Woodland’s Tulip Festival

This is the perfect time of year to check out the spring tulips in Southwest Washington. Woodland is the home of the Holland Bulb Company and the whole town celebrates their Tulip Festival during April and May. The company harvests and ships tulip bulbs world wide. We’ve visited their fields many times and did the same thing the other day. It's hard to stay away when you know they are so beautiful. Many flowers are in bloom and rain or shine we have been enjoying the beauty of them.

We’ve also checked out a few RV parks that we love in the area.

This is one of our favorites. It is the County Line park. You can watch all the freighters and other large ships move down the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean to Portland, Oregon. It’s a great place and at $10 a night, it’s quite a deal.

This RV park is also on the Columbia River. The name of it is Columbia Riverfront RV Park. You can also watch the large ships and freighters travel on it but it’s quite a bit more spendy than the County Line.

The nice part about this area is that there are lots of RV parks with many of them close to rivers, lakes and even the ocean.

We've enjoyed staying put a bit. In the meantime we've certainly done our running around and taking care of things we needed to do including ordering a new top for the boat but we'll tell you about that when it gets finished and when we get to use it again. In the meantime, the sun is out and we've been able to enjoy some nice sunny days with many more forecast in the future.

Visiting Family

Can you figure out what Lee’s Easter dinner task was?  This was his finished product.  We laughed ourselves silly over his creative designs.

We arrived in Washington the day before Easter on a gorgeous spring day.  The day before Easter was gorgeous but with Easter came the rain showers.  We didn’t like that but weren’t given a choice.  The great part about it is that we were able to share Easter with our son’s family.

Sabrina has been much, much better than I in losing weight.  She’s almost reached her goal and looks fantastic!  It’s not long until she’s going to treat herself to one heck of a shopping trip as she replaces the clothes that are several sizes too large for ones that actually fit.

Monday was another rainy day and anytime you’re around family you have things to do.  My 91 year old aunt lives close so it was off to visit her in Vancouver.  Then, we made a trip to Portland to check on my brother who had moved into a retirement home a couple days prior.  

That is about it for now.   We’ve made a few appointments and after that we figure we’ll take a trip to the beach …….  the weatherman is telling us that those blue skies will return soon.  A great forecast is in the future.  In the meantime, we’re just going to loiter around until Terry gets back from his appointment in Phoenix next week.

The only thing on our immediate calendar is the Royal Wedding.  Anyone else going to stay up and watch it? Sabrina and I are throwing a party.  It starts at midnight Thursday night.  You’re all invited.  Bring snacks.

We’ll be back on the road soon.  In the meantime, we are going to check out some of the RV places around here we’ve stayed at in the past.  We stopped by Camp Kalama yesterday.  I certainly don’t understand why places in great locations don’t take care of their grounds.  The grass in some spots was pretty high and it just didn’t look maintained.  That’s not to say I won’t want to stay there during Salmon season.  There are a few sites right on the river you could back your RV into and fish during one of the runs.  Great location but at $32 a night it’s a higher price than it’s worth.  However, I still want to stay there for a few days with my fishing pole out but only when the salmon are running in the river.

(PS: Duchess said to tell Millie she sure is enjoying the grass here.)

And, since we’re just hanging around for a while, I thought I’d alternate posting a few pictures of some great places to visit in the area and also previous RV parking sites.  This one is where we were parked last summer right on Nehalem Bay.  Gorgeous location …. and we hope to head back there soon.  A small marina is located at the park - Paradise Cove Resort.  Fishing and crabbing available.

Rising Fuel Prices and GasBuddy

Everyone is aware of rising fuel prices. Aren’t they? It’s all over the news and certainly obvious when you fill your RV or vehicle at the pump. The price of gas or diesel isn’t the same in one state as it is in another. After all, state taxes vary a great deal. You get the privilege of paying in that state wherever you are for all the road construction you see as you travel along. However, the price of the fuel can change a great deal from one station to another. That’s where GASBUDDY.COM can really save you money. If you haven’t checked it out, you might want to give it a try. Enter in your location and the result will be the price of fuel at local stations …. wherever you are. It’s a great tool.

This is one of the maps located on the website of Gasbuddy . This map was posted on April 21st.  The map is updated often and kept fairly current. It may just change the direction you decide to travel.  Notice the difference in the map above with the map below.  The price guidelines have increased plus red shading has started creeping into other areas and it’s only a few days later.

