May 17, 2011, Grand Prairie, AB. I am a genius. If I had not failed to notice that the power cord wasn't plugged in to the RV two nights ago, we would not have known the auxiliary batteries, the two six-volt behemoths which power the interior of the RV, were weak. Those two batteries should power all the RV's needs for two or three days. We got only hours of use from them before the battery warning beeper alerted us in the middle of the night. Before setting out on the Alcan Highway, we wanted to be sure we had full battery power in the event we couldn't find a campground. So, this morning, our first stop was Adventure RV Service in Edmonton. Brian was very accommodating, moving us ahead of less urgent projects. "Your batteries are dead," he put it succinctly.
"Are they salvageable?" I asked.
"Maybe, but you won't know until we fill them with distilled water and you drive 100 miles. Then you'll be too far away for us to help you."
"Okay, replace them," I said.
An hour, $390 and two Tim Horton donuts later, we were on the road again. Troy, the serviceman, told me that the batteries had been frozen at some point. He pointed to the swelling on the sides of the case as proof. He said that can happen when a fully discharged battery is exposed to below-freezing temperatures. I didn't know that. That didn't happen on my watch. The previous owner must have done that. I am also an innocent genius.
We stopped short of Dawson Creek tonight. I wanted to be fresh tomorrow when we arrive. So, we are 75 miles east, at Grand Prairie, AB. Today, we covered about 300 miles and saw some of the prettiest blue skies I've seen since leaving Colorado. This is beautiful country.
With toys in tow, it is Dawson Creek or bust tomorrow.
4 comments:
Isn't Dawson's Creek the name of a tv show? Like one that BJ used to watch? BTW, your blog is a little slow to load. Maybe the pictures have too many pixels? You might ask one of the expert bloggers in the family.
I only watched it, cccllliiifffff, because you called every week to talk about whether I thought Joey should end up with Pacey or Dawson!
Also, DOD, I'm not having any trouble with the loading.... bet it's related to the individual users. Proof enough I'm quicker on the uptake than Clif with one F.
glad you guys are having fun!!
Am I detecting a pattern here? Failed batteries and Canadian road trips.
I am so glad you remembered that Clif used to watch that show, BJ!! I needed a new reason to make fun of him!!!
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