That is, I got no crap on me, Ava or the ground during my first solo dump of the tanks. Movies like RV with Robin Williams can freak a guy out about all the bad things that can happen when emptying your tanks.
So, as an engineer I made sure I understood the system as a whole. I read a lot of instructions on proper technique and how to avoid contamination of everything but the sewer hose. And I watched an inordinate number of Youtube videos on RV black tank mishaps and how to avoid them. My biggest concern was that there would be pressure from a line of people waiting to use the dump station. But when you are at a state park in the New Mexican desert, in January, on a Tuesday you pretty much have the dump station to yourself.
Dacen turned 10 today…double digits! We woke up to a beautiful morning camped here at Brantley Lake State Park just north of Carlsbad NM and had donuts for breakfast (birthday boy’s choice).
Ava and CELO in the morning light at Brantley Lake State Park in NM
We packed a lunch and headed to Carlsbad Caverns. Since Dacen is in 4th grade this year he gets an annual pass to our national parks…so, our cavern entrance fee was waived!
The required picture at the National Park entrance
We enjoyed lunch outside in the sun. Its January and NM is known for high winds, but it was actually really nice for a picnic.
Filling our tanks before our cave trip
Then grabbed Jr. Ranger books for the kids and headed to the natural entrance.
Jr. Ranger Brielle at the entranceStarting into the cave
If I was ever a park ranger I think I’d really enjoy a stint at Carlsbad Caverns. I love the desert mountains, the remote location and the cave itself is just so stinking big. And the formations never cease to amaze me.
I’ve been through the main caverns probably 6 or 7 times and every time I have ridden the elevator out of the cave. But this time the elevator was not an option….it was out of order. So we walked out the natural entrance which was a super cool bonus. If you’ve ever been in a wild cave on your own you know how easy it is to get lost because things look so different on your way out of a cave. The paved path and handrail made getting lost pretty hard but it still looked so different on the way out….like two caves for the price of one (oh wait, we didn’t pay any price to get in today!!). On our way out a little man in a helmet passed us on his way down into the cave. He was looking down but said “yer on the home stretch” in a cheery voice. It took my brain a bit to process all the info but I turned around and said, “is that Mr. Bemis?” to which the man replied, “couldn’t be….they wouldn’t let that guy in here”. Sho nuf!! It was Tom Bemis.
Huck with Carlsbad legend Tom Bemis
Oh, you don’t know who Tom Bemis is? Let me tell you. This guy has served Carlsbad Caverns since, well, I don’t know but its been a long time. There are several wild caves you can get access to on your own….but some require a ranger to go with you and Tom Bemis led me and my buddies on a trip through Ogle cave. This guy is TOUGH and, despite his back/spine injury, can jug up a rope out of a cave faster than I’ve ever seen anyone go. Tom retired in 2009 but now works as a consultant….he was supervising the electricians working in the cave today.
Brielle was nervous during our trip into the cave and around the Big Room about the fact that we had to walk all the way out. She asked if I’d give her piggy back rides on the way out. But once we got started up she did great….never once asked for a ride on my back. Its quite a hike out of the cave but with a few rests along the way we all made it!
We came back ‘home’ and Steph made biscuits and gravy for dinner (the birthday boy’s choice). He wanted mystery cake too but it was late and so we’ll try that for tomorrow night. Tonight we sang happy birthday to Dacen over a dish of ice cream and a Girl Scout cookie. Dacen said, “this was the best birthday ever!” I agree.
Two spelunkers walk into a bar and order some drinks and Carl the bartender says “we don’t serve spelunkers here”. The two spelunkers beg for him to pour them some brews and Carl finally gives into their plea to which the two spelunkers respond “Carl’s bad” as they high five each other.
Carlsbad NM is a place of many fond memories for me. Growing up we made several trips here to visit family. In high school we visited during Thanksgiving one year because I was really into caving and hadn’t been to the caverns since I was a wee one. Then in college my good friends, the Dogs, made numerous trips to the area to explore as many of the wild caves in the Guadalupes as we could get access to. I brought Steph here when we just had the two boys. I’ve stayed in motels, dumpy motels, tents in town and tents in the backcountry. But this time its all 5 of us and we’re staying in our little home on wheels! After setting up the trailer we went for a bike ride around the campground, played at the playground, and watched the sun set. Then we turned around and watched the big ol moon rise up out of the ground.
