Hendy Woods (6)

Another summer adventure has commenced, and once again, I need to open with an Ode to Randy. Since the Spring Break trip, Dory2 has been at his shop as he and his guy Jason have been on the phone with Truma, trying to troubleshoot error code 41. Meanwhile, we’ve gotten in a couple of nice trips with Lola, but have mostly stayed home with our cat and our friends. Up until the day before launch, we did not know if we would be taking Dory or Lola out for the summer. Not a bad position to be in really, and we are certainly grateful to have the options available. However, I do not recommend switching trailers and packing for a two month trip the night before. Even with all the pre-organization, it meant a full unpack, winches and ramps down the driveway, a switcheroo at Randy’s, winches and ramps up the driveway, full repack, sleep, then final pack and winches and ramps down the driveway before we could hit the road. But all the things came together and we have Randy to thank for having a working Dory! I also got to say a quick hello to Dory1, who will be Randy’s next big project once he has a moment to catch his breath.

He sent us all kinds of pictures and videos of the Truma heater/water heater disassembled and talked us through the repair process. It seems that error code 41 gets triggered when there is some kind of overheating, typically due to freeze damage. Since we are 100% certain there has never been a time when Dory has experienced freezing, we knew it wasn’t that. Could be over heating due to a loose hose connection, causing hot air to fill the tight compartment where the unit sits, but we don’t really know for sure. In any case, the fix required a new circuit board and back panel to the main heating unit. Not a small job. Poor Randy ran into problem after problem, like having to chase down propane supply issues. Boom, new regulator. He powered through, short staffed, and got her road ready, complete with a bearing repack and a good scrub, all by 6pm the day before we left. Eternal thanks to Randy, Jason, and Tara for the hustle! We knew when we first pondered the fancy pants Truma vs the tried and true Suburban systems that there would be an element of risk involved in going high tech. There are pros and cons to both, but let’s just say, from now on, we will be carrying a watering can for showers, just in case.

We were rolling down our street by 10 and had an easy drive to Hendy Woods. We unlocked our first Achievement by stopping at Gowan’s Oak Tree to pick up an apple pie. That’s when we knew we were officially in vacation mode. We got in a good hike to the hermit huts and Big Henry Grove, which is always super nice. 

We are carrying two new pieces of equipment: a MaxxAir vent cover, and a Vevor extendable ladder. Both of these are for the purpose of being able to open the top vent and run the fan when it is windy and/or rainy. I have a fear about that fan cover blowing off in the wind. I guess now I can shift to worrying about the MaxxAir blowing off in the wind. But now that I have a ladder and a back up vent cover, I know that I can solve that problem should it occur. At the very least, I know I can get up there and duct tape that cover to the roof so there is not a big old hole in the ceiling. The likelihood of any of this happening is very low, but I’m exceptionally gifted at solving problems that don’t exist. During the Truma trauma, Randy asked how Richard can be so intense without having an anxiety issue. I was like, are you kidding me? The two of us are like a hot, steaming, multi-layered anxiety casserole. There is nothing we can’t work into an anxiety trigger. Having three Altos is just one conspicuous symptom of anxious people wanting to go on adventures anyway.

In spite of it all, we both enjoyed lovely hot showers in a nicely heated Alto. I sent Randy a gushing video and we hope not to be a pain in his ass for the rest of the summer. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now let’s go check out for two solid months.

Total miles: 136.9, 16.9 mpg, 4 hours 14 min. Site 6. No hookups. Pretty good cell for both. No solar. Good dump and potable water there, but didn’t use it.