Day 32 – Ashes Ashes all fall down in Wayne's World

All were up and moving by 7:30am to prepare for a day without the base of the RV. The RV was destined for the Gull Boat and RV Service center in Missoula to get the problematic slide repaired. 

The appointment was made 2 days prior as Theresa searched and found a certified Tiffin service center in Missoula. Calling that center Theresa was informed that the first opening they had was for mid-September, however one could try their other location in Idaho, or the suggestion of Gull Boat and RV Service also in Missoula. Theresa elected to call the alternate location in Idaho, and was given a similar response, “booked into October”. Out of desperation Theresa called Gull as the third choice, they at least had availability. RV Service must be booming! Kevin continued to be concerned as the repair place was first a boat sales, and repair, Then SCUBA shop, then travel trailer sales and repair shop. No Motor home sales, and therefore not really prepared for a slide repair on the Smitanic. Then Kevin thought to himself “If they are a boat repair place maybe just maybe they would understand how to work on a vessel named the SMITANIC”.

As the crew readied for the day and loaded the Toad they also had to sweep a coat of ashes from the toad. During the night it had been blanketed by debris and smoke from area fires that had filled the air. The car was reloaded with what would be needed throughout the day without access to the RV. Both the RV and CRV were driven the 7 miles from the RV park to the center. Kevin asked to talk to the technician who would be doing the work so he could explain the issue and discuss acceptable solutions. Wayne was summoned to the front desk via walkie-talkie. After introductions, Kevin explained the issue with the 3 problematic bolts popping and that what was really needed was to replace the series of rods that held the bolts. The bolt holes had become elongated which caused a greater stress on the bolts that held the connecting rods. In addition, the bolts needed to be grade 8 vs the grade 5 that were currently holding things together. (See Day 31 post) If the rods could not be acquired from the Tiffin service place or ordered in a reasonable time then the alternative would be to drill new holes or ream out the existing holes and use larger size grade 8 bolts. Wayne seemed to understand the issue and all the options As Kevin explained them. Wayne stepped away for a few minutes and then returned with a young lady and started to show the issue to her. He introduced her as the X-Parts person from the Tiffin service dealer ! She emphatically declared that the other center did not carry any Tiffin parts and it would take 7-10 days to get any parts like this shipped since it had to be transported via ground. Yikes! Not wanting to wait that long nor incur a larger repair expense, one of the alternative fixes would have to work. Wayne assured Kevin and Theresa that he would be able to complete the repair by the end of the day. 

Fairly confident that the RV was in good hands the three homeless campers headed to Wayne's suggestion for a breakfast place of Paul's Pancake Parlor. The food was yummy and plentiful. Theresa and Kevin shared an order and were more than full when they rolled out of the parlor. Kevin got a call from the service place informing him that the RV would be ready around noon! WOW, Wayne did that fast almost as fast as Richard! 

There was only one notable reminisce spot that Kevin wanted to be sure to look up while in Missoula. The Glorianna Apartments were owned and operated by Kevin's maternal grandmother, Betty who named them after Kevin's mom. A bit of research found an address, picture as well as a document that included this structure as part of a historical area of central Missoula. The address was on Spruce street so Theresa plugged that into her iphone. Arriving at the East Spruce address there was nothing with the street number or that resembled the picture. MJB said maybe there is West side to Spruce, brilliant! A very short drive back down Spruce and the once named Glorianna Apartments were spotted. Currently it housed a law firm as well as housing units. It also looked like a large addition had been added in the rear of the historical building. A sign in front also indicated it was currently for sale!

Kevin snapped a few photos in several directions so that he could send those to his mother. She will be pleased that it is still looking very much the same as it did when her mother lived there many, many years past, in fact it was really in Great condition.

With a bit more time to kill before the RV could be retrieved a nearby park was located so everyone (especially Zin) could stroll around a bit and stretch out! Just as the team was debating when to make a Walmart run, Kevin then got the call that the RV was ready!

Arriving back at the repair center, Kevin reviewed the bill which only listed some minor parts and a few hours of Wayne's labor. Kevin asked if he can talk to Wayne and review the work that was done. The response was that he was out at lunch at the moment and that someone else would bring the RV around. When the RV was revealed, both Kevin and Theresa immediately noticed that the slide was partially out in rear about 6 inches or so and the awning that covered the slide was loosely rolled. What? How is this a job done? Kevin also inspected the rod and bolts that were to ensure the proper grade of bolt was used. Fail again! The bolts had the grade 5 marking's not the 8. Keeping his cool, Kevin went back into the service counter and let them know of the issues. Within minutes Wayne came out to face the disappointed couple. He assured Kevin that he could fix the misalignment issue but he insisted that what he used were grade 8 bolts. Wayne would again call when he was done. The Walmart run was completed as well as a trip to a Fastener place across form the repair center. Validation that Grade 8 bolts were indeed what was needed for the slide application as well as how to ID the grade of bolts were confirmed. Several bolt choice were purchased as well as nuts and washers. Returning to the Service center Kevin handed over the bolts and insisted that Wayne replace the grade 5 bolts with those just purchased. Wayne returned to meet Kevin at the counter and declared that the purchased bolts needed to be longer. Teaming with Wayne, Kevin offered to run back to the Faster store and get the right size. It only took Wayne 15 min to install the correct bolts and bring the RV back out for a final inspection from Kevin.

Everything checked out this time and by 3pm the Smitanic with a now functioning slide headed back to the Jellystone park to be fully set up for the evening. Theresa dropped MJB off at the airport to pick up a rental car. The next day MJB will be on to her extended adventurers in Missoula which will include Fly fishing and exploring the area.