About Me

The mountains are calling and I must go...Got the t shirt in Georgia one year and this is our calling! We'll see y'all down the road!

Sunday, March 4, 2018

This sure isn't Gila Bend! Flat tire, Camping World, Phoenix (ahhhhhhhh)...

We left the Desert Gem RV Park in Salome about 1100 and headed for Gila Bend yesterday (Saturday).  We're having a nice drive for about 20 miles or so and Ken says, "I think we're going the wrong way!"  What??!  Sure enough, we should have taken a road out of Salome to intercept the I-10 freeway.  
Salome, AZ 


Pub and Grill

Love the old signs for motels



Another little place


We looked quickly at the map and saw there was a road that headed that way out of Aguila and we were only about 6 miles from there. Whew..problem solved.  Turned the girl on the phone on just to be sure, and at the instructions (more or less) we turned right. We're driving on a road we haven't traveled before and enjoyed the views.  End of the road, it says Salome 21 and something else the other way.  So we turned left as we knew we didn't want to go to Salome, we had just come from there! What the heck?! Eventually we found I 10 12 miles west of Tonopah, well we were supposed to come out about 12 miles further east than that.  Don't know what happened, as we followed the only road we saw.  Oh well.  


All kinds of Saguaro 


Love the views...

Saddle mountain, we saw it in person! 

Got on the freeway and going down the road the ABS light came on, so Ken pulled into a gas station, planning on getting some gas and checking the ABS. Well, the rear tire on the trailer is going flat! So we made it across the street to a bigger parking lot and he replaced the tire with the spare. (He actually has 2 spare tires so we're not in a huge hurry to get it fixed). Screw in the tire.  I made salad for lunch while he changed it out. 

It amazes me that there is so much garbage at this truck stop!

There are garbage cans placed every 70 feet or so, yet let's
throw our garbage out! 

Yuck..

We do a build our own salad bar..makes for a yummy lunch! 

The last few days we've been talking (well, actually Ken's been talking and I've been listening). This ABS problem has been going on for awhile. It only happens when pulling the trailer, sometimes it'll go into limp mode, which is really bad. The truck will slow down, then he's got to punch the gas pedal and all kinds of issues.  When we bought the truck, the salesman says he pull a 28 foot trailer, no problem. Without getting into all the stuff I know nothing about, Ken's been debating buying a new truck (which we really don't want to do) or getting the sway bar, etc put on the truck and see if that fixes the problem. Tundra recommends having one. 

Instead of Gila Bend we decided to head for Phoenix (oh no) and Camping World. The girl in the phone did a nice job on directions and we pulled into the busiest Camping World parking lot I've ever seen. Here I think their major business is selling RV's of all kinds. We were directed back to service. We spent some time talking with Sandy who said we picked the worst week possible to try and get something done as it's Nascar and Spring training for baseball. All booked up for at least the next week. Figures...so she called a few places but everyone busy. She gave us a list of RV stores in the area but honestly we didn't want to spend more than a night or two here anyway.  She didn't really think we needed the bar but who knows. Too, too many people here. Sandy did say we could park on the street here for the night. It's legal and safe as there is a car lot across the street and there is overnight security. 
Stacey, look what your car can haul..looked like a little
much too me..

Our spot for the night

Camping World's American flag! Huge!

The sunset from our little corner of the world..



Well lit street..

Still gotta love the sunset! 

We pulled out and found a nice place on the street.  Made the decision that we will head for Tucson today and Camping World there.  We'll see what happens, but we should find an RV park and take care of business. 

We actually had a very nice night here, it was very quiet except the car lot played music all night long. I told Ken maybe it's to keep the security guard awake..who knows. 

A new adventure today!  Enjoy your Sunday! 

18 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear of your troubles. ABS is the automatic brake system, not sure how it relates to towing the trailer. Does your truck have a sway control setting? Try using it and if you are using it, try turning it off. The problem could also be a bad sensor. Adding sway bars to the hitch is never a bad idea. Good you found the flat tire before it started to come apart and damage the trailer. Hope all works out, safe travels.

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    1. Bill I don't understand it all..but I know it has to do with the sway setting and overriding it. service people told him how to turn it off, but it doesn't work when the abs comes on..I don't know, but we have appt Wednesday to get the sway bars added..

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  2. Good job on catching the flat tire in time.
    Like Bill said not sure why the ABS would effect the power on your truck? We had to replace the ABS sensor on our coach a few years ago, but did not effect our driving at all. Good luck with getting your issues taken care of.

