October 22 through October 28, 2004

Friday October 22

We met Francie at the Pueblo Indian Cultural center, then after some shopping proceeded to Lisa's house.  Eanna is an alert, bright eyed baby, and mommy does a great job of stimulating her interests.

Eanna put up graciously with being held by the group.

She seemed to be quite fond of Grandma....  :-)    Soon we were all ready to go to lunch.

 Lisa's husband Evan joined us at Las Manitias, 1800 Rio Grande Blvd, Albuquerque.  The burrito with green chilies was again superb, and the old adobe hacienda was quite interesting.   Eanna really did not eat much at all, but slept like a baby through the whole meal.  :-))  Lisa and Eanna came to visit our home on wheels, then we drove the RV to Lisa's house, where we said our goodbyes quickly, as we were parked on the residential street which was a bit narrow for us and passing traffic.  We proceeded to check on the mail which is still not here, and there are no more deliveries today.  The PO is not open again 'til Monday.  We were sent to a special place for RVs in back of the Walmart we picked for tonight.  The way the mail looks, we may need to spread ourselves around Albuquerque for a few days.  :-(

Saturday October 23:

Went to library to get info on our transmission, which is shifting erratically at times, and not always shifting into low gear when we stop.  Our code analyzer is saying we have a bad range switch circuit, and I would like to be able to check the circuit, but need details.  The very good main library in Albuquerque has lots of info on Ford trucks and their transmissions, and I photograph over 100 pages of the most relevant info.   The World Series starts, and I found the game on a strong local AM radio station…it takes less power than the TV, and does not require watching a screen to tell what is happening.  Even though the game starts at 6 here, I cannot stay awake to the end….and gave up with game tied at 7-7 after the Sox had a 6 run lead early.  I fear they are about to be true to form AGAIN.  :-(

Sunday October 24:

When I awoke I  found on line that the Sox had won the first game 11-9.  WOW!!  Later I tried to diagnose the transmission problem, but my results did not correlate at all with the 1999 Ford F350 6.8 L Superduty truck schematic I got at the library.  Wire colors do not agree with schematic connector pins. POSSIBLY Ford deliberately  wires this very heavy truck differently??  I called the Ford motorhome customer service for recommended shops, found an independent engine shop in Albuquerque, then they said Las Vegas was the closest next choice, but then found 3 shops in El Paso.  El Paso is MUCH closer than Las Vegas, NV..... ( it was several days later that I realized they must be talking about Las Vegas NM, a small town east of Santa Fe).  They want me to call Monday so they can verify service before we go anywhere.   It is very busy in Flying J  when we pulled in….we grabbed the last parking place and decided to fill fuel and propane in the AM.  There is a nice night view over Albuquerque downhill to the east.  Dinner is a chicken cacciatore with a red chili that fell out of the string we bought in Santa Fe, with green bell peppers added. It is delicious and not a trace of hot; Claire had removed the seeds. The second series game seemed to go faster....I stayed awake as the Sox won 6-2, and will play the next three games in St Louis.  These will start an hour later.

Monday October 25:

