Sacramento

We didn't get out of our PJ's all day, just watched DVD's and snowflakes. So when it turned to 80's on Thursday we didn't know what to think!!!

We decided to go to Modesto and get the windshield wipers we needed and try and find parts to fix the electric step on the rig that had just broken.

The step just suddenly went “Limp” when I went out one morning. A bolt in the linkage between the motor and the step itself had sheared off.

As Modesto was closer to Sacramento and I had a hankering to visit the California Railroad Museum we packed up and headed West.

Old Town Sacramento

We got the wipers after having to special order them and enough bolts, nuts, washers and assorted pieces to be able to fix the steps. A short stay at the Modesto Elks followed by a longer stay at the Carmichael Elks gave us time to do the repairs and explore.

California Railroad Museum

Some beautiful steam engines that are capable of running.

We like to collect the special pins that each lodge have so we visited the Sacramento Lodge while exploring. That is another very welcoming lodge and we ended up returning a few times for dinner. They are extremely well set up there with an indoor pool, gym, steam room, ballroom, games room and a very cozy bar. They have a dump station but no hookups if you want to camp.

The Carmichael Elks Sunday Car show

Sacramento itself was a product of the gold rush, before that there was no town and within a few months one sprang up at the junction of two rivers. With a direct water connection to San Francisco it provided a supply center for the miners.

Stern wheeler on the Sacramento River

Interestingly enough the whole city was raised about 10' after a devastating flood and there are a few locations where you can go below street level and see how they accomplished the task.

The Crocker Art Museum nicely air conditioned!!

From snow in Yosemite we came to the warmer “Central Valley" but it got too warm very quickly with three straight days of temperatures over 100 degrees. We decided that some altitude was needed and Reno/Lake Tahoe beckoned.

The Monaco apparently had different plans because within a mile of leaving the Alternator Failure light came on followed by the Engine Stop light and a Warning light. We found a place large enough to stop and called Geico who provide roadside assistance through our RV insurance. After some confusion about how big we were we got towed to the local Cummins diesel service shop. The analysis revealed that the alternator belt had failed. That belt also drove the water pump so when the pump stopped the engine overheated and caused the coolant header tank to split.

It takes a BIG tow truck for a motorhome.

The belt was soon replaced but the header tank was a Monaco part and took some days to get delivered. Luckily the dealer had several hookup spaces so we camped right there for the weekend and did some more exploring. We treated ourselves to a tremendous Fathers Day breakfast at the Sacramento Elks,

Squeezed in a visit to the Air and Space Museum too

Monday we packed everything up then went to the laundromat around the corner from the Carmichael Elks. This was handy for a couple of reasons. First the Sunshine Laundry is a super clean place with brand new machines. Second - it's around the corner from the Elks who open at 11am and do great lunches. Third -its next to a Goodwill Store so we can browse there too.

By the time we had all that done and drove back to the Cummins dealer it was about 2pm. The rig of course was still fighting them. The new tank had different bolting arrangements and they had to fabricate some adapters but by 3.30pm we were ready to roll.

(A little aside here. While we were in the dealers we saw a leaflet about the “Cummins Power Club” which gets you 10% off labor and Cummins/Onan parts, including regular servicing of Cummins engines and Onan generators.

At $19 a year this would pay for itself pretty quickly so we joined online and instantly saved $200!! If you decide to join use us as a reference and our hometown as Livingston TX and we might get a free hat or something! www.Cumminspowerclub.com)

Anyway it was too late to drive to Reno that day so we dry camped at the Sacramento Elks and enjoyed more of their tremendous hospitality.