Up early we had four states to get through to get to our next camp site in Kemmerer located in South West Wyoming. Still wiped out from the trip preparation and the lack of sleep at our first “Campsite”, blurry eyed we hit the road.
Road testing the Windryder is underway as we are still getting used to her nuances. We have found she likes to run between fifty-eight and sixty-two miles per hour but definitely does not like to go over seventy. Once we hit the seventy MPH threshold she gets squirrely and seems to be on the edge of coming off the rails. Only discovered through a couple heart rate and adrenaline raising moments I have since kept a close eye on my speed especially on the downhills.
About half way through Utah with everyone else asleep I was on a downhill approaching the seventy mile per hour speed threshold when all of the sudden the engine cover which doubles as the floor of the coach located between the driver and passenger seats became dislodged and blew up and back about six inches from its seal. With hot wind blowing up my legs and into my face with great force, I was struggling to understand what exactly was happening. A quick glance at all the gauges told me the engine was okay. Then I realized I was looking at the motor next to my feet. I woke up my co-pilot Gavin and told him to first grab my wallet and cell phone off the edge of the hatch to keep them from getting sucked into the freeway abyss below. We struggled to get the cover back over the motor and once in place we physically held it there while looking for the nearest spot to pull over to assess the situation. Safely to the side of the road it looked like the bumping along the highway had dislodged the latch. Securely back in place we were shortly back underway.

Since we did not have a chance to actually take any extended camping trips in the Windryder prior to our journey we are figuring out all her systems along the way. While we tested everything in our purchase inspection there are a few things that will need to be addressed. The biggest one is the cooling system for the refridgerator as it does not seem to work all that great. I know there has got to be something I can do to increase its efficiency. (This has been worked out since the initial writing).

Our second nite was a long way from Mesquite Nevada located in Kemmerer southern Wyoming at Riverside RV park. Lows in the 50’s and highs in the upper seventies. Pull through paved pad with full hookups made this a comfortable night with solid sleep and a chilly morning.

Next stop Yellowstone.