cowboys versus Texans game which the Cowboys won in overtime, giving them bragging rights in the state of Texas.

In the afternoon, I watched the San Diego Chargers whip the New York Jets in every phase of the game. The final score was 31-0. The Chargers are playing great football and their record is now 4-1.

Today is my birthday. It’s hard for me to believe I’m 58 years old. Except for a few aches and pains, I feel like a kid most of the time. Donna and I will celebrate at the Offshore Tavern and Grill this evening. We’ll catch the Monday night game there, but I’ll have to take it easy. I have to get up early tomorrow for the surgery on my right hand.

 

Settling in at Mission Bay

On Wednesday morning, Donna and I realized we’d been here for a full week already and could hardly believe it. The time gets away from me sometimes. I don’t know where the days go.

The usual RV park rhythm is taking shape here. The park was mostly empty mid-week and new arrivals started showing up on Thursday. I expect to see many more today. We’re experiencing another southern California heat wave. It will be a great weekend to be by the bay.

While we’re here in San Diego, we’re catching up on health care. We both went to the dentist for cleanings on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, I went to see Dr. Leek, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Leek treated my trigger finger condition last December (I posted about it here). At that time, we opted for a cortisone injection. He told me the injection could be effective for a year, in which case, the injection would be worthwhile. On the other hand (no pun intended), if it lasted three months or less, we would probably have to release the tendon through surgery.

By the end of March, my finger started to stick again. If I made a fist, or gripped something small – like a pen for example – my ring finger wouldn’t straighten out. I had to pull it straight with a painful pop. We were leaving Mesa, Arizona at that time. We haven’t been in one place long enough for me to seek treatment since then. I was certain that a minor surgery would be required. Now, I have the time to get it done.

Dr. Leek examined my hand and we agreed to schedule the surgery. I’ll have the surgery done next Tuesday morning. My hand will have an incision with stitches and bandages for about 10 days.

After I left Dr. Leek’s office I stopped at a scooter shop on the frontage road by Pacific Highway. They carry Vespa and Kymco scooters. I was looking for an air filter element for our Kymco Downtown 300i. It’s overdue to be changed. They didn’t have it in stock. The parts counter guy told me he could order it and have in 10 days or so. Then he told me that I would be better off to order it myself, as I could get it cheaper online. I did an online search for it before and didn’t come up with anything. He told me to search “Kymco parts” instead of searching for “Kymco air filter.” I tried it and found a couple of sources that list the filter.

Scooter loaded up and ready to roll

Our Kymco Downtown 300i grocery – getter

Donna’s sister, Linda, came to our site in the late afternoon yesterday. She and Donna went to Solana Beach to attend a grand opening for Spark Health where their sister, Sheila, just opened her second location for Fitness Without Walls and her physical therapy services. She also provides services at her original location in Point Loma.

When they returned to the park a little past 6pm, I grilled a mojo marinated pork tenderloin for dinner. Donna served it with a sesame oil – lime vinaigrette cole slaw. My daughter, Shauna joined us. Donna, Linda and Shauna dined outdoors at the picnic table while I watched the Green Bay Packers destroy the Minnesota Vikings. I was preoccupied with the game and neglected to take a photo of the dinner plate.

Shauna is flying to Washington D.C. for the weekend. She left her car with us. We’ll have the car until Tuesday afternoon, so Donna can drive me to the surgery center Tuesday morning.

I mentioned the heat wave. Yesterday the temperature was near 90 degrees. Today and tomorrow will be the same before we cool off to the lower 80s on Sunday. I think I’ll head to the beach today where it will be cooler.

PB Farmers’ Market

Monday was a ho-hum day. Donna had work to do and spent most of the day at her laptop. My toe injury kept me from doing much. I spent most of the day watching people pack up and leave Mission Bay RV Resort. It’s part of the weekly cycle. On Thursdays and Fridays, we see new arrivals setting up. On Sundays and Mondays, we watch them leave and go back to their workaday lives.

