It's mostly a wetlands area, but there is some forest as well. We decided on a one hour hike to get the blood flowing. It's only 4 kms (2.5 miles), but we wanted to do a bike ride afterwards as well.
It's a really pretty area...
View from the bird viewing tower.
The bird viewing tower.
Ruth!
Double crested cormorants.
Great blue heron?
Sure is swampy! Not bothered by mosquitoes at all though!
We went back to the motorhome, and decided to have lunch before taking the bikes out. While there, I did some research into Sherman's ball joint problem.
While it hasn't been that long since the ball joints were last changed, I'm not surprised that they are wearing already. This chassis has a well known problem with wearing ball joints prematurely, and bad roads exacerbate the situation. Everyone knows that we have done lots of bad roads over the last couple of months!
Anyhow, what I've decided to do, is to replace the entire lower control arm assemblies. I can buy Moog ones that include the ball joint already attached to the control arm. Two reasons that I decided on the assembly rather than just replacing the ball joint itself. The lower control arms are original. The ball joints have been changed three times before, and each time they change them they have to grind off the tack welds holding the ball joints on. So it's actually wearing thin in that area.. Also, the right control arm was physically damaged when the ball joint broke last March. It's probably fine. And, labor charges will be cheaper to change the assembly rather than the joint itself.
Only problem is, I can't buy the Moog ones here in Canada. Everywhere I have checked says that they are back ordered and could be three to four weeks.
But, they are readily available in the United States, and at a much better price, even when you take into account the 30% exchange rate difference.
So, I ordered them... through Amazon!
They cost $124.91 USD ($165 CAD) each, shipping included to any U.S. destination. Not available for shipping to Canada.
We are very close to the U.S. border right now. I contacted a small mechanic shop in Oroville, Washington... only a few miles south of the border at Osoyoos, British Columbia. He said he would be happy to do the job, and I could have the parts shipped directly to him. So that's what I've done.
We should arrive in Osoyoos on Monday or Tuesday, and then we'll head into the U.S. for a few days to get the job done. (And fill the fuel tank with cheaper gas while we're there!)
After all this was organized, I got the bikes off and we went for a bike ride!
Out on the trail.
Me, on my new bike!
Nice views.
This turtle was right on the path!
We did about 10 kms (6.2 miles) of biking yesterday. Not bad. We'll try and do that every couple of days to get used to the bikes. We went back into the town of Creston afterwards and found a laundromat. Then, back to the same wildlife area, and we overnighted at the trailhead for the Balancing Rock Trail. We're off to do that hike before we leave here this morning!
Then, we'll drive a little further west. No idea where we are stopping for the night.
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And in Canada...
Osoyoos is Canada's only desert area, and home to some awesome wineries! Glad the newish bikes worked out well.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is Canada's only true desert and we were there for a week back in our first year of travel in the motorhome in November 2007. We actually stayed at the Nk'Mip RV Park, that is also the same band that runs the winery there and the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre. We really liked the area.
DeleteThe bikes are working out great, it is really nice to have bikes that work well for the riding that we want to do.
Smart move replacing the whole lower control arms, now Sherman will be good for another zillion miles and you'll have peace of mind. Priceless! :c)
ReplyDeleteKevin felt that buying the complete arm assembly was definitely the way to go. Sherman will be go to go as long as we stay off roads like the Dempster Highway, but we are still so glad that we did it. :-)
DeleteI wondered about replacing the control arms, and whether that might give you upgraded ball joints. As you've mentioned, P30s have known front end issues, and there are upgraded aftermarket replacements for some components. A quick Google search didn't show anything specific for ball joints, though...
ReplyDeleteBelieve me Kevin has done his homework on ball joints and control arms and has looked at every possibility as to what the best route is to take with replacing them and which types are the best for Sherman. He feels good about this choice, now he can't wait to get the work done and then the trick will be to stay off of long distance gravel roads! ;-)
Deletehttps://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g1871864-d501147-Reviews-Carberry_Spirit_Sands_Desert-Carberry_Manitoba.html There is another dessert in
ReplyDeleteCanada.
The Carberry Sandhills, or Spirit Sands isn't a true desert, just like the Carcross Desert in the Yukon isn't a true desert. They have beautiful sand dunes but they have they don't quite met the requirements for a true desert where as Osoyoos does, although I have seen an article where that is being debated as well now. Here is the link to Wikipedia where it mentions that Carberry Sandhills isn't a true desert. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_Woods_Provincial_Park
DeleteDesert, stupid auto correct!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I really enjoy watching turtles. Enjoy your brief stay south of the border:)
ReplyDeleteThey certainly are interesting creatures!
DeleteHow do you draw your trip and upload your nice Google maps to your blog?
ReplyDeleteUsing google maps, simply draw your map, and on the left side drop down menu, click "Share or Embed Map".
DeleteGreat idea stopping over in the USA to have them changed, even with the exchange. Good thing you were close to the border
ReplyDeleteThe only reason we are doing it is because we are so close to the border, otherwise I don't think we would have made that trip down just for that.
DeleteWe were at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area in June and we eaten alive by the mosquitoes. :(
ReplyDeleteWhen we were hiking and biking there we mentioned that May or June wouldn't be much fun with mosquitoes! We hardly saw any when we were there, thank goodness. :-)
DeleteThats a great tip about the contol arm c/w ball joint. If Serenity ever has that problem we will definately change the whole assembly.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to have Serenity's ball joints inspected before heading down if you haven't already.
Delete