No more dirty, greasy Dave photos, no more engine parts photos. Beluga started and ran perfectly at the campground. A few days after that test we broke camp and drove her down the highway, you know, to "make sure".
No hesitation, no overheating.....yay! But, Dave didn't like the way the alternator was performing. Nothing dramatic, just not the way the gauge usually reads. Do we ignore it and assume it will be fine - or do we change it out? You know what Dave did, don't you. We got settled back in our Northern Quest Casino RV Park site and Dave ordered a new alternator. Back underneath Beluga, on the super hot blacktop, in the 100 degree heat, folding himself into very unnatural positons in very cramped spaces, in those same filthy, greasy coveralls. This fix wasn't as difficult, or complicated as the water pump and we were able to pick up the new alternator the next day.
No more test drives. We left Spokane yesterday morning and arrived at our next stop (Blue Valley RV Park) in Walla Walla, Washington without mishap and in fine shape. Needless to say we all slept well last night.
This is a very nice and well kept park a short way from the sweet downtown area, filled with good restaurants and wine tasting rooms. The sites are ample and paved. We're parked in a busier area of the campground than we (I) would normally pick, but when we pulled in yesterday the check in woman suggested we take this spot because it would give us shade on our patio side. I'm grateful for her thoughtfulness in selecting this site, it's still WAY hot outside and shade is worth it's weight in gold. We'll be here for 9 days before continuing on our way.
We spent our last week or so in Spokane working on Beluga, visiting and eating with Jesse and Erin, catching up with friends Allison and Jim and just generally getting ready to move again after sitting still for close to two months. Laundry, cleaning, stocking the refrigerator, getting some new glasses, finishing up Lew's acupunture treatments, etc., etc.... In retrospect, I don't think the acupuncture did a lot for Lewis.....maybe a bit more flexible? He enjoyed them (they treated him with freeze dried liver bits AND freeze dried minnows!) and they did no harm so I guess that's good enough.
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| he enjoys killing his purple "fish" outside in the cooler evenings |
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| Dear ones at one of our Anniversary dinners |
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| Dave and Molly have a "moment" (dont' tell Lew) |
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| they think we don't see them sneaking fries from the oven..... |
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| Erin can't wait to try the mussels from Steve and MonaLiza |
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| Molly performs the preliminary dish washing |
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| Sky Way Cafe at Felt's Field airport |
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| Dave waits for Allison and Jim to board |
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| Oh Dave, we see you...... |
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| Jim and Dave watch a Piper Aztec |
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| one of 4 B-52's that overflew the campground one weekend |
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| Imagine our surprise when this neighbor arrived across from us! |
So, today we're all just taking it easy and relaxing. Watching drag racing on TV, snoozing...... Exploration and some wine tastings are on deck for the week ahead. Stay tuned.
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| Zzzzzz |
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Ooohhh...I see what you mean about the shades in Beluga. Hope this heat lifts for you guys and moderate temperatures resume. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, Lew knows the real deal ...take a nap. Not much you can do about Mother Nature sometimes. CindyP
ReplyDeleteI don't think this heat will abait until we reach higher temperatures - or fall arrives! No matter, it's summer and I guess it should be hot. You're right, can't argue with Mother Nature so we'll just go with it and complain!
DeleteHad to laugh as I was watching the Funny Cars drag racing when it was interrupted with not one but 3 tornado warnings! it's past now, Fran is at the concert while I get to clean up :( Mother Nature - never trust the ol' gal!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Walla Walla, spent some of college days in Ellensburg, it was all apples back then. Would sure like to see it now :) Let us know where you find the best wines!
The weather there looks (looked) pretty volatile! So many winery choices here, I'm surprised! I haven't even checked any of them out yet, too much on our minds lately I guess! Any favorites of yours to look for?
DeleteNice to know you guys are back up and running--I've said it before, it's great to have a mechanic on board! Yes, it's hot and complain we do but fall is on the way in Montana. Love the Dave and Molly photo!
ReplyDeleteWhat would we do without them? On so many levels....When do you head back to Arizona? Hope to see you this winter.
DeleteLiver bits and minnows? That is a new one to me! Glad to hear that your rig is back to full health and you are able to relax and sleep at night!
ReplyDeleteI've seen freeze dried liver treats but the freeze dried whole minnows (with eyes!) was a new one to me also! Lew loved them.....
DeleteWhew!! I know it was great to get that first pull out and away over with. Of course Dave made it all as good as new though. OMG that pic of him and Molly is priceless. The Walla Walla park looks nice. I'm ready for some clean open sky parks but also grateful for the shade we've had during the hotter days. I wondered if the acupuncture made much difference but as you said they didn't hurt and there were the tasty treats :-)))
ReplyDeleteYes, it was great to get back on the road again....each time one of those "events" happen they cause a tiny wrinkle in our confidence! Who needs more wrinkles! Has Tessa ever eaten freeze dried minnows?
DeleteThe Incubators out at the airport are pretty cool. WW is growing vintners by giving them reduced rental rates for 5 or 6 years. We enjoyed the scenery out at the Pepper Bridge winery. It's a lovely area. We always enjoyed that park, except for the year that there was a transformer whining (loudly) all of the time. It was good seeing you two!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoyed our "yearly" visit with you and Jim very much! There are so many wineries here it will be hard to winnow them down to just a few - we'll put Pepper Bridge on the list.
DeleteIt's Gay...So happy to read you are all fixed and back on the road again. Love the family photos and agree the picture of Dave and Molly in the kitchen is priceless...we will never tell Lew. Lewis is such a champ and I'm happy he had such yummy treats. I have never heard of freeze dried liver bits or minnows.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that the test ride went well and Dave only had a "minor" repair. You certainly had a fun couple months with Jesse, Erin, and Molly. I'm sure Molly was loving the extra attention. We definitely will not mention this to Lew. Good to see Lew is still trying to kill the purple fish! Enjoy Walla Wallla. It will be interesting to see what you find.
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