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    1. The sway control thinks trailer is swaying and then that affects ABS somehow..I don't understand it all, but it keeps the trailer brake lights on, so no one knows when you are really braking. We have appt Wed to get the sway control on and if that doesn't fix it, I see a new truck in our future. :(

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  3. Well, I know nothing about ABS either so will comment on missing the turn. That has certainly happened to us and we've said 'but I didn't even see another road!" Glad it worked out.
    Your 'make your own salad' plan looks like a great idea! Beautiful sunset pictures. The clouds make a world of difference. Safe travels on the road today.

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    1. Exactly...we didn't see another road, but it was a great road. Glad we don't have a schedule really, because we sure wouldn't be making it! Love the clouds gotta say!

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  4. Amazing how chains of events happen. Wrong turn and the tire finds a screw. Then you're in Phoenix.

    Glad you SAW Saddle Mountain. It's worth a 10 day visit if you get the chance.

    I'm in Apache Junction and it is crowded here too. Luckily, I have a BLM place to escape to.

    Hope you get things fixed soon and on your way without having to buy a new truck.

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    1. Your area is beautiful. Our goal was to find a Camping World to see about sway bar before a new truck. Beautiful drive.

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  5. I have no idea about ABS either so I will mention the sunset you caught was beautiful. Plus now you can add "street camping" to you repertoire...:)
    A wrong/missed turn sometimes work out to be the best part of the trip. Especially since you ended up on I-10 and did not have to backtrack.
    Glad to read Ken was able to take care of your flat tire and you did not have a blow out going down the Interstate.
    Good Luck in Tucson. Safe Travels.

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    1. We have an appt. Wednesday to get a new sway bar so we'll enjoy the unexpected time we'll have here in Tucson..

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  6. Thanks for the info on how crowded Phoenix is. Aguila....we have been there. On our last trip we stopped there for a couple of hours. Right by the tiny store and the RR tracks. I think after Yuma I will forget about Phoenix. I'm thinking maybe Tucson. Let me know if you have any info on how crowded Tucson is. Blessings. ....Elva

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    1. Aww. your'e so sweet! Well, Tucson is a BIG city! We're here now until at least Wednesday when we can get the sway bar installed. It's not as big as Phoenix, it's a long spread out city! Kinda like Yuma only more so.

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  7. Sorry about your troubles. Sure a good thing Ken caught the tire in time. A flat can sure cause lots of damage to the trailer.
    I have heard about ABS warning lights associated with towing. It's likely one of those catch-all warnings that comes on to indicate the truck 'thinks' there is an issue with the braking system. It may be the brake controller on the truck that is unhappy with something. Might just be a bad connection to the trailer. The Toyota dealer may not have any answers as he doesn't deal much with towing. A reputable hitch installer or trailer dealer might be worth calling.
    Hope the trip starts to turn around for you. I once read that 'Life is how you handle plan B."

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    1. Yeah something about the sway control and the ABS causes problems. We've got appt Wednesday to get the sway controller on, if that doesn't fix it, I see a new truck (and more payments) in our future. But that's the way it goes. Now we get a few extra days in Tucson and seeing what we can.

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  8. I didn't realize you could camp on the street in front of Camping World, that is a good tip, thank you! Sure glad the flat tire didn't cause any damage.

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  9. In Phoenix they have really nice street camping. Wide streets and very quiet! Yes glad we caught it in time. Ken doesn't think ABS was coincidental..but I'm thinking it was our guardian angels warning us..

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  10. The little town of Salome is so cute. We managed to take an unexpected tour one of the days we passed through.

    I know nothing about ABS but I wonder if it may have some connection to the trailer brake? Maybe it's not working properly, the wiring harness may also be in the running as something to have checked out. Does it only happen when towing? Is it getting more frequent? Have you ever towed anything else with the truck and had the same problem, if not, was it recently that you towed? Process of elimination. Only questions, and thoughts. I'm sure you have already thought of them but it never hurts to mention.

    There is a camping world in Glendale or Goodyear, not far from Saddle Mountain. Too bad you hadn't stopped there.

    Safe travels, good luck with the issues.

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    1. I said Phoenix at the Camping World but it was Goodyear where we spent the night. They were crazy busy because of Nascar and Spring Training..couldn't fit us in all week and we certainly did not want to stay there for any length of time, which is why we moved on to Tucson and have an appointment Wednesday morning. Thanks for your thoughts Deb.

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