Just another average sunset in paradise!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The saga continues ....

Once we reached the freeway, Dod was amazing - cruising along at 55 mph (not my normal highway speed, but this is a shake down trip) with more than enough power to pass the occasional big rig on grades.  When we reached Hemet I missed the driveway for the siding store twice and was so happy to be driving an RV that could easily make u-turns!  DJ seemed happy too but I don't know if it was because of the u-turns or because I had missed the driveway twice.

When we pulled in to the store, we were greeted by the owner who quickly identified the siding pattern, measured the area and gave me a quote of $40. plus tax for a credit card purchase or $35. tax included for cash.  I just love dealing with owners.  I had expected that they would take a large sheet of matching siding and cut a piece to size.  Instead, they took a perfectly flat piece of siding that matched Dod's original color and put  it through a huge rolling machine.  When it exited the machine it was a perfect match to the existing siding.


I couldn't resist asking the owner what he would have charged for the repairs.  He said $600. to $800.  I know his repairs would have been superior to mine but with the price difference, mine are just fine.

On to Idyllwild.  The "Palms to Pines" highway climbs up the mountains from an elevation of about 1500' to more than 6000' in just 16 miles.  What a test for Dod!  Most of the climb was uneventful but at times when I gave Dod too much gas on particularly steep grades, his poor old motor began to cough as though it was not getting enough gas.  By manually down-shifting to second gear and taking it slower, we made the summit with no major concerns!  Not much opportunity for conversation on a road with sharp, blind turns while driving an RV with coughing problems.  The weather was also terrible!  There was a dense fog which made driving even more nerve-wracking and chilly (remember the odor - the windows still have to be down!).

Just as we turned toward Idyllwild at the junction of highways 74 and 243, the fog lifted and the temperature went up at least 20 degrees.  A very good sign!  We pulled into Idyllwild State Park in just under three hours after departure with a traveling distance of almost exactly 100 miles.



Tomorrow:  Picking a camp site, setting up camp and sleeping arrangements!

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