Michelle and I camped at a Wal Mart on the west side of Wichita, Kansas on our way 
home to Phoenix. We woke in the morning about 5am to the biggest challenge of our trip so far. It was about 12 degrees, the wind was blowing about 20mph and Fin-Henri wouldn’t start. I cranked and cranked but she would not start. All of the house batteries were reading dead and the engine battery didn’t have the power to turn over the cold engine. I finally decided to replace the main battery so we went into Wal Mart, bought a new battery and the tools to put it in. It took us several hours with Michelle and I taking turns playing mechanic (her in her beautiful long, white coat) and multiple trips into the store before we finally had the new battery installed and the engine turned over and fired up.
We went to a Ford mechanic in town to be sure it was safe to drive but they weren’t going to be able to get us in for several hours. I turned off the engine and started it several times, every time with no trouble so at 10am, five hours after starting the day, we decided to just get on the road and head for Colorado.
I’ve had really good luck at Piedra Automotive in Pagosa so decided to call and make an appointment with them for the next morning.
We had an uneventful drive but didn’t pull into Pagosa until 7:30 pm. But it was enough time for us to soak in the hot springs, swim in the pool and get a great shower before camping out for the night at my friend Michael’s place.
The next morning the challenge continued. It was just 1 degree above zero and again Fin-Henri did not want to start. It took about an hour, during which time we put a heater under the engine and then jumped the motor with Michael’s truck to give it a little extra boost. Eventually Fin-Henri started and we were able to get to Piedra Automotive. While they did some investigative trouble shooting, Michelle and I drove around Pagosa with Michael as our tour guide. We even got to check out one of the new ‘Organic Dispensaries’ and a brewery which was a fun experience. Plus we checked out the other big hot spring in town and went out to a damn just to enjoy the mountain views and the incredible sites that are Pagosa Springs.
When we finally got the call on the motorhome it was early afternoon. We returned to find out during the diagnostic check they determined my biggest concern should be the brakes. Apparently I was lucky I could still stop. But they also recommended I take the battery back to Wal Mart because part of the problem was the new battery. But all things that could be handled once I got back to Phoenix.
S
o we decided it was time to roll on. We went to Durango and checked out another ‘Organic Dispensary’ and another brewery, plus got to see the quaint and fun town that is Durango, Colorado.
By late afternoon we were back on the road and heading for Farmington, New Mexico where we once again camped in a Wal Mart parking lot.
At 2 am Michelle woke me up to say that we had a problem and she thought we should start the motorhome. The furnace was on but it was blowing cold air.
I checked and once again, all the house batteries were reading dead. “I think we should start the engine,” Michelle said.
I agreed and immediately took the keys and fired up the engine. Lucky for us it started easily so we decided to just get on the road. By 2:15 am we were rolling toward Arizona and putting the final leg of our journey behind us. Fortunately we had no more troubles and made it back to Phoenix by noon.
On Monday I called my mechanic in Phoenix, (Community Tire and Auto Pros) who has worked on several of mine and my daughter’s vehicles, and made an appointment for Wednesday morning.
It took three full days and a lot of trouble shooting to finally resolve all of the problems. The first day they figured out a burned out dome light was the culprit of the drain on the batteries, they replaced the brakes and rotors, the serpentine belt and a couple of other parts. But when I came back to get Fin-Henri and was driving home, I felt a horrible shaking I had never experienced before.
I called the shop and they told me to bring it back then next day. They worked for hours trying to find the cause of this bizarre shaking and after replacing the shocks, rotating and balancing the tires, and putting on a new stabilizer bar, they finally discovered it was the new rotors, which were defective. They ordered new rotors from a different company and installed them the last day.
Now Fin Henri is back home with me and running like a dream again. Happy to be back on the road and grateful to Community Tire and Auto Pros for their great customer service and diligence for getting it right!
To celebrate, Michelle, her boyfriend Michael, and I went to South Mountain and went hiking.
My next adventure will begin next Friday, December 12th as I head out for California.
It’s time for my one-year follow up for my stem cell treatment on my hip. Looking forward to getting the MRI so we can see exactly what happened in this past year. Am I really healing, or is it all in my head?.. Guess we’ll find out soon.