An Overnight in Holbrook

Monday, Nov 27.  We left Santa Fe this morning at 8:30 with a days end destination of Holbrook, Az.  It was a beautiful day for driving, light winds, sunny and the temperature warming up to the low 70s.  I finally started to see some respectable gas mileage in the 11.3 mpg range.  That all changed as we approached Gallup, NM and the forecasted high winds started up.  Soon we were driving into the teeth of 50-60mph gusting west winds and saw the average mileage drop to 9.4 mpg.  At least I know that if the driving conditions are good this truck does have the potential to exceed 10 mpg towing my home away from home.

I have been impressed with the stability of our truck/trailer setup as even with the high gusting winds, either head on or crosswinds, I only experience a very slight buffeting.   I remember my first experience towing a 29' bumper pull trailer with our '09 Ram 1500.  Any crosswinds, or the worst, being passed by a Semi, was like a near death experience.  The wave of wind created would hit our rig and push us to the shoulder and then pull us into the passing lane.  A white knuckle, heart in the throat experience.  Now I don't even know a Semi is there till I catch sight of him over my shoulder.

Last year we drove this way and spent a day visiting the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert so our stay in Holbrook was just going to be an overnighter.  I decided to fill up with gas before we checked in to the OK RV Park ($31 for 30 Amp with Good Sam discount) and since we were just overnighting I didn't unhitch.  I did fill up with diesel at a station just off the interstate and couldn't believe the price.  $3.299 per gallon.  Down the road, in town, it was a more typical $2.78.  What a ripoff.

I did want to mention a change we made this year with respect to our Phone/Internet service while in the US.  In past years we subscribed to US service by way of a Canadian outfit called Roam Mobility.  We paid them a fairly reasonable monthly fee for unlimited Talk/Text within the US or back to Canada.  We additionally subscribed to a Data plan which provided us with a specific amount of GB.  We used our existing iPhones, getting them unblocked by our Canadian service provider and then inserting Roams provided SIM card as we crossed the border.  It all sounded great and very reasonably priced however thats where the positives ended.  Roam only provides online support by way of sketchy chat and emails.  No phone number to talk to a live body.  Coverage is good around major centres although even then there are major dead zones.  When travelling in less populated areas the coverage is pretty much non-existent.  Not great in the event of a breakdown in the middle of nowhere.

This past summer we upgraded our phones to iPhone 6S and found that Bell provided a Canada/US plan that gave us unlimited Talk/Text and 1GB of data with more available for an additional fee.  This applied whether we were in either Canada or US.  The cost was $60 for each of us but on the plus side we didn't need to pay to get our phones unblocked, no SIM cards to lose, no change in phone numbers.  Since we have crossed the border we have driven through ND, SD, NE, KS, NM and now AZ.  Much of the time we are miles from any sort of development and we have always had telephone service and an Internet connection.  Very impressed.  Is the $60 p/m pricier than we what we paid before? Somewhat.  But its nice to know that when you pick up the phone you have service and that if I need to phone Bell I will get through to someone.  After of course, listening to their music playlist for awhile.  I believe Telus has a similar plan.  Rogers and MTS did not when we switched this past summer.

I have had a couple of blog readers ask about the new truck so here is the story.  Upgrading the truck was definitely not in the plan as the 2011 F350 had only 115,000 km and was operating fine.  Only the usual maintenance and it pulled the trailer well enough.  The only downside was the lack of an engine brake.  So why you might ask would we shell out major bucks to upgrade when the 2011 diesel would probably outlast our RVing life.

