Rio Grande River, NM

June 11, 2022: 

I made it down to the BLM land on the Rio Grande River. It was getting really hot so I was anxious to park the van, have lunch, and then head to the river. Well, I went from feeling like Miss MacGyver and rather empowered with my black tank bolt repair, so perhaps  I lost much needed focus, or I’ve lost my mind, as I drove off with my awning fully extended. I didn’t make it very far until I side swiped a tall bush and it started retracting. Big oops. But by the time I could get around it had already bunched up, and was not able to fully retract. I managed to get it extend, again, but could see that it was torn at both ends, so I made the painful decision to cut the canvas off. Working on this also made the arm and motor run continuously as it had nothing on the other end to stop it. I managed to find the fuse and pulled it. The challenge was disconnecting all the parts as one of the elbow arms was severely bent. I used a hammer and allen wrenches, and screwdrivers to dislodge the outer edge which is 13 feet long. (that piece is securely in my RV, from the back of my K bed through the kitchen area into the front cab) and fits perfectly. I may find a dumpster or just take it home and scrap it. I’m by myself so reaching all of this was very difficult, but how lucky was I to be next to a very large rock that I could parallel park next to, allowing me to stand on this rock to reach it all! I whaled on these extensions with a hammer, just as my father taught me. I was also pretty angry and apprehensive, so I used Herculean strength to dislodge these pieces apart. I guess the next consideration is bringing a step ladder with me. I could not bend the elbows together, as they are spring-loaded. So I made the choice to crisscross these arms straight, and they do slightly stick out, but I don’t feel it will impede my driving. I did this all at a campsite along the Rio Grande river, near Taos, with no cell reception. And at about 100° weather in the direct sun. It was difficult. At least I got to cool off in the river when I was done. My awning is trashed and I will consider removing the rest of it when I get home, and installing a manual awning instead, the kind with arms that attach to the RV. I don’t need a motorized awning or even the LED lights in the end. So this was the last dumb thing I’ve done so far, but you’re never finished doing dumb things in life. At least the reward was sitting in the river cooling down. I wish that was the last drama of the day as dark orange gray clouds rolled in. Fires nearby. They told us they are far enough away for no imminent  danger. However I could smell the smoke, and there was ash in the air. What an exhausting day.













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