The Toilet from Hell – Friday July 15, 2016 & Saturday July 16, 2016...

This story really started on Thursday July 14^th when Georgia whispered in my ear something to the effect , “...the cabin flooded...” When I arrived the place was a neat as could be and the floor was very clean. The tiny bathroom was a different matter.

Oh, it was definitely clean but the shower paneling was buckled and the wall behind the toilet was soaked. The problem was discovered while G was away shopping, no it wasn't Wal-Mart this place is far to tiny for that. When she arrived at the cabin water was spraying off the top of the trailer. The folks at the Campground had turned off the water which stopped the flow and now we had to find out what was going on. As it was late in the day we reverted to bottled water and started using the Campground facility until the problem could be determined.

The first thing Friday morning I called the RV dealer where we bought the thing.  They were rude and of no help.  Within the next 24 hours I found you are totally on your own when you buy any RV or travel trailer from a million dollar rig to a simple pop-up. The dealer has only one thing in mind, sell the thing, make a profit and get rid of you. This was the universal comment from everyone we talked with in the park. Those of you who “camp” in the midwest will have no understanding when you are hundreds of miles away from the nearest source of repair, which in our case is Albuquerque. It is a $400 repair call plus time and parts when they decide to get to you which could be days or weeks.

We also learned the quality of construction in these rigs is terrible. Plastic pipes, quick connects, high pressure flex hoses and plastic everything. The million dollar rigs, we have $500,000+ units on both sides of us, have exactly the same construction techniques and materials. The owners of these high price units universally had complete plumbing and electrical tool kits, which they had assembled, on-board. The readily shared tools and advice and I called Curt several times.

On Friday afternoon I managed, after some time and several drenchings, to isolate the problem. It was a flex hose behind the toilet which laid against a fiber board panel and was slightly twisted and kinked. I found a slight tear in the line and worked to address it.

Chama has a combination Grocery store/Ace Hardware. Oddly the grocery store which is named “Lowes” and is a chain in this part of the country, I don't imagine it is associated with the big box Lowes operation in our part of the world.

I came to know the folks at the Ace very well.

Round 1: Silicone tape and plumbing adhesive – I wrapped the pipe in place waited half an hour for everything to set and turned on the water.

20 minutes later water ran across the floor.

Round 2: Stripped out all the tape and adhesive and extended it the length of the tube.

20 minutes later water ran across the floor.

We turned off the water, cleaned the flood and went to supper. Good night but not much sleep.

Round 3: I tore our the MDF case behind the toilet which surrounded the plumbing and electrical. The water line was scored almost the entire length. It was clearly due to sloppy construction now we were paying the price. The hose was too far gone to recover so we had to replace it in total.

Rounds 4 and on....

This merry go round continued all day Saturday the 16^th. We finally got a solid connection but it has a small leak. Curt and I agreed we will rebuild the entire plumbing system this autumn with proper material to finally end the problem once and for all. Until then we continue on bottled water and use the campground facilities.

As for the manufacturer and dealer this is my only comment, Why pretend to warrant these pieces of junk just say it the way it is Caveat Emptor – sucker.

So ends the story of the “Toilet from Hell.” Tomorrow, the 17^th, is my first ride as a Docent.

j     

Five days to forget then remember... July 11th to 15th

Day 1 - July, 11^th

At 8:00am sharp, we met at the Docent “Office” in the Chama yard. It is a 30' long boxcar built before 1924 and eventually taken out of the mineral red colors of freight service and painted gray when placed in Maintenance of Way (“MOW”) Service. The door is too low for a person taller than 5'9” and to stand straight I had to put my head between the exposed interior framing running across the 8' width of the car. There the eight Docent candidates were introduced to the procedures to prepare for a trip on a given train. Being a volunteer organization nearly all funds are prioritized to the

restoration of structures and equipment leaving little for interpretation such as informative signage and Docent work. Thus,
the p.a. equipment we use during the trips is over 15 years old and, though generously repaired at no cost by a member of the Friends, is in need of updating.

Scheduling was discussed at length and after an orientation of an hour or so we moved the class to a building at the Rio Chama RV Campground which is less than a half mile walk from the Docent Car. This is where things rapidly turned very grim.

