A SERVICE RAVE - CUMMINS ROCKY MOUNTAIN IN ABQ

Today was our service day at Cummins Rocky Mountain in Albuquerque. We had a ride height valve replaced here a few years ago and were impressed with the service we received, so decided to return for a few minor maintenance issues.

The only problem with this service center is the location - it is a little tricky to get there unless you know the route. You know us - we scouted it out yesterday in the Jeep to make sure we wouldn't make a wrong turn, wrong merge, or wrong lane change during Albuquerque's morning rush hour. Since we were there anyway, we stopped in to the office to confirm our appointment. Our motto for the day: no surprises.

Well, we got a big surprise: Lynn Monson, the service advisor, looked at Odel and said, "Hi, there! How are you? You need a serpentine belt, don't you?" and started typing away on his keyboard. We were a day early, and Odel hadn't even told Lynn his name. Lynn said he remembered Odel's voice when Odel called to make the appointment, and recognized him when we walked in.

So, we were off to a good start, and it got better when Lynn agreed that we could arrive at NINE in the morning today instead of EIGHT so we could avoid rush hour. We left yesterday feeling confident and returned at 8:45 this morning.

Scoopy was in the service bay by 9:00 am. Their floor looks cleaner than mine. Mark, our service technician, got to work right away on our three items: new serpentine belt (and we decided to switch the A/C belt at the same time), new air filter, and a check of the U-joints (which turned out to be fine).

Changing the air filter requires access to the engine through the closet floor, so everything had to move from the closet to the bed. Those of you who think I have more shoes than are seemly for an RV'er... here they are, exposed.

At Cummins Rocky Mountain, they told us Luna could stay in the motorhome while they worked on it. This is a HUGE plus for us and for Luna - we are ALL uncomfortable when she, her food, and her cat box have to move into Jules.

I was a little concerned since Mark was going to be going in and out of Scoopy, but my worries were put to rest when he told Odel he has a cat that looks just like Luna, only smaller. Right then, I knew Mark would look out for her. (Of course, she just hid.)

Odel and I walked laps around the building while we waited, though there is a nice customer lounge with an internet-connected computer, wide-screen TV, a microwave and magazines. Nice clean restrooms, too! If we hadn't had to wait for the air filter to be delivered, we would have been out and on our way by 11 am. As it was, we left shortly after noon.

This last photo shows the RV parking available for customers who want/need to stay overnight. 30 and 50 amp E with W, and a dump station... even a square of green grass in the back. I'm sure the noise of the two interstates, 25 and 40, would be a loud annoyance, but it is nice to know parking is available.

As soon as the work was done, we took off. High winds (gusts to 40 mph) were forecast for this afternoon, but we hoped to drive 60 miles west to the Sky City Casino at Acoma Pueblo to cut some mileage off what would be a long drive tomorrow to Homolovi State Park. Though it is nothing special, we were happy to pull off the road and into Sky City RV Park (read our review here) as the weather forecasters had been right. As I write this, dust and tumbleweeds are blowing around, our slide topper awnings are flapping... not a day to be driving a high-profile vehicle.