Well it all started with a flat tire which led to an oil change which led to a new truck.  Pretty straight forward, right.  In September we were getting our car packed up to take Lori's mom back home to Swan River.  Thats when I noticed that one of the tires was real low.  Rather than filling it up and risking it on the 550 km trip we decided to take the truck.  The aforementioned 2011 F350 King Ranch.  Problem was the Oil Change Indicator message had popped up a few days earlier but I figured that it would get us there ok and I could then book an appointment at the Swan River Ford dealer for an oil change.  So when I brought the truck in to the dealer I was sitting in the waiting room drinking my Timmies and minding my own business (for US readers that is a Tim Hortons coffee.  A staple for all Canadians).   The sales manager came by and asked if I wanted to take a new F350 for a test drive.  Now I have great control, do not buy things spontaneously and besides that I knew Lori would nix the purchase in any event.  So I took the keys and drove over to pick up Lori and take it for a spin.  We were very impressed with the ride, the additional power and all the new fangled gadgets.  I took it back and we discussed price and was surprised how my old truck had kept its value and with the Ford Employee pricing, Costco and Loyalty discounts the cash difference wasn't as bad as I thought.  The real kicker for me was that the 2017 F350 now came with an engine brake.  My 2008 Ram 2500 had a Cummins with an engine brake and I fondly remember how it aided in braking when pulling down long mountain grades.   Long story short we didn't buy then but when we got home I started running the numbers and with the new tires and normal maintenance that would be due on the 2011 in the next year the cash difference was starting to look more reasonable all the time.  And after all, its a big NEW truck.  How can any guy say no to that, especially when the little woman is ok with it.  Lori did have one stipulation though.  She had her eye on a Red Kitchen Aide Mixer.  I thought that was fair.

So far we only have 3700 miles on it but like the way it pulls, the engine brake isn't as strong as the one in the Cummins but it certainly helps.  Were a little concerned about the height.  What is it with these manufacturers.  Every new model has to be bigger and higher.  I was already towing nose high and the bed of the 2017 was 2" higher than the 2011 and the bed rails were another inch higher, making it 60' to reach over the side and get something out of the bed of the truck.  Good thing I keep a 2 step folding step ladder permanently in the back of the truck.   We were able to lower the hitch 1" and raised the rear of the trailer by mounting the new axles under, rather than over, the spring pack so we are now almost level and the overall height of the trailer when towing hasn't changed much, if at all.

White is so much easier to keep clean than black. Another plus.

 Bottom line was we didn't need it but I think in the long term it will prove to be a good purchase.  More bells and whistles than I even know how to use yet but the 5 cameras providing a 360 degree view and a view of the truck bed when backing up to hitch up are kind of neat.

Men and their toys!

Next stop Fountain Hills for 3 days and then a short drive over to Gold Canyon.

Pics from Santa fe

Sunday provided a pretty nice sunset so thought I would get these posted before we head out tomorrow morning.  Guess what.  Tomorrow, wind gusts from the south-west, right in our teeth, up to 60 mph.  There goes the gas mileage.

Same pic as yesterday but this one during the day time

Old construction equipment parked all around the RV Park.
Nice vibrant colours. 

Flowering Staghorn Cholla 

There is a not so thin layer of dust on everything.  Even Charli.
All need a good washing when we get to Gold Canyon.

A few more clouds provided a more vibrant sunset.

Good night from Santa fe.  Next stop Arizona.

A short stay in Santa Fe

Friday, Nov 24, turned out to be a great driving day.  Temperature got up to 74F and winds were gusty in spots but pretty light most of the way.  We found the scenery changed considerably during the day.  Starting out the landscape was flat and brown which was a continuation of the previous few days.  As we headed west we started to see the snow capped peaks in the distance and tumbleweeds were replaced by large junipers providing a splash of green.

Lots of flat and brown but some hills with green starting to appear

Now were talking.  Got to wash the windshield. 

We are running 2 GPS.  One is the trucks onboard system and the second is our handheld Garmin 760 RV GPS.  We tend to trust the Garmin more as I updated the maps just before we left and we can enter the height and length of our unit.  It is supposed to keep us from clearance issues.  So far it hasn't failed us but the 2 systems do sometimes offer differing routes.  We have to get in the habit of checking their recommendations against our Rand McNally Road Atlas, paper based, before we depart just to give us the bigger picture of where we are going.

