Our Last Day in Anchorage

The weather was really beautiful today, so it was a good time to wash the motorhome. Don started by replacing the anode rod in the water heater, then he did most of the washing, while I made phone calls. Later, Shadow and I watched, and I helped with drying the lower portions. We had an afternoon appointment at the Freightliner dealer to check out the alarm we keep getting from the air brake pressure gauges. So we didn’t want to start any tourist activities.

In the process of replacing the anode rod, Don noticed the relief valve was leaking. I drove to the local RV parts store to get a replacement. On the way back, I delivered the latest ‘lapghan’ (lap-sized afghan) I knitted for Soldiers’ Angels to the Anchorage VA Hospital.

It’s about 36” x 48” made up of 30 rectangles in red/white/blue and a different knitted stitch for each color. I crocheted it together with dark navy and added 3 rows of crochet around the edge. Carol Jennings generously donated money for the yarn and shares in the donation to this deserving effort. I added her name to the donation tag and tied up the lapghan with patriotic ribbon. (Thanks, Carol. I know you read my blog, so I’m not sending these photos by email unless you request them.)

Judy and Luke Rinehimer arrived today, along with friends Frank and Gloria King. The campground at Fort Richardson was full, so they are parked in the boondocking section for one night. Tomorrow 4 sites will be vacated by members of The Last Frontier Gang (us) and they will move into 2 of them.

Gloria came by walking their dog Shadow. So we had to introduce our Shadow!

Here’s Judy with Frank and Gloria. Didn’t get a shot of Luke – will try for that tomorrow before we leave.

Don and I drove the car and motorhome separately to the Freightliner dealer. I love it when I drive the motorhome and see people doing double-takes as they realize a woman is driving, and alone at that! We waited for over an hour past our appointment time of 3:30 before a tech finally came out to talk with us. He had been running late, but he’d also done some research on our problem before coming outside. He agreed with our assessment that the problem is in the gauges or wiring, not the actual air pressure. Every time we run a test of the brakes, it passes perfectly. He said they don’t have any parts in stock, and he’s not sure whether to replace the gauges or the electronic sensor panel. All of the wires to the various gauges on the dash panel do essentially the same thing, so he swapped the wire on air tank #1 with the battery gauge. This will show us whether the problem is in the gauge or the sensor. Then we can decide where we want to go to have it replaced and order the part in advance. It may be that we’ll come back to Anchorage for that.

Besides, Don spotted a BBQ place today that he remembered from his visit 8 years ago, and wants to come back and eat there! Good thing our travel schedule is flexible.

By the time we were finished, it was time to meet our friends for dinner. All of our group, including the 4 newcomers, met at the Anchorage Moose Lodge, where Jim and Pat are staying, for spaghetti dinner. The group has grown to 16 people! It was nice to get together for one evening as our paths crossed briefly, and compare notes on places to go and things to see.