Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Barstow To Desert Hot Springs

I really like Highway 247 from Barstow to the Palm Springs area. It meanders through the High Desert and is rarely busy. That was the case yesterday as we left Barstow by ten in the morning to start the three hour drive. There is one big hill on the way where the annoying "Check Engine" light came (and stayed) on. I know what the code will stay when I have it read, Low Fuel Pressure. The fuel pump in the Ford V-10 will simply not supply the demand for fuel as it tries to pull the motorhome and car up steep hills. I will find a place to have it reset when we leave here. This has been a minor annoyance since we bought the rig.

Speaking of "here", we checked into the Desert Oasis RV Park and paid for one month. We are one space away from our Campbell River friends Brian and Karen who have a permanent winter spot here. It is also just down the road from my Blogging friend Rick Doyle. Rick and his wife are still in Canada but our paths may cross when they head south. The weather here is perfect. Warm but not hot enough to need air conditioning in the day and cool enough to sleep easily without needing heat at night. There is a beautiful pool and three large hot pools, each increasing in temperature as they are fed by the local hot springs. The monthly rate is a very reasonable $420 plus electric.

I will take some photos today but in the meantime, here is our route.


13 comments:

  1. That's a very common Ford V-10 issue triggered by sudden altitude changes, not something to worry about, as you've figured out. I had that happen all the time with Miranda, going both up and down, and finally put a piece of electrical tape over the check engine light!

    Surely you have a socket set with you that you could use to disconnect the battery to reset the light yourself if it annoys you? The light on my Ranger (also a Ford...) likes to say hi so often (again, normal), that I leave the correct socket wrench in my glove box!

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    1. I have tried disconnecting the battery many times and it does not work for me, I have to have it reset. There is one shop that does it for free. It only takes a few seconds if you have the right tool.

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  2. Looked like a nice place until I saw that we're not allowed there. We're not in the right age group yet!

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  3. Yup - looks like a great spot - the winter is looking good for you two! Our new fuel pump seems to be working well - it hasn't cut out even in the heat - but we now also have the engine light come on which is new - it didn't do that even with the fuel pumps that failed. I give up.

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  4. Nice to stay in one place for awhile. I hope the weather gets better and there is sunshine and warm temps.

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  5. Be sure and post a pic of Brian and Karen!

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  6. We did that route heading north a few years ago but we went over through Apple Valley and Victorville. The truck overheated coming out of Yucca valley on that big hill and we had to pull over, block the trailer and let the truck idle until it cooled down. Whoops....the grill cover was still on. We had been in Mesa all winter and it wasn't very warm there. P.S. The grill cover comes off heading south before we hit Cabbage Hill just south of Pendleton, Oregon.

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  7. We'll be arriving in Desert Hot Springs around Dec. 22 so we may just miss you - hope to catch you sometime in your travels though.

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  8. IF things work out for us we should be in Desert hot springs Dec. 22nd as well for a couple weeks, just down the road from you.

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  9. Well, it looks like we will have to hang around here for a bit longer just to see everyone!

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  10. Sounds like you've found a perfect spot. Snow and cold in Nebraska. Man, am I ever anxious to get outta here. 6 weeks and counting.

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  11. Nice to settle in for a spell. Look forward to lots of photos.

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