We had a 50 question test to determine general knowledge. Three of eight got a score over 70 percent and yours truly wasn't one of them. What a shock – a 50 page workbook was distributed and the drills commenced. People talk about drinking from a fire hose or being water-boarded and that is exactly how I felt emotionally - I was exhausted.

The “Cabin” is less than 60 feet away from the building we used for training, the walk back seemed like a mile. G and I talked into the night as I debated whether to throw-in or dig-in.

“What was a guy my age thinking of?” I saw all these old guys ten years or more younger in the campground who sat around blabbing or watching TV. 9 months of work and I flunked the test of basic knowledge. I was ready to go back to Illinois to sit on the porch swing and and moulder away.

“Sleep on it.”

Day 2 – July 12^th

I didn't sleep worth a crap. The polyester sheets and pillow cases along with the light blanket slid of the bed and the previous warm day cooled to a 38 degree sunrise. I dragged myself out of bed at 6:00am. The shower in the cabin isn't worth a rip and I didn't then know that within 48 hours that point would be moot.

The youngest Docent candidate is 65 and they came to the class in various states running from my “wait and see” to being angry and prepared for trench warfare. Universally we did not intend to be treated as school children.

The drills moved on from raw knowledge of the Railroad to handling questions, and there seemed to hundreds, from our passengers. We covered general geology, flora and fauna, specific dates of historic events and seemingly insignificant minutia.

We ate lunch together and talked of the class. Our instructor joined us but normally just listened. After the lunch, more drills.

I made the 60' to the Cabin in good shape that evening.

Day 3 – July 13^th

We turned on the automatic thermostat to heat the cabin during the night – very noisy but it worked. The bedding situation didn't improve. I did some floor exercised for my back and then on to the daily morning duties.

The Friends have never had a Docent class of this size and everything associated with it from training handbooks to testing practices was new. Unbeknownst to the candidates, and I believe the trainers, it seems in reality we were test subjects for a more formulaic approach to the Docent program. Up to this point it appears a candidate was paired with a Docent for OJT with a minimal amount of testing or class time.

More drills and a fair amount of acrimony. The instructor finally lost it and chewed out the whole crew – it was a delicate moment. Our class included an attorney, a senior police officer, a captain in the Arizona penal system, a successful business owner with 28 years experience with the Friends, an IT genius working for AT&T, a retired business man of substantial wealth, a college professor and a simple country banker. There was dead silence - the training session was on the verge of collapse.

“Inhale deeply and gather yourself.”

The moment passed and the day ended.

I walked back to the cabin determined to somehow make this thing work.

Day 4 – July 14^th

A long-time Docent has a "discussion"
with CEO Bob Ross (on the step) of the Friends. 

The operating company and catering service at Osier made space for us to ride an AOC (“Antonito to Chama”) Thus at 8:00am we gathered at the Chama Depot and, sitting in the back of a motor coach, rode with the paying passengers to Antonito. Our train was ready and we were led through the drills of setting up for the trip.

It was a special trip as many dignitaries were present and a legendary Docent and CEO of the Friends of the Cumbrec and Toltec volunteer group, would do the interpretation. The trip went well, the interpretation was as expected and, as with all things, the exposure to experience was of great value.

Amidst the thong as we departed the train I heard G whisper in my ear, “We had a plumbing leak and it has flooded the cabin.”

It took 45 minutes to finish the work after the trip and 20 minutes to walk to the cabin. The water was off G had mopped out the cabin and now the work to fix the pluming problem started to rise to the surface.

“Prioritize, why are you here? We have lived with bottled water before and we can do it again.”

That evening I found out how nice the restroom facility in the campground is. Seems even the folk with the half million dollar RV's, such as the ones bracketing our tiny 21' cabin, use the place instead of the ones in their mobile palaces.

Day 5 – July 15^th

I slept surprisingly well in spite of the polyester sheets and bedding.

