Day 8 - We Have Arrived

It was time for the last leg of our travel to the refuge.

We had a late start leaving the Butterfield RV Park. We were up at the usual time, but the park had closed the showers until 8am. At nearly $40/night one would think they might leave them open.  We were on the road before nine and it was a pretty quick trip to Tucson for some grocery shopping. We did our usual trio of Tucson stores, Whole Foods, Fry’s and Trader Joe’s. 

After filling up Speedy, we also refueled at St. Mary’s Mexican Restaurant, a spot we have visited before and is supposed to be one of the best in Tucson...and there are lot in Tucson. After some tasty fish tacos, we were back on the road and on the way to the refuge.

Being Saturday and a holiday weekend, there was only the volunteer, Rosa, at the visitor center. One half of one of the three other volunteer couples who are here for the winter. They are all new to us. Two couples were here last year, Hank and Rosa and Jess and Suzy. Bruce and Nyla are here for the first time. Our neighbor last time, Dave, will be arriving in January, as well as another pair of winter volunteers. At least that is the story we’ve heard. We have met all the others and they all seem friendly.

We are, once again, the small fry with our van. All the others are big fifth-wheel trailers or Class A RV busses. We picked out the smallest site left, but it is and end site and has one of the best views of the sunrise...and also of a wildlife water tank just outside the Outpost fence. One advantage of having all the other volunteers in big RVs is that we pretty much get the community bathroom and shower to ourselves.

We managed get electricity and water connected and did some minor repairs inside the van. We have a thorough cleaning to do tomorrow and there some other problems to tackle. 

A couple of days ago, we noticed the water pump cycling evey minute or so. I was worried that we might have developed a leak due to freezing on one of the cold nights, but I slid underneath at Bosche del Apache and checked every joint and found nothing but dust. I next suspected that the pump itself was not holding pressure, which would require a rebuild or replacement. But...last night I could hear a slow drip which was water dripping into the nearly empty fresh water tank. The only water line into the tank is from a valve that is used to fill the tank when the van is connected to a water tap.It was suposed to be closed. I opened and closed it a couple of times and the drip seemed to stop. This valve may have been the source of the problem, but I need to do some testing.

The other, more significant problem is a fuel leak. We can smell diesel fuel, particularly when warming up. While under the van, I noticed oil, possibly diesel on an intake manifold hose from the turbocharger to the engine. I’ve also noticed some weeping at a connection between the fuel filter and the high-pressure fuel pump. I need to clean all of the dirty, oily areas to see if I can find the source of the leak. In any case, it will probably mean finding a decent diesel mechanic, but I’d like to know what needs to be done.

The last significant problem is my WiFi booster antenna. It seems to have gotten bent on the way here. I think it caught on a branch on one of our Cracker Barrel overnight stays. I hope it is just loose since we are in the site furthest from the compound WiFi router and the signal isn’t the best.

It also looks like the campground skunk is back. There was quite the odor over by the community trailer when we arrived. The other volunteers had all the doors open to air things out. The last time we wintered here, a skunk managed to get under the building and the smell didn’t dissipate for a month. It looks like it didn’t get under this time, but managed discharge under the entry steps. It seems better now, but there was the distinct aroma of skunk in the campground after sunset, so it is still around. We definitely need to entice it to leave.

The weather was finally warm and clear and we hope that the temperature does not drop below freezing this week. I still need to figure out a way to insulate our water lines under the van. It will mean a trip to Tucson, I’m sure.