We made the transition from Idaho to Arizona uneventfully for the most part. We sat in Idaho this summer for longer than we have sat in one spot for several years, and as a result the moving thing took a little more effort to remember exactly what to do and when. We started cleaning up and working maintenance procedures for various systems a few weeks prior to departure... grease truck and trailer suspensions - check, inspect brakes, shocks and springs - check, torque wheel lugs - check, inflate wheels and install tire pressure sensors - check, clean, inspect and lubricate slide outs and hydraulic jack mechanisms - check, change the truck oil, oil filter, two diesel filters, and transmission fluid - check. Then of course there is all the cleaning and packing up of things that have been outside the coach; such as bicycles, kayaks, gas grill and camp stove, etc. All went pretty smoothly until the day before departure...
We turned on our tire pressure monitor Thursday, the day prior to our planned departure from Idaho, and then we saw it. We had a tire on the truck reading half pressure, about 50 psi. We normally run around 100 psi. Of course it couldn't be just any tire, it was an inside dual on the rear, making the tire much more difficult to deal with. We went outside immediately that morning and started to inspect the tire. Steve got out the tire pick and pried every single stone out of the 19" tire, while Gari moved the truck up a few inches at the time. We thought that we found a staple in a crack of the tread. We cut it off with cutter pliers and aired the tire back up to 100 psi. After about an hour we tested the pressure again and it was down about 5 psi. So we thought for sure that the tire was leaking air. We scrambled to find someone who could repair a puncture... on a Ram 5500. This truck is 11,000 lbs and does not have a jack. Long story short, we made an unplanned drive into Idaho Falls 50 miles away, only to find that there was no leak! Our only conclusion is that the pressure sensor we installed on the valve stem was not seated just right and there was a very slow leak. We have yet to find a certain explanation as to why we measured 5 psi lower after waiting an hour, because we didn't replace the pressure sensor at that time. Nevertheless, that was the biggest event in the entire trip and for that we are very thankful!
Gari getting set up in Arizona. It is much easier to wash the bugs off of the front cap in the first couple of days after arrival. If we wait for a week or more the bugs tend to dry out and turn into concrete which is much more difficult to remove.
Our first rest stop after departing Swan Valley and Buck's RV Park was at the rest stop called Massacre Rocks. Sounds brutal huh? The rest stop is near Pocatello, Idaho just east of a State Park named Massacre Rocks. Massacre Rocks State Park is located right along the Snake River. It contains a configuration of boulders along the
south bank of the Snake, known alternatively as Massacre Rocks, "Gate
of Death," or "Devil's Gate."
Massacre Rocks was a well-known site on the Oregon Trail and California
Trail during the mid-19th century. Immigrants gave the name Massacre
Rocks to the trail's narrow passage through the rocks. The name stemmed
from the fear of a possible ambush by Indians. The pages of some immigrants' diaries indicate that settlers in five
wagons clashed with the Shoshoni just east of the rocks, on August 9 and
10, 1862. The fight involved four wagon trains; 10 immigrants died in
the fighting. Geologically the park was created during the repeated volcanic activity
on the Snake River Plain. The rocks were deposited in their present
location at the end of the last ice age some 14,500 years ago, during
the catastrophic deluge known as the Bonneville Flood, when most of Lake
Bonneville surged down the Snake River. The rocks are all that is left of an extinct volcano; they were often
used as campsite for wagon trains along the trail. Many of the
immigrants carved their names and dates on the rock face, which is now
called Register Rock and is protected by a shelter. The passage through
the rocks is now the route of Interstate 86 along the south edge of the
park. All we saw this time at the rest stop was the giant electric producing windmills.
We were up early the next morning (Saturday) and back out on Rt 93 south.... starting to see some Yucca in the shot below.
Magnificent scenery down there through the canyon and some very high winds from time to time!
Look there's another wind farm... not a single wind turbine was turning. 
Our third and last day was an easy 200 mile drive, which is about the distance we normally plan for a one day drive. That is about a 4 hour day and that's plenty when you are retired. We enjoyed a nice leisurely cup of premium coffee that was gifted to us by our dear friends Chad and Rebekah, and then we were back on our way. Normally we don't drink coffee on a travel day, but we couldn't resist this tasty roast! The shot below is coming into Kingman, AZ.
Entering the Giant Spur roundabout in Wickenburg, AZ
Hi guys. We sure are envious watching you take the same trail south as we usually take when going north. We love travelling on 93 with no trafic and rustic scenery the whole route. Glad to see you are in warmer temps. As for us we are entering another stretch of winter weather and with the border still closed we can only hope things are better next year at this time. Hugs to you both and stay safe and healthy.......gvk
ReplyDeleteWe will certainly miss seeing you both down south this winter. Stay healthy and safe and we will see you next year. Lots of hugs to keep you both warm this winter.
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