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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sleeping with the Big Boys!

IMG_5911For the first time in my fulltiming journey, I’m spending the night at a truck stop!  And definitely not by choice!  I know lots of people do it to save a few bucks, but I’m here to tell you that this is culture shock for me.  I have always felt most comfortable in a campground when I’m traveling down the road.  I’ve also always felt like a behemoth going down the road, but compared to my neighbors I’m a pipsqueak.

So, here’s how I got here at the Love’s Truck Stop in Ontario, Oregon.  Emma and I left Malheur NWR right on schedule at 9:00 this morning with a destination of a campground fairly close to the repair facility in Nampa, Idaho.  As I plugged ‘Jack in the Box’ in, he wanted me to go 13 miles down an incredibly dusty gravel road.  I had decided to ignore him since I didn’t want every nook and cranny of the rig and toad to be clogged with very fine road dust.  My plan was to add a few miles to the journey, but to remain on paved roads.  As I turned right when he wanted me to turn left, he went into recalculating overdrive and told me trucks were prohibited on the route I was taking!  Not so, mate.  I was familiar with the beginning of my route so I tried to ignore him, but eventually I had to shut the GPS off as he continually told me to turn places where there was no road.  :)  Once I got to Burns, I turned him on again, and he was much more reasonable.  I headed East on US 20 towards Idaho, and that’s when the fun (?) began.

I had about 120 miles on US 20 through some of the most uninhabited terrain that I have encountered.  It was reminiscent of West Texas on I-10, except there were no road kills to count or windmills.  :)  Instead, there were a few mountains (around 4500’) to contend with.  As I was rolling along, I noticed that the engine heat gauge kept going up!  Ugh!  I had checked the coolant level before I left and topped it off.  Funny thing was, when I had to climb the mountain grades, the temp would drop back down to normal.  I was getting pretty nervous about this since I was sure I wouldn’t have any cell reception to call for help.  The hot engine alarm went off twice as I was driving, and as soon as I could, I pulled over to cool off the motor.  US 20 is a two lane road with no shoulder to speak of, and a definite drop off on the side of the road.  I tried eating lunch, but things didn’t settle too well since I was worried about the overheating. I checked the coolant level, and it was good.  Eventually, I limped into the Love’s Truck Stop in Ontario just in the nick of time.  Earlier, if I slowed way down, the temp would decrease, but it had gotten to the point where it wasn’t doing that any longer.  :(

I parked back in the trucker’s lot and went to see if there were any repair services here.  There weren’t.  So, I called my Emergency Road Service for help.  Since it was Sunday, they suggested that I spend the night at Love’s, and will arrange for a tow job in the morning to a facility that can service my Workhorse. 

I then went in to verify that it would be okay for me to spend the night in the parking lot, and they said yes.  I told them where I was parked, and that I had heard that trucker’s don’t always like motorhomes in their area.  An obvious truck driver was behind me in line, and he said “Tough with them!  Just don’t go dancing around naked in the parking lot!”   I told him I’d try not to do that, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do!  :)

So that’s how I ended up boon docking tonight in a truck stop!  It’s something I hoped never to do, but it sure beats being broken down out in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception.  I’m following those parking lot boon docking courtesy rules and haven’t deployed my (broken) levelers or put out my slides.  I did, however, kick in the generator as the temps inside the rig were in the 90’s this afternoon.  You can hardly hear the generator over all the noise the big truck rigs make.  :)  Maybe one of you can explain to me why they don’t turn off their engines.  I’m not complaining, just curious.  The rig on my left also has something that turns on every couple of minutes that sounds like a hot air balloon blasting away.  I wonder what that is? 

Tonight should be interesting when I literally climb into bed.  I sure hope I don’t have to get up during the night or I’m liable to break my nose crashing into the wardrobe slide.  If things had been different today, I would have regaled you with pictures of the onion harvest in Eastern Oregon.  I bet I saw millions of onions today.  I never knew they were grown here.
IMG_5909It’s a shock to move from the quietude of a wildlife refuge to the noisy goings on at a truck stop.  I hope tomorrow isn’t so adventurous, but I’m not holding my breath.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 

23 comments:

  1. So I'm dying to hear - were there any naked truck drivers dancing around the parking lot?

    I'd say you are in a good, safe, and cheap place to overnight.

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  2. That sounds like a familiar problem. Our outfit did the same on our trip home from Texas in 2009. We put it down to the big tail wind we were getting on that day. It seemed to go away, except for rare occasions and it seemed to only happen first thing when we started out in the morning and would work fine after that. A year or so later I had Freightliner look at it here at home and they decided that it was the thermostat that needed changing. That happened a couple of months ago and so far so good. Good luck with your issue and I will be curious to find out what they do to resolve it.

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  3. Bummer - I hope you sleep well tonight, and that your rig is okay. At least you have something new to put in "the book." (That's what I used to say to my kids, meaning their Baby Books.)
    You are so funny - re your comment on my blog. Thanks for responding to the poll, unless you are a Heck No. ;)
    Barbara

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  4. Sure hope the overheating problem turns out to be minor (like a thermostat) and you can get back on the road quick!

