Good luck, Bad luck or ???

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Lou Schneider

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Mar 14, 2005
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It's been an interesting couple of days.

A couple of weeks ago, I made arrangements to visit Las Vegas, meet up with some work friends I hadn't seen since I retired last year, and take in the annual NAB broadcasters trade show.  I would combine this with getting my Sunnybrook trailer out of storage in Mojave and tow it to Las Vegas for the week before putting it in my permanent home base in Pahrump.

Good news:  On a previous day trip to Las Vegas, I found a nice RV park on Boulder Highway that would rent me a space for $87 a week plus electricity.  Kings Row RV and Mobile Home Park is an older family run park that's now about 2/3 RV spaces, 1/3 older, well kept mobile homes.

If you ask for 50 amp service, you'll be put in the newer front section, which is a densely packed parking lot.  But I only need 30 amps, so I got a pull through spot in the 200 section which was originally laid out for singlewide  mobile homes.  Each space is staggered end to end, with RVs at either end of the spaces, so there's lots of room between the RVs.  The park is well kept and secure, a real gem.

Bad news:  While crossing the desert on Sunday, my truck's air conditioner went out in 100 degree heat.  I remember thinking it couldn't be that hot, as I was drinking water but not perspiring.

When I got to the park, I checked in at the office  but found I didn't have enough energy to unhitch and set up the trailer.  So I plugged into electricity, took a cold shower and sat under the air conditioner for an hour before summoning enough energy to get into bed.

I spent the next 18 hours there, rousing only to drink more water and pee.

Good news:  This morning I was feeling better, so I turned on the water heater to take a shower. 

Bad news:  That stupid Atwood tankless heater I've been meaning to replace.  The flame is only supposed to come on while the water is running, at the end of the shower I turned off the water but the flame stayed on.  Before I realized what had happened, it melted a solder joint in the copper tubing and water poured out all over the place.

Good news:  There's a major RV parts store just up the street, and they had a new Atwood 6 gallon gas/electric water heater at a good price.  I was going to replace that tankless pile of $#!!% anyway, so what the heck.

Bad news:  As I was finishing up installing the new water heater, I needed a couple of plumbing adapters.  OK, Lowe's is about a mile up the street, I'll run up there and get them.  On the way back I stopped in a Circle K and filled the tank on my pickup.  That's when the starter decided to die.

Good news:  Good Sam sent out a tow truck, it got there within a half an hour.  Meanwhile I went inside the store and got an Icee and some chips to munch on while I waited.

My truck was towed to a diesel repair shop just down the road, they'll work on the starter and AC tomorrow.  After dropping off the truck, I walked to the Enterprise rent-a-car place next door and got a reasonable rate on a car for a day or two.

Just as I got back to my trailer, my friends called.  They were supposed to drive back to Los Angeles this evening, but at the last minute they decided to stay overnight and drive back in the morning.  So we met up in a restaurant and had an enjoyable time catching up with each other.

Now for my dilemma ... with luck like this, should I play the lottery or not?
 
Oh Lou poor you, what a story. Main thing is you are well, i was getting worried for a minute. And hopefully your truck an RV can be easily fixed. Definitely put a few dollars on!
 
Yep, it is time for some lottery tickets, you can't miss.  ::) I have stayed at Kings Row many times and I was always very happy there. Very nice staff and far from the strip. The story of the A/C dying should be told to all the idiots who think they are going to take a quick visit to Death Valley in the summer. And this is only April. I hope things improve for you today Lou. ;D
 
I buy Coconut Water by the case from amazon. It helps prevent dehydration and can cure dehydration quicker than plain water. I keep it around all the time and find it especially refreshing after a bicycle ride.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=coconut+water

My experience has been that things break on the hottest days!

A few summers ago during a serious heat wave in short order my transmission threw up on a hot day. My RV had to be pushed off the road and the only ones to help were all over 80 years old but by golly they got me going.  I shattered my wrist going into a cold river to soak my sprained ankle.  I had fought for 6 months to get my brothers ashes and was trying to go collect them. I attended my brother's funeral service then showed up at the emergency room screaming in pain because my wrist had gone over 24 hours without intervention.

The dog had to wait in the RV parked illegally during emergency surgery but luckily the generator and AC worked. I guess no one had the heart to give me a ticket. The hospital dumped me out of the wheel chair about 15 feet away because the attendant was deathly afraid of my 6 pound dog who was jumping up and down in the window. Upon relocating to a noisy RV park in an industrial area, my new overhead AC died.

While sleeping on a Friday night dealing with the heat and extreme pain, my phone rang repeatedly. It was some idiot who informed me my insurance would not cover the braces on my arm and leg and wanted my credit card number to pay an exorbitant price for them. I told the mean lady I would mail them back to her! I honestly thought she was a scammer.

Of course I never did and out of principal for some insane reason I have refused to pay for them. Last time they called I told them I had already mailed them back! I know... shame on me.

Through a miracle I found a German mechanic to fix my transmission by putting in a much larger torque converter. I couldn't wait in the RV and rented a car that was supposed to be full sized so the dog and I would have somewhere to stay for the day. The car they brought me was so tiny my friend kept bumping my shattered wrist while driving so our day was punctuated by screams.

I found a repairman who was supposed to do the warranty work on the new AC but he wanted a $75 service call fee to complete repairs. I paid it, anything to get AC in 98 effing degrees.

This all happened during extreme temperatures.
 
What a bummer Cynthia. I am glad I live in Florida where we don't have extreme temperatures. I have lived in Las Vegas and Phoenix and both of those places get hot. Florida never gets that hot, only warm. Very comfortable here. :))
 
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