You can always tell when the thoughts of getting back on the road start creeping in because attention is turned to the rig for cleaning.
John and Rick teamed up to work on each rig while Y and I kept them fed and hydrated. Living/working/playing in an RV is a bit different than living in a house. Both require maintenance for sure but with an RV basically the sum of all outside parts are held together by silicone caulking. The silicone caulking is constantly exposed to UV rays, heat and cold, and lots of flexing while traveling down the road all of which lead to the caulking failing and leaving an opening(s) for water to make a way inside. We have seen first hand what water can do to the slides, floors and infrastructure of an RV and it made big believers out us very early on that this is a matter we need to pay close attention to. John has become a big fan of Eternabond (a microsealant tape that will bond to any surface and is UV stable). Last year John laid Eternabond over all roof seams, any roof openings, bottoms of slides, etc. everywhere that is a potential source of water intrusion. He also removed and re-caulked the entire rig about this time last year and was very happy he had decided to do so when he saw how easily the remaining original caulking came out.
Rick decided he wanted to lay some Eternabond over his roof seams and such and John volunteered to assist. It was a big job for sure but it does cause you to get intimate with your rig and see any potential problems or issues. In the course of going over Rick and Y's rig with a fine tooth comb, it was discovered that water had been getting in to one of their slides. Shudder. The guys don't believe that any rot has developed because all the screws held well and did not break off in the course of taking them out and there is no softness in the floor. However, this unexpected development is causing Rick and Y to take a detour from their summer plans and head to the Service Center in June for further inspection. All caulking was removed and replaced as well as all screws checked for rust or to see if any were broken. Next came an inspection of our caulking and checking of screws. A couple of screws had evidence of some rust so those areas were re-caulked and will be under John's watchful eye. One positive thing has come from all of this work: John and Rick have become very good at laying caulking lol.
Once the major chore of maintenance was over, then it was on to cleaning and waxing. Compared to the days doing maintenance, the cleaning and waxing was a breeze. The two rigs look bright and shiny and ready to hit the road. Rick and Y will be heading out this week and after my doctor's appointment on Wednesday, we should have a better idea when we will be able to get back on the road ourselves. Once we have an idea of when we can leave, we will have to decide on the where to part. Ah, such tough decisions. Not looking forward to the fuel costs when we start traveling but our memories are still fresh about paying close to $5 a gallon during the summer of 2008. If anything, we will travel fewer miles and stay in places a bit longer to help smooth out the costs.
I have been left in awe of the power in the combined one-two punch of the earthquake and tsunami that has devastated Japan. The video and photos are simply incredible. Our long-time dentist's office manager Cindy has a daughter over in Japan who is teaching English as a second language. I do not know at this time if her daughter is safe and am greatly concerned. Please keep everyone affected by this terrible disaster in your prayers.
