Leaving Ephrata Elks, PA we had the best of intentions to make an early drive to our next destination,
Frederick Elks Lodge in Maryland. Packed up early, got on the road, and all was going well the first hour or so then a loud noise. Couldn't ignore the fact that something had broken. Being only 10 miles from the good sized town of York, PA, Paul made a few calls and we found a truck mechanic who would look at the engine and see what was wrong. It didn't take long to find a broken exhaust hose. It would take about an hour or two to repair so I took the laundry and found a great Laundromat down the street. By the time I was done so was the RV. We and a tasty lunch at a burrito place right across the street then off we went once more. But, the hose popped again about 10 miles south so we returned to the shop, this time they ordered a new part, got it on and we were on our way again. Whew!
It was late and rainy when we got to Frederick, Md. a beautiful Elks Lodge with three water and electric site in the parking lot. Perfect for us. Our plan was to leave the RV for 2 nights and take Foster with us to Baltimore, only 50 miles east, for a weekend with our nephew Wesley and his family. Little Harvey Marcus had just returned from a cross country trip to California. At one year old he's chalked up many an air mile visiting family and friends.
Nothing better than a darling and very happy little one year old Great Nephew!
The weather was pleasant and a little cool but perfect for walks around he neighborhood with Wesley. Alena works the night shift at the hospital so she was out of the house by 6pm that first evening.
Harvey kept us entertained all weekend! Our time spent with them is so precious, we didn't need to do any sightseeing, just hanging out at home was perfect. We did pack up and drive over to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, a great local market with lots of fantastic apples... names of some I've never heard before. Alena slept till mid day Saturday and then turned her body clock back to a more normal schedule for the rest of the weekend. Wes and Alena went out late Saturday to visit a friend and we got "Harvey Duty", a pretty easy task since they put him down before they left.
Sunday was gorgeous, another walk in the neighborhood then back to the house for some gardening time and a visit from Harvey's nanny.
Foster found his quiet garden spot to watch it all.
My favorite photo...like father, like son
His is the most delightful baby ever. Happy temperament and always a beautiful smile.
The weekend went quickly and by 4 on Sunday it was time for hugs and good byes. We returned to the Frederick Elks Lodge for one more night.
By morning the rain had come in. We packed up and were all set to go except the SAAB just wouldn't start as Paul was ready to put it on the dolly. After trying to problem solve it, he called for a tow truck with AAA. There was a SAAB mechanic nearby so off we went. It needed a new battery cable and after talking through other options we had the cable replaced, got the car on the dolly and once again, we were ready to move on. Our destination was about 150 miles south on I-81 but just as we left Frederick we knew something was terribly wrong now with the RV motor. We were on the 3 lane Interstate 70 and it would only reach a speed of about 30 mph as we headed up a bit of a hill. Crazy, for sure, no place to pull off and no off ramps for almost 20 miles. Paul was so patient and just kept us going slowly up the hill as I did some frantic looking for a truck repair shop we might be able to call. We FINALLY made it into the town of Hagerstown and a truck repair shop. The guy there thought it might need an air filter so we tried that but it didn't really do anything for us. By now it was about 3pm and we decided to keep going a little further south to the Camping World in Winchester, VA., maybe they could help. We got there about an hour before closing and discovered that they do repairs to the interiors only on RVs and we needed help from the Ford dealership down the road; but we could park for free in their lot, with water and electric hookups. That was such a blessing! We parked, went to dinner at a nearby steak house and then came back to start making phone calls. What a day!!! I guess it's really true; when it rains it pours, and we sure were getting a shower full of engine troubles.
Up early on Tuesday, we headed off to the Ford dealer in town but what a waste of time. They wouldn't address the main concern we had without checking out everything else they saw needing attention. After two hours of talking, Paul had had enough. He called another mechanic in the town who worked on mufflers, a small independent guy. He had just the right part, a catalytic converter, and he had the time to repair it for us. Ahhhh, fantastic!!! By 2pm we were back on the road and moving at a great speed. But PK was still worried about the transmission and the brakes so our next stop was Woodstock, VA. to a transmission expert, and what an expert!!! Bill's Transmission and Auto Repair. He also thought he could help us so we drove out to his shop. a few miles from town. He is not only an outstanding mechanic but also a cattle farmer. With his shop on his ranch he told us we could park in the lot and stay in the RV while he worked us into his schedule. Here's the view of the shop.
The views from our motorhome were just gorgeous. Foster and I walked the dirt roads and I did some errands in Woodstock each afternoon. By Friday afternoon we were all repaired, the transmission was OK after all and he had worked on the brakes, relaxing a couple brake lines. He'd figured out the alternator was sending out a false signal to the speed sensor in the transmission so we replaced the alternator and the main belt. Now we were good to go. We'd made such a nice friendship while staying on their property, we took Bill and his wife out to dinner Friday night at the wonderful Spring House Tavern in town.
Woodstock is a darling small little town in Shenandoah County, with a population about 5,600. It dates back to 1761 with a courthouse designed by Thomas Jefferson and the oldest courthouse still in use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The town now has a newer WalMart section with the usual chains for fast food but the little old downtown still had so much character.
So, after a week filled with one mechanic shop after another we finally felt like maybe we'd solved some of the nagging issues we'd been having the last few months. We're keeping our fingers crossed that we'll be repair-free for a while; just when I think we're done with major expenditures along come things like this. But, we realize our life on the road isn't much different from living in a home with it's constant repair needs and replacement parts. The gift in it all, are the people we meet who help us out along the way. So many wonderful, caring and talented individuals, often doing more for us than they charge us.
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