Leaving Arizona...California or Bust!!

This post will be a how “NOT” to…but we learned two very valuable life lessons in the process.

We started the day in the J & H RV Park in Flagstaff, AZ. Our trip plan for the day included a journey of about 350 miles. So we wanted to get started early. So we did everything necessary to pull in the slide. Then I worked inside to ready the 5er for the road, while Sal did all the outside tasks. But that’s where the plan went wrong…

We did not have a long enough hose to dump the tanks without moving the rig back a bit (that’s an issue which will be corrected on the first shopping trip). So Sal decided to position the truck to hook up. He backed close to the hitch, and got out of the truck to check height alignment. Now, this is something that I normally do for him. But in the interest of time he decided he could do it himself, while I finished the inside chores.

The next thing I knew I heard, and felt, a big thud. As Sal exited the truck to check the alignment, his foot slipped off the running board of the truck. He grabbed the steering wheel in an attempt to prevent a fall. Somehow he caught the gear shift and moved it out of park (this is where it gets fuzzy, as you can’t get the truck out of park without having your foot on the brake). Anyway, truck slammed into the 5er with the truck tailgate down, Sal ended up on his back on the ground, and I got rocked around in the 5er.

Long story short, only a minor dent in the front of the 5er, and some misalignment to the tailgate on the truck. And oh such nice RV’ers in J & H! The couples next door and across the road immediately came to help Sal off the ground. While one came to the door of the 5er to make sure I was ok. The guys went to work on the tailgate, and before either of us could regain our wits, they had it opening and closing better than before the incident.

We were on the road by about 9:30, headed for CA. The day was hot and getting hotter with every mile. By the time we hit the CA border in Needles, the outside temp was 117. Yes, I said 117!!! We were scheduled to stay in an RV Park in Hesperia in the Mojave Desert. More to come later on that issue…

We stopped for gas just outside Havasu City, and the next hammer fell. I had been driving. So I pulled into the gas station. Just as a side note, this was a station out in the middle of nowhere in the desert. There were boaters of all kinds, as well as regular cars, pulling off to fill up. So there was a line from the gas station all the way up the on ramp and onto the freeway.

I started to pull my keys from the ignition, and Sal said leave your keys and I’ll move it after I’ve filled up. So out of the trucked I went, accidentally hitting the lock button on the way. So now his keys, my keys, both our cell phones, both his wallet and my purse are safely locked in the truck. Yes, we have Good Sam Emergency Road Service. But you can’t call if you don’t know the number!

A very nice couple from South Pasadena offered to loan us a cell phone. But when they learned that we didn’t know the number of our road service, they volunteered to call AAA and wait with us until they arrived. Guess what?
AAA said it would be 85 minutes before they could get there. So next we called 800 info, and acquired the number for what should have been Good Sam Emergency Road Service. Instead, it was the main number for Good Sam, and since it was Sunday, they were closed. (I’ll take that up with Good Sam today).

Another long story shortened, someone suggested that we go to the other gas station, on the other side of the freeway to acquire a slim jim. So the lady from Pasadena jumped in her car and said, “Let’s go get one.” Yes, they are illegal, but we were able to purchase one. Then back to the rig; Sal tried to open the truck, but wasn’t having much luck. By that time we’d gained quite an audience. So we said to everyone in general, “If you know how to use this thing, we’d appreciate your help.” Up stepped a young man who said he might be able to help. Needless to say, we did not ask how he knew how to use the slim jim!

He began working on the lock, while three of his friends went to the other side of the truck and watched the movement of the door handle through the window. They guided his movements by what they saw and in just a few seconds we had an unlocked truck.

I need to cut this post short, so will just say that we’d definitely had enough of the heat and the desert. So when we got back on the road we bypassed Hesperia, and headed for the beach. It was a very long day, as we did not arrive in Ventura, CA
until 10:30PM. But we are sitting in the Ventura Beach RV Park, and oh how sweet are the ocean breezes. We’ll be here three nights, as Sal’s brother lives nearby, and we’re only 15 miles from where I grew up. So we’ll be spending quality time with family, and doing some sight seeing (we’re already amazed at how much has changed since our last visit).

Thanks for following along, and feel free to take our hard learned lessons as your own. NEVER HOOK UP ALONE & KEEP YOUR KEY’S IN YOUR POCKET !!!!!
Fay