Still Broke Down In Cheyenne For Two Weeks And Counting

(Cheyenne, Wyoming) 79 degrees, clear blue skies

We are still in Cheyenne. Can you believe it?  We have spend the past two weeks fighting with our extended warranty company (Allegiance) to cover our claim.  It turns out our radiator is leaking and Floyd's Freightliner diagnosed a failed core.  Luckily the engine is not damaged.  The cost to replace the radiator since it is side mounted is approximately $5,500.  Allegiance Warranty has tried every trick in the book not to pay this claim.  For example, taking days to return our calls, insisting that the radiator be completely removed before sending their inspector, delaying sending out their inspector for four days, and then denying the claim due to corrosion.  There is no evidence of corrosion at all.  However, our insurance agent says he is just sure there must be some. 

John was present when their inspector came out and he did not seem to know the difference between the radiator and transmission.  He mostly goes out on automobile claims.  A diesel pusher is quite a different beast.  Floyd's did not agree with their findings (corrosion) and have fought hard for us.  I read our policy and all the fine print and saw that we could take them to arbitration in the state of Wyoming.  So, in a  last effort we said that unless they paid this legitimate claim we would follow through with arbitration.  Suddenly, they decided to pay most of the cost. 

We felt strongly that our claim was valid and isn't this why you take out the policy in the first place.  It was supposed to give us peace of mind.  It has mostly given us heartburn and a big dose of extreme aggravation. This policy was very expensive and at the time we were not sure whether to purchase it.  In the future, we will not buy one.  It would be better to save each month for repairs.   

There have been some bright moments.  F.E. Warren Air Force Base has been wonderful to us.  They brought down to the campground a 30 foot trailer for us to stay in.  The cabin was cute but having a kitchen and bathroom now has made it more comfortable. 

We also spent a wonderful day at the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Our original intent was to spend a week there in the RV.  We were so happy to see the aspens in their glorious fall colors.  It was a perfect day and we enjoyed the time away.

A guide book we referenced recommended going up Old Fall River Road (one way dirt road) and down Trail Ridge Road (paved road).  We picked up a small guide just as we started that was so great.  It told us about changes in the the ecosystem and an avalanche we would have probably missed.  For a dollar it was a great guide.  The summit is at 12, 454 feet. 

Beginning of Old Fall River Road

Chasin Falls

Aspens in all their glory

1985 Avalanche

Near the summit -alpine tundra

Trail Ridge Road

Hidden   Valley

During our ample free time we also have been to the movie theatre.  We saw:   Moneyball (true story, interesting, highly recommend seeing it)  Driver (way too violent)  Contagion (scary and it encouraged us to consider investing in solar panels to avoid crowds)  The Help (great movie, be sure to see it)

John's cousin and her family live a few  hours away in Colorado.  We had a nice reunion over the weekend and met more of her extended family.  One of her son's has a ranch in the high dessert.  They have lots of horses and even llamas and alpacas.  We got a kick out of watching one the twins lead her alpaca around. 

Our motorhome is having the radiator put in today.  Hopefully tomorrow we will be on the road and heading to New Mexico.  Wish us luck!

Broke Down In Cheyenne Wyoming

(Cheyenne, Wyoming) 50 degrees, blue skies

Well you might say that things have not gone as planned.  We left the National Forest last week with the intention of spending some time in Estes Park before heading to Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival. We had a bad case of "hitch itch" after being camphosts for two months.  We did not get very far.  Our first stop for the night was Cheyenne Wyoming at the Terry Bison Ranch (Passport America). 

We got there without any difficulty except for a lot of rain and fog.  The next morning we got ready to leave and John checked all the fluid levels before leaving. as a part of his normal routine.  The antifreeze was very low so we made a trip to Walmart and got a couple of bottles.  John poured it in and unfortunately it all poured on the ground.  Not a good sign! 

We called our towing service (Coach Net) and they helped us a find a wrecker and a place to check everything out.  This huge wrecker with Diamond Towing arrived.  Wow, it was a big wrecker.  Our air bags had deflated and since we could not run the engine the wrecker had to air everything up before towing.  The transmission had to also be disconnected.    It took about 4 hours to hook up the RV and arrive at the facility. 

We were quite the center of attention at the campground. There was a large FMCA group staying at the campground for the weekend (Rocky Mountain Chapter). We will be attending their rally in a few weeks and they were very supportive. Watching your home being towed away was unnerving.

The first place we stopped at did not seem to be very organized and able to fix our problem.  They were a small garage and the tow truck operator suggested we go to Floyds Freightliner.  They are open from 8 am - 11 pm and he thought that they'd be to get us back on the road sooner. 

We arrived at Floyd's and the staff was very professional and  got us in late that night to take a look at the radiator and engine.  The good news is our engine is ok, but the radiator needs to be replaced.  We have an extended warranty through Allegiance and started the process to get the repair approved.  It has not been an easy journey.  The warranty company wanted the radiator to be completely removed and tested again.  This is a 12 hour job and after it was removed we needed to wait for their inspector to come out and approve the work.  Well it has now been a week and we are still waiting. We have made numerous phone calls and have now moved up to a supervisor for assistance. We cannot order the parts until we receive their approval.  The cost of this repair is over $4000 so we really have to follow their procedures to avoid a huge out of pocket expense. 

We have reservations for the Albuquerque Balloon Festival on October 4th and made them almost a year ago.  We have been so excited about attending.  Our daughter is flying form Indy to attend and some friends are also meeting us there.  There is still time to make it if we can get the warranty company to kick it in gear. 

In the meantime, the coach is the garage and completely dismantled. It is not a livable place to hang out.  We went out the Air Force Base and hoped to find a hotel room at a reasonable cost.  No luck!  They did not have any rooms left that allowed dogs.  Just by chance or what my friend Sharon would call a "God thing" we found out there was a small cabin at the campground. It is a sleeping cabin with two chairs and a nice porch swing for only $15 a night.  Perfect! 

So here we sit counting the hours and doing everything possible to keep this repair moving along.  Dear readers we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers.