Anyhow, it needs a new ball joint, and we are going to get the one on the opposite side replaced as well.
Hard at work...
There are two guys under here working!
By 10:00am, we decided we had better wander into the small city of Juchitan (pop 74,000).
Juchitan was one of the hardest hit by the September 7 earthquake last year. The magnitude 8.2 quake shook this city for three full minutes. I can't even imagine what that would be like. One in three homes in the city were destroyed, and 37 people were killed.
We've never seen the results of a damaging earthquake in person. It gives you a new perspective on the term "disaster".
There is still some pretty things to see.
Hotel partially collapsed.
We think this building is being demolished.
Lots of buildings with cracks.
Odd how some homes survived and others didn't.
This building didn't make it.
There are piles of rubble everywhere.
Many buildings are still standing, but are unsafe to occupy.
They are trying to save the main municipal building built in 1860.
Surprisingly, the clock still works!
One section of it completely collapsed and has already been demolished.
But now, six months later, the people are rebuilding. There is construction activity going on everywhere you look.
Back at Sherman, we learned that the owner of the shop was out looking for parts. He returned with the lower control arm in one hand, and the bad ball joint in the other. He said he had talked to every supplier in town, and even the surrounding towns, but with no luck. However, the correct parts have been ordered, and will arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hmm. What to do?
By this point, it was about 2:00pm. I got on the internet to the ADO bus lines website and saw that a bus was leaving for Oaxaca City at 3:35pm.
By 3:00pm, we were at the bus station with tickets in hand!
Me, ready for a five hour bus ride to Oaxaca City.
We arrived at the Oaxaca City bus terminal at about 9:15pm and took a taxi to the Oaxaca Campground to meet up with the caravan group. We met the campground owner Kate (originally from Rockport, Ontario) and she set us up in a vacant neighbors house where she had checked with the owner that we were okay to stay for a few nights.
We went over and met up with Michel and Louise who fed us (thanks guys!), and this morning we are leaving with the group tour at 9:00am.
So, good news and bad news. The good news is, we are back with the caravan group! The bad news is that Sherman is not with us :-(
WE will play it by ear depending on when the parts show up. We can extend our stay here by a day, so that's a possibility. We'll see how things go.
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What an adventure... Please say hello to Kate and her husband- they were so great to visit with after our stay there!!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed your time in Oaxaca and at Kate's we will definitely pass along your greetings to her.
DeleteWow, kind of ironic that as the caravan leaders you two, of all people, were the ones to have a serious breakdown! Glad you were able to rejoin the caravan and hope that Sherman's repairs will soon be completed. You two are great at rolling with all of life's punches, and for that you have my sincere admiration! I suspect I'd be freaking out a bit more... ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit ironic for sure, especially having come to Mexico so many times with Sherman and driving on all kinds of roads and never having any major problem. I guess it is like the old saying. "It is not a matter of if it happens, just a matter of when will it happen". I guess our time finally came up and we are dealing with it because there is nothing that we can do change it.
DeleteWe are looking forward to getting Sherman fixed up properly and back on the road as soon as possible.
At this week's big golf tournament near Mexico City, one of the Spanish golfers is donating $1000. for each birdie he makes to the earthquake victims. So far he is at $16,000.
ReplyDeleteThat was nice of him! I hope he made lots of birdies throughout the tournament because they can sure use the money to help out those people.
DeleteLooks like things are on the right track.......(((hugs)))!!!!
ReplyDeleteThey are getting there and we are making things work! :-)
DeleteWow. I heard brick bldgs. don't do well in earth quakes. I have a brick home reinforced with rebar but in Phoenix we rarely experience earth quakes. The damage looks like damages in hurricane alley. Looking forward to your day trip.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that because some brick building withstood the earthquake. We think it was definitely the older ones that fall or got damaged rather than most of the newer ones which are probably better built. As Kevin mentioned we certainly hadn't seen damage like that before.
DeleteDevastating photos of the earthquake. They really show us that minor problems are just that. As long as one is safe and sound that's all that matters. Just the same, wishing you and Sherman a quick and speedy return to getting back on the road.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you Dianne and after seeing that damage it certainly makes our problems with Sherman seem very minor indeed.
DeleteSo glad you can make it work with the caravan. Hope that Mexico can pull a trick out of their sleeve and get you going earlier rather than later. Have fun.
ReplyDeleteWe are glad that we could figure out a way to be with the group, if only for a few days. With any luck we can get Sherman back on the road and hopefully be able to catch up with the group at their next location.
DeleteBeach and I were jolted out of bed two days ago because of a 2.4 quake here in the Summerville, SC area. We have them periodically, but these quakes treat us differently than the ones on the US and Mexico Pacific coast. The Pacific coast plates are closer to the surface of the earth, and thus, even a 2.4 quake could cause some structural damage. The quake two days ago was 6 kilometers deep with a sound like a muffled groan and the windows shook as if a jet had broken the sound barrier, all that happened in just a few seconds and stopped. The last huge quake here was in 1886 and was approximately an 8.0 and was the largest recorded quake in the southeastern US.
ReplyDeleteWe used to get minor earthquakes in Ottawa, Canada too and they sound much like what you experienced, thankfully it is nothing like the big ones that they get in Mexico or along the Pacific coast.
DeleteI like your positive attitudes. So glad the owner is on the ball and went ahead and got those parts order. Hoping they come in on time so you continue your adventures.
ReplyDeleteIt makes a huge difference in your mental health if you can stay positive. It really takes a lot to get us down. :-)
DeleteYes, we are glad that the owner of the repair shop was able to order the parts and hopefully they will come in on time. With any luck it will be today. We have our fingers crossed!
Good thing you're flexible. Sure have some nice people willing to go the extra mile for you.
ReplyDeleteThat earthquake really made a mess. Good luck with Sherman.
We have always prided ourselves on being flexible, in order to travel you really need to be. We are so thankful for all the fantastic help we have had and the extra mile that they have all put in.
DeleteIt is unbelievable the mess it made and this is six months after it happened, we would have really hated to see what it was like at the time. We can't even imagine what it must have been like for them. Three minutes is a long time!
Seems those Chevy motorhome chasses have different ball joints depending on whether the brakes are disc/drum or all disc. It may be a GVWR difference. We've never had problems with ours, knock on wood.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are correct that the ball joints are different depending on the brakes. Sherman is front disc, rear drum. I've read that the P30 chassis is well known for alignment and ball joint problems. That's certainly been the case with our experience, but maybe yours is a lucky one!
DeleteI feel so bad for poor Sherman. You guys are handle set backs amazingly well. I cry. Hope all works out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandy and Jim, we feel really bad for poor Sherman too!
DeleteThere is not much we could do so we just don't see the point in being upset and then we start thinking what we can do to make the situation better. It will all work out in the end, I am sure.
Glad you don't have to sit in slanting Sherman waiting for the part(s)!
ReplyDeleteSo are we!
DeleteKeeping you guys and Sherman in our thoughts. Hope the repairs go smoothly once the parts arrive, and you can be back in the saddle again!
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen!
DeleteWe hope the parts come in on time and that the rest of the repair goes smoothly. Hopefully we will be back in Sherman and on the road fairly soon. :-)
Wow at least you can be with the caravan, keep positive thoughts on Sherman!
ReplyDeleteThat's what we thought when we decided to take the bus up to them. At least we could spend time with them in the more refreshing air and scenery than sitting in Sherman in the very hot, windy and dusty air.
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