A little talk and then the test. Everything was as it should be within an hour or so. It took our instructor a couple hours to grade and then at high noon he began the evaluations. First the Professor, he passed. Then I went in – I didn't do as well as I wanted but found out the outburst of a couple days before along with the original test were ways in which they found out if we had the fabric to handle the job – I passed. He gave me my Docent apron and patches.

G gave me a big hug when she saw the second line.

My instructor will be a friend in other ways than the volunteer program, “The Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec”, he will be a true friend to the end of my days and that is a rare thing.

On Sunday I am scheduled to take a train as, for the want of a better term, a Docent in Training. The Docent I will will be working with is the same one who handled the AOC we rode on July 10^th, the day before this all started. G will ride along in the coach section as I work. We have been together on every trip since we first met over 50 years ago and with this adventure that has not changed.

Now I can focus on how to fix the plumbing in the cabin but, that is another story.

j

Day 4.... Settled and we take a ride...

It is July 18^th as I write this post. The Internet here is intermittent at best and with the busy past week it has been difficult to find time to write a post and impossible to post one if I had. This post will follow one day, July 10th,  and the next post will cover Five days.

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When I was younger and living in Colorado those of us who were either native to the state of long time residents, I came to Colorado as an eight year old and moved away 34 years later, had a saying that Texicans were trying to buy the state and we were going to make sure they didn't succeed. Our well intentioned hyperbole was just a lot of hot air but time did have a way of altering attitudes and intentions. Colorado changed and with Denver as the locus the state became very young, increasingly liberal politically and skeptical of any line of seeming b.s., which some folks seemed to particularly prone to. This change in times, for Colorado, sent the “blow-hard” types elsewhere.

Don't take this as disparaging because over the years some of the finest folk I have met came from Texas and certainly were not prone to excessive hubris and I am happy to call them friends. With this in mind the story continues.....

We rode the west bound train from Antonito to Chama this day, July 10^th. We were fortunate to have an excellent Docent, “Tom”, a young man in his 40's who hails from Texas as many volunteers seem to. He understanding of the Cumbres and Toltec was remarkable as he wove aspects of history, operation, geology, flora & fauna and engineering together in a fascinating package. He was an excellent subject to emulate if I was to be successful as a Docent.

We were tired but happy as the day ended uneventfully.

At this point I had not picked-up my studies for two weeks, that proved to be a rather significant mistake.   

Day 3 - The three passes...

This was the most difficult driving so far.  Though the 235+ mile trip took only 7 hours it involved a The trip had two clearly different geological environments to transit.  The first was a 115 mile journey from Lamar to Walsenburg, Colorado.  In Alamosa we filled the tank with an average mileage of followed the transit of three mountain passes. Fuel was an ever present consideration and we did manage to find a closed convenience store in La Junta which still had open pumps.

From La Junta a 73 mile drive through an empty corner of Colorado was uneventful but, a head wind developed in the last 25 miles.  In Walsenburg we had to drive several miles north to find fuel at a truck stop on I-25.  Getting that task completed was frustrating to say the least.

On leaving the truck stop we drove through Walsenburg and turned west again.  Within a mile we were on a moderate grade with a heavy head wind.  The grade increased and with that the highway opened to a three lane with a passing lane on the uphill side.  This allowed us to put our rig in the slow land and faster traffic move smoothly past.  On that stretch we saw several RV's with hoods opened and drivers with bewildered expressions.  I thought we were going slowly at 45 mph but we were pulling away from the other camper/recreational vehicles.

Alamosa was a quick stop with an average over La Veta Pass of 5.8 mpg.  MPG.Up to this point the mileage had been in the low 8 mpg range.  The drive south in the San Luis Valley to Antonita, about 30 miles was uneventful and them we turned west again on Colorado Highway 17.  This State Highway goes straight west from Antonito where US285 turns south to arrive in Santa Fe.  At the junction is the Antonito terminus of the Cumbres and Toltec.  The railroad trends SW along the course of the Rio De Los Pinos whilst Highway 17 follows the course of the Conejos River.

