Carefree!

Today was one of those rare days that has us basking in the glow of successfully conquering one of those curve balls our rolling home occasionally tosses our way.

Woo hoo!

Before we mix up our celebratory cocktails, let me explain.

Back in Kerrville, we got whacked with a 56 mph wind gust that did a number on the topper on our not quite big ass slide. A couple of days later, Paul popped it back into place. We've been super careful with it since. Here in Santa Fe, we've pulled it in on a few super windy days, just to be safe.

Yesterday, the front end of the topper was flapping in the breeze. Something was wrong...again.

Neither of us is really mechanically inclined, especially when it comes to dealing with 16-foot long high-tension spring rods. As long-time homeowners, we've become just skilled enough at things like plumbing and electrical work to be dangerous. But, this is just our second rolling house. Slide toppers are just supposed to roll in and out when we push a button. Beyond that, we're clueless.

So, our first choice was to call a mobile RV tech. Paul found the website of Carefree of Colorado, the manufacturer of our slide toppers and awnings. Just our luck, there isn't a Carefree dealer in Santa Fe that makes service calls. And, if we can't pull a slide in, we can't exactly get it to a dealer.

Our next choice was to call Carefree for help. But, that's not possible. You see, their phone number is nowhere to be found on their website! Paul found the owner's manual and some schematics for our slide topper and started studying. Before long, he had diagnosed the problem. Today was the day to try to figure out a solution.

As frustrated as we were that we couldn't get immediate help, we realized that what we did have was time, and plenty of it. With two weeks before we're planning to move this moose, we had all kinds of time to make this a DIY project.

Shortly after breakfast, Paul was on the job. He formulated a plan of attack. The first step was to send an email to Carefree explaining the situation and asking for guidance. We both figured we wouldn't hear back, but much to our surprise Paul received a response within the hour. With that he had the information he needed to give this thing a shot.

After all, what's the worst that could happen?

Taking extra special care to avoid flying parts and protect valuable fingers, Paul went to work. Before long the slide topper cover was off, screws were flying (just kidding) and he was muscling the tension rod like a pro. When questions came up, we put our heads together. When we weren't sure of the answer, Paul shot off another email to Carefree. Each helpful response came within minutes. With each step we learned and grew increasingly confident in our ability to repair our rolling home. In the end, the slide topper was restored to its pre-56 mph wind gust state. Heck, it could be that it's better than it's ever been.

All is right with our world.

There's something extra sweet about conquering the problem ourselves. And, it's not just the big bucks we would have shelled out for a service call. We're learning that if we take our time, do some research and get help straight from the horse's mouth, maybe - just maybe - we can be good caretakers of our moose.

Cheers!