Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Heading East

 This morning, I was up at 9 o'clock, ready to move eastward.  From now on, it will be slowly eastward towards home.  I am so thankful the WL has been with me so far.  Just maybe, we'll make the whole way together.

Last night, I mentioned that Deb and Riley moved down to the OHV area to get out of the wind.  Here they are from my perch high above.

The 5th wheel on the right.

Was planning on trying to start the WL at 10 o'clock and be on my way, but Deb and Riley pulled in with their coffee and out came Tom and Deb.  It was such a beautiful morning with absolutely no wind and lots of sun, I couldn't resist one more coffee hour.

Went back in and made one cup of coffee and took a chair over and Yuma and I made ourselves right at home.

It was getting on 11 o'clock when I finally walked over and started the WL and it started right up.  I just may get out of California yet with the WL.  At 11:30 all goodbyes for now were said and off we headed.
Stopped at the service station on hwy 86 and filled up with water and headed south towards Yuma.  After reviewing the weather for several days now, I decided Ogilby Road will be the warmest for the next two weeks, so we're heading back to the same place we left from two weeks ago.

I wasn't 10 miles down the highway when my red warning light came on.  I couldn't believe my engine was overheating again. I have 80 miles to go and I will have to baby this thing.  You can bet, I will solve this before heading home.  I ended up driving at around 45-50 miles an hour to keep the water temperature down to 222-224 degrees.  If it hit 226, the red light came on.  Several times, I had to pull over and let it cool down, so I could stay at 45 mph.

We made it to the sand dunes rest area and I decided to shut it down and let it rest for about an hour.  I had forgotten to fill my water jugs, so I did that while we rested.

The WL started right up and off we headed the 10 miles to and up Ogilby Road to find a place to live for a couple of weeks, at least.  I wandered around following little dirt roads looking for the perfect place to stay.  Finally found one way back and away from the madding crowd.  I parked facing south with a wash not too far off.

My nearest neighbor is about a quarter mile away towards the mountains.

As I was pulling my chair out to enjoy the sunset, I got a text from Eric and Susan, saying they could see us about a quarter mile from them.  I couldn't believe it.  I had no idea they were even in the Yuma area, much less my neighbors.

Yuma and I took a walk to their place and Yuma played with Kevin, their huge pup, while the three of us chatted a bit.

Small world, that's for sure!
Wasn't long before we were back to our site sitting in the waning sun, waiting for my nightfall picture.  All in all, the day turned out as it should.


Cargo Muchacho Mountains.

Thanks for stopping by.

17 comments:

  1. Cool. I've been trying to figure out where you would head to. Hoping we can connect one more time out in your neck of the woods...or the desert.

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    1. I'll be around the area for maybe a month. We'll be sure to get together.

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  2. I have a power washer machine when you get here to clean the radiator out...

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  3. I'm wondering if there was a piece of sheet metal that directed air towards your radiator when travelling that got knocked off sometime in the past. Maybe send photos of your engine compartment to the owner who recommended cleaning the radiator. Do you have the original radiator fan? If not, be sure yours has the right pitch and direction so the air flow is in the right direction. Somewhere in it's history the fan could have been replaced with one with the wrong specs. Do any blades look bent or flattened? Does the fan have a clutch for free wheeling? Is it blowing in the right direction? Just some things to think about. Phil

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    1. Thanks, Phil. I'm going to check all that out, plus really clean the radiater fins good now that I'm near Yuma now. I'm going to test by driving before taking off next time.

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  4. Happy you made it. The pics aren’t familiar so I’m guessing it’s not where we were before. Nice you have friends near by.

    Deb

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    1. Not sure if I'm far enough north. Will check around after I unhook Jeep and go to Walmart.

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  5. You would have had a bad time going your original direction, so I'm glad you went south. I hope cleaning your radiator works. You will figure it out ... you always do!!!

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    1. I hope so too. Going to buy proper pressure nozzle to do it thoroughly.

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  6. Looks like a good spot. How fun that you parked in an area with more friends. In all the vastness, bumping into friends is remarkable!

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    1. Hopefully, warm and not too windy this week. I was surprised to see Eric and Sue here.

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  7. It really is a small world in the RV community. It's nice to know your neighbors. Hopefully you and the MH will both stay together on your trek east. Beautiful pictures of the mountains.

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    1. Me too, Dolly. I'm sure it is just a dirty radiator. I'll buy what I need today to do it right.

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  8. Hello Doug,
    I know you spray cleaned your radiator/inter-cooler, but most often it takes multiple cleaning applications to properly clean the units, especially if cleaning has not been performed for a while. Also, be sure the four corners are all sprayed / cleaned because they are the most difficult to access, but are very important to clean. I don't remember, did you replace your overflow tank or just patch your old unit? It's important the overflow tank be able to hold pressure of the cooling system which is about 12 to 14 psi, not much, but all system must hold the pressure. All the best! CarlGeo

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    1. I agree. Now that I'm near Yuma, I will get a pressure nozzle and do it thoroughly. Then check the fan operation to make sure it is blowing properly. Hope that does it.

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  9. Yes it is a small world. That couple have the nicest smiles :) Hopefully you can find what you need to fix the WL.

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