 

Welcome to Washington

We made it. We pulled out of our little overnight spot at the Monaco factory in Eugene and traveled the 140 miles north to Kalama, Washington. We have arrived! This leg of our journey was over. Even Duchess was happy she wasn’t going to have to travel for a while. Well, we told her she wouldn’t have to and I’m sure she understood. She hadn’t seen real grass in months but it didn’t take her long to make herself comfy on it.

Traffic on Saturday morning was light. It was another gorgeous day. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It’s amazing how much a nice day can make everything seem so beautiful. Every time we return here from the desert of the Southwest we are in awe of the beauty. This time of year it is especially beautiful with spring flowers, tall evergreen trees and lots of flowing rivers. As my dad would say, it’s definitely God’s country!

I-5 outside of Salem

Oregon I-5 heading towards Portland

Portland, Oregon -- an old stomping ground

Interstate bridge over the Columbia River crossing from Oregon to Washington

Washington Rest Area -- Many rest areas have RV dump facilities

Heading towards Kalama

Little town of Kalama

Duchess and her favorite thing to lay on --- grass

Let the good times begin!

Leaving Reno and into Oregon

The forecast for Friday was good. The winds were on their way east and only left a slight breeze in the area. This was good news for us. Our plans were to hightail it out of there! And, that’s just what we did. Terry is not normally an early morning person but he usually is on travel days. And, of course, that means we’re often pulling out during morning work traffic. Again, that’s what we ended up doing in Reno. However, there was definitely a difference between the work traffic in Phoenix, the work traffic in Las Vegas and the work traffic in Reno. We also pulled through other towns during the evening rush hour traffic but didn’t even notice it. There certainly is a lot to be said in favor of driving through these small towns over the larger towns.

Up until Friday morning we weren’t sure which way we were going to head. Well, we knew we’d be taking Hwy 395 as far as Susanville but from there we weren’t quite sure.

Cousin Wally had taken Hwy 44 on to I-5. He said it was a good route. It was a good route but I’m sure our mpg dropped to below 3 taking this route. Hindsight is good for so many things. It’s just too bad we don’t have it. Now that we’ve done that route I’d sure like someone to compare the same route going via Klamath Falls. That was our alternative.

The roads were good. Perhaps, they were windy but they were good. I don’t remember seeing one …. not one .. other RV taking the same route we did. We climbed up to 5800 feet several times. We saw lots of snow. Some of it was fairly fresh and in other places not so fresh. The scenery was beautiful. This definitely would not be the route for someone who does not keep tabs on current weather conditions. During much of the year the elevation could bring more snow to the area. If the snow isn’t enough, icy roads could be another hazard. In some places the trees shaded the roadway and sunlight never peeked through. There were areas where signs were posted warning of high wind gusts.

The day we went through it was perfect. I can’t say we were lucky but I can say we certainly knew that the day was to be clear, wind would be gone and the temperatures were high enough to melt any overnight ice.

The terrain continued to change the more the road headed west and then as it turned north. The deserts and scrub were left behind for the green grass, spring flowers and tall, tall trees. Mountains in the distant were absolutely breathtaking.

Our first tentative overnight location was to be around Phoenix. That is Phoenix, Oregon and not Phoenix, Arizona…. been there, done that. However, we still had lots of hours of daylight left when we got there. Thus, we set a second tentative over night location. This was to be the SKP park in Sutherlin, Oregon. That’s right. That’s where we were heading. (OREGON – pronounced OR-Y-GUN and not OR-E- GONE).

I had downloaded GPS coordinates for the SKP parks. Needless to say, whoever figured those coordinates out, didn’t do a very good job. We ended up at the post office in the center of Sutherlin. Instead of wasting time looking for it, we trudged on down Interstate 5 towards Eugene and spent the night in a déjà vu location.

If you travel through Oregon, notice the weigh stations. Many are closed but the scales still work. You can drive through and weigh your rig. The weight will be on the LED screen in front of the driver.

The Monaco RV Service Center and Cummins Service Centers are located just north of Eugene in Coburg. Both of these facilities have RV hookups on their service lot. We know. We stopped there last fall. That’s where we pulled in, plugged in the electricity and passed out for the night. There are several parking areas by the buildings too so if the RV parking spaces were full, we could have just spent the night and not hooked up.

It was a long 475 mile day. Terry swears all the traveling was uphill and then more uphill. The next leg of this journey is on pretty level ground with no more mountains to cross. Only 140 miles to go …. at least for now.

Travel safe.