For seasoned RVers its probably no big woop, but I’m still very green. It blows me away that we have all the conveniences of home: electricity, heat, water, hot water, and internet. We ate a nice hot meal together on real dishes and now the kids are watching a movie. Now I have to buckle down and do some work…anyone ever use the Levenshtein distance before?
After a couple days of free fall we splashed down into our first day! My steering wheel is a little skinnier from squeezing it so tight. It took much longer than we expected. We used a lot of diesel. But we made it to our first stop (just an overnight) and set up our house. And get this, NO PROBLEMS!! God is good.
It was a hectic morning trying to get ready. After hitching up we gave the Ryplewskis a big hug and rolled away. We could NOT have done this without Eric and Alyssa’s kindness, generosity, experience, tools, watchful eyes, lessons and prayers. We stopped in Colorado Springs to say goodbye to Baba and Zedo (Huck’s parents…that is Slovak for grandma and grandpa). Then we stopped in Pueblo for a bite to eat and Ava played with the big boys…
Yeah, I’m over the line but it was my first solo back in job and the dude in the truck on Ava’s right said “no problem, yer fine”. But just as we were getting in the truck to leave a trucker shoe horned himself into the little space I left….I think he was either showing off or teaching me a lesson for playing with the big boys.
We were passing passenger vehicles on Raton pass…bogged down the last couple miles where it gets steep and I got behind a slow moving semi. And we rolled into our destination in the dark (not ideal for our first time setting up by ourselves). But we did it! One day down, 159 more days of adventure still to enjoy.
Rewind back to Oct 4, 2015 at our church Grace Place. Its opening weekend of the new facility we have been blessed with and the preacher does a short bit on “independence” and into my head pops this:
There is a vast space between “independence” and being “in <space> dependence”
Of course, there is no way something so clever could also be original and I proved myself correct with a quick search at big G where I found at least one. But still I like it. And I’m on the journey from the former to the latter.
So, as we drive away from everything that is known and comfy and into this adventure there is a mix of those two feelings. On one hand we are fully independent: I’m an independent contractor, we have independent little learners we are homeschooling, we are independent from a concrete foundation, the world is our oyster (or the US is our clam). On the other hand we find ourselves fully in dependence as we leave everything that is known and comfortable to us. Dependent on our truck and 5th wheel, dependent on each other, dependent on kind and generous people we will no doubt meet, and dependent on God. Fully dependent on God to continue to provide for us, protect us, guide us, teach us, comfort us and surprise us.
Father in heaven….thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I ask that this adventure marks a giant step in my journey from independence to in dependence. Amen
The last few days have been crazy hectic as we moved stuff to the rig and got our house ready for the renters to move in. And so, at 3:30pm yesterday we handed the keys to our renters and officially moved out of our home of the last 16 years. It felt really weird. Like free fall from a jump. School was letting out and so we got to say our goodbyes to our neighbors…the Wieders, the Briggs, Liam, Graham and Riley. It was hard, but comforting knowing that we’ll return in the summer. I cannot imagine moving away for good.
The trailer is full of our stuff but not put away. My brother and sister-in-law are putting us up for a couple of nights while we’re in free fall. The truck should be done by noon today…praying that this is the end of its issues for a good long time. I’m thankful for my awesome wife and kids who have powered through this big change in our lives with such positive attitudes. I’m blessed beyond belief with family….there is no other team I’d rather take this journey with. Maybe on the road tomorrow!
After several “dates” our truck CELO (not his official name yet) and our fifth wheel Ava finally got hitched.
I borrowed the truck from the dealership since the DPF won’t get here until Tuesday. My good buddy Eric (this guy and his family have been truly amazing) helped me finish the install of the hitch and we hooked ’em up. We took the pair out for a test spin and Eric, who has his CDL and lots of 5er experience, coached me through some turns, adjusting the brakes and into our church parking lot for some practice backing up. I think it went pretty good!
