Excitement early Sunday morning

  It wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet this morning when Benno lifted both dogs into our bed. I was barely awake, contemplating to fetch my iPad, when we heard a loud pop. Benno thought it came from a truck tailgate slamming shut somewhere. I thought it rather sounded more like a tire burst from our truck, which is parked next to our trailer. So I got up, opened the door and heard water gushing. It was coming from under our trailer. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news in the morning, but my discovery had Benno jumping outside in a flash and after a quick look I saw him dashing to the service post to turn off the water faucet in a hurry. 

So no water to the travel trailer and water dripping from every crevice in the under carriage. Just great. In order to source the problem we have to open up the under the frame bolted membrane or cover to see what is happening. We decided to get dressed and I took a jug to get some water from the vacant neighbour faucet for coffee. 

After making sure there was no leak or water inside the trailer we had breakfast before Benno unpacked his tools to tackle the opening of the cover. Once it was off I handed him my good Lithium powered Quantum flashlight and damn the pushbutton for the two settings of high and low beam is “On the Fritz” (kaputt, no good, broken etc.). What is going wrong next I thought but didn’t say it. Luckily we have two other flashlights. 

Benno had me lying under the trailer on a piece of cardboard he had hurriedly fished out of the park’s garbage dump bin to see where the water was coming out while he turned on the faucet. I got a full dose of cold water sprayed right in my face and jacket and now knew where the problem was located. I suggested he take a look while I turned on the water and (haha) after a little morning shower he quickly found the culprit, a popped factory installed PEX hose clamp. But the connection to the hot water is also loose. (More detail from Benno at the end)

Although Benno brought a whole box of PEX assortments and such incl. PEX clamps and crimper, it is not enough. Ken, our nice neighbour lend Benno a small adjustable wrench that we need, so we don’t have to purchase that, but Benno decided to drive to Harbor Freight and Home Depot to get the rest of what was needed. He changed into a decent shirt and took off. When he returned it’s almost time for lunch and afterwards he slipped again into a working t-shirt and set out to do the repairs. While he explained to Ken the problem, he discovered that he lost one of his hearing aids. Oh man, that had us on our knees looking through the gravel under the trailer, in the truck and everywhere else. Luckily I found them resting on the carpet, blending in with the design. Thank god we hadn’t stepped on them.

According to Benno, the factory installer used a plastic reinforced 1/2 inch soft hose that was too large on the inside diameter to fit the PEX fitting properly. Even the correct PEX clamp swaged on would not give a good watertight fit. He resorted to fasten two adjustable stainless hose clamps of USA manufacturing that you can tie up with a screwdriver or socket driver and that solved the problem for now. When back in Canada he will change the plastic hose to a better size on this application for the hot and cold side. It would be too complicated to do here as the hoses are foamed in.

So much for today’s excitement. Thanks for dropping in again.

We went to jail

 Yep, and not just a jail, so let me clarify that: we explored three old, abandoned jail houses along the Ghost Town Trail.

Everyone knows Tombstone, which is a lovely tourist attraction. However, just a few miles further we drove in the direction of Gleeson. The road weaves through desert wilderness winding across rolling hills for about 14 miles. The scenery is beautiful with views of the Dragoon Mountains.

Gleeson was once a thriving mining town and during its heydays had a population of over 1,000. It was named after John Gleeson who discovered copper deposits. Today there are only a handful of ranchers living near the town’s limits. We stopped at its Cemetery and read the town’s history before taking a look at the graves.

A couple of Gleeson residents purchased and restored the old 1910 Gleeson Jail. We wandered around looking at the collected artifacts and thought it was a unique place. Next to it is a picnic area with a trailer for catering to visitors once a month when the Jail is open.

Here are a few tidbits: Before the jail was constructed, the constable of Gleeson chained his prisoners up to the “jail tree”, a large oak located in a nearby wash with a metal cable wrapped around it. The prisoner’s right hand would be attached to the cable and he would remain there for however long, rain or shine. When it rained, water would fill up the wash and “clean out the jail.”

