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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, September 12, 2011

“What a revolting development this turned out to be!”

Wasn’t it Laurel and Hardy that used that line?  Well, today I experienced just that.  My plan was to pull out of the campground around 10:00 since I only had about 100 miles to go to a campground in Rantoul, IL.  I was going to spend the night there visiting with my friends, and fellow fulltime bloggers,  JIM and Linda.  They stay there every summer.  Linda and I have the same birthday, and the last time we met we were all in Sioux Falls, SD, to renew our driver’s licenses.  They were successful with that venture, and as you know, I was not.

Anyway, I had everything packed and ready by 9:45.  I backed the toad down the road far enough away so I wouldn’t crash into it as I backed the rig out of the campsite.  Emma was in her crate, and everything was a go until I tried to put the rig into reverse.  Then bells and whistles went off and several lights were blinking on the dash.  Instant nervous wreck for me!  I got out the owner’s manual to check what all the lights meant.  Eventually, I noticed the rig computer was sending me messages that indicated a brake failure.  Grrr!  What did that mean?

I sat on the rig’s steps outside a few moments to regain my composure, and then called my emergency road service.  I explained what had happened, and then the gal asked me what exactly was wrong.  Duh!  I told her I was not a mechanic, but I was unable to move the rig, and the owner’s manual said not to try.  Within about 40 minutes, the mobile RV tech arrived to diagnose the problem.  He figured it was just low brake fluid.  Turned out, that was not the problem, and he was stumped.  He checked the fuses, and then called his boss.  The boss came out, and also was stumped since everything checked out as working except the parking brake wouldn’t disengage.  If you can’t disengage the parking brake, you can’t move.  He contacted Workhorse, and they said they would send him information for the repair in an email.  The boss is also the owner of the towing and repair company.  They then both left and told me they would return when they had the information from Workhorse.

I just got a call a few minutes ago, and he said he would be back out early tomorrow morning to work on the rig.   He really doesn’t want to try towing the rig out if he doesn’t have to.  I agree with that, as I can’t imagine how they would get it out of here without me being able to back it up. 

IMG_3353So, what am I doing tonight?  Well, I called Jim and Linda to tell them I wouldn’t be arriving today, and I cancelled my reservations at Rend Lake COE campground for the next six days.  Bummer!   I put down the levelers, put out the slides, and unpacked one chair so I could sit outside this evening.  I suppose if you’re going to have a brake failure, the best place to have it is in an already paid for campground rather than on the road!  Revolting development?  Yes.  Life changing experience?  No.  Just another day in the life…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

30 comments:

  1. Oh Judy. It is so frustrating when these stupid rigs break down. I am so fortunate to have Jim who can usually figure out how to fix it eventually. But there are times I just want to sit and cry. But I also felt that way in the stix and bricks when things didn't work. I'm sure hoping Workhorse comes through for you tomorrow. As you know, my whole summer turned into one big "not planned" development.

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  2. So sorry you had an inconvenience evening. We always see it as the place we were suppose to be and not on the road we were suppose to be traveling...always a reason!

    Enjoy your evening!

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  3. Judy, Oh if only things would work out just the way we want without the complications. That is one of the things that I am concerned about when I get out there. I will say a prayer for you. You are right. better where you are than one the road.

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  4. Oh my!! Hang in there...There is a reason for everything..something needs fixing..Lucky it happened before you left...

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  5. The party responsible for the, "what a revolting development this is", was William Bendix who starred in the Life of Riley radio and TV shows.'
    Sorry, I listen to radio classics on XM radio...love the old shows

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  6. Sorry you had the problem, but at least you are in a safe and comfortable location. Hopefully it will be something easy...and cheap.

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  7. Hang in there, Judy! You always see it through and you will this time. I admire your patience.

    Hope it gets repaired soon. Thankfully you're at a safe location.

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  8. I hope it is a simple fix to get out of. (also
    "This is another fine mess you got me in")

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  9. So sorry for the mishap but I echo all the others - better to be in a safe place. Hoping the mechanic can get it all figured out quickly tomorrow and you can get on the road soon.

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  10. ditto! It is good that you were settled in when the problem happened and not on the road. Whew, good wishes to you for an easy fix.

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  11. Everything happens for a reason. We sometimes never found out why. Just be thankfull you were still in the campground.

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  12. Sorry to hear about your delay ~ brake problems what a bummer. I hate it when that happens but you know it does happen in our lifestyle. Count to 10 and pray that it gets fixed soon!
    {{{HUGS}}}
    Donna

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  13. TrailerCamper is right, it was William Bendix in 'The Life Of Riley' who frequently uttered that phrase about life being a 'revoltin developement'. Not sure but there may be some parts in your brake system called bendix brake pads. Now, that would be quite a coincidence. Oh, and how did I know of this? Sir Google of course:))

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  14. "Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans." The RVer's spontaneous life!

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  15. hope the repair is a quick one tomorrow!..and you can carry on!!..hang in there and just be thankful you are not sitting on the side of the freeway!

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  16. Well if it were me...

    I'd be jumping in that toad and hot footing it down to the local coffee shop for a tall vanilla breve. Just a thought!

    Hope you get on the road tomorrow...cheers! ~M

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  17. Ditto to Sue and Doug! Glad you are not stuck out on the road somewhere.

    I'm beginning to earn that there will always be the possibility of a breakdown, and the best way to deal with them is to stay calm and flexible!

    (Got the bed platform down, just took two of us to push on it. I am always afraid to try force first.)

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  18. These events are truly the worst of the RV life. I can live with those that leave me stranded ina campground better than those along side the road. But all are annoying, to say the least.

    Lets hope it is a simple fix.

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  19. Irritating, perhaps, but I usually figure that sort of thing is another story to tell. Who knows, perhaps there is a very good reason to be where you are right now? Kick back and relax!

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  20. I guess you won't be in Deming on Saturday.

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  21. So sorry to hear about your problem, but at least your all hooked up and not on the side of a road somewhere. Good luck.
    Chris

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  22. I will be interested to see what the problem turns out to be. Ours has done that once (we knew the brake was not engaged) but when we turned the key off and back on it was fine. Hang in there. It is always something.

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  23. Bummer indeed ... but a safe one seeing as how you were parked ... beats having a problem while on the road.

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  24. So sorry to hear of this inconvenience. At least you were not on the road and you were in the campground! With an rv, anything can an may happen. Al's right it was William Bendix in The Life of Riley...great show.

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  25. Grrrrrrr! Double-grrrrrrr! Here's hoping it is something really easy, like a small electronic glitch.

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  26. Good luck with the RV Techs - hope it's a simple, quick fix.

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  27. You have certainly had your share of unexpected and unwanted developments with the rig. Better not to happen somewhere on the road or at an overnight stop somewhere.

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  28. I was going to say it was Jimmy Durante who said that, but Bill Bendix is the correct answer. Used to listen to that show every week!

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  29. So the campground doesn't want to let you go? It likes you too much? I can understand that. :)

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  30. Sure hope this is an easy fix. What a scary thing to happen. Oh yeah, I remember Bill Bendix.

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