Mail did not come AGAIN.  :-(((  I again called Ford (800 444 3311) about service;  Shannon there was very emphatic that Statkus Engines and Repair in Albuquerque is a very good shop that does lots of work for Ford.  We got the address ( 1623 Los Tomases NW, N35d 06.074', W106d 39.146' ) & phone number (505 765 1614) and decided to at least drive by and talk to them.  It turned out they were only 12 blocks from the post office.  When Jim drove the coach it acted perfect...ALWAYS does that.  :-((  They charge $85/hour, high but OK for a GOOD shop, and $45 to check the codes.  Jim said they would check codes and we'd go from there.  The Ford test equipment the shop uses revealed the P0705 Transmission Range Sensor Circuit malfunction code I had seen on my scanner, as well as a P0503 speed sensor intermittent high.  These folks impressed me; Jim asked to see the invoices on the fluid changes, and ALL of the shop personnel sniffed the fluid on the dipstick...  :-))))  Wendy came out and said they could change the speed sensor, it would only be about $25 for the part, and they probably would not find debris in the pan, so would not recommend draining it to look. She would look for any correlation with the range sensor for our symptoms.  Wendy (Jim's daughter) said she had never changed a range sensor, which she kept referring to as a neutral switch, but would check into it further.    I put my scanner on the RV again as I waited for them to get to changing the speed sensor....no fault codes were showing now.  I expect their scan test included erasing the existing fault codes.  I would expect that the range sensor fault might not be real any longer, and maybe the speed sensor is the REAL culprit affecting shifting, and if so, we were VERY lucky to have it show right now..  :-)  I had noticed my scanner intermittently report some low speed (4 mph, 6 mph, not the expected 0 at all times)  when the vehicle was stopped yesterday, but the speed seemed accurate by the GPS when we drove fast. I looked in my scanner book, and found the clear codes can only be done with key on engine off...but only if done first after turning the key on with Ford systems, as they only accept one function per key off-on cycle.  Ahhh-HA.  That explains why I had not been able to do that operation the several times I had tried it.....the scanner always returned "operation error", but I had no idea why (that message is returned any time the vehicle computer stops communicating with the scanner).  It always says "turn key off for 10 seconds, then on" before you get to the function command menu.  We shall see next time we find a code to erase if turning the key off then on erases codes, but it did finally accept the command without an error message!   I put a reminder tape note on the scanner to compensate for my dead brain cells.  :-)  They pulled the RV into the bay and quickly changed the speed sensor, offered to change the range sensor in the morning when they got the part for around $100 total (we quickly agreed),  then Jim drove the vehicle around the block to the parking space.  It seemed to drive well...but in two blocks we did not expect the problem to show.  Claire biked to Skip Maizell's Indian jewelry shop, and returned sooner than expected with some new baubles.  I was still working on the computer when I heard activity on the back of the RV and rushed out in my inside slippers to repel thieves....to find Claire hanging her bike on the rack.  :-))  At the end of the day there were several RVs parked on the street, and Jim said the space inside was tight.  We offered to stay on the street if the cops would not hassle us; he assured us they would not.  We pulled the curtains and settled in for the evening.  Dinner was Francie's recipe for green chilies and potatoes with beef...delicious, and Claire got the heat just right too.  :-)  The night on the street was uneventful and quiet.

Tuesday October 26:

