#28 Mar 2014 Shake Up and Stabilize

Sunday, March 9 we were in bed by about 10 PM. A short while later we both woke up thinking the other one was rolling around in bed. We each said, “Lie still” and went back to sleep. It felt as if someone was heavily walking around in the front room.

The next morning as we were leaving the park, staff asked if we had felt the earthquake last night. OK! Now we knew what woke us. We were about 80 miles south of Eureka CA and the 6.9 earthquake was about 50 miles from there out into the ocean and 3.5 miles below the seabed. In 1978 in Papua New Guinea we felt many small quakes bit not much since then.

We continued up the California coast to Crescent City. This would be the end of the coastal highway.

Now came more corners and hills. Ralph said a few times that he felt like he was fighting the steering wheel all the time. This drive was another example of the roads we need to prepare for in the future and Ralph needs to be comfortable and relaxed. Again, on the map this highway does not seem to show the 20 mph turns and twists.

Tuesday we had an appointment with Henderson Lineup in Grants Pass OR to assess the suspension of the RV. Henderson is recognized across North America as experts in suspension, steering and vehicle handling. They started with a comprehensive road test assessment, followed by a complete suspension and steering inspection. They identified many upgrades that would give us a more stable, safe ride. Wow, more dollars than we expected. What would give us the best bang for our poor Canadian dollar? Front and rear sway bars were upgraded and a track bar added. When Ralph came back from the final test drive he was a happy camper! We plan to travel for thousands of miles and want to feel comfortable and safe.

Ralph commented that with the improved stabilization of the RV we might not feel the next eqrthquake. I guess we’ll wait and see/feel.

While the shop was working on the RV we went to Jacksonville. The town has over 100 heritage buildings which have been well preserved and utilized for today's businesses.

This is also prime wine country and so we sampled. We had to watch our quantity before crossing the border into Canada but were able to purchase and enjoy some local wine.

We are now well labeled and identified.