Mesa, AZ - Repairs vs Remodeling

Last year about this time we limped into Mesa with some major problems that needed to be fixed.

1. Our main awning had come off in an August wind on an Iowa highway. Because Mesa, AZ has so many more service facilities than Iowa, we had rolled the awning and the whole bracket up and laid it on the floor in our living/dining room in the RV. This was the only place big enough to carry it all the way down to Mesa. Needless to say, we had to watch our feet so that we didn’t trip over it anytime we went to sit down at the table.

1. On our way down to Mesa our bedroom slide had broken and, after an afternoon of slow patient work, we had gotten it in - not to be opened again until we could get it fixed. Of course the bed now blocked the wardrobe so our clothing options were smaller. But, we’re traveling, who sees us two days in a row? (Note there’s no slide awning and the metal strand connecting the slide to the RV is split in two. It’s actually split in about 5 strands but the remaining 3 are curled up behind the black gasket on the right. )

1. We had noticed while we were still in Iowa that the front windshield seemed to be slipping down. Gravity was exerting its usual influence on our windshield. Huh? Yep, there was a space large enough to stick a putty knife blade through between the top of the RV shell and the windshield.

Awning rolled up on the floor, bedroom slide in for good and a slipping windshield? How could this all go wrong in about 2 months? How could it all happen to the same RV? Why us? (Not that I’d want all this to happen to any other RV’er.)

Sure did make our first few weeks in Mesa feel like a year. And that is why we now have a different RV than the one that limped into Mesa. This year we are not limping into Mesa. Ha, ha, if you’ve been reading this blog, you’re now saying: ‘But, Nancy, you limped into Grand Junction, CO and ‘camped’ in the Freightliner parking lot for 8 days.’ Ouch, yes, we did. But, we’d only have been there for 2 days if our problems had been diagnosed correctly on the first or second time and a part hadn’t arrived already broken.

So, instead of limping into Mesa with problems that need to be solved before we can continue, we have a wish list of things we’d like to change in our RV:

1. Replace the carpeting with something, anything that cleans easily with a mop and/or a broom.
2. Replace the day-night shades with MCD shades. Nothing is wrong with our day-night shades, in fact they’re in great shape. But - shucks, I’d just like some MCD shades.
3. Replace our lounge chair with a small desk.

Ah, a small remodeling list not a huge repair list. Much better. Things we WANT to do, not things we HAVE to do.

We arrived in Mesa today, called RV Renovators and will be there tomorrow bright and early with our wish list.