An R-Pod Saga:

Arfpod Love

I take loving care of the Rpod. After all, it’s my little home on wheels. I never miss an opportunity to do maintenance chores like resealing it, carefully torquing the wheels, repacking the wheel bearings and a host of other jobs. The idea is to get as many years as I can out of this perfect little micro palace. I really love the Arfpod and the freedom it represents.

One little thing

On my way home from my cross Canada adventures this year, I noticed something odd. And really concerning. It looked like the fender on the driver’s side had become much closer to the tire than the fender on the passenger side.

Youtube Saves

There was no point in worrying about it though. The only thing to do was take it easy on the way home and then watch a video on John Marucci’s R-Pod Youtube channel on how to install supports under the wall. It would be a simple job, and one I could do myself if I couldn’t find a local RV technician to help.

Finally On The Ferry

If you want to travel on BC Ferries with any RV, it’s important to reserve a spot on a sailing so they can fit you on. Even though my vehicle combination is always one of the smallest rigs on the ferry, I booked ahead. I managed to get on a sailing with $70 off the regular fare. I was so shrewd.

It’s easy to lose track of when and if the sun really sets when you’re travelling through some of the most beautiful horizons of the world. Easier still when you’re towing your home behind you. It wasn’t until I was on the boat when I realized it was going to be dark very soon. No worries, I would head to a provincial park. No one would be there because it was already October. Right?

Camping On Vancouver Island

I was wrong. Vancouver Island exists in its own microcosm when it comes to camping in Canada. It’s so mild here most of the year that many people camp at least nearly all year ’round. I navigated most of a very dark yet bustling campground until the XTerra crawled over the last speed bump. Suddenly, a loud sickening growl filled the air. It came from one of the wheels of the Xterra.

At about the same time, a group of newly feral teenagers ambled gracelessly across the road. I continued onward, slowly but surely. The growl wasn’t clunking yet. Surely that was a good sign because no mechanics were open and there was no place to stop fro the night. A ways up the road I used a flashlight to examine the wheel to see that nothing was falling apart.

Awakening

The closest rest area would be South of Union Bay. I could spend the rest of the night there and do the rest of the trip in the morning. I would aim for that, since there was little else for the situation. I limped the xTerra all the way there at less than 75 kmh. The morning saw the sun rising across the ocean over Denman Island. The scene from the Rpod was glorious. Most of my journey was done now. The daytime made the growling wheel seem a lot less dangerous.