This is primarily a travel blog in which I write about traveling in our motorhome. Our travels have

Nacogdoches, TX, United States
I began this blog as a vehicle for reporting on a 47-day trip made by my wife and me in our motorhome down to the Yucatan Peninsula and back. I continued writing about our post-Yucatan travels and gradually began including non-travel related topics. I often rant about things that piss me off, such as gun violence, fracking, healthcare, education, and anything else that pushes my button. I have a photography gallery on my Smugmug site (http://rbmartiniv.smugmug.com).

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Sleepy Time Blues


We got up early (for me) this morning, around 7:30 and got the motor home ready for the trip to Camping World to have the fridge repaired.  I got dressed, had a cup of coffee, and took my morning meds.  I was outside about 8:00 AM when Tom, the tour’s Tail Gunner, walked over to see what I was doing.  I told Tom about my fridge problem and having to take the coach to Camping World. Tom told me about a local RV service center that would come to the coach instead of me having to take the coach to the service center.  I believe there is some old saying that may be applicable in this situation, something about taking a mountain to Mohammed?


Anyway, I called the service, described the problem, made an appointment, called Camping World and canceled that appointment, and then sat down and worried about whether I had done the right thing or not.  I knew who Camping World was, but had no clue about the RV Mobile Home Center in Harlingen.  As I sat there worrying, I became very sleepy and decided that what I needed, having gotten up so early that morning, was a morning nap.  Four hours after laying down I was rudely awakened by Carol Ann informing me that it was 1:00 PM.  I was still quite groggy and began feeling that something just wasn’t right, it was like I had been drugged or something. That's when the awful truth began to dawn on me!  Me, a pharmacist, had taken my night meds this morning instead of my morning meds!  The night meds included 10 mg of zolpidem (brand name Ambien), a “sleeping pill”!  I HAD been drugged!  By myself!  Stupid, stupid, me!


Fortunately, I was more awake when the RV service tech showed up a little after 2:00 PM.  As it turned out the guy was really quite good. After about two hours he had corrected the problem and billed me $173.03 for labor and parts.  The problem was not the thermocouple or circuit board after all.  It was something much simpler.  The gas-burner’s flu was blocked by a deteriorated flu baffle (your guess is as good as mine), which had to be replaced.  He also replaced a broken defrost drain tube.  I was very relieved to have the fridge back in working order.  I would need it in Mexico and not going to Camping World saved me a lot of trouble, time, and probably money.  After such a tough day I decided that I really needed another nap.

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