Over the past several weeks... maybe the realization had been setting in gradually. From the insurance company, to towing companies, mobile mechanics, countless repair shops and even specialty repair shops like semi repair and even a couple of folks that claimed a focus on RV engine repair. It was also interesting to learn that many shops out there that claim to specialize in RV repair... actually specify in the fine print that their services were available for every part of an RV... except the engine.

And while that realization may have begun to set in almost immediately... I guess I just needed to hear the same thing literally dozens of times... in dozens of different ways.

The call that would finally end my desire to dial another business... came at the end of a conversation with a mobile mechanic I’d tracked down after exhausting what felt like every traditional option Salt Lake City had to offer. I figured a mobile mechanic might be different. He lived here. He worked here. Even if the job was more than he could handle alone... and on the curbside of a city park... surely he knew people. Surely he could point me somewhere useful.

Instead I got...

“It’s not worth fixing.”

“Just throw it away and get another one.”

I’d heard that before. Too many times. But this guy delivered it with a particular kind of dismissiveness that landed differently. Like the answer was obvious. Like I was wasting his time by not already knowing it.

But still... I took a breath and asked if he knew of anyone else I might call…

Connect with the podcast on our website… ⁠https://LifeOutThere.me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Podcast written and recorded by Dougie, Billie, and Craig.

Full Transcripts available on YT channel and our Substack

Logo’s designed and owned by Dougie, Billie, and Craig. Design assistance provided by Copilot.

Information sources referenced in podcast include Copilot, Wikipedia, and YouTube.

Intro/Outro music created and provided by Coma-Media via Pixabay. Used with permission and acknowledgment.

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Four weeks parked alongside this park in Salt Lake City.

Seems like yesterday a cloud of smoke rolled out of Vacilando’s exhaust and we coasted gently into this exact spot. At the time it felt mechanical. An event. An inconvenience.

After that walk to the convenience store... we’d get to business...

Pop the hood. Make some calls. Handle it.

Get it done... figure out the plan....

But Now?

It’s starting to feel like maybe it’s not just mechanical.

Time’s doing something strange. The days feel slow. Predictable. Calm even. And yet somehow… a full month has passed.

The first few hours after we stopped... well that’s kind of a blur now...

Immediately figured out that a spot in an RV park was now out of the question. No RV park I’m aware of would allow us to tow a broken down RV into one of their “short term” spots.

Next up... Call insurance.

Call roadside assistance.

Ask about options.

And the life lessons began immediately...

I’d apparently spent the last two years in a false reality... I thought... something bad happens you call your insurance company... that’s what it’s for... Right?

Turns out… it depends…

Connect with the podcast on our website… ⁠https://LifeOutThere.me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Podcast written and recorded by Dougie, Billie, and Craig.

Full Transcripts available on YT channel and our Substack

Logo’s designed and owned by Dougie, Billie, and Craig. Design assistance provided by Bing Copilot.

Information sources referenced in podcast include Bing Copilot, Wikipedia, and YouTube.

Intro/Outro music created and provided by Coma-Media via Pixabay. Used with permission and acknowledgment.

Affiliate Links:

Equipment we use and trust. Helps support the channel if you purchase using one of our Amazon affiliate links. Remember to check for current pricing.

Samsun Q2 USB Microphone: https://amzn.to/4pcoJ2T

MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI A2XW Gaming Laptop: https://amzn.to/4pP7w0e

JBL Tune Flex 2 Wireless Earbuds: https://amzn.to/4soMBmI

We use DaVinci Resolve (Free Version) for video editing: DaVinci Resolve | Blackmagic Design

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Mint Mobile: http://fbuy.me/vjNBe

Audacity Audio Editing Software: https://www.audacityteam.org

Auphonic: Pretty awesome audio postproduction software: https://auphonic.com

We left Saratoga Springs convinced the worst was behind us.

The quick trek to Salt Lake City was short...

One last stretch before we could relax... explore... learn.

And at first... it was working... felt like we’d settled back into our groove... Billie and I. Before leaving Saratoga Springs... I’d spent some time online looking for an RV park in Salt Lake City... odd how few RV parks there are in these areas. Salt Lake City at least had a few. I’d made some calls but wasn’t getting any answers... it’s weird how this pandemic continues to pop up and get in the way of normal life out here in the world. Offices don’t answer phones during a pandemic, I guess.

But one thing I’d found that was intriguing is that the Utah State Fairpark... home to the Utah State Fair... was located right the city. Their website didn’t mention any RV parking opportunity... but I thought worth a quick look before heading a few blocks over to the Salt Lake City KOA.

The engine stayed cool... The gauges behaved.

But as we neared the fairgrounds... I noticed a slight uptick in the engine temps. Nothing dramatic... Just enough to make me question things…

Connect with the podcast on our website… ⁠https://LifeOutThere.me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Podcast written and recorded by Dougie, Billie, and Craig.

Full Transcripts available on YT channel and our Substack

Logo’s designed and owned by Dougie, Billie, and Craig. Design assistance provided by Bing Copilot.

Information sources referenced in podcast include Bing Copilot, Wikipedia, and YouTube.

Music featured in this episode:“Time Marches On” – cover performed by Wray Walker (@EnshaMusic)

Original song written by Bobby Braddock and originally performed by Tracy Lawrence.Cover performance used with permission from the artist.All rights to the original composition remain with the respective copyright holders.

(For the full musical experience, including this song, watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.)

Intro/Outro music created and provided by Coma-Media via Pixabay. Used with permission and acknowledgment.

Third party content shared with acknowledgment and credited in video. Shared under fair use published material. No copyright infringement intended.

Affiliate Links:

Equipment we use and trust. Helps support the channel if you purchase using one of our Amazon affiliate links. Remember to check for current pricing.

Samsun Q2 USB Microphone: https://amzn.to/4pcoJ2T

MSI Crosshair 18 HX AI A2XW Gaming Laptop: https://amzn.to/4pP7w0e

JBL Tune Flex 2 Wireless Earbuds: https://amzn.to/4soMBmI

We use DaVinci Resolve (Free Version) for video editing: DaVinci Resolve | Blackmagic Design

Logitech Wireless Mouse: https://amzn.to/3YDmkTQ

Mint Mobile: http://fbuy.me/vjNBe

Audacity Audio Editing Software: https://www.audacityteam.org

Auphonic: Pretty awesome audio postproduction software: https://auphonic.com