Empty sites around our coach - until next Friday!

Empty sites around our coach – until next Friday!

A replacement solenoid for the HWH hydraulic system arrived on Monday. I opened the box and saw what appeared to be the wrong part. The cylindrical solenoid housing was much smaller than the one I was replacing. I sent an e-mail to Paul Maddox, the HWH technician. He told me it would work because the threads and working mechanism were the same. I removed the old solenoid and installed the new one. The jack works perfectly again!

Yesterday, Paul called me and asked if I wanted him to send a large replacement solenoid, so it would match the other three. I asked him if there was any technical reason to have it match the others. He said it doesn’t have any effect on the operation. The smaller solenoid is a newer design. It saves space and weight. I told him I didn’t see any reason to go to the bother and expense of shipping another solenoid.

On Monday night, I watched the Kansas City Chiefs demolish the New England Patriots. I didn’t see that coming. It looks like a tough season ahead for the Patriots.

Yesterday, Donna and I rode the scooter to Bayard Street in Pacific Beach. We wanted to check out the farmers’ market there. Every Tuesday, Bayard Street is closed between Garnet and Grand Avenue for the farmers’ market. We rode up at noon. They were just closing down the street. I asked a vendor sitting in his truck what time the market started. He told us it didn’t open until 2pm! I’m not sure if I knew that last year or not. If I knew, I didn’t remember.

Bayard Street is only two blocks from the beach. So we rode to the beach and parked on Pacific Beach Drive. We walked north on the boardwalk and onto Crystal Pier. The breeze over the ocean felt refreshing. There are rental cottages on Crystal Pier – it’s actually called the Crystal Pier Hotel. Donna looked through the windows of a vacant cottage and thought it looked like a nice place. It would really be fun to stay on the pier with so much to do within walking distance. Depending on time of year and cottage size, the rate is $175 to $525 per night to sleep over the ocean.

View of Pacific Beach to the south from Crystal Pier

View of Pacific Beach to the south from Crystal Pier

View north from Crystal Pier

View north from Crystal Pier

On our way back to the scooter, we stopped at the Baja Beach Cafe for lunch. We had the taco plates – Baja style beef tacos for Donna and Mahi-Mahi fish tacos for me. Each plate had three tacos, I ate two fish tacos and one beef, while Donna had two beef and one fish. It was very good. It’s a nice location with open-air dining, looking out at the beach. Good food, good service and great ambiance.

By the time we finished lunch and walked back to the scooter, it was 2pm. We headed back to Bayard Street and found the market open. We walked along, starting at the south end. We wanted to look over all of the vendors before we bought anything. When we reached the north end at Garnet, we backtracked and bought the things we wanted.

I bought local San Diego wildflower honey. I’m going to try to mitigate my pollen allergies by eating local raw honey. I’ve been told by a number of people that this is effective. We are staying here until the end of the year, so I think it’s worth a try. I’ll have a spoonful daily.

Mikloich Family Honey at the PB farmers' market

Mikolich Family honey at the PB farmers’ market

Donna bought an assortment of veggies and some honey-cinnamon roasted almonds. They were a bit pricey, but delicious and Donna thought they would be good for dessert.

Colorful fresh vegetables

Colorful fresh vegetables

Donna also found organic micro herbs at one of the stands. She bought an herb mix to put into salads.

Vegetables and micro herbs

Organic vegetables and micro herbs

After we returned from the market, I rode over to the Offshore Grill and Tavern. I was there to collect a free drink from the football pool winner. The winner of the weekly pool buys a round for the rest of the guys who entered the pool on Tuesday. Usually, there are half a dozen or so pool participants who show up for a free one.

Last evening, we grilled spinach and feta chicken sausages that Donna served with steamed rainbow chard from the farmers’ market. We dined al fresco at our picnic table. The cool evening air felt good. We finished a great day by watching a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad and munching on honey-cinnamon roasted almonds.

I’m posting later than usual today because we had dental appointments this morning. Donna and I were overdue for a cleaning and check-up. We found a dentist office nearby at the De Anza View Medical Center. It’s about a mile from the house I lived in when I was a kid. The dentist I had while I was growing up had an office at the center. We both had a clean bill of health from the dentist. Hooray!

I’ll be out and about this afternoon running a few errands.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

It was a fun-filled weekend. Saturday morning kicked off with a delivery from FedEx while I was posting to the blog. The Sea Eagle 370 Pro inflatable kayak that Donna ordered arrived! After breakfast, I opened the package, read the manual and assembled the kayak.

Sea Eagle 370 Pro inflatable kayak

Sea Eagle 370 Pro inflatable kayak

It was fairly easy to assemble although the instruction manual wasn’t very clear. It’s much heavier than I expected. The package showed a shipping weight of 60 pounds.

Donna and I each took an end and hauled it down to the beach. We set out for a maiden voyage across De Anza Cove. We started out a little shaky. I think I was digging too deep with the paddles to start. It’s better to start with shallow strokes. Once we got our speed up, the kayak was stabilized and we paddled easily in unison. We made a short run, maybe half an hour, because my back was still sore.

We loaded the kayak in the trailer, which is parked in the security lot, close to the beach. We left it inflated so we can continue to use it with having to pump it up. The foot pump that came with it is efficient – it’s not that hard to inflate – but it does take a some time and effort.

Around 3pm, I walked over to Campland while Donna stayed back in the coach. She was preparing appetizers and waiting for her sister, Linda, to arrive. Linda was delayed as she had to wait for a package to be delivered at her place. On Friday, Linda’s Chevy Equinox broke down. It has some kind of drivetrain fault and had to be towed to the dealer. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious (expensive) and she can get it back today. Linda got a ride to Mission Bay with Über taxi.

The walk to Campland took about 20 minutes. To get there, you have to make a loop to get over the Rose Creek pedestrian bridge. Due to the Parrot Head event, Campland was charging $20 per car to enter. Foot traffic was charged $5 per person.

Mission Bay RV Resort seen from Campland beach across Rose inlet

Mission Bay RV Resort seen from Campland beach across Rose inlet

I found Bud and Mona’s site and they were there in their RV. Bud was loading his truck with chairs and coolers. They had set up a canopy on the grass near the bandstand. I followed Bud to the stage area on his bicycle. When I pulled up at the grass park, I saw Erin Kerfoot standing by the curb. Erin is a friend from my high school days. Her site was next to the band area, a stone’s throw from the beach. She is a member of the San Diego Parrot Heads and was involved in organizing this event. It was great to see her again.

Donna sent me a text telling me she and Linda were on their way. I sent her directions to our location. Once they arrived, the party quickly ramped up. We had a table full of snacks under the canopy and the margaritas were flowing. Various bands played all afternoon and into the night. Bud grilled a pile of burgers and we enjoyed our cheeseburgers in paradise.

We always enjoy live music

We always enjoy live music

The event was a fund raiser for the Wounded Warrior House organization. They had silent auctions, clothing sales and a beer garden. Everyone was having a good time.

Parrot Head tiki bar

Parrot Head tiki bar

We had all the fun we could stand and headed home around 8pm. It was a long afternoon of music, food and libation with friends. Before we left, Bud adjusted my back by lifting me and giving it a good crack. It really helped.

Linda was staying the night with us. I thought I should put the cover over the entry stair well. I didn’t want Linda to stumble down the steps if she got up in the unfamiliar coach in the night. The stairwell cover is a two-piece hinged wooden slab. It locks into place next to the stair well when it’s not used to cover the steps. As I was extending it, it slipped from my grip and slammed down on my big toe. The flesh on the left side of my toe was torn away from my toe nail. Ouch!

You don't want see what's under the band-aid

You don’t want see what’s under the band-aid

On Sunday morning we hauled the kayak down to the boat launch. Donna and Linda went out to cruise the bay. They paddled across the cove and around the point all the way to the beach at Campland. Mona has a stand-up paddle board and she and Donna talked the night before about enjoying time on the water together. Mona was moving a little slow on Sunday morning and didn’t make it though.

Donna and Linda paddling out the cove

Donna and Linda paddling out the cove

I kicked back and watched NFL football. Just before halftime of the first game, Donna sent a text telling me they were back at the boat launch. I rode the scooter to the trailer, instead of hobbling on my wounded toe. We loaded the boat in the trailer, then I scootered back.

When I arrived at our site, my daughter, Shauna was there. She joined me inside the coach and we talked while we watched the Chicago Bears collapse in the second half and lose to the Green Bay Packers.

Shauna gave her car keys to Donna so Donna could drive Linda home and pick up a few groceries while she was out. By the time Donna returned, I was into the Chargers game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars started this year’s third pick in the draft, Blake Bortles, at quarterback. I think this guy is the real deal. Jacksonville started strong, but faded as the Chargers put up 23 unanswered points to win, 33-14.

Donna manned the grill last evening and cooked shrimp which she served over steamed bok choy with fresh ginger. It was delicious.

Grilled shrimp over bok choy with ginger

Grilled shrimp over bok choy with ginger

My activities will be limited for a few days. Smashing your toe is no fun.

 

 

Margaritaville

After sitting at the table and writing Thursday morning’s post, my back felt stiff when I stood up. It loosened up as I prepared for a bike ride. I pulled my mountain bike from the trailer, put the front wheel back on and pumped up the tires.

I rode past Campland through Crown Point. I made this ride several times when we were here last year. At that time, I didn’t have the mountain bike – I always rode my road bike. The mountain bike is more comfortable for me, but it’s a lot slower. As I got closer to Mission Boulevard, going slow was fine. I had to share the path with skaters, runners and walkers.

View south across Mission Bay from Crown Point Shores - downtown skyline in the center, Sea World needle on the right

View south across Mission Bay from Crown Point Shores – downtown skyline in the center, Sea World needle on the right

Going slow was also good on the boardwalk in Pacific Beach. I rode to Crystal Pier. I wanted to ride out on the pier, but bicycles are prohibited on this pier. Last year I rode out on the Ocean Beach Pier and I thought I could do the same on Crystal Pier. Oh, well. I turned around and rode south to Belmont Park at Mission Beach.

I made a stop there for rolled tacos with guacamole. I love being in a place where there are good taco stands just about everywhere. I felt my back tightening up again as I resumed my ride home. After I dropped my bike off at the trailer, my lower back was sore. I was out on the bike for nearly two hours.

The humidity has been unusually high in San Diego. The hurricane and tropical storms off Baja, California have affected the climate here. I was sweating profusely and looked forward to a long shower. After I showered and sat for a few minutes, my lower back was so tight, I could barely stand up straight.

Donna spent the afternoon out and about with her sister, Linda. Linda took a job in San Diego and moved here from Vermont in August. They went to lunch, then Linda took Donna to T’s Hair of San Diego to have her hair cut. Donna got the tour of Linda’s place on Shelter Island before they returned to Mission Bay RV Resort.

Donna fixed her favorite burger recipe – green chile turkey burgers with extra-sharp cheddar cheese. She served them with French-cut jicama on the side with guacamole and fresh baby greens. I think it was a little out of the ordinary for Linda, but it was delicious.

Green chile turkey burger with jicama

Green chile turkey burger with jicama

I tried to make myself comfortable in the Euro recliner and watched the NFL Thursday night game.

Yesterday, my back was still sore and very stiff. The day was humid again. Donna and I went for a walk along Mission Bay. Walking seems to loosen up my back, but it remains sore. Later, we rode the scooter up Clairemont Drive to Keil’s grocery store to pick up a few things. After I dropped Donna off at our coach, I went to Pacific Beach to gas up the scooter.

I also stopped at Campland, an RV park across Rose Creek next to Mission Bay RV Resort. We have friends staying there this weekend. Bud and Mona, our friends we met here last year are there. Erin Kerfoot, a friend from my high school days is also there. They’re all there for a Parrot Head of San Diego event this weekend.

Parrot Heads are fans of Jimmy Buffet. The first club formed in 1989 and today there are more than 200 chapters. The organization provides a social network for fans of Jimmy Buffet and also contributes to charitable organizations. The Saturday event at Campland will benefit the Wounded Warrior Homes organization.

I couldn’t find Bud and Mona’s site or Erin’s. Campland is packed and it’s a zoo over there. When I returned to our park, I saw a large group on the west end of the park. Parrot Heads had overflowed into the Mission Bay RV Resort. Later, I took a walk near the Parrot Head gathering and shot a fiery sunset photo. A few clouds and the high humidity made quite a display.

Fiery sunset Friday evening

Fiery sunset Friday evening

The weather is cooler with less humidity today. The high should top out in the low 70s. Donna and I will walk to Margaritaville, I mean Campland this afternoon to meet up with our Parrot Head friends. Maybe an afternoon of Jimmy Buffet and margaritas will loosen up my back.

Going Home

My last post ended with a phone call Tuesday morning from Giant RV in Murrieta telling me they had found a motor for our HWH pump and would have it that afternoon. Tom, from Giant RV, told me he would have it around 3pm. Kathy, from West Wind RV, juggled their schedule and would send Mike over Wednesday morning to install the new motor.

I mapped out a route to Giant RV, avoiding I-15. Although our scooter is capable of 75mph, I don’t like riding it that fast. I also don’t like having cars blow by me on the interstate. The route I mapped out had 50-55 mph speed limits which meant most cars were going 60-65 mph. It was 25 miles from Jojoba Hills to Giant RV.

I left Jojoba Hills around 2:30pm. I estimated 45 minutes for the 25-mile ride with traffic. I wanted to get the part and be on my way home before rush hour. My ETA was good, I arrived at Giant RV at 3:15pm.

I told the girl at the parts counter that I was there to pick up an HWH motor they had for me. She said, “Oh, Tom was just talking about that. I think he went on lunch break. Let me see if I can find him.” This didn’t sound good.

She came back with Tom. He told me he didn’t have the part. The manager of their store in Colton neglected to put it on the transfer list, so their driver didn’t pick it up. He said he would get it tomorrow.

I stayed calm as I explained my situation to him. Without the part, we couldn’t move and West Wind had re-arranged their schedule based on me having the part. He said, “Give me a minute and I’ll see what we can do.”

A few minutes later, he told me he was going to Colton to get the part. I would have to sit tight until he returned. It was 3:30pm. I wasn’t familiar with Colton, so I asked how far away it was. He said it was 45 miles!

The parts manager from Murrieta happened to be in a meeting at the Colton store. Tom phoned ahead and apprised him of the situation. The manager was not planning to return to the Murrieta store, but he took the part and met Tom halfway. I had the part in hand a little before 5pm. Tom really went out of his way to correct their mistake and I was very grateful.

Kathy called me later that evening to confirm our appointment and to make sure I had the part. We were all set.

On Wednesday morning, Mike installed the new motor. He showed me a couple of tricks to get the old motor out and the new one in. There aren’t any manuals for removing and replacing parts of an HWH hydraulic unit. Now I know how to do it correctly and will tackle the job myself if I ever have to. I plan to have the old motor rebuilt so I’ll have a spare on hand if needed.

With the new motor, the HWH unit seems quieter and the slides seem to move a little faster. I had nothing to compare to before, so I didn’t know the old unit was noisy. That would’ve been my only indication that something was going wrong with the motor. Other than that, it failed without warning.

