Friday, March 25, 2016

Wind and Windshield Woes

The tumbleweed attack in Albuquerque was a breezy day compared to Tuesday's dust bowl.  With sustained winds of 40 mph for six hours, and gusts up to 59 mph, it was a miserable day in Holbrook, AZ.

The RV park is "down wind" from a large sand dune, plus the park grounds are mostly dirt with very little gravel and no pavement. Because of the spacing, even when other RVs pulled in to sites next to us, there was nothing blocking us from the onslaught.

Satellite came down and two slides came in mid-day. We ventured out for lunch at Romos, just to get away from the sound of sand pelting our paint and glass. The full-side slide eventually came in as the gusts continued to get worse.

View from the dinette - it gets worse later in the day
You never know if you're over-reacting to the flapping of the slide toppers, but we're glad we pulled them in as we watched the topper on the rig in front of us ripping away from the roof line. They put cinder blocks on top of the other toppers, and after it was already torn they did add another one. 

Guess what I did on Wednesday? Yep, vacuumed and swept the piles of silt from the window frames, the counter, the top of the couch, the floors.....

The exterior looks like it's draped in fog. I don't want to think about all the places sand reached that could cause issues :-(

Maybe New Mexico didn't like the bad wind rap. In which case I offer my sincere apologies - no further "messages" necessary!

With more wind expected on Friday, we decided to head out a day early. A short 90 miles takes us to Flagstaff where we have an appointment for the windshield to be diagnosed and repaired.

I knew from Google Street View that there was a large vacant lot across the street, and I pull in there so Bill can unhook the Jeep. We're hopeful that the rubber can be resealed while we check out the town.

Unhooked, I move next to the shop. And that's as far as we get at this place. The tech looks at the problem, explains they don't have the equipment necessary to remove the windshield and that's what has to happen. They do refer us to a shop that does have the equipment, so we drive to the RV park.

Since this is the continuation of an insurance claim I'm not happy that the company didn't send us to a shop that can handle RVs. And I spoke with the shop the day before to confirm our appointment and they knew we were an RV. What is it about this industry that makes it necessary to go through multiple places to find someone who can actually fix an RV????


Very likely the windshield has to be removed and a new rubber seal installed - possibility of breakage is high :-(
Black Barts RV Park is not a particularly nice park. There are tall pine trees, and the spaces are adequate. The water pressure is good, the site level enough, and we have 50 amp. But the park is again right on I-40 with railroad tracks nearby as well. The interior roads are very rough, and the permanent rigs are not well cared for. We'll look around for other parks, but until we figure out the windshield we're here.

I contact the referred shop and the owner will come out to the park to diagnose the windshield. That saves us one take down and drive into town, so I'm happier. Email to the insurance rep about our latest issue, give her the shop's information, and put it all aside for now. 

Lots to see and do in this beautiful area, we're looking forward to making more wonderful discoveries.

18 comments:

  1. We have been in one wind storm that resulted in a complete clean up of everything like the one you described...not fun!

    Good luck with the repair...and have fun while you wait!

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    1. We still have a bit of a dirt perfume occasionally :-( Fun is definitely on the agenda!

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  2. This is the only thing that I fear in traveling in the west, the damage blowing sand and dust can do to things invisible to you and your paint. 59 mph oh my!! You are taking all this windshield business really well. I'm with you on why don't they get it when you say you are an RV. Hope this 3rd time is the charm.

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    1. If we had been in a paved park I think it would have been okay, but that dirt was horrible. We got some canned air to try and de-dust what we can. We aren't leaving Flagstaff until it's done right :-)))

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  3. It's about time you are due for some good luck! Fingers crossed this gets taken care of quickly and painlessly!

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    1. This new place "sounds" like they know what they're doing - but so did the really nice folks in ABQ :-( We're trying to think positive!

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  4. That kind of wind drives me crazy. And I just don't understand what's up with RV repairs. I've stayed at and like Kit Carson RV Park along old Hwy 66, under the pines, a little older but quiet. I suggest Lowell Observatory, Sunset Crater and Wapatki NMs. Very good food at Pita Jungle by Whole Foods.

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    1. We went by Kit Carson yesterday and like the location, but the interior roads are really, really bad - looks like they may have had a lot of water through there. Saw Pita Jungle - will have to give it a try!!

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  5. We've been in strong winds like that too. The best thing to do is what you did. Satellite comes down and slides come in. It's better to be safe than sorry. We have an appointment to have our windshield replaced on Monday.

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    1. I'm sure you'll have better luck than we did!

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  6. Sure hope the new shop can fix your windshield:)

    The wind seems to be everywhere in the southwest. Looking ahead at our forecast for the upcoming week, there is strong wind almost every day. Enough already!! We had to do the slides in thing the same time you did. I had a window open on the non-windy side (or so I thought). There was layer of sand and dirt on the sofa...yuck!!

    Enjoy Flagstaff:) Hope it doesn't snow!

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    1. It might! 40% chance of rain on Tuesday night, with lows of 20 degrees :-( Not your pretty sofa!

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  7. I used to freak out about the slide toppers in heavy winds and wonder if I had chickened out and brought them in too soon. Then I realized it wasn't damage to the topper I was worried about, it was my sanity. So my rule of thumb is that if the toppers are flapping loud enough to bother me, it's time to bring them in.

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    1. I love it! That's me exactly, usually getting the eye roll from Bill when I want to bring them in :-) From now on it's about me and not the toppers!!

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  8. Sending you positive vibes and virtual feather duster to get rid of the dust. I hope all goes better. Hugs and love .

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  9. Oh bummer! High winds are bad enough, but being sandblasted is so much worse. :-(( Hope that you enjoy Flagstaff while you're waiting for your windshield repair. Nearby Sunset Crater and Wupatki NM are wonderful. In Flagstaff, the Museum of Northern Arizona is a small, fabulous museum and the food at Cafe Daily Fare is amazing!

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    1. We're fortunate that we had already planned two weeks in Flagstaff - and are excited about all these great things to do and see! Thanks for the tips :-)

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