Carson City and Rock’n in the Wind

We knew there was a reason we needed to stop at Reno. Again, we were thankful we did make it to there and didn’t stop sooner. The wind blew and blew all day Wednesday and during the night it rocked and rocked the motorhome. There haven’t been many times on the road that we’ve needed to pull our slides in and take our antenna down due to storms but Wednesday night was one of them. The weatherman predicted strong winds and high gusts during the daytime but also predicted they were to subside later in the evening. Well, he missed it. The strongest winds came through about midnight and lasted for about 4 hours until the forecasted thunderstorms were to move into the area. The rain came but the thunderstorms never did. One more day of wind and then we’re out of here.

We had talked to the RV park manager about taking a trip to Virginia City during that day. However, he advised against it with the strong winds. He said there are sections of roads where it's not necessarily uncommon to see an RV or a truck on its side due to the winds. Instead we did decide to take the 30 mile ride down the freeway to Carson City in the Jeep. This is the town Mark Twain’s brother lived in and Kit Carson was famous for.

Have you ever seen a sign at the entrance to a freeway and then again on the freeway forbidding RVs? I hadn’t but it was there. The crosswinds from over the mountains made even holding the car on the road difficult. It also was not a good day to play tourist in this historical city. After all, who really wanted to be outside in all of this?

We didn’t. We drove through Carson City and that was about it. On a nice day it would be a very interesting little town to wander through. However, this was not the day to do it. The weather was just too nasty. Even though we can say been there done that, we also know that sometime we would like to return.

Guess what we found on our way back to the RV park?? A WINCO! I was so excited. We had to stop and fill up our basket with dog treats and a few other odds’n ends. It certainly is nice to know that we’re finally back in WINCO country! However, this one is a little different than others we have been to. This store had a section with slot machines. We probably should have figured that since it's in Nevada.

I also found the perfect little driving range. It’s just a few feet from where we are currently parked waiting for the winds to pass over. There were a few golfers bundled up and trying their luck regardless of the wind. I thought this might be a place Jerry and Ed would like to try out their golfing skills. All of the little buckets on the water have markers showing the distance just like the flags on a driving range.

We did take another little drive up the freeway. We were actually thinking about moving Thursday morning but then decided not to bother and just stay put for one additional night. We did see a couple motorhomes on the road but just the two. It makes you wonder if the folks don’t check the weather before they head out or if they are out there just daring something to happen. One was having a very difficult time staying in his lane. Of course, there were no warnings on this one but sometimes I think people need to make some safe decisions on their own.

Friday it'll be up over the Siskiyou Mountains and down into Oregon. Winds are predicted to be gone out of here so that's just what we're going to do .... get out of here.

Travel safe, everyone.

Hwy 95 Las Vegas to Reno

One of our friends had been to the town of Beatty and she commented that it was a sad, sad town. Well, that’s where we were heading but not because it was Beatty. We were heading that way because it was on the route we were going to take if we wanted to visit the Rhyolite Ghost Town. We weren’t really sure whether we would be staying there but we still had to drive through it. Other than being close to Rhyolite and Death Valley, Beatty is well known for their hot mineral baths. That was an option. There is a little RV park a few miles north of town that rents out private mineral bath rooms. The charge is $5 for the hour and the private room comes with a dressing area and your own mineral water hot tub. We had to think about it but other than stopping to take a look decided to bypass it.

By the time we arrived in Beatty, we were glad we had decided not to stay. Unless you were intent on driving into Death Valley from there or soaking in the mineral baths, there didn’t appear much going on in Beatty. Even some of the RV parks looked sad. If we had decided to stay, we would have DEFINITELY chosen the Beatty RV Park. It looked to be the nicest one of all. However, we drove through the town and definitely agreed with Loralie that Beatty was a sad, sad town.

As we continued our trip north on Hwy 95, there were several other towns including Mina, Goldfield and Luning that we thought were also sad towns. At some time in the past, these towns must have been hopping but the life no longer seemed to be in them. We thought they were falling apart and in desperate need of repair. Tonopah was at an elevation of about 6100 feet and appeared to be thriving. Hawthorne was at the edge of gorgeous Walker Lake and also seemed to be a healthy little town.

The route from Las Vegas to Reno was a nice route. We thoroughly enjoyed traveling the back road and not on the freeway. The only issue we thought was the constant climbing. We’re sure the road never went downhill even though it must have. The terrain was high desert but the closer we got to the Reno area the more obvious the mountains to the west became. We even traveled through some green pastures. What a difference from the desert of Arizona where we had spent most of the winter.

