01-01JAN26 - Various (stranded in medford, or)

New Year’s Day, Thursday, on the road early driving West I-40 to Ash Fork, AZ.  Pretty good day of driving, sixty MPH for 400 miles in 6.5 hours.  Discovered new gas stations starting to show up on interstates – called ONE 9 truck stops; name comes from CB-lingo Breaker 1-9 (ie Channel 19 on your CB radio).

These are new, smaller, stations owned by Pilot/Flying J.  Apparently aimed at smaller truck fleet owners who don’t benefit from full size truck plazas.  One 9 diesel prices are forty cents less (and in AZ if you fill up with diesel at car pump island you save eight cents more than at the already cheap semi -truck islands).  We will definitely keep an eye out for these stations down the road🙃  Spend the night at very small KOA in Arch Fork, AZ.

Friday on West I-40 to Barstow CA; enter into CA at Needles, CA, and stop to refuel – Big Mistake!!  Half the gas stations on the one “main” road are out of business.  And the two at end of main street have no room to maneuver and barely can handle cars, let alone RVs.  After couple of close calls with street traffic, got RV & Toad into a station to fill-up on diesel at $6.20 a gallon!!!☹️ 

Make it to Barstow and stop at Wally Mart for groceries.  GPS has wrong address because this is brand new store and maybe just opened?  Merchandise boxes everywhere, to be opened and shelved by new staff.  Very confusing layout compared to all other Walmarts, and the gas station still not done.

Then heading to another KOA for the night.  We come to sign saying road closed?  But no detour route signs?  Finally call KOA and ask road closed what now?  There answer is - go back to highway and to next exit and backtrack on closed road!  We ignore their directions and finally make it.

Interesting KOA, large, wide sites; but many sites have been subdivided in two.  One half for RV and car; and other half for fenced patio area.  Look to be for long, long, term rental.  Fingers crossed, because park is surrounded by off road area and these sites are rented by ORV owners☹️   But everyone well behaved and all quiet by 10PM.

Saturday AM short drive to Bakersfield, CA.  Steep descent thru Tehachapi Mountains during heavy downpour; setting up camp in rain no fun.  Park is a working orange grove (pick all u want).  Rain finally ends mid-afternoon and sunshine.

Orange Grove RV Park | Bakersfield CA RV Resort & Campground

Dinner at Pyrenees Café serving Basque style meals.  Back in 07MAR2015, we ate Basque food at Wool Growers Restaurant, also in Bakersfield.  Pyrenees definitely a local bar hangout (the kinda local, dive bar, Dan and fellow Coasties hung out in back in the day).  In fact we thought this was a “wrong choice”, but waitress immediately directed us to entry to main/quieter dining room.  As their website says;  Bakersfield now boasts the largest collection of Basque restaurants in the United States, with the Pyrenees Cafe being a pillar amongst them. These establishments carry forward the traditions of their ancestors, offering a time-honored Basque food experience to their visitors. Customarily, meals at the Pyrenees Cafe are a multicourse feast, served family style at long trestle tables. Guests typically start with the 'set-up,' a generous spread of bread, soup, beans, salsa, pickled tongue, vegetables, french fries, and spaghetti. The hearty entrees include lamb, chicken, and seafood, or the special entrée of the evening, epitomizing the rich culinary culture of the Basque people.

Corrie went with the butter nut squash ravioli and Dan had oxtail stew.  Good food; with too many leftovers.  Then back to RV to watch Seahawks beat San Fran.

Pyrenees Cafe

Meanwhile, from 01- 04, January, the Pitre’s (daughter Rebecca, husband Raymond, Grandsons Jaxson & Mason) started the new year by skiing and boarding at Mt Hood, OR.  While in Oregon they also visited the last remaining BlockBuster in the USA/World.

Sunday 04JAN (grandson Jaxson’s b-day) we are back on the road and soon on North I-5 which we will drive all the way to Seattle, and home.  We soon run into heavy rain and traffic (not fun).  Original plan was to stop south of Sacramento; but rain forecasted again for tomorrow.  So we pushed thru to Woodlawn, CA, and found a spot at Yolo County Fairgrounds RV (where we spent one night back in MAR2015).

Monday wake-up to no rain and mild weather; back on North I-5 soon run into heavy wind and rain☹️  Check of National Weather Service shows same forecasts for next two to three days over north I-5 corridor in CA, into Oregon.  And in addition, the Cascades around Mount Shasta will have wind gusts from 45 to 60 mph! 

