One More for the Road…

Once back in Ventura, the repairs at Barker RV go more smoothly than I have anticipated.   The new “beefier” frame rail extensions have arrived from Winnebago Industries in Forest City, Iowa, and it takes just four hours of labor to make the switch.  They are shorter than I would have thought, at around four feet long.    Justin, the Manager of Service invites me out to view the Winnie’s “belly work” while she’s up on the rack.    Once again, I marvel at the consequences averted, as the hitch pulling the Tracker, along with the holding tanks had been riding on one bolt.  The remaining bolts were still attached to the strips of sheered metal.

Up on "the rack"

Up on “the rack”

The dastardly frame rail extensions. I thought they would be longer...

The dastardly frame rail extensions. I thought they would be longer…

This one is only torn. The other one had this section still bolted to the hitch.

This one is only torn. The other one had this section still bolted to the hitch.

I decide to have a new braking system installed while there.  Although I have never had any problems with the Brake Buddy that came as a package deal when I bought the Winnie and the Tracker, Winnebago does not recommend “surge type” brakes.  And I will do just about anything to insure this is one experience I never repeat!    I opt for the SMI Stay In Play on the endorsement of Jim, my Consumer Products Advisor.   Although the install does not go as seamlessly as I had hoped, mostly due to some wiring issues, I do enjoy no longer having to set up the Brake Buddy each time I hitch and unhitch.

Meanwhile, after two full days nervously pacing in the Service waiting room, I laid tracks out of the Barber RV Service Bay at 5:00pm on a Thursday afternoon, thrilled to once again be back on the road.  It’s only been three weeks, but it has seemed like three months.   One gives up creature comforts to live in a home the size of a postage stamp in exchange for having wheels beneath that home.   When those wheels are involuntarily stuck, then the constraints of nomadic living no longer feel like a voluntary sacrifice.

In the end, the repairs were a whole lot less traumatic than finding the solution.  Pity, as it didn’t have to be that way, but I am just grateful to have it behind me, and grateful to those who stepped up to assist.   One of my favorite quotes of all time, “Responsible is not who did it.  ‘Responsible’ is who will fix it.”

If it had to happen, I am so grateful it happened like it did.  The couple who ran the Mountain View RV Park in Santa Paula could not have been nicer, going out of their way to move site assignments around to find a place for me as I continued to extend my stay.  They were an interesting couple…think Peg Bundy meets Bill Bryson, her with gold lame’ pants and fingernail extensions to match, and he with tales of climbing Mt Whitney and Mt Shasta, they made for days of much needed distraction.

I also have many “guardian angels” to thank for getting me through it all.  Nina for lighting a fire under my social media campaign, Malia for spreading the love, and Contessa for being my media consultant.  😉   I am grateful for Justin at BarberRV Ventura for putting up with my pestering for two weeks, and last but certainly NEVER least, to Winnebago Industries for stepping up to help find a solution “to both parties satisfaction.”  😉

So before I go, let’s open up the skylight on my Chevy Cruze rental, roll down the windows, crank up some Frank on “Siriusly Sinatra” satellite radio, and come along with me for my absolute favorite part of my long weekend getaway…the drive up Highway 1.

“ So, thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn’t mind my bendin’ your ear
This torch that I found must be drowned or it soon might explode
So, make it one for my baby and one more for the road
That long, long road…”

The coastal road starts out somewhat flat near San Simeon. This is the last of the sunshine I will see...

The coastal road starts out somewhat flat near San Simeon. This is the last of the sunshine I will see…

Unfortunately, "May Gray" is with me for my entire Hwy 1 road trip.

Unfortunately, “May Gray” is with me for my entire Hwy 1 road trip.

Elephant Seal rookery north of San Simeon

Elephant Seal rookery north of San Simeon. They have hauled out to molt, grow new skin and fur which cannot be done in the water.

The northern elephant seal is the largest seal in the northern hemisphere and the second largest seal in the world

The northern elephant seal is the largest seal in the northern hemisphere and the second largest seal in the world

Only the older males have the long elephant trunk nose. These are females and juveniles.

Only the older males have the long elephant trunk nose. These are females and juveniles.

Marine layer rolls in...

Marine layer rolls in…

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The road begins to climb as I enter the Big Sur stretch.

The road begins to climb as I enter the Big Sur stretch.

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It’s quite a thrill to be driving this road, something I have wanted to do for years.

I'm just glad to be driving it in a rental car, and not the Winnie towing the Tracker with a busted hitch!

I’m just glad to be driving it in a rental car, and not the Winnie towing the Tracker with a busted hitch!

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The road gets more beautiful the further north I go...

The road gets more beautiful the further north I go…

Hard to tell with poor light, but there is a natural arch in the rock in lower right third.

Hard to tell with poor light, but there is a natural arch in the rock in lower right third.

Big Sur Bakery. Good coffee, but you've got to get there early for the sweet treats.

Big Sur Bakery. Good coffee, but you’ve got to get there early for the sweet treats.

See that tiny light on the right of the rock? That is Point Sur Lighthouse, only accessible by guided tour. . Sadly, my timing was not good.

See that tiny light on the right of the rock? That is Point Sur Lighthouse, only accessible by guided tour. . Sadly, my timing was not good.

Bixby Creek Bridge, a reinforced concrete arch with a 320-foot span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge

Bixby Creek Bridge, a reinforced concrete arch with a 320-foot span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge

A skylight selfie (I am stopped on the bridge for one lane construction traffic.)

A skylight selfie (I am stopped on the bridge for one lane construction traffic.)

A short hike in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

A short hike in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Stunning McWay Falls, an 80 ft waterfall that only hits the ocean at high tide.

Stunning McWay Falls, an 80 ft waterfall that only hits the ocean at high tide.

Tide is rolling in...

Tide is rolling in…

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17 thoughts on “One More for the Road…

  1. What a pleasant ending to something which could have ended in disaster.

    Enjoy your ride with better frame and brakes….both are of major importance.

    Crank up the volume and listen to Frank sing your one more for the road.

  2. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I did not sufficiently suck in the splendor of that road the times that we drove it. I was new to California, and now, almost thirty years later, I long to see it again, and drink in the beauty – even in the fog. It makes its own kind of lovely!

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

  3. Congrats on getting it all fixed and behind you. It must feel like a great weight has been lifted.
    And now (with credits to JJ Cale), you got that green light baby, and now you can be movin on.

  4. So glad this is all behind you now Suzanne and that you averted what could have been a disaster. I would love to take that ride up Hwy 1 in a convertible some day. Even with the ‘May Gray’ it had to be a wonderful de-stressing experience. Nothin’ but fun from here on out! We ‘take to the highway’ on Sunday…yay!

  5. So glad that ordeal is over, and that you weren’t driving the curvy Hwy 1 towing. I love that drive and haven’t done the North to South entire route in decades. If I ever retire I’ll get back to the PNW during summer.

  6. Well, I’m so tired of crying
    But I’m out on the road again
    I’m on the road again
    Well, I’m so tired of crying
    But I’m out on the road again
    I’m on the road again.

    Canned Heat

  7. ahhhh. All is well that ends well, I guess, and that drive up Highway 1 could heal just about any trauma. Loved riding along with you on that ending to your story.

  8. John W. reminded me to check on your posts on your frame extension ordeal. It’s nice to see you have resolved it and are again on your way. And thanks for the pictures: I went right out, crawled underneath my View and did some checking (all ok). Good luck to you going forward.

  9. I see you posted this on the eve of the Sherpa fire just north of Santa Barbara. Assuming you’re on the move northwards I hope you made it through the Hwy101 closures.

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