On our way back north from our winter escape we ran into some mechanical issues with our truck. Although the problem was unexpected and not planned for, we ended up meeting some great people and avoiding the cold snap that hit our intended destination.
We left Arizona the first weekend in May, much later than we had originally planned due to the current global situation. Our first stop was Lavaland RV Park in Grants, New Mexico. We arrived around 4:30 Friday afternoon, the perfect time to get set up, make dinner, and enjoy a relaxing evening. Now, we don’t normally stay at RV parks if we can help it, but the public areas in New Mexico (and much of the country) were closed so our options were limited. Check out our review of the campground here.
Our second day of driving was just as uneventful. We arrived at the second stop of our trip, Lake 13, a Wildlife Management Area we had stayed at last December. We pulled around a picnic table on the grass and attempted to level the front of the trailer by lifting the rear of the truck on the levelers. That was unsuccessful so we disconnected the truck from the trailer, finished setting up, and set to making supper and settling in for the rest of the evening.
The next morning we were up early enough to take a walk along the road next to the lake. There were a lot of flying bugs in our campsite, swarms of them, so when we returned we quickly hooked back up and pulled out. Our destination for the day was a couple hundred miles north in Colorado Springs to meet and visit the Five2Go family, and we were set to arrive around 12:30pm.
About 2 hours into our drive, though, the transmission in our truck decided it had had enough. The engine revved, the speedometer started waving at me, and I knew it was time to pull off the road. We lost third gear but thankfully we were near an exit and I was able to pull off the interstate into in abandoned gas station lot. After confirming that we weren’t going anywhere we notified Brian of Five 2Go of our troubles, and proceeded to call AAA to have our truck and our fifth wheel towed.
But the question was, where we were we going to tow everything? And how would we get there? We are a family of two adults, three children (two in car seats) and a 90lb dog, and the towing companies were not allowing passengers! The nearest campground to us was not accepting anyone without a commitment to at least a week’s stay. We had no idea how long it would take for our truck to be fixed so we said “no, thank you.”
So I contacted Brian again to let him know our situation. He did not hesitate to assure us that he and Erin would pick us up and since we were planning on heading their way anyway we could have the truck and trailer towed to their home as well. We were incredibly thankful and with our minds at ease we settled in to wait for the tow truck.
Brian and Erin arrived about a half hour after the tow truck was supposed to arrive. Two hours (2 hours!) after that a tow truck finally arrived, but because of miscommunication on their end the driver wasn’t aware that we had a fifth wheel to tow as well. He called for another truck and driver (both drivers were very nice and courteous) and five hours after we first called AAA we were on our way to Colorado Springs, 85 miles north of our breakdown location.
Since it was Sunday there was not much else we could do. We arrived at Brian and Erin’s home, introduced the children to each other, made supper, and discussed what our next options were.
The next morning I called around to see where we could get our truck towed and checked out the same day. We decided on Trans Tech in Colorado Springs, called AAA again to have our truck towed there and I sat down to work while we waited on them to call. A few hours later they called to say that they would need to drop the transmission to figure out what was really going on, but initial inspection showed that fluid was leaking and something was definitely wrong. They called again the next day to inform us that both 2nd and 3rd gears were burned, reverse was almost gone, and that it would be best to rebuild the transmission instead of trying to fix it. We gave them permission to perform the work and settled in to spend the rest of the week with our new friends.
I have to say here that Brian, Erin, and their children were amazing. They were more than happy to let us do laundry, use their kitchen, run an extension cord to their house, use their vehicles to run errands, and take showers. And let me tell you, having the opportunity to take a long, hot shower when you live in an RV full time is something you don’t pass up!
On Tuesday, two days after we arrived, we all piled into their two vehicles and headed over to Garden of the Gods, a beautiful National Natural Landmark in Manitou Springs. We weren’t able to go into the Visitor Center but the kids really enjoyed climbing on the rocks here and it was a great place to get a few pictures of them all together. The following Saturday we ventured out to Fountain Creek Regional Park for a nature walk and much needed sunshine. The rest of our days were filled with work, schoolwork, and plenty of conversation.
Our truck was finally fixed and ready to go the next Monday, 8 days after we broke down. We picked up our truck, ran a few errands, and got ready to hook up and leave Tuesday morning. We loved our time in Colorado Springs, we were so happy to have met the Five2Go family, and we were sad to leave, but we needed to be on our way.
Did I mention that the day we broke down was my birthday? Even though that day didn’t go as planned, it still turned out to be a great week. And guess what? Our delay in Colorado also helped us to avoid the freezing temps and snow that hit the northern states that week. What a huge blessing for us!
If you haven’t already, go check out Five2Go’s channel on YouTube. They are also full-time RVers, getting ready to hit the road again after spending a year in Colorado. Don’t forget to let them know we sent you!
Delays are inevitable when you live on the road. But we know that God was with us during our trip earlier this month and we are so grateful to the many people who stepped up to help us out. Do you have any questions or comments for us? Please let us know below, or feel free to email me at alicia@simplejoyfuljourney.com.