3-11-2023

3-11-2023 Alder Lake 

First run of the year.  Gotta make sure everything works and nothing fell off over the winter. We arrived last night an hour after dusk and the gates were closed.  That’s new.  We drove over to the horse camp near Ashford.   (Sahara Creek I think?)  Every site has a sign that says by reservation only.  That’s new.  The place was empty and I figured… whatever.  Set up camp, turn on the water and there’s a giant leak behind the toilet.  So I pull out my tools and tear apart the toilet.  Turns out the water valve had water in it over the winter, froze, and burst.  Great.   

The very first entry in Grandpa’s camping log after we inherited the camper is mom complaining about dad delaying going out because he was fixing the toilet.  Mom didn’t understand what the delay was about.  Dad didn’t want to leave until the toilet was fixed.  

I understand the problem.  The water system wont pressurize.  It’s dumping water all over the bathroom when the pump is on, so no water.  It’s a dry camp.  No water.  Also, no bathroom facilities.  It’s 30 degrees, and it’s snowing. We have the catalytic heater, which works great, but it shouldn’t be ran when we are asleep.  I brought an electric heater, but no hookups.  

We went home.  I found the part at Kent RV and we were ready to try again this morning by 10am.  We drove back to Alder Lake, arrived before the gate closed, and are finally camping.

The lake is way down.  Farther than I’ve seen it in a long time.  There are deer tracks in the mud at the lake edge, and either a really big dog, or a wolf following.  

I installed air bags on the truck (Firestone Reds) last month.  What an amazing difference. The ride is so much more smooth.  It used to by pretty jarring when the road was even a tiny bit uneven.  It’s not glass smooth, but so much better.  

3-12-23 Alder Lake

Found another non-plumbing leak.  The passenger rear side clearance light pulled away from the camper just enough to allow a leak inside where the wires pass through.  I know I’ve been saying it’s time to replace the camper, but really… it’s time to replace the camper.  Problem is, everything that’s worth buying is $30,000 minimum.   Kent RV had a 2021 Adventure for $50,000 last week!