One of the reasons for heading this way was because we had never done it. We also wanted to visit Virginia City. Remember the Cartwrights? Well, as we sit at the base of the mountains now and rock with the wind, we have decided that’s going to have to be put off for another day and another trip maybe. If we’re rocking here, the park manager warned we’d really be rocking on the mountain. Oh well …. we know not everything works out as planned.

We’ll probably hang around here for a couple more nights waiting for the wind to head on East. The terrain will definitely change even more from this point on. Tuesday was a 441 mile day. It was long and we were very tired. No ... we were actually exhausted. After we had decided not to stay in Beatty, we set the GPS for the Hawthorne Elks and that was to be the night's destination. Instead we forged on and went the additional 133 miles to Reno and I'm so glad we did. There are a couple areas between there and here that warn of high crosswinds. Travel on Tuesday was a little windy but had we waited until Wednesday it would have been horrendous. Sometimes things do work out.

Travel safe everyone.

Rhyolite - A Ghost Town

Monday we celebrated another get together. This was dubbed the Official Last Supper. With coupons in hand, Sandie & Jim, Janice & Jerry and Terry & I met for another dinner at Terrible’ s Casino in Las Vegas. We were all heading in different directions the next day. We could think of no better way to end a great winter of gatherings than to meet for another meal. We’ll certainly miss them!

We had gone back and forth regarding our departure route from Las Vegas. We didn’t think the route towards Reno would be a scenic route but we really wanted to take a peek a Rhyolite and the weather in that direction seemed to be much better than other routes. There were a few things we intended to see along the way but not too many. The intent was just to get on the way.

We did get on the way. Our day started when we picked up the Hyders at 6:00 AM for a ride to the airport. They were off to Houston to spend time with the grandkids. A 6:00 AM outing for us was good. It meant we’d also be pulling out early.

Rhyolite was the place we really wanted to visit. We knew not much was there. After all, it was a ghost town. This place even had ghosts. Well, they were actually an artist’s depiction of the ghosts but we found them interesting along with the tumbling down buildings.

Gold was discovered here in 1904 and prospectors flocked in hoping to find their fortune. At one time this place was bustling with over 10,000 occupants searching for gold. The town was active and built up just about as fast as it fell down. What we saw were just the remains of what the bustling town used to be.

One house still standing in town became known as the “bottle house” because it was built from the only materials the prospector had --- whiskey bottles. There were over 50 saloons at one time and he found a use for many of the empty whiskey bottles probably from some of those saloons.

The remains of a few other buildings leave an eerie feeling to the town and the peacefulness of the desert. The general store or what is left of it can be seen in the distance as well as partial buildings.

It was an interesting route from Las Vegas to Reno. Rhyolite was just 4 miles off of Hwy 95 so now we can say been there, done that. More on the actual route to come. It was a long day and certainly different than traveling north through California.

Kingman Back to Las Vegas

With our uneventful night at the Wal-Mart in Kingman where the city does not allow overnight parking behind us, it was time to head on to Las Vegas for a few nights. A few of the other RVers had already pulled out of the parking lot before we were outside getting ready to go. We had to stop first and visit with our very nice Australian neighbors.

Back to fun projects

Two couples from Australia were off to spend six months together in the United States touring. Upon arrival they purchased a motorhome and at the end of their stay, they plan to sell the Class “A” motorhome before returning to Australia. I’m certain this was the smart way to do it. They indicated they had checked into renting one and decided this was much less expensive. We swapped some information and places to visit and headed on our way. I’m sure they’ll have a very good time on their very long vacation.

The wind was really ripping as we headed out of the Kingman area but it didn’t last long. Oh, it was windy alright but once on the road it wasn’t quite as forceful as it was when we first pulled out. We had a short 100 mile drive and arrived at our destination before noon. We know we’ll have a few long days ahead of us in the next couple of weeks so these short days are supposed to make up for the ones to come.

Dinner was at Dessy B’s Steakhouse. Terry hadn’t been there before but I had been with the Hyder’s when he was out of town. The place certainly isn’t fancy but the food was so good that I wanted to take him there too. The salad bar is fantastic, the steak perfect and the service flawless. We liked this place.

One more repeat will be to Terrible’s Casino but not to play slots. It’ll be to repeat their buffet. With coupons in hand we’ll be able to have the best brisket ever at their buffet for about $5 each. What a deal that is!

