Leslie – Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday we had planned a day of casual sightseeing in Prince George. Our agenda changed quickly when Robert announced to me, “we have a problem” in that tone of voice that everyone understands to mean, “we have a BIG problem”. Our RV is similar to a small condo. We have specialized electrical and plumbing systems. The “problem” that Robert had discovered was that our toilet refused to flush. Unlike fixing a residential toilet, in an RV this isn’t a problem easily solved with a trip to Home Depot to purchase a “toilet kit”. We needed an RV repair shop. Luckily Prince George is a fairly large town (for this part of British Columbia). The first place we called told us that they had a backlog of over two weeks. :-( After a bit more searching we were able to find a RV repair shop that was willing to look at our rig that afternoon. Quickly we went through our moving procedures, hitched up the 5th wheel, and drove to the repair facility to wait . . . and wait. After a few hours the repair person explained that we had a choice: we could wait for 5-6 days until they could obtain the necessary parts, or we could replace the toilet ($ ouch $). We have no interest in remaining in Prince George for a week, especially without a working toilet, so we authorized the work to replace the toilet.
Note to RVers: the new toilet works differently. If you pull up on the pedal, you fill the tank.
While Robert waiting and supervised at the RV repair facility, Stan, Connie, and I went in search of a laundry mat. We engaged in what I’d call, “Combat Laundry”. What’s Combat Laundry? Combat Laundry is the situation when there are more people trying to grab washers and dryers than there are washers and dryers available. Jungle rules apply! Woe to the person who allows a dryer to stop without promptly removing the clothes. He may find his clothes on the floor. :-( The three of us stationed ourselves so that we could watch the time remaining on each dryer. We were ready to pounce when one stopped!
In our years of traveling we have rarely faced a laundry mat in such chaos. Among RVers there is a constant discussion of whether it is better to have a washer/dryer in a rig or to have a separate freezer. We have a separate freezer. Robert often says that he likes to eat every day but that he is willing to go to a laundry mat once a week (for 1 1/2 hrs.) Connie & Stan have a small washer/dryer in their rig. Yesterday when we were grocery shopping, Connie was wishing for a freezer. Today at the laundry mat we were all wishing for a large washer/dryer. I think that only proves that there is no ideal RV. (As we were engaging in the waiting game at the laundry mat, we were designing the next best invention – a combination washer/dryer/freezer. We’re just not sure what to do with the ice while the dryer cycle is running.)
After a long day of RV frustrations, we commiserated over a joint dinner of grilled brats until the mosquitoes sent us inside.
No comments:
Post a Comment