Tuesday, December 6, 2011

JULES THE JEEP IS HAULED AWAY IN OCEANO, CALIFORNIA

I closed my most recent post with the comment that we planned to visit Pinnacles National Monument the next day – and that is what we did, driving 60+ miles into a fairly remote (no cell service) area for a wonderful hike on a cool, sunny day.  Looking back on that jaunt now, after watching the tow truck take Jules off to a repair shop, all I can do is thank our lucky stars.

Pinnacles seemed to be a favorite spot for rock climbers, like this guy hanging off a rock edge.

Odel’s knee must be feeling okay – he looks like he is leaping up the last few steps!

Hanging climber Frisky Odel

Yes, we are temporarily without our Jeep.  We’ve managed to rule out the battery as the culprit, but that’s as far as we got on diagnosing the problem.  Turn the key and nothing happens – no clicking, no coughing, no sputtering, no nothing.  Headlights work, wipers work, dash lights work, but the power doesn’t translate to starting the vehicle.

View out frontAt least we not in the remote Pinnacles National Monument parking lot!  Instead, the Jeep conveniently quit right in front of our motorhome, parked at the almost empty Elks RV parking in Oceano, California (click here to read our review).  We have grass and sunshine outside, with a nice view of wetlands and distant dunes on one side, with well-maintained, red tile-roofed apartments on the other.  We can walk to the beach and a nearby restaurant, or call a cab if we want to go farther. 

One downside to fulltime travel is that you have none of the comforting local knowledge that comes with familiarity, no trusted local mechanic who knows your car.  After checking out a few local repair facilities online, we made a call, answered by an extremely friendly, efficient and apparently knowledgeable woman who gave us confidence that we’d chosen the right place.  And, it turned out they are just a mile away.  Coach-Net, our roadside assistance provider, had a tow truck at our place in about 20 minutes, and Jules has now been delivered to Classic Auto Works.  We expect a phone call with a diagnosis before the end of the day.  So far, so good… or at least as good as it gets when your transportation poops out on you.

So that was the downside of the day.  The upside?  Before all this happened, we got a few errands done, then drove the short distance to Pismo Beach for a lunch of clam chowder and fish-n-chips, consumed in the warm shelter of the restaurant’s enclosed, ocean view sun porch.  Next stop was the ice cream shop, so Odel could revisit Motor Oil ice cream (dark chocolate, fudge and Kahlua), a flavor we discovered on our first visit to Pismo Beach in March of 2009.  This super-premium treat is locally made at Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab and, yes, Odel has been dreaming about it for over two years.

On Pismo Beach Pier Happy with Motor Oil Ice Cream

It definitely isn’t summer here (no crowds!), but this December weather is great: calm, cool and sunny.  We strolled down to the pier with our cone (yes, just ONE) and enjoyed the view, then stopped in at the visitor’s center on the way back to the car.  We picked up a few maps and learned that the Monarch butterflies are here in their wintering grounds now, around 21,000 at latest count.  The butterfly grove was on our way home, so we stopped to see the Monarchs hanging on the high branch of an evergreen.  I have NO idea how they count them, but I had sort of pictured 21,000 butterflies taking up more space!

The Monarchs Done peering up at the butterfly mob, we hopped back in the Jeep to head home.  Odel turned the key and… NOTHING!   Tried again – nothing.  He jiggled the transmission lever, tried again, and Jules fired right up.  We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and drove home, discussing our continuing problem the entire short drive.  Once we got home, I asked Odel to start the car again – and this time NOTHING worked, including a jump with our handy Jump-N-Carry.  :(   Pretty sad.

So, who knows how long we might be in Oceano?  Fortunately, we don’t have to be anywhere anytime soon, so we’ll just enjoy the beach and maybe get a little more exercise than usual.  :)

23 comments:

  1. I lived near there for many years. Santa Maria, actually. And when I was a child, we had a cabin in Cayucos. Cayucos has one of only two abalone farms in the world (last I checked). I got married in Shamel Park (Cambria). There used to be a little dive of a walkup place on the road that leads to the Oceano Dunes "drive-on beach" entrance that sold burgers made from novelty meats, such as ostrich or buffalo. They also sold deep fried Twinkies, but I never got there! If you are there on Thursday, try to get to downtown San Luis Obispo for theFarmer's Market. It's phenomenal!!! In Morro Bay, go all the way down the Embarcadero to the Marina and look for the Bayside Cafe. Looks unassuming, but the food is startling good!

    I am only 150 miles away from the beach now, but it might as well be 15,000!

    Oh, and on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay and also in Pismo there are pretty dang good cinnamon rolls. And on Dolliver in Pismo there used to be a place you could get tequilla lollipops, complete with worm. Hot Lixx I think it is called.

