Sacramento, Yosemite, Tetons, Yellowstone, MT, WY, & CO with the Stocks

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Linda,
Secondly, our coach should be in top shape for our Summer 2012 trip to Alaska.

Maybe we can get together at various locations next year up in Alaska, since we didn't get to go this year. 

Got the news that the coach "could" be finished in 4 weeks.  Wahoo!!!

Marsha~
 
Marsha/CA said:
Linda,
Maybe we can get together at various locations next year up in Alaska, since we didn't get to go this year. 

Got the news that the coach "could" be finished in 4 weeks.  Wahoo!!!

Marsha~

We'd love it if our itineraries jive.  Last night at dinner, we were talking about our Top 10 Most Awesome Experiences since we started RVing  years ago, and half of them were in AK. 

Congrats on your coach.  I thought of you today, and I thought, "Golly, we've repaired everything--just like Marsha.  I hope we stay safe and don't have your "crash" experience.  I haven't voiced this to Dean because he thinks it's bad luck.  We are usually pretty careful, but we are going to be super careful until we finally get home.

I hope you get to go somewhere in your coach when you get it back.

Happy trails!

Linda
 
Today was decidedly NOT a good day.  Our Cummins/Coach Care appointment was @ 1:00. We got there early so that the engine would be cool.  Maybe Dean will write a mechanical explanation, but we have debris near the radiator and need a new cooling unit @ a cost of over $3000.  OUCH!  That's just the beginning.

We aren't guaranteed electricity (house-sized double-door refrigerator freezer full of food), but Dean talked long and hard, so we may be able to get 110 to the coach when it's being repaired.  Their two 30/50 amps sites are currently occupied.

Sherlock is going to have to be boarded.  He's never been boarded before, and he isn't going to be happy.  He is used to lots of attention, actually totally spoiled.  Dean is out buying a leash/harness for him.  We dread the trip to the pet care place because last time he went to the vet, he got nervous and urinated on Dean.  Of course, the cat carrier is at home (it takes up too much space in the RV).

We are going to have to  spend 2-3 nights in a hotel.  The hotels listed in the AAA book are either full or charging $20-$100 more than their price that was listed.  They keep telling me it is a busy time because it is the week before July 4th.  After an hour of calling, I finally found a LaQuinta for $95/night.  It has a nice-sounding address on Park Avenue.  I just hope it's decent.

I had an "in" for a spectacular fireworks show on July 3, and not only will we miss it, but we have to disappoint our daughter's in-laws because they can't get in without me.

Dean's family has an annual 4th of July gathering at his sister's sailboat, which we will also miss probably.  Family activities are my favorite thing to do, even better than traveling, and we're going to miss everything!

Cummins says we'll be here until late Thursday or early Friday.  That means we'll miss seeing Mike and Wendy Coke in Cortez, as they're leaving Thursday.

I'm bummed!  I'm trying to convince myself that I'll get over it.  It could be worse. We could be stuck in Podunk.  At least I may get to the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Art.

Staying at Cummins parking lot, NHU.
 
Bummer. Can't Sherlock stay in the hotel with you? I know a lot of hotels now allow dogs, what about cats? Maybe if he was crated? Be worth it to buy a new carrier.

Hope the motorhome fix is easy.

Enjoy your extra days in Denver.

Wendy
 
Linda,

Ask La Quinta Inn if you can have Sherlock stay with you.  When we had our coach worked on before the house was finished, we need to stay in a motel for a couple of days.  The La Quinta Inn in Bakersfield allows pets and they implies all of their facilities did that.  We had a dog and 2 cats.  It/They were very accommodating.

Sorry to hear of the troubles....this black cloud just keep on floating over folks.

Marsha~
 
Linda and Dean,
So sorry to hear of this bad day.  Our recent air charge cooler  replacement was $2800.00  but we could stay in the coach.  Then  I  had the sofa recovered, the window valances redone, a new Ekornees chair, new bedspread  and a number other things. So we made a big investment again in the lifestyle.  Sigh

I am so sorry  you will miss events you may  have planned but knowing you two, you will make lemonaide out of lemons.

Go get a new bedspread for the rig.  It will make you feel better!
 
Linda,

Maybe you'll luck out and have a neat July 4th in Denver.  Bet they'll have a fireworks display.  Have you seen the Unsinkable Molly Brown's home yet?  She was a Titanic survivor who married well.

I'd sure ask about Sherlock and maybe buy a pet carrier.  You can always carry it home on the roof, or maybe he'll like it so well it becomes his new bed.  Think lemonade, girl!

ArdraF
 
Linda,

When we had our radiator escapade last November, we found most hotels have pet rooms so we were able to take our cat with us.  Check with any Vet or pet store for a folding cardboard pet carrier.  We got one several years ago for less that $10 at the vet and keep it in the MH as it is only about 1" thick when folded. 

Good luck on the repairs. 

We found we had coverage for expenses when disabled.  In our case there was some on our extended warranty and some on our RV insurance so it came to be a good percentage of our actual costs.  Read the fine print.

