RV Retrieval Ride

Today's Very Spotty Tracking through Tijeras Canyon

The Ford dealer repair supervisor called me back yesterday with bad, bad news:  Head Gaskets bad on the 460 CID V8 and a radiator with less than optimal flow:  Partially Plugged.  The estimated cost of labor, new radiator, and remanufactured engine came to 14 THOUSAND dollars.... more than we paid for this RV slightly over a couple years ago.  I called them  back today and told them to buckle it back together and I'd come get it and take it home and repair it myself or, more likely........ junk it out. :O(  BAH
I knew the Dealership was right at 20 miles from home so I decided to ride my 2-wheel recumbent bike there and put the bike on the hitch-rack on the back of the RV and drive it home, slowly and carefully, trying to keep it from overheating long enough to get back through those 20 miles I just rode the bike through.
Getting started after noon meant it was going to be HOT.  However, some scattered clouds and a few darkening ones provided a bit of shade for about the first half of the trip, so it wasn't TOO bad.  Of course when I came out of Tijeras Canyon into Albuquerque it was  noticeably hotter but moving along at a brisk pace provided a decent breeze for cooling.  No close calls or near-misses with less-than-courteous drivers so all was good running.
I did have to ride a couple miles of the downhill slope of North 14 on the rutted bumpy pot-holed where I normally ride the main road on or near the shoulder..... Highway Destruction crews had orange barrels blocking partial lanes and I didn't want to have distracted drivers not noticing me while dodging the barriers.  When the striped saw-horses and orange barrels cleared up I crossed the road, like the insufferable chicken, and got up some decent speed in spite of a stiff headwind pushing back against me.
Since I had seemingly plenty of time, and did I mention it was HOT, I stopped at my daughter Sarah's workplace at Exerplay in Cedar Crest just north of Tijeras for a water refill and a chat break with one of my favorite womenfolk.  I later stopped about halfway through Tijeras Canyon for another snack and water break.  Found some tree shade along the route, don'tcha know.
I arrived at the dealership repair doorway a bit hot and sweaty for some reason, and the personnel were duly impressed with my smell and demeanor (butt dragging the ground).  I paid the analysis fees and loaded up the bike and took off.  I should have checked to see if they'd left any water in my leaking cooling system before I left.  I didn't make it a mile before it was getting overheated again.  I stopped at Los Altos Park and let it cool off a bit and took off again.  This time I may have gone about TWO miles before it got too hot and I had to pull off on the I-40 shoulder and let it calm down again.  After about an hour I began adding water (this is a wonderful use for the RV's 100+ gallon drinking water tank).  This time I was shocked when it took over 5 gallons of water.... I had to check under the vehicle several times to make sure it wasn't just pouring out on the ground somewhere.  After this it ran fairly cool all the way out to Edgewood where we parked it for the time being, awaiting awful decisions about what to do with the junker.

Bike Trip Started:  12:51 PM    Trip Ended:  3:34 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.8        Ending Voltage: 13.3 
Lowest Temp  84 F      Highest Temp:  102 F (OUCH)
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  19.72
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  7.2 MPH                                10.9 MPH                  31.7 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
2 hours 43 mins                     1 hour 48 mins           54 mins 32 secs