Tuesday we’ll be on our way north towards the Rhyolite Ghost Town (maybe). That’s the plan and you know how well we stick to our plans.

See you in Rhyolite (maybe).

Kingman Wal-Mart–No Overnight Camping

With the repair work finished we were finally able to pull out of the Phoenix area again on Thursday. We weren’t actually sure where we were going but after mulling it over for a bit, we finally headed out. We were on our way to the SKP park in Congress. That’s where we were headed. It was only going to be a short 87 mile day. We hadn’t really planned a destination for the day so that was a good fill-in plan. It’s hard to sit down and plan something when you have company and more company and more company. And, company we did have.

Tuesday evening we had guests until late, also had out of town family visiting the area on Wednesday and then had more company that evening. This time we didn’t get rid of that company until Thursday morning because she spent the night -- but we were glad to have her. However, it was kind of hard to figure out our travel plans when we were so busy doing other things.

With pretty brisk winds in the area and more expected in the direction we were hoping to head, we knew we needed to be on top of it. Thus, our destination for the day was only going to be as far as Congress …. just enough to get us on the road and out of the Phoenix area. However, as usual, we scraped that plan once we were within a few miles of Congress and scurried on to Kingman. The winds were still blowing and the mountains in the distance that normally are visible were hidden behind the blowing dust. The winds weren't as strong as the day before so we decided to continue northward bound.

Terry has come to the conclusion that no one works anymore. Why else would the freeways be so full of cars? They were packed. Even though the trusty little GPS usually directs us via Hwy 60, we never ever go that route. It might be a tad bit shorter but it is certainly much slower with a traffic light every few blocks for just about 14 miles. We always head north on I17 and cross over to Hwy 93 via Hwy 74 and the Lake Pleasant area. The road is a two-laner part of the way and a four-laner the rest of the way and there is usually a lot of car and truck traffic on that route. At times it can be frustrating but it’s still a gorgeous drive. The Joshua Trees are spectacular and this time even yellow and orange flowers covered the landscaping along the road. Even some of the small cactus plants were in bloom.

Since the Kingman Wal-Mart wasn’t on our list of Wal-marts allowing overnight parking, we called before we headed to their parking lot and were told it was okay but only for one night. Upon arrival we noticed all the “No Overnight Camping Allowed” due to a city ordinance signs. Once again we checked inside the Wal-mart and were again told it was okay for one night as the city rarely enforced that ordinance. As we went to sleep for the night, we hoped that was truly the case. There were at least half a dozen other RVers around us and I’m sure our neighbors hoped for the same.

We lasted the night at the Wal-mart. Police didn't show up or kick anyone out. The little security car hired by the store kept good care of us as he watched over us through the night. Now with daylight here we're ready to head just a tad bit farther north ... just a tad bit. It'll be a pretty short day.

Travel Books and Maps

Much of our RV trip planning is done using the computer. Even though we have a GPS travels are usually charted using Microsoft Streets and Trips. In addition to loading POI markers (points of interest) to our GPS, I also put them on the computer. The ones I use most for this include Wal-Mart, Flying J, various campgrounds and Elks. This helps with planning overnight stops along the route.

Finding unique places to stop and visit is what we enjoy doing and even though we can chart the common places on the map, the other places take a little more work. After all, we don’t just want to drive from Point A to Point B. We want to see things. You can research many places for hours on the internet. In addition to eateries, a couple good ones are RoadsideAmerica.com and the AAA.com tour guide. However, sometimes I find the old fashioned way still handy. Sitting outside in the gorgeous sunshine with a laptop doesn’t quite work as well as holding a book in your hand. For one thing, there is no glare with a book.

If you’re a member of Good Sam (and even if you’re not), you probably received an email recently advertising the Trailer Life RV Road Atlas. They were promoting it for about half off by ordering it through them online. We saw this same book at Camping World and it was about half off there too. After thumbing through the pages, I was determined to add it to the collection of other travel books we are currently carrying around.

There were a few things I really liked that ultimately made the decision to purchase the map. One was because it was spiral bound. The pages were easier to turn and there was less of a chance that the back binding would break from over-use. However, that wasn’t the only reason it went in our little cart. Routes were marked that could accommodate oversized vehicles including RVs and trucks. In addition, interesting sites, places to visit, tourist attractions and many campgrounds were indicated right on the map. For instance, the map of Nevada showed many BLM sites, museums, historic monuments, landmarks, ghost towns and state parks. At times it is so much more more convenient to grab a map than check the computer. With new book in hand, I can sit outside in the warm sunshine with this map.