 
Linda,

Hope all of your problems are resolved soon.

As far as pet carriers are concerned, we have one that folds flat. It works well for our cat. Seems like she takes to it a little more quickly, though she reminds us she really doesn't want to be there!!! ;D
 
Jim Dick said:
As far as pet carriers are concerned, we have one that folds flat. It works well for our cat. Seems like she takes to it a little more quickly, though she reminds us she really doesn't want to be there!!! ;D

Thanks, Jim.  We made it today with no accidents, but I am going to investigate getting one just to have on board.  Is yours made of cardboard or plastic?  My only thought is that with cardboard, one accident and it has to be thrown away.  However, i am sure Dean would gladly pay $10 each time not to be urinated on.
 
Jim Godward said:
We found we had coverage for expenses when disabled.  In our case there was some on our extended warranty and some on our RV insurance so it came to be a good percentage of our actual costs.  Read the fine print.

Thanks, Jim.  You can bet we will be doing that.  With such an expensive repair, any saved money really helps.
 
Marsha/CA said:
Ask La Quinta Inn if you can have Sherlock stay with you.  When we had our coach worked on before the house was finished, we need to stay in a motel for a couple of days.  The La Quinta Inn in Bakersfield allows pets and they implies all of their facilities did that.  We had a dog and 2 cats.  It/They were very accommodating.

Bless you, Marsha and Wendy! 

5 years ago when we were on the East Coast, Dean had to fly home for IV antibiotics (very long story), we had to hire a driver for the RV ($3000!), and I had to drive the Jeep cross-country with a frail 20-year-old cat.  I bought a book at AAA that lists hotels/motels that allow pets.  I spent over 4 hours calling motels on our route, and NONE of them would take a cat without a non-refundable deposit of $50 or a refundable deposit of $100-150, and I knew then we might have to haggle in order to get our deposit back.  I ended up driving until after it was pitch dark each night, stopping at the next town (which sometimes was an hour away), requesting a room away from the "traffic" (really the office), smuggling the cat into the room, and smuggling in the litter box.  The cat had slept all day when I drove, so she wanted to be up and play at night, and she would meow if I didn't play.  I had to be up and gone before daybreak so I could repeat the smuggling operation.  I drove across the US in 4 days.  I was absolutely exhausted when I arrived in Bullhead, AZ, where the coach was being delivered.  I refused Dean's request that I wait for the coach.  All I wanted to do was come home. Dean came out and got the cat, took her home, and I got a great night's sleep and the coach arrived the next day.  On one Holiday Inn Express, there were letters at least 20 feet tall that said "NO PETS!"

I just assumed things wouldn't be any different this time.  However, after reading  your posts, I gave LaQuinta a call, and Sherlock is welcome here.  That was so huge for us!  He is now sleeping soundly after his ordeal of the ride over to the motel and a thorough investigation of the bathtub, under the bed, etc.  We are all so much happier that he gets to stay with us.

I would never have called without your info.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!
 
For future use, the folding crates are great. We have a big one for Gordon (although he doesn't know why he should sleep in it when there's a perfectly good person bed to sleep on - it was Sam's first and he loved it). They're not cheap but neither is boarding one of our hairy kids. It was great several years ago at a Coke Convention when the maid was afraid of dogs. We'd send Sam into the crate, zip it up and she would come in and clean and even talk to Sam as long as he was in the crate.

We have run into hotel/motels that would only take pets if they were crated. We have run into some that required a refundable deposit. Some ask for a non-refundable "cleaning" deposit. And sometimes, they put pets in smoking rooms....guess they figure they have to do extra cleaning on those anyway.

Motel 6 always allow pets. One in Florida we stayed at had a sign posted at the registration desk saying that they welcome pets because no dog has ever stolen towels or TVs from their rooms.

More and more our hairy children are being welcome in hotels/motels. And if my dog isn't welcome when I call a place, then I find another spot to spend my money.

Hope all goes well with the repair. Don't forget, there are places for doggy/kitty day care if you decide you want to go out to the zoo or some other place.

Wendy
 
June 28, 2011 Day 52 Denver, CO

Correction:  I thought we had NHU, but in reality we had 50 amps. The problem was when it went into the repair area that we wouldn?t have electricity for the refrigerator (we don?t have any propane---we?re all electric, which is usually nice but sometimes a pain).  Dean worked it out with the guy who is going to work on the coach.

Life is much rosier today.  Dean wanted to talk with the mechanic who was going to work on the coach to make sure the electricity was hooked up for the refrigerator, so we stayed in the coach until 2:30 when they knew what mechanic would be assigned to us.  I had called La Quinta and found out that they welcome pets, so Sherlock won?t have to be boarded.  We will all be much happier. 

The trip over to the motel went well. The room is spacious, has a microwave, refrigerator, Mr. Coffee set up, and appears to be new.  It is very clean, and we will like it here. It is about 7 miles from Cummins.

THANKS, RVForumers, for your suggestions.  I love your advice, which is always spot-on.  Tomorrow I want to go to the Zoo, and we always enjoy animals, so it should be a good day..

