Wednesday, September 6, we leave Ronan, but not before stopping at Les Schwab for WS’s wheel bearing appointment. It’s past the time for them to be checked. Way past time. While at the rally I find that Casita recommends checks every 12,000 miles. I thought it was supposed to be every 15,000 miles, and it’s actually been closer to 16,000 since mine were last serviced. Oops!
Usually they just need to be cleaned, repacked with grease, and new seals applied. But no. Probably due to waiting too long, WS’s bearings need to be replaced. Don shows me lots of silver flakes in the grease, which are flakes off the bearings. He also shows me the worn bearings. Yikes.
For most of my life I’ve know a big fat 0 about wheel bearings. What would happen if they stopped working properly? Well, apparently that’s when the wheels fly off….and then the axel breaks….all while you’re driving down the highway. So be aware!
So, 2 hours and close to $200 later, off we go with new bearings, new grease, and new seals.
Who knew?
Don at Lee Schwab recommends having them checked yearly or every 10,000 miles. Makes sense to me.
It’s a beautiful drive to St Regis along route 200 and the Flathead River, and then 135, along the Clark Fork River. Well, except for the smoke shrouding the rivers and mountains.
Since we won’t be going to Glacier National Park due to the devastating fires, I’ve chosen The Nugget RV Park for a week because they have a huge unfenced open area with meadow and trails, where dogs are allowed, unleashed. I’m talking acres….though I have no idea how many.
Shiloh is happy about that!
And Joy is joyful.
There is still smoke, but not as bad as it was in Ronan before we left.
We walk the paths in the woods every day.
The trees are watching us!
Better behave!
Waiting for Mommy to catch up.
The deer are watching us too.
We find the water trough in the same place it was last year. It’s supposed to be for turkeys and deer….but….
Joy takes a moment to refresh.
There are new owners here this year. The people who owned it before were huge dog lovers, which is why they designated all this open space for dogs. The new owners plan to keep it this way, but at the same time are showing some frustration about people not picking up after their pets. I hope this doesn’t ruin it for everyone. Please carry poop bags, and use them!
Walking the trails we find Diggers grave. Digger belonged to the previous owners.
He was a damn good dog.
Joy with her little white face…still enjoying life.
From here I had planned to go on to Birdland Bay, in place of our 2nd week in Glacier. There are lots of trails there too, and river access for the dogs. But now, I’ve changed plans again because it’s located near Thompson Falls, where the air quality is at the ‘dangerous’ level, due to the smoke. Instead, at that point we will start heading mostly south. We will have to make it through heavy smoke near Missoula to do that, but there aren’t a whole lot of options. Actually no options that I can see.
Next post will be dedicated to us Turkeys!
Wandering Spirit 
You told us about The Nugget when we saw you before you went to Ronan, and you were right! Flirt loved the open space and trails, too. So good to see you heading south out of the smoke. Be safe.
Hi Jan! That I did! I’ve been thinking of you guys since I got here, wondering how you liked it. Well….mostly wondering how Flirt liked it. :0) When we talked I didn’t know that we would be coming here. The plan was for Glacier, but when we couldn’t go there I thought of The Nugget. We must have gotten here right after you left.
Enjoying following your travels. We are having our bearings and axel looked at next week. Gerry and I enjoyed meeting you at the UP. We are home now for a few weeks. Hope to meet up with you again sometime.
Candace
Hi Candace, glad you are having those things checked out….and glad you are enjoying the blog.
I was really happy to be able to spend a month in the UP, and I think the Keewanaw was my favorite part.
We’re so glad that you had your wheel bearings replaced at Les Schwab….It’s about the most important maintenance you can do for a travel trailer. My better half inspects ours every other year, and either repacks or replaces them as needed. He has been examining our axles/springs on the 17′ Bigfoot we bought used last fall….one of the wheels isn’t centered in the wheel well….in fact it has rubbed on the fiberglass….He tried to adjust it, and in the process found out that the problem on that side of the trailer is that the leaf spring needs replacing. So that is our next project…We;ll take it to my son’s driveway, and remove the good spring and take it to the local Dexter axle dealer…where we will get 2 new ones…and then he will put them on. It is such a good thing that he is so handy!! We love Les Schwab…had to get 2 new tires mounted and balanced there during our spring road trip.
Hi Sharon, yes it’s great when you can do those repairs and maintenance yourself. Many Casita people do it themselves. Glad you found the reason the wheel wasn’t centered!
Last year when I left Ronan I was having tire leaking problems. I’d been having the problem for awhile and at the places I stopped no one could get them to stop leaking…until I went to Les Schwab in Ronan and they fixed it, balanced the tires and didn’t charge me anything. I will try to go to Les Schwab from now on!
What a lovely place for you and the dogs. So nice to have free space to explore off leash. They need to put up signs that if owners don’t pick up after their dogs the open area will be closed.
There are no signs of any kind. I’m going to suggest they put up signs about pooping and scooping, and even put out poop bags.
Good idea
A quick question, well maybe not so quick! How do you choose the parks you stay in? What clues do you look for when searching? I know you like to book ahead and we do too, so I just thought I’d see how you handle it. You have way more experience than we do – living the life!
We will be headed out Thursday, over the N. Cascades and off to the east. Our travels will depend on the weather and fires. We would like to get east into Northern Idaho and Montana but we will see.
Kitt
Hi Kitt. It usually takes me a long time to choose. For starters, use the Allstays app usually. I don’t like to drive long distances, so it has to be the right area.
Things I look at after that are price range, if they accept pets, ( usually do)
If there are pull through sites, and if there are residents, what per cent of the park they are. I go to the website and read about it and look at pictures. Sometimes there are maps of the park at the website. Often state parks have a picture or two of each site. I try to pick a place that can give us shade. Also I go to Google Maps and look at the areal view of the park and the area around it. They also have helpful reviews. Places that are truly pet friendly like where I am now get extra points. A place like this with open dog area will get my reservation even if it’s a bit more expensive than a nearby place with no dog amenities. Sometimes water is important. I went to Sunset Beach Park in Michigan even though it didn’t have pull through available because it was right on Lake Superior.
Where I’m planning to spend most of the winter there are no hook ups, but it’s a nice private site and the dogs can run free by it. Also there are really nice people there.
So ok first I’d say figure out where you want to ‘land’ and then check out all the camping areas in a 25 mile range or whatever range is acceptable to you. Allstays is really helpful but there are others. I actually wrote a blog about this not too long ago but I’d fave to find it.
Winnebago recommended 10,000 miles for the wheel bearing check on my trailer.