Friday morning,
06MAR, we made our preparations for departure from Freightliner of AZ. Immediately we noticed that the ABS warning
light was now on; our aftermarket engine monitoring computer software indicated
the sensor was “inactive”. Having
experienced this issue back in 2009, we figured it was a “loose sensor”. The technician came out with a hammer &
fine-tuned the sensor on the right front wheel, problem solved. At our first stop of the day after leaving
Phoenix, the warning light came back on & Dan got out his tuning hammer
& adjusted the sensor!
Saturday morning we departed Banning, CA, back on the road & we took CA Highway 210 around eastern side of Los Angeles, to avoid driving thru the heart of the LA metro area. Eventually we ended up on CA 138 to connect with I-5N; 138 was a very beautiful/scenic road with the California Poppies in full bloom. Unfortunately the ABS alarm on the recently repaired front right wheel came on again, forcing Dan to crawl under RV & adjust sensor. He then noticed oil accumulating on the inside of the right front wheel & brake, making this a serious problem!
Checking the Freightliner book, we found we were forty miles from a service center in Bakersfield, CA. So we drove straight there, & a quick check by the mechanic confirmed there is an oil leak from the recently replaced wheel seal! Unfortunately we cannot be worked on until Monday morning, 09MAR:(! So we found the closest RV park to the Freightliner facility, & got their last RV spot.
On the internet Dan discovered the largest group of Basque restaurants in the USA are in Bakersfield, CA? We decided not to try for the oldest, & the James Beard Awarded, Noriega’s Hotel; & headed to Wool Growers. We get there at 5:45PM & were told no more reservations until 8PM! But we could wait for a cancellation (maybe)? The first service started at 6PM & was fast & furious!!!
Turns out every entrée
comes with the “set-up”. The set-up
consist of hot appetizers (cabbage soup, beans, spicy diced tomatoes); followed
by cold appetizers (mixed salad, tomato salad, pickled beef tongue); & the
entrees come with french fires, pasta, green beans, rice & more bread! Dan went with the oxtail stew & Corrie
went with fish. The leftovers meant we
didn’t have to cook for daysJ! When
we depart we saw that the restaurant was less than 100 feet from a Hell Angels
of California “Club House”!
Sunday, not much
done, just waiting for RV service tomorrow.
Monday, 09MAR, we arrived at the Bakersfield Freightliner facility when the
service department opened at 7AM. Unfortunately
mechanics don’t show up until 8AM; work finally began on RV around noon. We won’t bore you with details but because
problem was caused by the Phoenix facility, this lengthened entire repair
process; so we don’t get out of there until 7PM(:!
Tuesday morning it
was back on I-5N to Woodland, CA, to stop & visit with friend &
classmate Bill Albert. Bill came by the
RV after work & the reminiscing commenced.
Sadly Bill’s wife was out of town; but it was for a happy event, the
birth of their second grandchild in DC!
Then Bill treated us to a tour of town & their house. Followed by an excellent dinner at Mojo’s,
where we reminisced for several hours. An
all too short but great visit, hopefully next time Liz will be home. Not sure why, but Woodland was the richest town
in USA back in 1888?
Wednesday we finished
driving north thru California on I-5, & then US-97, to Klamath Falls, OR,
for the night. Thursday morning, 12MAR,
got an early start & drove US-97N thru Oregon to Toppenish, WA, & the
Summit Casino RV park. Enroute we
stopped at the St Johns Bakery for baked goods.
We have driven by this remote bakery many times on our travels on US-97,
but never stopped. Turns out the bakery
is part of a Greek Monastery. After sampling
their bake goods & gyros, we will try to stop every time we drive this road
in the future! In the early evening we
headed to the casino, which Dan doesn’t like because they only have three video
poker machines at $1! But they gave us
some “freebie” coupons, so Dan made $20 playing blackjack with their money;
& Corrie did very well on penny slots!!!
Friday got a late
start for relaxing drive thru Yakima Canyon to Dan’s cousin Steve & wife Bonnie’s
in Kittitas, WA (see below BLOG link for our last visit). After setting up camp it was decided to have dinner
at a new restaurant in Ellensburg, WA, called The Porch. Then it was back their place with the
intention of playing Mexican Train Dominoes.
Instead the rest of the evening was spent in conversation, just enjoying
reconnecting family. Tomorrow the rains
come naturally as we make the last part of the drive to our place outside
Sultan, WA.
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