I woke to the aroma of fresh brewing coffee this morning...wow, I hadn't even heard Steve get up...now, that's a first! He had been wide awake since 4:20 wondering if the slider (that acted up last night) was going to delay us. It was early so we were able to relax with our coffee before getting on with our day.
We have some major mountain passes to go through in southern Oregon/northern California so we have been watching the weather forecast. Well, it looks like today will be a nice day but come tomorrow, a major winter storm is expected, bringing heavy snow to higher elevations. Chains will also be mandatory any day now for large trucks. So our plan is to get through the passes today...that means a good 6 to 7 hour drive for us.
Unfortunately before we hit the road, we must stop at Countryside Interiors so they can check out our squeaky recliners. They open at 9:00...and we were there ready and waiting for them. While putting out our sliders, the large dining room slide "bucked"...oh wonderful, we don't need this now! It had acted a little strange last night when we put it out but was fine this morning when we put it in, so I thought it was fine...ha!
Steven from Countryside Interiors checked the recliners and sprayed dry silicone spray on the mechanism, but also decided we would be better off to have the mechanisms replaced under warranty. He will order and have it here when we pass through next spring on our way home.
After we were finished there, we headed back to Guaranty RV. Steve had left a message with John and he and Warren, the service manager, were there waiting for us as we pulled in. Steve thought the problem was with the slide topper and sure enough, he was right.
The inside of the cap on one end had broken and needed to be replaced. They managed to find a part and one of the workers began changing it.
Once he had finished replacing the part, it was time to test...should be fine, right? Nope! The slider was still not going out smoothly. Upon examination, they discovered the other cap needed to be replaced as well. Sheesh...are we ever going to get out of here?!
The parts were not from their inventory so were free and they only charged us $60.00 for labour. I guess they felt bad because they had worked on that slide then we had the problem. It seems that the factory installed slide tube isn't centered so the rod that attaches to the end cap is slightly bent and puts too much pressure on the end cap perhaps wearing out the internal parts prematurely. They have recommended cutting the roller tube shorter to better center everything. Our topper will need replacing soon so we will have it done then. It was almost noon by the time we had paid (another) bill and were finally on the road. We caught the I-5 at Eugene and were on our way. The forecast had been for the sun to break through the clouds by the afternoon but it still hadn't happened...
We stopped at a rest area so Steve could torque the new tires...don't worry, that's not broken glass on the roadway...looks like someone emptied the ice out of their cooler...
As we continued south, we finally came into some sunshine. It was very smoky and we soon saw why...controlled slash burning...
Here is some beautiful Oregon countryside we drove through...
Then we started climbing into the mountains...
Still very smoky...you can see plumes of smoke in the distance...more controlled burning...
The Rogue River...
More mountain passes...Siskiyou Summit
Welcome to California...
Mount Shasta...
We stopped at Weed Rest Area...
Time for another wheel torqueing...they were loose again...
...and a picture with Mount Shasta...
It was starting to get dark as we continued on...our plan was to reach Redding, California. This is our first glimpse of Shasta Lake...the water is extremely low at this end....
A little higher further along, but still very low...
It was going on 8:00 by the time we reached the Walmart in Anderson, just south of Redding...deciding that some "Wally Camping" will be fine for an overnight stay. We found a spot over on one side that ended up being not bad...not much traffic. Steve was exhausted after a long 7 1/2 hour drive. We had a bite to eat and then headed to bed to watch TV rather than power up the home theatre. It wasn't long, though, before we were both falling asleep.
We had a good sleep in our little corner of the Walmart parking lot...much better than I was expecting considering we were parked near the delivery bays where we figured semi's would be coming and going all night long.
As we were driving, we noticed the biggest flock of birds ever! Although it's kind of hard to see, if you look closely, you can see them in this picture...
We passed through Reno (if you check last year's blog, you'll probably see the exact same picture!)...