We pulled out of Jojoba Hills just past noon. As we drove down highway 79, Donna snapped a photo of a roadside sculpture. There’s an artist community in that area and we suspect they are responsible for the beautiful metal sculptures on this section of highway. She took a photo through the windshield of wild horses jumping across the highway.

Wild horses jumping across highway 79 near Temecula

Wild horses jumping across highway 79 near Temecula

Less than two hours later, we checked in at Mission Bay RV Resort. I dropped our trailer across from the security shack and we set up in site 114. The security supervisor recognized us and welcomed us back. Donna said to me, “I wonder if he’ll notice we have a new coach.” I said, “He sees so many rigs come in and out of here, I doubt if he’ll notice we have a different coach.” Later, the security supervisor asked me if we had a new rig. He remembered our old coach! I feel like I’ve come home again.

We like to mix it up and stay in a variety of locations. Sometimes it’s nice to be boondocking in a secluded area without noise and starry skies at night. And sometimes we like staying in an RV park in a quiet, rural area or in an urban setting where we can explore and go bicycling.

For me, San Diego is home base. I have many connections here. My youngest daughter is at Cal Western School of Law, my step-dad lives in Menifee, and Donna has two sisters here. I have many good friends here. And there are many places that bring back memories. Plus we love being able to ride our bikes right out of the park on trails that take us to the beaches.

After I set up, I showered and rode the scooter over to my favorite watering hole, Offshore Grill and Tavern. Meanwhile, Donna’s sister, Linda, came over to visit. I had a couple of IPAs and a poke (po-key) plate at Offshore and caught up with some of the old crowd there. I picked up a football pool sheet and plan to donate to the pool.

Poke plate

Poke plate

On the way back, I was struck by all of the activity in Mission Bay Park. There were various exercise groups on the grass. There were families picnicking. Volleyball games were going on. And of course, people were out on the water.

Family picnic and volleyball in the park

Family picnic and volleyball in the park

When I returned, Donna and Linda had gone out to eat at  the Pacific Beach Fish Shop. Later, my daughter, Shauna, stopped by to visit. Life is good. It was a great day.

I’m looking forward to getting on my bicycle and taking a ride to Pacific Beach today. Although the temperature is a little higher than usual, it’s much more comfortable than the heat we’ve been in for the past few weeks. Today we should see abundant sunshine and a high of 81 degrees.

Bad Motor for Sure

Coach – Net served me well yesterday. They contacted a mobile RV service, West Wind, located nearby in Murrieta. Kathy from West Wind called me and said she would send Mike out to our site between 3pm and 4pm.

Mike arrived at a quarter past three. I told him what happened and the tests I performed. He re-checked some of the diagnostic steps and said he thought I had a bad motor on the HWH pump. Then he connected an external battery directly to the motor, bypassing the motorhome circuitry. The motor didn’t run. This doesn’t ensure that we don’t have any other issues, but it confirms the diagnosis of a faulty motor. From the tests I performed earlier, I don’t see any other problems in the system.

The next step was to locate a replacement part. Mike found the part number for the assembly and told me of a couple of possible sources for the motor from nearby RV dealers. I called around, but no one had the motor in stock. I looked online at the HWH site and found the correct part number for the motor to fit my assembly. I did more online searches, but didn’t come up with anything.

I called Paul Maddox, the HWH technician who helped me with the jack solenoid. He’s in Arizona. He said he knew someone who had the motor I needed, but he would have to drive 10 miles to pick it up, then drive another 30 miles to get to a FedEx outlet to ship it. He said I should try to get it from HWH as they could ship overnight. It wouldn’t take any longer to get it from them. He told me the retail price of the motor was $284, and I shouldn’t pay any more than that – he said he’d heard of unscrupulous outfits charging as much as $500 for the part.

I looked on eBay and saw couple of replacement motors priced from $298 to $399. No deals – and I don’t know who the actual manufacturer was. The HWH part is made by Monarch.