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  5. sleep well, Judy!..hope the problems have disapated by morning!

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  6. So sorry about the engine trouble but I'd say you were very fortunate to find that oasis of a truck stop there! Hope the problem turns out to be something simple and that you get back on the road pronto!

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  7. What, no bird or wildlife pictures? Just kidding. I'm glad you are safely tucked in for the night. May tomorrow be a better day for you.

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  8. We have stayed at quite a few truck stops over the past 10 years. We've always behaved ourselves and the truckers have too. Most of the time the lots are well-lit and the trucks come and go at all hours so at least the places aren't desserted. (or is that deserted?)

    Hope the engine overheating issue will be solved easily and cheaply.

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  9. Judy,
    Know exactly how minimal you feel! We tried the same thing, but the area was too sloped so we went to a state park in IL and by the time we paid and got to our site at dusk and got parked it was too late to go report when the electricity didn't work! So we boondocked for our first time..

    Hubster's for life was in the Highway Patrol as a Motor Carrier Inspector and from the little bit of listening I did to him about trucks~they have to run all the time because it's best for their bigger than ours deisel engines. And that pssst is probably adjusting their air pressure. They have little miniature sleeping quarters in them with little miniature conveniences of home in some of the fancier ones!

    Hope your service call goes well! We'll be having one ourselves in our driveway!!___flattire___

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  10. Some of those trucks near you were probably hauling refridgerated goods so their cooling systems have to run & I'm sure that generates some noise as well. We have stayed in some trucks stops while in transit & they are always incredibly noisy. Overheating issues are always very scary & sometimes not as serious as first thought. On the up side....problems sometimes make great blogging material although at the time it sure doesn't seem like it!! Hang in there, it's just another RVing learning curve.........

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  11. For some reason the pusher diesels,like in the motor coaches I drove have very sensitive temperature sensors, I had one coach that on just about very long hill the red hot light would come on and this annoying chime would start, I would look at the temp gauge it it would be just a hair above the green no way near the danger zone, maybe it's a sensor and you are okay, they will be able to check it for you when you have it serviced. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  12. Hope you get the overheating thing figured out today easily and inexpensively! We've never tried the truck route thing but may this winter on our way south.

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  13. Meant to say truck "stop" thing, not route! Too early in the morning to be writing comments.

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  14. We love to boondock when we're traveling but not at truck stops. The few times we've ended up at a truck stop the truckers have been really nice. Noisy, but nice. No dancing naked or else I went to bed too early and missed the fun. Sure hope all goes well today with the coach.

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  15. Well..it certainly isn't a "natural" setting but at least you are safe for the night. Well, that is unless you go dancing naked in the parking lot....try to refrain!!
    We will be crossing our fingers that your problem will be something that can be fixed easily. Keep us posted and good luck!!

    Mike & Gerri (happytrails)

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  16. In addition to the other suggestions about the over heating, it can also be an accumulation of dirt on one or both sides of the radiator. This can be blasted clean with water and some soap. Some repair places no not check for this, so you could ask them to look quickly before the run up a bit bill looking for more complicated problems.

    I have mine cleaned every other year.

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  17. Sleeping with the big boys and dancing naked in the parking lot... sounds as though you are having a VERY interesting trip!!! No time for pictures??? *big grin*

    Truckers are usually some of the nicest, most helpful fellas around. The couple of times I've been "broken down" on the side of the road, they were the only ones who stopped. They know how it is to be out on the road alone and having problems!

    Hope the above comments nailed your overheating problem and that you are back on the road.

    Good thing you don't do ads on here... no telling what you would have picked up with this post!! LOL!

    Kerri in AL :-)

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  18. Wow.. hanging out with the Big Boys.... hope to hear all went well and today will give you a very small repair bill and you can be on your way!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  19. So sorry to hear you are stuck at a truck stop. I guess now you can say been there done that!

    Hope you get your rig back on the road soon.

    Stay Safe

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  20. You did the wisest thing staying at the truck stop, though I know it is not a choice for a quiet place! At least you can get repair work nearby and cell coverage. I think it would be scarier out in the middle of no where!

    Once we stayed over night in Kingman, AZ in an RV Park that was away from I-10. But what they didn't say was they were right next to a Love's Truck Stop! Oh the noise! I feel for you after the peace and quiet of the refuge!

    I hope the repair is easy, fast and cheap!

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  21. How scary for you Judy. Hope everything gets fixed and you are on your way soon. I can't imagine being out there alone and having this happen. Stay safe...

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  22. Hey Judy-not sure if your workhorse is part of the brake caliper recall but I understand the parts for the fix are now available in case you can get everything done at once.

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  23. Just call me nuts, but I love staying at a truck stop. And, yes, I even like truck stop food. When I've traveled alone in my Class B I would go in the restaurant, get a take out meal, watch a little TV and be lulled to sleep by the sound of those big trucks. And the best part of the night....it was free!

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