Chama is 54 miles by highway and 64 by rail - The Cumbres and Toltec.  Two passes are crossed in the highway transit to Chama, the first is a 5 mile drive over 10,200' La Manga Pass.  This is a very steep narrow highway with numerous tight curves.  Our speed was reduced to 32 mph in second gear with the engine turning about 3,000 rpm.  We had a RV following us from Alamosa to that point but he fell far behind arriving in Chama nearly 45 minutes later than us.

Once LaManga was out of the way we had to cross Cumbres Pass.  At 10.018' both Colorado Highway 17 and the Cumbres and Toltec cross the Tusas Range there.  Several miles before reaching the pass the highway roughly parallels the Railroad.  Over the top the last 13 miles to Chama are on a 5% grade while the Railroad winds back and forth along the course of Wolf Creek.

We went to bed exhausted and Georgia asked if I could open the roof vents because she was concerned about the Propane.  I advised the Cabin has a CO detector and there was no problem but I opened a vent anyway.  At 3:00am a beeping noise woke me up and I noticed a lite on the CO detector.  Half awake I opened another vent and turned the exhaust fan.

It quit for 5 minutes.  I put on slippers and went ourside in my nightshirt and turned off the propane.  The breeze up my nightshirt was bracing.

5 minutes later - CHAOS!  It was beeping again.  G and I took the place apart turning off computers and everything else we could think of.  Quiet - We got it but we don't know that "it" was.

15 minutes later IT'S BACK!

G turns to me and says, "Do you think it could be the smoke detector?"

I don't smell any smoke yet, in the dark, I fumble with the thing and take out the battery -  Silence.

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By the way, I have found no skill or particular interest as a movie maker so I have packed-up the "action camera" and now take only photographs.  The "action camera" will find a good home.  Due to wifi overload within the RV park, evening posts are near impossible.  I will continue writing them daily to archive and will them post them in chronological order when computer time is available/  This will result in multiple publications on a single day.

Day 2 - Across Kansas & the Colorado turn...

This post has been delayed due to issues with the RV Campsite we were “Lodged” in last night. It was a trip to a swamp circa 1955 Irrrigation water from the surrounding fields turned the ground into a soggy mat. The odor from the horse doo doo of a nearb y stable was delightful and coupled to the sound of jake brakes through the night it is a wonder we did, or did not, make it to Chama. The facilities were run-down and the semi-permanent ressidents were fugitives from another dimension. Oddly, they had an internet but no one knew the password. So, if you see this post it means we made it to Chama if not, we sank into the mire of the AOK Campground in Lamar, Colorado. Someone, or something, will eventually find the fossilized remains.

Anyway, this morning, yesterday morning – Day 2 – started out generally miserable. The Cabin was a disorganized shamble with bags and things piles about. I hitched up the night before but still got up early to hit the road by 7 o'clock. I picked through thing, shirt, trousers, drawers, socks, glasses, billfold and such and headed outside to make the cabin road ready.

Half an hour so so later I checked in on G, she was busy organizing things so I left her alone and went ahead with my duties outside. 15 minutes later I went back and found her still searching but now for her glasses.  Giving up on that chore she decided to be cool and wear her sunglasses for the rest of the trip. 

We started the journey only a few minutes late and all was well.

15 minutes later we stopped at the top of an entry ramp to an Interstate Highway, the truck electrical wasn't fully plugged in to the trailer.  Now plugged in and tested we were off.

15 minutes later I pulled off on the side of the Interstate.  Terror stricken by 75 mph traffic tearing past, I struggled to put on the sway stabilizer - you know the thing I keep on forgetting to take off when I back up.  Firmly installed  ran around the back of the cabin and leaped into the truck.  Success and we were off.

20 minutes later I pulled over on a wide spot in a two lane highway and turned off the propane an we were off.

15 mintues later and a total of 42 miles from the start we stopped for first gas stop we averaged a whopping 8 mpg which would be the standard for the entire trip, I thought.  Anyway 15 minutes later we stopped for breakfast at McDonald's in Atchison - DON'T EAT TH ERE, the staff makes a mess of the food and is very rude.  We eventually stopped at McDonald's several times, the food is miserable but consistent the service is now consistently poor as well.

G asked me for the truck keys and I fished around through the myriad of keys in my pocket and pulled our glasses, I gave them to her - mine were still in the cabin.

