Ups and Downs

Well every trip has to have a few bumps in the road. For us, that hit in Oregon. We had planned to stop in La Grande, OR for a night to break up a drive. When we were ready to roll the next day we discovered the RV had other plans.  The entry steps would not retract no matter what we did.  We had learned they were malfunctioning the day before when we realized we actually had driven with them out for a while on the highway! Too funny. The steps have a built in safety that is supposed to retract them automatically whenever the RV engine is running...apparently that didn't happen.  We had fixed it the night before and kind of laughed it off. Now they were stuck out. Pete managed to fix it after a while but they were working sporadically.  Just when we think one problem is fixed, another popped up. The slide out on the dine out pulled in, but made a horrible noise. When we tried to put it back out it was clear something wasn't right.

Good thing Peter bought an RV that was still under warranty. We called Forest River and set the wheels in motion to get things fixed. But we wanted to keep moving. We headed up to Washington and hoped they would put us in touch with a repair shop along the way. That's when we learned fixing an RV and getting parts is not quite the same as fixing your car. There are limited places that can do it and summer is their busy time. Parts can take 2-3 weeks to ship and the shops themselves are booked 2-3 weeks out.

Since all of our problems were convenience and not safety related we decided to keep on moving and set up a shop in Kalispell, MT for the week of Aug. 3rd when we will be visiting with my family at Flathead Lake Lodge and wouldn't be in the RV anyway.  Onward to Washington!

We stayed at a beautiful resort in Kennawich, WA. Pete took the RV in to have it evaluated so we'd have the right parts ordered for Kalispell. Good thing there was a pool because the heat wave that started in Boise continued on with temps topping 106 degrees.  

Moved on to Seattle and then Ferndale, WA where we were trying to plan our trip to Vancouver and Tofino on Vancouver Island. We were learning that taking the RV across the boarder and then on the ferry to Tofino may not be the best option.  Campgrounds on the island were booked,spots on the ferry for RVs were limited and costly, gas for the RV was going to be very expensive and if we did find a provincial park with an RV site on a first-come, first-served basis we wouldn't have any mobility. We decided to rent a car and leave the RV...but where?

We were lucky to meet Gary and Sally Lynch who worked at the RV park and live in Ferndale. They offered to let us park the RV at their house for the week!  I have been more and more amazed at the kindness and hospitality bestowed  upon us by total strangers. What an amazing offer. We left the RV with our new friends and set off in our rental car to explore Vancouver and Tofino!

 Thank you Gary and Sally!

Gary and Sally Lynch, Ferndale, WA!