    Lots to do there, touristy or not! Enjoy !

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  2. It is an amazing area with much to do and see. Not a bad place to be 'stuck'. Nice that you're in now hurry.

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  3. So sorry to hear about your vehicle troubles. But also thankful you were so close to help. Pismo Beach is one of our favorite places.
    Safe and happy travels
    Betty and Joe
    joeandbetty.blogspot.com

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  4. so sorry to hear about your jeep problems but thankful it broke down in the right 'spot' ...hope its a quick easy fix..meantime enjoy that wonderful weather...

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  5. We have Coach-Net also. They were excellent when our MH needed towing. Glad you weren't stranded! Hope you get the jeep back ASAP!
    I have never heard of Motor Oil ice cream, but it sounds DELICIOUS!
    Odel leaping...wonderful news.

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  6. Hmm. I thought all the monarchs went to Mexico. Interesting.

    What the heck is a transmission lever? Hope it's an easy fix, but I can think of much worse places to be stuck. :)

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  7. At least you are stuck in a lovely location. Blue skies, cool but not cold, and a great view. Not to mention, Motor oil ice-cream! Hope someone can fix that starting problem for you soon.

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  8. Motor oil ice cream - that would be one Jim would want to check out. So sorry about the Jeep. It's always sad to see one of our vehicles being towed away. Hope they can make it a quick fix for you. Enjoy the area. From the other comments it sounds like a great place to be.

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  9. Oh, that ice cream flavor sounds wonderful...all my favorite things. Hopefully the Jeep is an easy fix.

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  10. Here's a link to a forum that gives some suggestions as to what might be the problem

    http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f12/lights-accesories-work-but-wont-start-989333/

    LES

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  11. The store bought brand of Ice Cream that does "Moose Tracks" does an "Extreme Moose Tracks" that is so full of chocolate that it is hardly frozen. Oil sounds like that. I love it!


    We went to see the Monarchs at Natural Bridges on the Friday of Thanksgiving. They are a neat sight indeed.

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  12. You definitely picked a fine place to be stranded without your car. Monachs, ice cream, beach what more could you want?

    I was thinking it was your starter until you mentioned the jiggling thing and now I'm thinking wiring short but then I'm certainly no mechanic. That's for SURE!

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  13. Oh, so sad to see Jules leaving, I hope it's not too bad. I love that area and have been there many times with my parents when growing up. That's a place we need to visit, I probably won't recognize anything. Great picture of the Monarchs. Who counted them?

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  14. Maybe your jeep needs a new starter. We just had to put one on our pickup and the symptoms sound similar. At least it quite for the final time at a good spot...after you got home.

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  15. Sorry to hear about your car problems. We'll be heading to Pismo Beach after Christmas. It's one of our favorite areas!

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  16. That ice cream sounds pretty great to me - a combo of three of my favorite things. good luck with the car. always an adventure.

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  17. hopefully the problem is nothing worse than your alternator needs replacing... we are pretty happy that we found our favorite Texas ice cream here in Florida - Bluebell!!!

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  18. Glad you are in a good place to sit for a while! We want to get our motorhome winterized, so yesterday we tried to crank her up (out in the storage lot) and got nothing. Ran the cables from the car, and ... nothing. Had to call CoachNet and got a local guy who got it started. Took it for a 69 mile trip, stopped at the park's dump station and dumped. Turned the key and ... nothing. Jumped it with the car this time, drove to a local service shop; they tested the battery and offered their opinion that the battery is no good. Crap.

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  19. Your Karma continues, how nice of Jules to die in front of your rig! We had a problem with our truck in GulF Shores, ended up renting a car for just a few days. Then rented a dolley to get the truck and tow behind the rig to get it back here where we have an excellent mechanic. Good luck!

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  20. Hopefully you won't need auto work again, but if you do, try the "Car Talk" web site from NPRs show. There's a link named "mechanic's files" that provides reviews by listeners, and they've always proven right on for us. Besides, it's always fun to browse "Click and "Clack's" web site!

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  21. A little on the cool side here in Southern Calif also. The clam chowder sounds so good this time of the year. Hope the problems with Jules get resolved quickly. Glad to hear you and Odel will be meeting Rick and Paulette, we met them when Russ and Donna were at the Sands, fun couple to meet. Wishing you both safe travels.

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  22. Ah, Laurie, we're jealous of your clam chowder and fish 'n chips! Jimmy is totally envious of Odel's ice cream cone! (I would've also skipped it, tho it does sound good!) Jules, you rascal! (ps: we're home now... for a while!)

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  23. Laurie, if you're stil doing WW, there's a meeting in AG on Tuesday at 8:00 in the new Hampton Inn, a block up from K-Mart.

    Emjay

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