The original Gleeson Jail was fabricated from wood and stood immediately in front of the current concrete jail. It didn’t last long as some inmates attempted to escape by raising the building’s tin roof. The jail was replaced by a reinforced concrete structure that cost $1,778 in 1910. The old wooden jail was sold for $25. In 1940 the county removed the metal gates and windows for use in the new jail at Benson, which left the front of the building exposed.

A mile further we made a left turn onto the Ghost Town Trail Road in the direction of Courtland. It is a dirt road but was in pretty good shape.  There are only ruins or scattered foundations left of the once 2,000 population. However it has the unrestored twin of the Gleeson Jail which was constructed a year later. Sadly inside it is smeared full of graffiti and its gates and windows also went to the new jail in Benson.

Another tidbit: While the Courtland jail was under construction and not yet ready for “guests” the original jail was an unused mine tunnel with a wooden door. During the night, the prisoner tried to break his way out by piling his bedding against the door and lighting it on fire. The smoke and fumes, having no where to go, quickly filled up the tunnel, and the prisoner passed out. He was revived when the Sheriff brought him breakfast.

 What we thought was more interesting than the jail ruins was a sign of an abandoned mine shaft we spotted along the road. So we scrambled through the thorns and brush to have a look. 

At the end of the Ghost Town Trail we reached the town of Pearce. When gold was discovered in 1896 many miners with families relocated from Tombstone where mines had flooded and with them came gangs that made it necessary to build a jail house. This concrete building was constructed in 1915 for $615.45  and used until 1938 just like the other two. It changed hands many times after that and became someone’s storage room. It was donated to the Old Pearce Preservation Association but not with the only key for both cell doors. An expert locksmith had to come to the rescue to make a new key so the jail house could be cleaned out.

Having had enough of jail houses we continued on to Cochise via Hwy 191, where the famous historic Cochise Hotel is located and where Big Nose Kate was hired to work in the hotel after Doc Holliday’s death. The hotel is now privately owned and was not open for visitors but we looked through the window. 

The return trip home via I-10 with a quick stopover at the rest area with the majestic rock formations of the Dragoon Mountains in the background rounded up our outing of Arizona’s bygone days.

Just something to smile about: After I had downloaded the following photo and showed it to Benno, he said: "Shit, this looks like I am peeing, doesn't it? I was just looking at the little solar panel and noticed someone had walked off with the battery from the info board light."

Thanks everyone for dropping in again and your patience reading to the end ;-)

Not what we had planned for the day

 Reggy likes to cuddle under our comforter in the mornings while we are having breakfast. On Thursday he threw up under the covers. It was not much, but enough for me to strip the bed and to head into town to the laundromat. They have such great big machines that make this chore a breeze. Reggy was fine afterwards and I don’t even know what had brought that on. In the afternoon we went on a drive here in the neighbourhood just to get out and do a bit of sightseeing. It was then that we both noticed a grinding noise coming from the left rear side of the truck when braking. Actually, I had heard that a couple of days before also but didn’t bring it up (as in Mrs bad news).

Daddy to the rescue so the little legs don't get wet (today at noon)

Yesterday morning Benno said that Harbor Freight had a sale on for the Countersink/Deburring tool set that he wanted to get. Next to Harbor Freight is an ACE Hardware Store where I wanted to purchase a package of rubber seals for my Mason Jars that needed replacement and I knew they carried them, so we all piled in the truck to come along. 

A couple of miles before the Harbor Freight plaza we passed by the “Brake Masters” shop and Benno said before long we should better have them take a look to find out what that noise is. I suggested to do it now since we got time. In a quick decision we made a U-turn to see if a mechanic would have time to inspect that noise.

Lets see what is causing that noise

The inspection would be free of charge we were told and how can you not go for that? The dogs and I went for a walk while the truck was hoisted up and Benno waited for the report of the mechanic.

