Day 4 -- Kingman, Arizona to Carefree, Arizona -- 185 Miles

One of the things you have to learn when you become a serious RVer is that your coach tends to be a very lightly-built, ruggedly-used collection of plastic parts and tender systems that seem to break at the most inopportune of times. We’ve had numerous breakdowns and minor disasters over the years which ran the gamut from a fracture,d awning support arm in the Dakotas and complete awning loss in Kansas, to multiple tire failures in Minnesota and total engine ignition failure in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Some breakdowns can be fixed with a good service manual and a bit of MacGyver talent, and some will require a talented Camping World technician to handle.

Most recently we spent much time and effort trying to get the coach tail lights and running lights to work which turned out to be just a simple burned out fuse.

Our latest failure happened as we were working on the blog last night. At one point I became aware that the water pump seemed to be running. That would be unlikely since we were hooked up to the camp water supply, but I got up to check out the control panel anyway. Once there, I immediately saw that there was an angry red light on the pump control switch even though the switch was in the “off” position.

With a sigh, I grabbed the locker keys and a flashlight and headed outside in the dark to have a look at the pump. Said device is about the size of a coffee mug and predictably located just far enough into the interior of the locker to make it hard to service.

Well, it was immediately obvious that I had a big problem as the pump housing was too hot to comfortably touch. With some effort I unplugged the only incoming wires that I could both reach and had a removable connection point. Still, after some minutes, the pump housing didn’t seem to cool off, so I retreated back inside the rig to drag out the manuals and do some searching.

My immediate goal was to find the appropriate fuse among the myriad of fuses in two separate locations on the truck body, so I grabbed the manual that came with the Ford chassis and set to work. Unfortunately, I found no pump reference in either the under-the-dash fuse box or the under-the-hood reference. Back out to the pump locker I went to see how hot the unit remained.

I didn’t actually smell anything burning even though the pump still seemed inordinately warm. I went back inside and began searching through the huge collection of onboard systems pamphlets that the previous owner had compiled into a binder and passed to me when we bought the rig. But still no luck.

It was at that point that I happened to glance up and notice the main breaker box on the kitchen wall that controlled things like the refrigerator, water heater, and air conditioner. Wondering if it might also control the malfunctioning pump, I dashed over and had a look. Wonder of wonders, I found the very fuse for which I had been looking. I yanked the fuse out and went over to the pump control panel and thankfully found the warning light extinguished.

Breathing easier now that I wouldn’t have to worry about the rig catching fire while we slept, I went once again with flashlight in hand, opened the locker, and put a hand on the pump body. Thankfully, the pump was still warm to the touch but not hot as it had been.

This morning I got up at 5:30 a.m. and immediately began searching for the nearest camping world. Gratefully, I found no less than three in the Phoenix area. After that I pulled up UTube and watched a video on how to change out an RV water pump. Naturally, the guy doing the video was filming his task in one of those rigs where lockers are size of an average-sized bedroom closet. While he was able to easily reach all the components, I don’t think I’ll be as lucky. Still it appeared to be doable.

When I finally went out this morning after breakfast to check on the pump it was indeed completely cold, indicating that I had indeed isolated it from power. At that point I set about breaking camp and putting away all the hoses, electrical hookups, and other paraphernalia. With the gear stowed, I then went to performed the last task before leaving, that of pulling the slide-out room sections back into position. That’s when the next “disaster” happened.

Apparently, when the malfunctioning pump continued to operate last night with the resultant water flow blocked, it refused to give up and proceeded to constantly wear down the truck’s battery in the process. When I hit the switch to move the living area slider back into its “traveling position” absolutely nothing happened. I checked the ignition key that’s required to be in the ON position to operate the sliders I immediately discovered that our battery was dead!

With a sinking heart I glanced around the rest of the camp in hopes of finding someone moving about who could bring a vehicle over and give us a jump start. Unfortunately, not a soul appeared. Since we had quite a journey ahead of us before we got to the nearest Camping World to replace our pump, time lost on ANYTHING might turn out to be a minor disaster.

Fortunately at that point I spied an elderly man working on his pickup a short distance away and I walked over to make his acquaintance. Turned out that Alan, whose hat proclaimed brotherhood in the 82nd Airborne Division, said he’d be happy to help once he perform a small job on “repositioning his camper unit,” he told me, as it had slid somewhat sideways.

Glancing fearfully at my watch, I agreed and trudged back to the rig. Once there, I noticed that Concetta had placed the trash bag on the doorstep and it was up to me to find a handy receptacle. In the process of finding a dumpster I asked directions from a passing dog walker who, upon seeing my Navy ballcap, was only too eager to guide me. In the process he told me that he had been a Crew Chief in the U.S. Airforce and turned to show me his U.S. Airforce T-shirt which I had missed up to that point.

My trash errand complete, I was nearly back to the rig when I noticed a man driving towards me in a pickup and I flagged him down with a request to give me a jump. The driver whose name was Kevin was only too glad to consent, and together we got the RV running in short order.

Finally on the road around 10:00 a.m., we set our course south on Arizona Route 43 towards Phoenix stopping only to top up the petrol tank. Our destination was the rural community of “Carefree” which lies about 40 miles north of Phoenix. Our drive was delightful and our vista was full of the most beautiful blue skies and fluffy billowing clouds that we had seen so far on the this trip.

When we finally arrived in the Neighborhood of Carefree, we sought out the Camping World outlet that the web advertised as being located nearby. Then, presenting myself at the front desk, I explained our difficulty with the pump and asked if a technician could come take a look at the model and capacity of the pump we had so that I might buy a suitable replacement.

Imagine my chagrin when the technician replaced the wiring that I had disconnected, replaced the fuse that I had pulled the previous night, and demonstrated to me that there was nothing whatsoever wrong with our onboard pump save the lack of expertise of the owner.

What I had done was forget that the pump ON switch was hooked in a three-way circuit and that I had forgotten that the word “ON” didn’t mean a thing if the pump had been switched on in the bathroom.

All I can say is it had to be simple brain-fade and we had never run into this problem before as we had always gone by the indicator light and had never paid attention to the word “ON” on the console.

So there you have it. Fortunately we had a great day just enjoying the scenery. We had a very enjoyable lunch in old-town Wickenburg on our way south. And we met quite a few wonderful and helpful fellow RVers in the process. This evening we met with Concetta's nephew at his home in Carefree and had an terrific dinner (I had fish and chips), lots of great conversation, and no small amount of recounting of great times gone by.

What matters to us in the end is not the miles on the clock, but the friendships and camaraderie we encounter on the journey. That's what RVing should be about. You might make mistakes. You might feel like an idiot. You might occasionally break things. But the best thing to do is to stay calm and enjoy the experience. Tomorrow's another day and it promises to be more beautiful than the last!p>

So, until next time, here’s wishing you great travels of your own.