29 - Napa Valley Trip (and goof)

We had a planned trip to Stockton, CA, in mid-June which extended to visiting relatives in St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Our first two nights were dry camping on Lake Dillon near Frisco, CO, at 9,000 ft. altitude. And it was cold. Down to upper 30's at night. We ran the furnace for a bit and I went to check the propane level gauge, which I forgot to do before. I thought we had plenty, having filled the tank the season before and not using much. I was shocked to see "empty" on the gauge. So we used the furnace sparingly to save propane for cooking until I could refill. In the morning, I tried to start the generator to have electric heat, but that was no-go due to altitude and low temp. I got in the Smart car and drove to Frisco to the propane dealer only to find, being it was Saturday, they were closed for the weekend. I finally found the only open propane outlet a few miles away in Silverthorne, so I returned to the Orion and we got it ready to drive. At the propane store, a seemingly competent young man hooked up the supply hose and started to fill. He stopped after about two gallons saying the tank vent was stuck and he couldn't put any more in. I figured, oh great, another thing to deal with. But I was happy to get enough propane to get us through the weekend and on to a service shop.

Our first overnight after Frisco was Green River, UT. I took the coach to a Pilot station to see if they could do any better filling the propane tank. And they did as if there was no problem at all. I don't know if the Silverthorne guy just didn't do it right, or maybe altitude and temperature were factors. Anyway, there was no problem after all and we proceeded with the trip.

Now all that is a result of operator error on my part. When I put the coach in storage around the first of May, I unknowingly left the furnace on. I did have the battery disconnect switch off for some of the time, but I turned it on for some work and the furnace must have run some during cool periods, which depleted the propane supply. Another lesson learned..... I hope.

From Green River, we traveled Highway 50 across to Carson City, NV. The "loneliest road in America" was sometimes that, but a very scenic and mostly good drive. There are a lot of up and down passes through the various mountain ranges which the Orion handled just fine towing the new Smart. Carson City was a very pleasant stop for a couple of days including a trip to Lake Tahoe in the Smart. From Carson City, we took Highway 88 over the Sierras to Stockton. That had an amazing 50 mile downgrade it seemed from the high point. I really appreciate the tow-haul transmission mode and manual gear shifting. Sure saves on the brakes.

We had a great time in Stockton, the Napa area, and made the return via Interstate 80 to Cheyenne and back home. All coach systems continue to perform well. Driving and living in the Orion suit us perfectly. Calculated mileage for the 2,600 mile trip was 13.4 mpg. The drain valves even behaved and didn't leak. The new Smart (now aka "Baby Mac") towed as well as the previous one. I couldn't tell any difference in how it trailed or impacted the coach performance, even though it is about 150 pounds heavier. The procedure to set it up to tow is different than the older car, but it got routine after a few times. I did have a dead battery in the Smart after three days of continuous towing. I thought I was disconnecting the battery via a knife switch, but discovered two non-OEM ground wire still connected that were keeping the computer and some systems on. Rerouting those ground wires cured the problem.

I have one issue now; the side/rear-view camera system. I get no picture from the left turn signal, and the rear view sometimes goes out. I don't have any changes planned for the Orion except minor ones; adding hanger hooks and adding a shelf to the over sink cabinets. Removing the outside TV to provide storage space for the sewer hose is working well. The driver-side storage compartment is now better organized. Time for an oil change and good wash and wax.