RV Maintenance and Another Roll Into Arches National Park

Something like 4 1/2 years ago now, after we'd bought the Big Red Dodge... which turned out to be the start of a long, slow, slide... I Flipped the axles on the Eagle to give me better clearance between the truck and the trailer...

Along with doing that, I had to lower the pin box on the Fiver... to level out the trailer when it was hitched up.
Flipping the axles had it sitting a lil' nose low.

A job I put off, those last couple of rushed weeks 'fore we pulled out, and the first few of this circle, was to reset the pin box back to the original, higher position.

When I put in the new gooseneck hitch a few weeks ago, to give me the loading room for the Raider, it's design and mounting sets the ball several inches higher. It now sits above the bed deck rather than below it, as it does with the Factory position hitch ball. Combine that with the fact that this flatbed, 'cause of the fact that it was actually built for a different brand of truck... sits a bit higher than normal... and you've got a pretty tall gooseneck ball mount; which has left the fifth wheel hauling a touch nose high.

So... this morning, 'fore we headed off one more time, toward Arches Nat. Park on the Raider... I reset that pin box... which lowers the nose of the fiver back down... maybe three inches...

*Taking the Pin Box Loose*

*Pin Box set 'bout 3" higher*

The thing that finally got me motivated to get the Pin Box reset is a small adjustment to our road plans... We've been workin' on the idea we'd head on down toward Zion National Park... We were there a couple years ago, and really liked it... Kind of like goin' to church... especially in the "Off" season...

Guess we just weren't ready to go that way yet... So... unless early fall snows turn us. we're gonna maintain the direction we turned when we left Hovenweep... and keep on North west a ways... that Ways... being till we hit the Pacific Coast.

Yeah, we had the thought that I'd never been along the Oregon Coast in October... or November either... so... 'till something else changes our direction... we're gonna work that-a-way... and see that country in a different season.

That got me to figurin' I better quit puttin' off adjusting that hitch box...

With that done we went down to the City Market in Moab and stocked up what groceries we've consumed... got the truck dieseled up... and 'cept for loadin' the Raider in the morning, we're pretty much set to start rollin' come the new day.

Didn't load the bike today, 'cause we wanted to make one last roll into Arches National Park... and make one more try at learning to photograph these desert rocks!

*Delicate Arch*

*Always a Far View*

*Skyline Arch*

*Landscape Arch in the failing light of sunset*

These are... well... I still have a ways to go!

In the morning, we load-N-go... again... not real far... not real fast... Hell, it's taken us better'n 20 days, to get from Denver to east central Utah!

8 or 10 days to the coast? Maybe more... maybe less... won't know... 'till we get there. I've had an urge to roll that Big Red Yamaha on the Pacific Coast Highway for quite some while. Bet it ain't any colder than through the spring snow in Colorado!

Looks like I may find out...

Doin' it... One Day at a Time in the West
Brian

Your purchases, through the links to my e-books at your choice of distributors below, help support goin' RV Boondocking... and keep us on the Road!

Smashwords

Amazon Kindle Store

Barnes and Noble e-books

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking  or, Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road