We got a call from David at the main post office...our mail had not come in, and there were no more deliveries expected today.  GEEZE!!   Claire is especially upset as we will not be able to vote.  I guess I have little expectations from the Post Office.....what can we do?    I decided to change the overdue air filter on the generator, and clean it's foam prefilter.  After finishing that I washed the dirt off the pretty colored decals on the outside of the RV and started waxing them.  They really take abuse from the intense sun out here, and we've seen some Seabreeze motorhomes with badly faded decals that noticeably spoil the appearance.  The UV protectant in the wax has so far kept ours looking OK, but we do not want to store out here without at least having fresh wax on them....I have not gotten to our maintenance chores as quickly as I hoped this trip, and now only three weeks remain before we store.  I expect we may not get the full RV wax job completed by then, but hopefully we can finish the colored parts that fade most quickly.  Around 11:30AM we were taken in to change the range sensor, and that job was finished almost before I got the waxing restarted.  Jim again drove the RV around to the parking place on the street, and I settled the bill...under $200 total, and I considered that money very well spent for two sensors that appeared to fix the problem.  By noon we decided to drive to the University Post Office where Claire would try to convince them to look for our missing mail.....I had little hope.  We proceeded there and I live parked in the crowded lot while Claire went in.  Soon a few cars moved and I could slip lengthwise into 5 slots.  I'm sure folks did not LIKE this in the small crowded lot, but there were always places for folks to park if they looked.  I remembered the letter we had prepared to send to England, and rushed it in to find Claire pleading with a clerk for our mail, and as I returned to the RV he finally agreed to try to find "her" to ask if she had seen it.  I waited only a short time longer, when I saw Claire walking toward the RV with a large priority mail envelope.....  ?????  :-)))))))))))  It turns out "she" had put a hold on our mail, but had told nobody....."she" had not followed procedure and forwarded it to the main post office where all General Delivery for Albuquerque goes......   Oh well..  what can you expect?  STUFF happens!  :-(((((  At least we used the time to get our transmission  problem fixed, but we were about to have to decide to leave town without the mail, and to forget about voting.  We found a place to park a few blocks away in a farmers market, and took time to vote, then Claire called the town clerk back home to verify how to send the ballots so they would get there in time to be counted. The answering clerk said to just send them regular mail as long as the postmark was prior to Nov 2.  Claire was about to hang up when she heard someone holler from across the room that we must get the ballots THERE by Nov 2, and should send them overnight mail.  Again, STUFF seems to happen...whenever you must deal with ANYONE about ANYTHING.  :-((  We had an overdue lunch, then Claire walked back to the Post Office to send them.  I checked out the farmers market.  They had frozen roasted green chilies in zip lock bags for $1.95/lb.  I asked the clerk if they roasted them here, he said yes.  Tempting as it was to buy some, we have no way to get them home unthawed.  :-((  Perhaps we can take some fresh ones on the plane, and prepare them ourselves?  Hmmmmm.....    Claire returned and said the same clerk had waited on her this time, and recognized her.  He suggested that the Post Office zip code book had newly added information on which zip codes had general delivery, and the address of the post office where it could be picked up.  These zip code books are in every post office, and I will check to see if that info is also in the zip code section of the PO website.  We sure cannot CALL a post office by phone any more, as they only release one 800 number for a whole bunch of post offices, and that number does not have a person answering on weekends. Calling such an 800 number during the week will burn way too many minutes of our cellphone time on hold to be practical...such is the price we pay for "cost saving efficiency".  We decide to proceed about 20 miles to Los Lunes NM for the night.  The Super Walmart here is large and new, with no restrictive signs.  :-)  We proceed inside to buy a few things, and find a CHRISTMAS display.  It is not even Halloween yet.  :-))))  When we return outside, the Walmart guard pulls up and starts a pleasant conversation.  A long time later we ask if it is OK to stay tonight, and he says that is why he stopped...we should park along the fence on the side....SURE!!  :-)))  Dinner is a nice fresh salad and left overs.  I am tired and go to bed before remembering there is a World Series game tonight.  I get up to find the Sox ahead by two in the 5th inning, and listen until the game finished at 9:30 with the final score 4-1 Sox.  They are now only one game away from beating the Curse of the Bambino!  :-))

Wednesday October 27:

It rained quite a bit overnight, and the water on the outside quenches my plans to wax early before we leave here…..  Oh well, at least we can check the oil, which is due to be a quart low.  :-)  We drove south, then west to BLM Valley of Fire Recreation Area.  The transmission was working well, and we pulled in mid afternoon.  The campground was BEAUTIFUL, and we selected a non-electricity site for $6/night. As this area seemed remote, we were surprised to have extremely strong digital cellphone service too.  We hiked to the hilltop overlook briefly, but found we were not properly dressed for the brisk breeze, and returned to watch the view from the comfort of the RV.  We noticed a cute short legged white long haired juvenile cat nearby, but it was TOTALLY afraid of people.

I managed to get a picture in the evening glow, but the flash sent kitty running for new cover out of my sight.  The volunteer working the visitors center had mentioned the eclipse, and of course the fourth World Series game was on tonight too.  I must have gotten the series game time wrong, but Claire found it by accident on the TV, already in the 3rd inning with the Sox 3 runs ahead...it would have been nice to have seen those runs scored, but at least they had the lead.  We all know the end result now, but until the last out Claire would not consider the possibility of a Sox world championship in her lifetime... An excited call from Carol in the midst of a celebrating crowd in New York City finished the evening off...almost.   :-)  We still had a moon in total eclipse under clear skies unpolluted by city lights, like few places in the nation experience.  It was not hard to fall asleep this night......even if a bit later than usual.

Thursday October 28:

Today we walked the trail through the lava fields.  We are glad for both the hiking poles and heavy boots…  

The lava is quite irregular and a fall on the jagged edges would surely do damage.  We did little walking onto the lava, as the warning to poke ahead with poles to avoid collapsing hidden subsurface tubes with your foot sorta took the joy out of it....falling into a jagged hollow of sharp lava just is NOT how I want to spend this day....