Every trip needs a picture such as this
At Oakley, KS it's all two lane from here

Fueling Old Blue is a constant issue as she only has a 25 gallon tank.  Finding a place to fuel became increasingly difficult so we resorted to fueling every time the gauge dropped below 3/4 full about 8 gallons used or 60 miles driven.  The distances between places to fuel became a problem the further west we drove.  Beyond Oakley, KS we were on two lane roads all the way to Chama.  The distance between gas stations beyond Sharon Springs, Kansas, on the Colorado border, and Lamar, our evening stop the actual was  104 miles.  

All told we drove 593 miles this day and it took a few minutes past 12 hours.  

Leaving Kansas & Entering Colorado - The "Colorado Turn" is 30 miles away
There we turn south for 70 miles and then turn west for 300 miles to Chama.

Tomorrow, the 9th we will be driving a little less than 250 miles and we have a 75 mile stretch of highway, Colorado 10three passes to cross. 

Day 1.5 - A drive across Missouri...

We have stopped overnight at the AOK Campground in St. Joseph, MO. Is is a converted KOA which seems common after that franchise folded some years ago. Nice folks run the place and we have a drive through with power and waste but no water. Not a problem as we unhitched to find a place for supper and bought 5 gallons of water. We have a bathroom with shower in the unit but have chosen to use the campground facilities. The ladies side is under construction so it is a shared situation with the men until their remodeling is finished. It is cute to see an old fella or gal “guarding the door” when their loved one does business. 

It took me the better part of 45 minutes to hitch up the Cabin last night.  With some very good suggestions to Curt and G I had it down to about 12 minutes this evening.  With a little planning tomorrow we won't have to unhitch in Lamar.

We started today's journey in a intermittent rain and finished in broad sun with near 90 degree weather. The trip was uneventful with Old Blue performing well even though very thirsty. Old Blue regularly pulls 16mpg empty however with this loan it averaging 8 mpg. Experienced folks tell me to settle down as this is pretty much normal. Still, if this is “normal” what is the expectation for Saturday. We cross three passes and with a 25 gallon tank I am starting to wonder if it will make it the 75 miles from Walsenburg, Co to Alamosa.

We met a nice couple from Union Missouri. They were on there way home from visiting several museums in the west. They have a 17 year background in volunteer work with the National Park System and are now winding down. I found that surprising as the elder of the two is only 69 years old.

G is doing well, she didn't drive today due to the wet roads and heavy winds following.

Tomorrow we plan on leaving at 7:00am for a 550+ mile drive across Kansas and on into Colorado for an overnight stop in Lamar. We stop every hour or so to stretch our legs and we use the stops to top out the gas tank. This all works until we get to Colorado where the distances spread to 75 to 125 miles between fuel stops.

Have a nice evening I will write tomorrow night.

Day 1 - It should have been a dark and stormy night…

Isn’t every story supposed to start whit something like “It should have been a dark and stormy night” but this one doesn’t. 

It took us about three hours last night to store the final items and hitch Old Blue to the cabin.  We were both exhausted.  A few more items this morning and we are on the way.  I had a couple questions about the hitch set-up so Curt checked out the electrical and hitch for us, a couple tweaks and everything was o.k.

We woke up to a deluge which is just passing through as this is written.  The forecast looks like morning showers following with a hot sunny day in the afternoon.  The decision to make the jump to St. Joseph looks like a good one as the drive is only six hours.  With a couple minor adjustments for gas stops it means that portion of the journey can start anytime today, though we are planning around 10:00am.

When the sky brightens and the winds fall-off a bit we will start out.  First stop is two miles to pick-up Ice at the Ayerco and then north to Hannibal and on west on US 36 to St. Joseph.

Sarah is house sitting and taking car of the cats, Curt and Mary are caring for Sophia and looking over the whole shebang while we travel.

G and I will keep you posted here "The Travels of Old Blue"  chamajournal.blogspot.com

"Thomas the Train!".....

So my hair is a bit long these days and I do fuss with remember this is part of a challenge from Michael at Church - the hair is out of bounds, literally - but I think it's stunning, if not quite the equine look.

