Feels Good Heading North

I beleave Linda and I could not leave Las Vegas fast enough. After a relatively good nights sleep we packed our two carrying bags and quickly suffeled out to the camper and got things packed. I can not tell you how attached to this truck and camper we are. When we were seperated from the rig all I did was worry. When we got the thumbs up to continue our journy home it was like Christmas morning. 

Traffic out of Vegas was relatively lite and we crused on heading to Ely, NV. Our route on this leg of the journey took us up I-15 then on to Hwy 93 where we traveled on to Hwy 318 then back on to Hwy 93 in to Ely.  Crazy wouldn't you say.

The Grant Range. We viewed as
we drove north.

Our camp spot at the KOA in Ely.

Oh My

We left Hi Jolly at a respectable time and got into the rhythm of travel. After 188 miles, we were driving up to our next boondock spot, a casino in Henderson, NV. All went very smoothly (except, boy, was it windy) and we were approaching our next landmark when we started hearing some different sounds coming from the turbo. 

We filled up with fuel at the casino where we were going to boondock and talked about the sounds we were hearing. We agreed that we would feel better if we had it checked out

Linda began a search to find a place to diagnose possible problems. After making many calls, we found a dealership that could check it out early on the next day, but they would need to have the truck there overnight so they could get ti it as soon as possible the next morning. We headed to their service repair shop.

It was slow going in Vegas traffic, we were tired and emotionally on edge. This would mean a hotel room and a possible day or two delay. But we can't breakdown on the next travel stretch, there is nothing out there.

The dealership rep, Chris, met us and found a place to park the truck overnight. We plugged the camper in and gathered some overnight needs. Linda got online and found a hotel that had rooms for a very reasonable rate not far from the shop. Chris provided us with a ride to the hotel.

Chris had a tech scheduled to check the sounds out first thing in AM.

First night's view from the Station.

We spent a long sleepless night at a resort casino called Palace Station. Our nerves were shot and the future of the trip was still a huge question mark.

The next morning we called the dealership and Chris had a Uber pick us up. After an hour or so, Chris called us in and told us what his diesel tech had found.

First they checked out the turbo and found that there was some play in the spindle. They called the manufacturer and found that it was normal. In the process the tech found that a gasket on the exhaust side of the turbo had a leak. That was the noise we had heard. That was ok news because it did not affect the turbo but it would make more noise. We could deal with that. Chris assured us it would be safe to travel.We were very happy that we could get back on the road.

Stretching after all the stress.

Time passed and with all the waiting, wondering, and checking by the tech, we missed our window to leave Vegas and make it to Ely by nightfall. Linda reserved a second night's stay at the Station and we drove our camper down to the lot and locked it up. We really had no desire to do any casino activities so we stayed in the room and unwound.

We Move On

All the gear has found a spot in the truck or camper and we are ready to hit the road. 

We said our good byes to Jodi and Steve, gave Winnie a scratch behind the ears and we were off. 

We followed Hwy 95 north and drove 75 miles to a flat dirt spot just outside of Quartzsite. It was a short day. We wanted to make sure all was travel worthy and packed tight. 

The dirt spot is a BLM camp area called Hi Jolly. It has no amenities, just a place to stop and watch the dust blow. You can't argue with free, though. We start the longer days tomorrow.