Oh my goodness, good thing we made the right decision to pull in for an inspection. After all four tires were removed we got to see the culprit of the noise. The brake caliper was sticking causing uneven wear on left rear brake. It had worn the outside brake pad right down to the metal and that was grinding the rotor. Quite a mess with metal particles all over the brake. 

To the left a new brake pad, to the right what is left of our rear left bake pad

It was suggested that we change both rear brake sides of the truck, which makes absolute sense. We needed two brake rotors, two sets of brake pads and left and right brake calipers, as well as a brake fluid flush and new brake fluid. The truck is 10 years old and got 220.000 KM on the tach and was still running on the original brakes all these years, pulling the trailer up and down to the States while chasing the sun during the winter months. 

Look at that shiny rotor, like silver, but we paid for gold!

This morning it started snowing while we were having breakfast. You’d think coming from Canada it is not an unusual thing, but I swear we haven’t seen such big snowflakes for the longest time ever! This kept us entertained until noon when the spectacle was over and the sun melted it all away. And come to think that just yesterday afternoon I sat outside in the sun wearing shorts and a t-shirt! This weather is nuts.

Big snowflakes are starting to fall all around us

That's it for the snow, I think

Thanks for dropping in again.

Truck repairs on the go and Elsa’s eye trouble

Having donned proper footwear, i.e. our hiking boots, we went up into the mountains again last week for another hike. It was a beautiful day. While up there I wore my straw sunhat to shield my face from the strong Arizona sun rays. Benno suggested I should look into purchasing a cowboy or western hat while we are here as they are being sold in almost every store in Tombstone. Well, more on that in another post.

Of course our doxies were super excited to run up the trails and sniff their surroundings. We had noticed that Elsa had a red and teary eye a couple of days before but didn’t think much of it as she often has a bit of eye boogers in the mornings. However, back home we thought we should monitor her condition more closely.

I finally made the decision to call local veterinarians to get an appointment. No luck as they were all booked but an emergency fee of $200 I thought was not warranted. We had planned a trip to Tucson and the PetSmart store there advertised a walk-in “Say hello to the Vet” event. We went the next day but unfortunately we had to book an appointment for the following day with the same Vet but at the Oro Valley PetSmart location. However, the trip was not all lost with a purchase of Jarlsberg cheese at Costco (do not go there on Saturdays because it’s a nuthouse) and some great finds of goodies at the World Market store. (What a wonderful store with food imports from around the globe and neat stuff for the home) And on the way back we made a quick stop at the Pima County Fairgrounds where Nancy Kissack was parked with her fifth wheel. Read about it here.

So, we were heading towards the Tucson area again on Sunday. I must say the Oro Valley (North Tucson) is a very nice and a scenic area of Arizona and by the looks of it, real estate must be in the upper $$$! So we enjoyed our ride and the views there when all of a sudden our truck computer announced that the rear right turn light was out. Not a big deal, but you know if cars behind you don’t know you want to make a turn, it could be a problem.

The Veterinarian turned out to be a Canadian doctor from Halifax, Nova Scotia. He explained our options for determining what Elsa’s condition might be and of course we let him do what he thought was right. So a yellow stain was inserted into her eye and through that revealed to him that she had a small tear under her cornea. She got an antibiotic injection as well he prescribed anti-inflammatory tablets and an ointment to be applied. 

“Well Elsa, that’s what happens when you stick your nose into everything”. The good news (not the vet bill) is, that her eye seems to be much better already.

On the return trip we were thinking of how to fix the indicator light on the truck. In order to replace the light on the truck you have to open up the rear light console. For that you need one of those funny star type screwdrivers (Torx bit) that we have at home but not here! There happened to be a Harbor Freight store just a few miles further from the PetSmart location and Benno did not bitch to go in and have a look, he found a set of Torx bits there and with the help of a 1/4” open end wrench that we had in the truck he got the rear light open. He handed me the burnt out bulb that I took to the Advance Auto Parts store located right next door who had replacements. Wow! We were back in business and it felt better while driving knowing that the turn light worked. 

I think it was a successful day.