Other things clearly are not out of bounds so it was that this afternoon Jen at the office blurts out, “You are going to be a Thomas the Train conductor!”  I am not going to be a conductor - but it would be fun to be the boss of the train.  Naah, I will be a lowly volunteer who contributes noting to the operation of the train and is just there to talk to the unfortunate people trapped on the train with me.

Then it got worse when Christina chimes in, "You look like the conductor guy on Thomas the Train" – WHAT!  I don’t look anything like this guy.  I am way grumpier.

Does this look anything like Thomas the Train?

Look I am an old guy with dreams of things undone during the 1960’s just humor me.  

Children, Toddlers, Young People and "Story Tellers" ….

Presbyterian and proud....

It was a busy, and productive, day.

This morning our Church had the annual Ice Cream Social.  The turnout was wonderful and served nearly 4 gallons of ice cream and an estimated 140 hotdogs.  As usual it was free and if folks were so motivated they could leave a little in the basket.  Good conversation, fun and fellowship. 

 

In the afternoon Josh and Linsay brought Dom up to see G and I before we leave for Chama.  Dom is growing so fast and will soon be walking.  During our absence in July there will be four family birthdays and in August Dom's first birthday.  We cannot make a scheduled party in Late July because we will be out of town.  To compensate Curt is now planning a "homecoming" and birthday event sometime in September or October when all the family can gather to celebrate these important, to us, events.

I attempted video on my Sony camera, it didn't work out.  I will try the Action camera next.  I did get a few cute pictures of Linsay, Josh, Dom, Curt and Georgia in the summer kitchen.  

We did some packing and started setting-up for the long trip with 

Instructional Video

the not so long trailer.  G wanted me to get a copy of an informative DVD to help with planning.  I wasn’t sure how useful it would be and we didn’t have time to get it by the time we leave.  We both know the plot well and believe it is possible to emulate the very useful lessons of this instructional video from memory.

By this time next week my first day of training will be over and we should have an idea of whether we will be touring the west or riding the rails.

Odds and Ends....

8:50pm July 3, 2016 - Hardin

It was dreary and very rainy the past two days.  During that time g and I picked up some final items for the trip and after church went over to the Farm & Home Store in Jerseyville.  Bill and Patsy were there and we had a pleasant conversation before we went on for our shopping. 

Both of us use a rowing machine, G to strengthen her knees and I use it to strengthen my core muscles for a problem back, yes, we are taking it along.  The machine weighs about 50 pounds and folds to a 5’ long package.  We will transport it in the bed of the truck and set it up at the site.  We will fully tarp it and set it up on an equipment mat when we get to the site.  In the event of rainy weather it can be covered and secured at the RV site.  So, we bought a tarp and more cording to secure it.

Friday evening we went cycling at Pere Marquette.  We successfully did a three mile round trip on a slightly hilly bike trail.  In Chama the longest ride is 4 miles round trip which is from the RV Park to the grocery store.  A Family Dollar and several restaurants, including The High Country, are along the route.   Terrace Street, NM Route 17, is the main drag through Chama it is the road has wide shoulders and is dead level for easy riding; as the name connotes, Terrace Street sets on a level terrace about 20’ above the Railroad Yard. 

Speaking of the Railroad yard, the volunteer group, The Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec, has a web site that has a live feed from the Chama Yard.  Three cameras with two facing both the north and south and the third overlooking the Depot.  Trains depart at 11:00am and arrive at 5:00pm Central time.  Docents, and rookie students, walk past the depot around 8:45am Central time and if they are staying at the RV Park you can watch them emerge from the cottonwood grove and walk the length of the yard to work – Now doesn’t that sound exciting?  I will let you know what days I am at school or working - look for a wave or a short entertainment.  Here is the web site Cumbrestoltec.org click the camera tab on the far right and then the link “Take me to the yard” at the bottom of the page.

I remember summer as a youth at our small Pennsylvania home and so often I am reminded of that place by things I see here in Calhoun.  Tonight, while walking the dog, I saw a site that will remind me of home in Hardin for the rest of my years - every bit as evocative of wonderful memories as those from childhood.