Staying at the LaQuinta Inn on Park Avenue in Denver, $94.50 tonight.  I would recommend it, especially when all the other motels were full or $175 or more a night.
 
Dean and Linda I am so sorry to hear about your troubles and on a selfish note I am sorry for me that your postings will stop, I so enjoy reading them.

On the up, I am so happy for your kitty because I have a foster very pampered dog and I couldn't imagine how upset she would be if she had to go for an overnight stay in a kennel.  We have her dog-sat when we leave for a couple of hours and during the day she goes to her owners house.  She appeared on our doorstep over a year ago and immediately wanted in our house we thought she was lost and she was wet and seemed hungry so I kept her for the night and figured I would find her owner in the morning.  The next day she sauntered off in the morning like she knew where she was going and she did the owners had just moved in around the corner from our house.  So this long later she sleeps over every night and goes to her other house during the day while we are at work (lately very reluctantly).  Crazy story but true, the owner actually phones me to go and get her because she is missing us...We have spoiled her rotten but she is an angel just the same.  I know it sounds pathetic but she never has been alone for long periods of time and she is six years old.  We take her camping with us every weekend and have to bribe her to get her out of the motorhome when we get home.  She loves it.

Sorry to get off topic, I'm just so happy for you all to be under the same roof while you get these problems fixed.   
 
Dean & Linda Stock said:
Thanks, Jim.  You can bet we will be doing that.  With such an expensive repair, any saved money really helps.

We made it today with no accidents, but I am going to investigate getting one just to have on board.  Is yours made of cardboard or plastic?  My only thought is that with cardboard, one accident and it has to be thrown away.  However, i am sure Dean would gladly pay $10 each time not to be urinated on.

I probably should also mention, with that one problem we have gotten ahead of our "extended warranty" cost.  I have about 6 months left to run so I need to start shopping again.

Yes it is a plastic coated cardboard and so far we have had no accidents.  We try to find a park and have him on a leash several times a day and especially late at night and first thing in the morning
 
workingtorv said:
Dean and Linda I am so sorry to hear about your troubles and on a selfish note I am sorry for me that your postings will stop, I so enjoy reading them.

On the up, I am so happy for your kitty because I have a foster very pampered dog and I couldn't imagine how upset she would be if she had to go for an overnight stay in a kennel.  We have her dog-sat when we leave for a couple of hours and during the day she goes to her owners house.   

I am really glad you enjoy our postings.  I enjoy doing them, too.  But I feel so blessed when people tell me to go here, do this, or give me suggestions.  The people of the Forum made it possible for us to keep Sherlock with us, and I will always be grateful--also more prepared in future trips with a folding carrier.  The knowledge bank that the Forum has is incredible.  I had no idea that LaQuintas would be so welcoming to pets or that there even was such a thing as a folding carrier.  I've already talked with Dean about how we could put a towel in the bottom so we could reuse it even if an accident occurred.  Sherlock was penned up in the shower while the RV was being diagnosed--for about 2 hours, and no accident.  But riding in the car is another story.  He sheds fur like crazy and is very nervous--truly puts the Scaredy in Scaredy Cat.

As for your shared dog--I think he may be even more pampered than Sherlock--and that's hard to do.  Your big heart and the owners' willingness to share is amazing.  I only wish that kind of harmony prevailed throughout the leaders of our world.  What a great place it would be!  Or even if our political leaders could put the people's interests ahead of their own.  How much greater our nation could be! 
 
Dean & Linda Stock said:
Thanks, Jim.  We made it today with no accidents, but I am going to investigate getting one just to have on board.  Is yours made of cardboard or plastic?  My only thought is that with cardboard, one accident and it has to be thrown away.  However, i am sure Dean would gladly pay $10 each time not to be urinated on.

Ours is nylon and mesh. It folds flat and has a large zippered top for putting the cat inside. We had a hard plastic one and she really didn't like that. Tough to get her through the door. With the mesh, we pick her up and place her inside. It's zipped before she knows what's happening. Pat found it at K-mart. I'll bet Petco might have one.
 
Linda,

We travel full time with two cats and have two hard plastic cat kennels that break down into two clamshells each. They store relatively easily in a space much smaller than the assembled kennels. The advantage of the clamshells is that you can store soft bags, etc. in the "bowls" so you lose very little cubic space.

We always put a large, soft towel in the bottom of each in case of accidents, and that has worked well.

They have kenneled as long as six hours before without issue and have kenneled inside the coach during maintenance days.

They also have been in motels under the cover of darkness, but once unleashed, spent the night bouncing on the bed. It's the price one pays to enjoy their company, I suppose. Just little hairy kids.

Hope your travel woes end quickly and you can get back on track.

Kim
 
We bought our foldable dog carrier at the local independent pet store but we also looked at them at Petco, Petsmart and on-line. Here's one that's sold at Drs. Foster & Smith to give you an idea of what they're like..

Wendy
 
Back
Top Bottom