Our Western Edition Free Campgrounds book printed in 2007 is very much outdated. Actually the book doesn’t only list free campgrounds. At the time of printing of our copy, campsites costing under $12 a night were listed in the book. Many BLM camping areas are also in the book. However, the $12 price on many of these places are history. A couple of the places listed in that price range have now climbed over $20 a night. Obviously, it’s time to replace the book.

Our Jeep is finally out of the shop. Thursday morning we had hoped to be on the road north again. However, we’ve been so wrapped up with gatherings here that we really haven’t had time to plot. Only the rest of the day will answer the question of whether we will actually get on the road today or not.

Life on the Road

Life on the road can be amazing. You get an opportunity to see so many different and beautiful places. You also get an opportunity to experience things so differently than you would if you choose to stay planted in one place during your retirement. No matter how much you desire to be in perfect locations at the perfect time with the perfect weather, it doesn’t always happen.

Some sites that were full now sit empty

We’ve been planted in the Phoenix area much longer than we had hoped. Normally April is a gorgeous month with gorgeous spring weather. This April has been unique. We’ve gone from a high temperature that reached 100 degrees down to a high of half of that within a week’s time. As a matter of fact, even the Superstition Mountains received a good dusting of snow. That’s beautiful to look at but it tells about the unusually cool weather and rain the area has received.

Some winter visitors are still around and in the RV parks. Others have started their trek north for the summer. We see them packing up for their migration north. Summer is just around the corner and very few of the winter guests intend to hang around the desert during the heat of the summer.

Some folks have their summer plans all figured out and reservations made. Our plans definitely aren’t that well organized. We can’t even decide which way is best to head to Washington State. One minute we thought it was Utah but after checking the weather, figured this might be a better option for early fall. Next we thought about California but some of the places we thought we would stay have been washed out with all the rain. Who knows? Only time will tell but what we need most right now is to be able to get on the road.

We do have lots of plans for the summer months from spending time with family, taking a few plane trips, camping on the coast and even visiting an RVer friend on Whidbey Island. All we need is for the weather to cooperate just a bit but this is what life on the road is all about … waiting, planning and then going.

Back in the Shop and Another Loaner

Friday was another day loaded with vehicle repairs. It just seems one thing leads to another. Eventually, all of this will be over and we’ll be on the road again. When we were in Yuma we had a rock hit our windshield. We had put off having it replaced but figured since we’re stuck in this area, we might as well just have that done too. And, we did.

We also thought we were through with loaners and repair work but that just wasn’t the case. The Jeep is back in the shop and we have another loaner. Obviously, we weren’t happy campers about either of those things but we wanted it fixed and the only way to do that was drop it off again.

Evidently, the muffler didn’t get inspected when the Jeep did. It wasn’t too difficult to figure out what was wrong. You could hear us coming as the car was very noisy. We figured the muffler just needed to be secured to stop the vibration so I made a call to Progressive to get the vehicle back in. As great as they had been with us, the thing we always had a problem with was getting them to call us back. That is not their strong point. So, after the windshield was replaced we bypassed Progressive and took the Jeep to the shop that actually did the collision repair. They had that car in and inspected in no time. Elite Collision set us up with a loaner and ordered a new muffler since the one on the car did not escape damage from the impact. We’re sure itching to get out of here. Hopefully, the muffler will be in on Monday and we can put this behind us again.

Repair Work Completed - A New Rearend

Yesterday was D-Day! After the rear-end collision in Las Vegas, the repair work on the Jeep was finally completed. All the way through this we had our fingers crossed hoping everything would work out. It did!

My advice is if you have a choice of who to allow to hit you when you’re stopped at light, make sure they have Progressive Insurance. You know the one. You’ve seen the commercials. Flo works for them! They were absolutely fantastic to work with and they even took the squeaks out of the back!

The original estimate for repairs was about $3600 but the final bill ended up just under $4200. Well, that was before they agreed to order a new rim for the tire on back that took the blunt of the blow. Yep, Progressive sure did a great job!

Remember this picture

It seems a good “bondo” job had been done previously on the tailgate. Maybe we should thank the person who hit me after all. Since the tailgate and bumper were replaced, the bondo is now gone.

Our first stop after picking up the vehicle was at Camping World. We got a a new tire cover (photo above). It was a $46 tire cover on sale for $29. We figured as long as we’re in this area, we might as well get a few more things done. So, a couple more appointments for additional work are now on our calendar before we’re on our way out of here!