Park Sierra and no Joshua

Park Sierra is an Escapees Park in the Sierra foothills very near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. So after a potluck with all the SKP’s and a day enjoying a very nice RV site we headed off to see Yosemite. Kat hadn’t been there and we were going to go to the park in the car and then later take the big rig across the Sierra’s at Tioga Pass. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. We got stopped at the south entrance to Yosemite because of a snowstorm. I had checked the weather before we came this way knowing the pass closes in the winter. It looked good for a week or more, but somebody forgot to tell somebody ‘cause it was snowing and it was ‘no chains’, ‘no go’.

So we went south!

I have been through Joshua Tree National Park but never got to stop and enjoy it and it looked kind of like something I should do. Yosemite got cancelled so here’s my chance. Wrong answer! Somebody doesn’t want me to see Joshua Tree. At the park entrance and Visitor Center no less, we start having trouble with both the frig and the transmission lube pump on the car. The pump (which allows us to tow with four car wheels down) is blowing fuses and the frig won’t work on LP gas. It starts and runs for a few seconds and then starts burping and farting and we get an error message of “NO FL”, either ‘no flow’ or ‘no flame’. So we tried all day to get things fixed to no avail. We finally made appointments in Phoenix to have things repaired. We did stay at a nice RV park and Daniel at Yucca Valley RV Park in Yucca Valley even gave us a third night free. So if your in Yucca Valley give them a try. Anyway with electricity and no towing were OK and actually we did see Joshua Tree by car before heading out. It is neat and someday I’m going to go boon dock at “Big Rocks’, but not this trip I guess. Too much spoilage in the frig.

So before leaving for Phoenix we try the lube pump after buying and replacing the fuse and talking to Jim at Remco ( Jim was very helpful). He says it sounds like the death rattle for the pump, but if you do get a ‘green’ light its OK to tow. We catch a break and we’re off. The lube pump is hanging in there. We could disconnect the car and drive separately but its 300 miles to Phoenix and that would be the pits! So it’s working and we decide to drive without turning it off until the gas runs out, well almost runs out. We had to fuel up in Quartzsite but the pump was ‘hanging in’ and continued to all the way to Phoenix. And of course the frig was done farting and burping and it was working by now on gas too.

Breakfast at Libby's

It has become almost a tradition for us to stop in Fresno when we’re anywhere near the area to see Libby, our very good, keeping in touch, enjoying the lifestyle, and some day gonna’ join us for a trip, Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife volunteer, RV’ing friend. But I think the term tradition would diminish the fact that she is a real good friend, and, oh by the way, she fixes a really mean (meaning really good) breakfast whenever we stop for a couple of days in her driveway. This time by was no exception. Well, her driveway was a little shorter. Oh that’s right, we have a bigger, better, longer motorhome. BG!