My favorite Yoda quote of all time is when he encourages Luke to do something seemingly impossible: raise up his space craft using the force. Luke says “I’ll try” and Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try”. Now, I don’t dig too deep into this and get hung up on semantics. I think the spirit of what he is saying is “Go for it….and don’t hold anything back.” Like being up on the high dive at the pool. If you just “try” to jump you will never do it…you either do or do not jump. And that is a bit how it feels right now with our adventure.
I never saw the movie Failure to Launch, but unlike the main character in the film we actually WANT to leave our house but can’t due to mechanical issues. To recap:
We bought a used 2011 GMC 3500 truck on Dec 8 after the dealer had dealt with a check engine light related to the exhaust system (I know, I know….it sounds so stupid now but I did it). They replaced the DEF injector and NOx sensor #1.
After a week in the shop and me calling every day to figure out what they found, today (Jan 13) they say that the catalytic converter (aka SCR), diesel particulate filter (DPF) and NOx sensor #2 must be replaced to the tune of $4200. Oh, and it will take a week to get the parts.
My first reaction is that I feel like I was sold a vehicle that was known to be bad. I want justice. Three check engine lights in 200 miles….there is no way this JUST started happening now. I don’t think there is anyone to blame but me. With a check engine light I should have stayed far away!! But still I feel like somebody knew this was a lemon.
My next reaction is to ask, is that REALLY the problem? The current error is an “exhaust fluid quality poor” message and I believe the tech is following the procedure laid out in PIP5007. When you get to the end of the procedure it says “If all conditions above appear to be functioning normally, SCR replacement may be required but is a very rare occurrence” (emphasis added by me). If you read the entire PIP5007 forum topic linked above you will find many who say just replacing BOTH NOx sensors usually fixes the problem. And it seems to make sense. From my understanding of the system (about half way down the page here is a description and diagram) a properly running system will have a large delta between NOx sensor #1 (at the beginning of the exhaust system) and NOx sensor #2 (after the SCR). When there is a small delta it can mean that the SCR is bad….but the engineer in me says it could also mean that NOx sensor #2 is bad. Compared to the DPF and SCR, the cost of the NOx sensor is wiz in the ocean. So perhaps we just replace NOx #2 and see if everything tests out? Where in that document does it say that the DPF should be replaced?
My third reaction is to ask, do I cut my losses and trade the thing in for something else? But this just seems so wrong on so many levels. Such a waste of money.
Maybe I suck it up and have everything replaced. Then I have an entirely new exhaust system. It should come with a hefty parts and labor warranty from GMC so any other problems with it will be covered right? Like I’m buying an extended warranty on the exhaust system. By the way, we did purchase an extended warranty for the truck. I really did not want to but since I didn’t want truck issues to spoil our trip, I bit. Its a great plan except for the one extra page that says “diesel exhaust system not covered”. Have I told you how I believe bikes are superior to the automobile?
And your reaction is probably, (a) you should not have bought that truck in the first place and (b) if people read this blog they won’t after too many posts like this one. Touche!
So let me wrap up with the good. Our family is happy and healthy. We have awesome family, friends, and neighbors. I have a job. We live in a free country. We have plenty of food to eat, clean water to drink and comfy shelter over our head. We even have a renter (not a done deal yet but looks really good!!).
On Wednesday morning I call the shop about the DEF issue on the truck and made an appointment for 10am. This is apparently not an appointment to have your vehicle looked at but rather an appointment to get your vehicle in the long queue of vehicles waiting to be looked at. Sort of like a Disney FastPass that gives you a spot at the end of the standard line! Today it made it to the front of the queue but as of 4pm (54 hours after my “appointment”) they still do not know what is wrong. They will work on it tomorrow and said they should have an answer by Monday. I suspect the implementation of any fix will take some time as well…ugh!
So we are still waiting. We are stranded. But if you are going to get stranded somewhere, home is really not a bad option! If you can judge a location by its name these places might be much worse places to get stranded.