Ebay photo of the replacement motor

eBay photo of the replacement motor

I called Mike at West Wind and told him I couldn’t get the motor. He said he would get it from HWH and call me in the morning to confirm.

Mike called me this morning at 9:15 and said the motor was on its way and would be at his shop tomorrow. He told me the cost of the part was $284 plus shipping. We made an appointment for Thursday morning to have it installed.

Newsflash!  I just got a callback from Giant RV in Murrieta. They were one of the dealers I spoke to yesterday. They located a motor and can have it by 3pm today! I called Mike and he was able to cancel the order from HWH. Giant RV will sell me the motor for $276 plus $22 tax. This is surely less expensive than overnight shipping from HWH. I’ll ride the scooter over to Murrieta this afternoon and pick up the part. Mike juggled his schedule and will try to be here by noon tomorrow to install it.

I made one final test. I powered up the HWH system and had Donna hold the generator retract switch. With voltage delivered to the motor, I tapped on the motor housing with a hammer. It ran for a few seconds every time I whacked it and we got the generator slide in. This is the old Chevy starter motor trick. It confirmed the circuit is good, the motor is bad.

Today I want to tidy up some of the wiring I inspected and repair the hook-and-loop fasteners on the front panels, a project I’ve been meaning to get to. I’ll arrange a late checkout from Jojoba Hills. We may not be a day late after all, but I’ll be several hundred dollars short!

Calling Coach-Net

I wonder what will happen next! We have more trouble. After I serviced the generator on Saturday, I left the generator slide open. I was more concerned with cleaning myself up and also allowing the fuel smell to dissipate.

Yesterday, I turned on the HWH hydraulic system and pushed the rocker switch to retract the generator. Nothing happened. No sound, no pump running, no movement of the generator slide. I tried the living room slide switch. Same result, no go.

I started checking ground connections. I looked up front to see if there were any connectors I might have accidentally bumped while I was working on the generator. There isn’t anything associated with the HWH pump up there. I cleaned ground connections anyway.

At that point, it was time to tune in the Charger game.  I was happy to see them win a tough match in Buffalo, but all the while, I was thinking about the HWH problem. I looked up information on the Internet during the Broncos versus Seahawks game. I posted a question on the iRV2.com Alpine Coach forum asking where I would find the HWH control box. One of the members replied, telling me it was behind the front console. I decided to wait until Monday morning to start taking things apart.

This morning I dove into the project.

There's an HWH control box in there somewhere

There’s an HWH control box in there somewhere.

Aha - there it is

Aha – there it is!

I poked around and finally located the control box. I examined connectors. I found the ground lug loose on the control box. I tightened it, thinking I had found the problem. Nope, still no action from the pump.

I broke out my Fluke Digital Multimeter and began the tedious troubleshooting procedure at the hydraulic pump. I started by testing the master relay. This was difficult as the master relay is hidden behind the pump motor. I had to use a mirror to locate the terminals and hook up the meter by feel. I found proper voltage on the terminals there. I checked all of the connectors at the relays and the motor. I re-checked continuity through the grounds. I had Donna operate the switch. I could hear the relay click. I think I have a bad motor.

That’s when I threw my hands up in the air and called Coach – Net. We’re members of their RV Roadside Assistance program. I explained the issue to the customer service girl. She said she would have a technician call me back shortly. An hour later, I called them again. The technician assigned to handle the call, Leonard, said he was just about to call me. He was doing research on the HWH system. I told him I had the HWH troubleshooting guide and told him the tests I’d performed. He said I had already done everything he wanted me to check. The next step was to find a qualified technician in the area who could come out to assist me.

As I was typing this, I got a call from an RV service outfit in Murrieta. Coach – Net had contacted them. I went over the issue with them on the phone. They will call me back to tell me when they can have someone here to help me. Coach – Net pays for the travel time and standard service call. I’ll have to pay for any parts and additional labor to install them.

Stay tuned.