Now what do we do??  Dan remembered fairly new casino right off I5, near Redding, CA, that had nice RV park.  Found the address and we made reservation.  Checked into Rolling Hills Casino RV Park, Corning, CA, waiting for better weather.  Once again we discovered our “players cards” from years ago are no longer recognized by casino’s present operating software.  And two more new cards added to our collection.  Make small contribution to gods’ of chance and back to RV to do laundry.

Tuesday no rain and overcast; decide to do some sightseeing and shopping.  First stop was a store we visited way back 11APR2009 called the Olive Pit.  A business devoted to many food items (and some kitchen utensils) all based on locally grown olives (or olive wood).  Dozens and dozens of different stuffed olives; oils, jams, jellies, dips, sauces, etc.  This time Dan got a jar of chipotle stuffed olives; then we had lunch in their café.  Mostly burgers and sandwiches, but their milkshakes either have olive oil or balsamic vinegar in them.  Dan tried the lemon shake with olive oil.  Quick stop for groceries; then off to find a roadside attraction of world’s largest olive, not impressive.

Olive Pit - Gourmet Olives, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and Wine

Back in the Toad to Sierra Nevada Cheese Co in Willows, CA.  With all the road closures in the area, Dan called earlier and asked if they were open?  They said yes and no problems with roads.  THEY LIED!  Route on car GPS took us to closed roads; google GPS on phone said roads blocked and gave detour.  Detour was dirt roads through acres and acres of olive groves; no signage but clear blue lines on phone.  Eventually we lost traction because of slickness of dirt/clay road.  Luckily we got car turned around and called it a day; NO cheese☹

Back to RV to recuperate from our adventure and take shower.  Best showers we have run into while RV’ing.  You go to casino clubhouse you get basket with towel, wash cloth, shampoo, rinse, body gel and private room with instant hot water.  After shower off to the casino to donate more money.

Wednesday, 07JAN, mostly spent on prep’ing for tomorrow’s departure.  First thing done is to get replacement bulb for RV low beam light.  Failed a week ago and doing daylight driving no hurry to fix.  Now going into mountains with snow possible, time to fix;.  While in town Dan also gets groceries and goes back to Olive Pit store.  Not to get more olive stuff but to get Sierra Nevada Cheese we failed to get yesterday (Olive Pit carries a few of their cheeses).  Then laundry, dumping tanks and readying Toad & RV; dinner at Casino’s “Whiskey Wednesday” night (no whiskey consumed).

Thursday AM fuel RV at casino gas station and hit North I-5.  About an hour into drive what appears to be red problem light that says “brake” starts flickering on tach dial; and another light saying “park brake” on speedo?  Call to MB USA connects us to tech support.  They will not discuss situation, and we make safety decision to have tow truck take RV to nearest MB dealer (Medford, OR!!)

Tow truck shows up and starts hooking up RV and we (plus rocket) jump in toad and drive straight to MB of Medford.  Two hour drive thru mountains of north California; get to MB dealership.  Go out to get something to eat; back to MB and tow truck is there backing RV into one of the dealership’s dedicated RV spots.  Because of large numbers of RVs based on Mercedes Sprinter Chassis -  more and more dealerships are adding RV hook-ups for electric, water and even sewage for RV’ers stuck while diagnostics/repairs being made.

Friday AM head into Service reception area; technician makes initial inspection of underside of RV.  Then comes into reception and delivers BAD news.  Appears the drive shaft flange to differential connection is badly damaged; along with support bracket for drive shaft; damaged wiring harness & e-brake cable.  Initial estimate is differential is sealed unit and entire differential needs replacing after new unit arrives from Germany!!!

After recovering from shock, its phone calls to our extended warranty insurance, and to our “auto insurance” for our RV.  Extended warranty won’t cover because damage not caused by failure of the differential.  It was caused by accident/casualty.  Call to Progressive and they open claim and will cover it under Comprehensive.  Give claim number to service department and learn that our differential not sealed, parts available in USA, and estimate is now $2.5K unless more damage found.

Parts probably here Monday; insurance adjuster here Wednesday.  Repairs done when Progressive claim check cut.  Plan now is to stuff Toad with all we need, drive back to our house and not stay in the RV in the parking lot.  We will secure RV in MB parking lot and drive back home to Sultan, WA, tomorrow.