A BIG Bump in the Road

While trying to maneuver through a neighborhood near our latest campground, we hit a big bump in the road. Well, it was more like a big, low-hanging tree in the road. We were in Pleasanton, CA, heading to an RV park at a fairground; and when we realized we were going in the wrong way, we had to backtrack through a neighborhood, commented that the trees seemed a little low, thought we had it, and went on in the right way. Once we got to our site and parked, we saw it. Apparently, a tree scraped the roof – bad enough to rip a hole in the rubber and bend a metal frame. We didn’t feel a thing when it happened. But, there it was, nevertheless.

Much like when you get into a small fender bender and think the damage is pretty minimal, only to find out it’s actually thousands of dollars worth of damage… Well, yeah. That’s what happened the next day. We packed up, headed to a huge RV repair place in San Jose, got an estimate, and were floored. No patch job will do, it seems. The whole roof must be replaced. As if the cost was not bad enough, we were dealt another blow. They told us it was a job that will take two to three weeks. And this is after the insurance claim is approved.

So, it looks like we are in the Bay area for a bit. This couldn’t have happened in a more expensive part of the country. Hotels around here aren’t cheap, but we’ll try to make the most of it. Despite this large hiccup, we have a long list of things to do while here that should keep us busy. We started today by going to Baker Beach to take in some views of the Golden Gate Bridge, let the kids run around, and get the dogs out for a walk.

We took the Coastal Trail, walked around some of the old batteries and brick magazines where ammo was once stored at the Presidio, wandered over to the Golden Gate Pavilion for some lunch, and then checked out Crissy Field. We also spent some time on East Beach, and Scout enjoyed some water time. The old girl seems to still be lured in by the rolling waves.

I guess if you are going to be stuck somewhere for a while, it’s not a bad place to be forced to spend more time than you’d planned. We will make it work. The girls already love it, but they like staying in hotels. That alone is an adventure to them.