we interrupt this adventure . . .

 

We interrupt this adventure with . . . life, breakdowns and the lockdown. As we were enjoying our beautiful Country I received a call from my dad that they needed some help. So we took a right turn from Montana to head to Arizona. My folks are in their mid-eighties and my mom's health is declining. It is very difficult to see this once vibrant couple pretty much house bound and only going out to doctors appointments and grocery shopping. My mom was a RN and my dad was a city administrator. When they retired they decided to travel and see the country. They RV'd full time for almost 10 years. Then they decided to settle in Arizona. They built a "stickbuilt" house in a RV community complete with RV hook-ups so they could still travel and also have other RVer's come and stay on their property. They spent the next several years spending the winters in Arizona and traveling to cooler areas in the summer. My dad loves to hike and he has spent some time hiking various trails around the country, including his obsession, the Appalachian Trail. My mom loved to read and spend time doing crafts and playing games at the clubhouse with the other ladies in the community. Those days are gone and I've come to realize that growing old is definitely not for the faint of heart! So when my dad called, we were happy that we had the freedom to just head their way. 

On our way to my folks house at our overnight stop in a Cracker Barrel parking lot, we were putting out the dining room slide a little (it is kinda a rule that you don't put your slides out and set up completely when just overnighting in a parking lot) and I looked down and noticed that the slide was ripping a huge hole in our linoleum!! Upon inspection we discovered that a screw had perforated the bottom of the slide and was the cause of the problem. We  the screw to prevent further damage and promptly called our dealership about repair. We spent several weeks with my folks and then headed back to Texas so we could get our rig in for repair and spend time with our daughter and grandkids. 

Because of "covid" the RV industry has blown up! People are still wanting to travel, but they want their own space, and what better way than in a RV where you can control your environment and social distance without much difficulty. What this has done is overwhelm the industry and everything connected to it. We have had much difficulty making registrations because places are either full or closed. There is much more demand then there is supply! This has really made our repair situation challenging! We were able to get an appointment to take our rig in for repair on August 17th with the expectation of getting it back that Friday. When we took it in and dropped it off, the service tech looked at it and said, "wow, it looks like the whole floor is separating from the slide!".  This caused a back and forth between the dealership and the manufacturer, with the conclusion being that the repair was beyond the scope of the dealership. This meant that the rig would need to go back to the manufacturer in Indiana for repair! Well that's great, but we're in Texas and this is our home! And guess when there is an opening for the repair... November 10, 2020!!!

This sent us scrambling to figure out our situation because we can't go home (our house is leased out until August of 2021) and we can't afford a hotel for the next 3-4 months! We were able to get the manufacturer to agreed to pay for a hotel after they pick it up from the dealership on November 10 until it is returned to us so that was good! In the meantime, we are fortunate to have wonderful friends in the area that are letting us stay with them until then.

What is my takeaway from all this? 1. We make our plans and God orders our steps. 2. I'm thankful that we have the flexibility to be a help to my folks. 3. The repairs should all be covered under warranty. 4. We have great friends. 5. Let's just see where the Lord takes us!! 

Blessings,

Mamawizzy