US Military on the move.  Train must have been a couple miles long.

We left on Hwy 412 which, contrary to my previous comments about high highway numbers, was a smooth, divided 4 lane most of the way.  That took us to I25 which was smooth as glass for most of the rest of the trip.  We had booked a reservation for 3 nights at Santa Fe Skies RV Park which is up on a hill south of Santa Fe.  Provides a great view with good hookups and reasonably level gravel parking pads.  We are starting to get to the part of the country where camping fees are rising and with taxes,  our 10% GS discount we were at almost $50 per night.

Got setup, made a shopping list to finally stock the fridge and pantry and headed off to Walmart.  This summer we had purchased an Induction hot plate from Costco for $50.  Between this and our electric roaster purchased in Yuma last year we figure we will seldom use the propane burners or oven in our unit.  The oven is now being used for storage.  Both the hot plate and roaster can be set up outside so we can do our cooking and not heat up the rig.  With induction you have to have compatible cookware for it to work and we thought we were ok till Lori started to prepare dinner.  None of our 4 pots or 4 frying pans work with Induction.  Off to Walmart again however their selection of Induction compatible cookware was pretty limited and we noticed the Santa Fe Outlet Mall was next door and it had a kitchen store.  Off we went and picked up a 10 piece set of pots and frying pans for $50.  All Induction friendly.  Most of our old cookware ended up in the dumpster with a couple of the newer frying pans stored under our bed to be repurposed for the house upon our return.

Our Walmart visit on Black Friday.
Busiest shopping day of the year.
Some low prices on entry level Samsungs but not a lot of people.
News reports on Saturday said in-store sales were down significantly.
Amazon was up 50%.  The trend accelerates.   

I now had the time to fully diagnose our electrical issues.  On Thursday night when we were parked in Clayton I had turned on the radio, which runs of the 12 Vdc system.  No power.  A light went off in my head and I immediately knew what the problem was.  Remember from my earlier post when I found 2 15 Amp fuses were blown.  Turns out that when the service guys at the dealership had taken my old battery out to charge it they crossed the wires when they reinstalled the battery, reversing the polarity.  That results in blown fuses in the main fuse panel, 2 blown 40 Amp fuses in the Power Converter and a blown fuse in the back of the radio.  You might ask how I know that all these fuses would blow.  Cause a couple years ago I took the battery out to charge it and when I returned it to the battery box I crossed the wires.  I was so mad at myself, thinking only a complete moron would do something so stupid.  Turns out that I'm not the only moron out there.  In fact the Converter has those 2 40 Amp fuses for exactly that reason.  When someone reverses the polarity on the battery hookup the fuses blow and not the converter or the entire 12 Vdc system.  I removed the radio that is mounted in the slide wall, replaced the fuse, then emptied our basement, removed a wall panel, dug through the mass of wires and found the 2 fuses and replaced them.  Luckily I had spare fuses so no trip to an RV repair shop was required.  Good thing as those 40 Amp fuses can be hard to find.   We now have power and I have a nice new battery charger.  Probably a good addition to my growing collection of tools that stay in the trailer.

Saturday was a beautiful day and we spent the afternoon sitting in the sun reading and taking in the rays.  Sunday is a little cooler with a north wind but still pleasant outside.  We may take an exploratory drive around Santa Fe or perhaps not.  NFL is on TV and still have a few odd jobs around the trailer so we may not venture too far.  One positive about being in RV Parks that are mostly empty is that the Wifi, which is usually spotty at best, has been great.

Cottontails everywhere.  Had to keep a tight grip on Charli's leash.

The view from our RV Park at dusk.

Thats us just inside the gate.

Not the best southwest sunset but still some nice colours.  

Monday is a driving day to Holbrook, Az and then we have booked a 3 day stay in Fountain Hills, AZ.  That will leave us a short 90 minute drive to Gold Canyon where we will be stationary for 4 months.