into the Sierra Madre mountains – and mountains they are.There is one section that was made impassable by a massive rock slide, so it is one land with a stop light at each end of the detour and a very temporary bridge. 
The two lane road is deceptive in the extent of elevation change, about 30 miles outside Merced; we are merrily rolling along at about 55 mph when the engine temperature warning alarm went off. We pulled off the road and let the engine cool, then resumed, keeping our speed down. Nonetheless, after another few miles, the alarm sounded again, and again we pulled off. 
This time, I was on the phone to Cummins and was told not to drive because my coolant was probably low – get more coolant (Fleetguard, which I don’t have, but soon will have!). The question is where? I checked the coolant WITHOUT TAKING THE CAP OFF, and couldn’t tell whether I was low or not.
So I called CoachNet for roadside assistance. They told me that since it was an engine issue, they couldn’t help since they had been instructed by Freightliner that they, Freightliner, would have to take care of any such issues during the warranty period. Sooooooo, they put me on to Freightliner.
There, a tech went through the issue with me and we discovered the problem. I had been given the impression by a Cummins rep at the rally in Harrisburg that overheating should be dealt with by keeping the RPMs and speed down. Wrong! The tech told me to do just the opposite, get the RPMs up over 2,000 and keep the speed up to force more air through the radiator.
With that information in hand, and an hour sitting by the roadside fretting, we started up and finished the last 25 miles to the RV park without further incident. We arrived at 4:00 pm. Lesson well learned. I will listen more intently at seminars too!
Once parked at the RV park, and engine cool, I took the cap off the reservoir and lo-and-behold, a full level of coolant. Glad CoachNet didn’t send roadside assistance!
Set up at the RV park, which is a virtual dust bowl, 
we learned that they did not have WiFi, nor was there any cellular reception – not Verizon or AT&T. Dilemma indeed since Friday is a work day for me! They did say that the hotel 7 miles up the road had WiFi for $9 per day, and that Verizon worked there. So, after dinner it was off to bed at 6:30 local time so I could get up at 1:30 to drive to the hotel parking lot to try connecting to Verizon. Arriving, the hotel manager was just locking up the lobby, but said I was free to sit on a bench outside, which I did.
I then proceeded to try to connect to Verizon for and hour and a half, no luck. But I could get voice, so I called Verizon and we went round and round several times about the problem – to no avail. About that time, I got the night manager, who agreed to sell me a one day subscription to their WiFi, but I would have to work on the outside bench. An hour of so later, he took pity on my and asked if I would like to sit in the lobby, which I did since I my cold fingers would no longer function on the keyboard! My work finished at 4:45 am, it was back to the coach for some much needed rest.
When we got up and got going, around 10:00, it was off to see the wonders of Yosemite Park, and wonders they are. 
Highway 140 to the park is a virtually a constant upgrade, in some places 8 degrees, with the Merced River running alongside. It is a beautiful emerald green river with huge boulders filling its bed. 
Entering the park, the first thing you see is a rather broad valley with huge vertical cliffs rising on both sides. 
The largest and most impressive is El Capitan, 
famous as a place were VERY experienced rock climbers enjoy their sport.
But there are many equally impressive rock faces dotting both sides of the valley. 
And the views were being enjoyed by an incredible number of people for the Friday following the Labor Day weekend. All the parking lots were full of cars. We took in all the sights, including Bridle Veil Falls. 
We even saw a Coyote, which made Suzanne happy – she wanted to take it home, but I told her it would eat Dixie.
Returning to the coach, we had a late lunch and I tried (at the hotel again) to connect to Verizon. But no luck. I couldn’t even make voice calls this time! It seems that the cellular service is provided by Golden State Cellular, and my Verizon number was not “authorized” for data OR voice. How I got through on voice calls at 3:00 am I’ll never know. But you can bet Verizon will hear of it (they subsequently did and I got a 10% discount for six months on my bill!)
Later in the afternoon, I went back to the hotel to use some of my 24 hours of WiFi time getting it on with Verizon, gathering news for Monday’s publication and putting material on the Web for the Blog. Then it is into the local pub for a much needed happy hour with out new found friend, bar tender Dean Seal, a local with Navajo blood and a degree from Berkley and no desire to live anywhere else by El Portal in the Merced valley!
Saturday was a day to rest. We did some stuff around the coach and got it ready for an early departure. I went down to the river and spent some time remembering the good times on similar rivers during my youth. I was tempted to try a little fly fishing, but without a license, I thought better of it!
We had intended to head over to Las Vegas via the mountain route - up over Cal 120 and the Tioga Pass, approximately 9200 feet. Suzanne had other ideas - NO MORE MOUNTAINS!
So instead, at 8:00 am Sunday morning we headed back down Cal 140 to Merced, then South on 99 to Bakersfield. We had intended to spend the night in Bakerfield, then travel to Las Vegas on Monday. However, we arrived in Bakersfield at 12:30 and decided that we would just continue on to Las Vegas instead, since we had been told that it was only about a three hour drive through the sometimes scenic scenic Mojave Desert - NOT!
Out of Bakersfield we headed on Cal 58 West. The first obstacle was a climb back over the Sierra mountains
- a long continuous climb to about 3,000 feet in above 90 degree temperatures. Of course, the coach had heating problems again and we had to pull over three times. I tried a number of strategies to overcome the problem - fast, slower, higher RPM, etc., none were too successful. Once over the top, I thought we were on our way - until we got to Barstow and turned North on US 15.
Then came the next fun experience. About 88 miles outside Las Vegas there is a climb from Baker California know as the Baker Grade. This is a doozie. You climb from 950 feet at Baker to over 3000 feet at the first summit, then drop down to 2000 feet for 10 miles or so, then climb to 4730 feet before dropping down into Las Vegas. The total distance traveled is around 35 miles, 25 of it a 2 to 4% upgrade. We had to stop two times on the first leg, and hoped for more success on the second.
For the second uphill, I decided to just take our time and try another strategy. I shifted down to 3rd gear and set the cruise at 38 mph at 2300 RPM - Voila! We only had to make one stop. Once at the top, we headed onto US 15 North and into Las Vegas with no further problems.
We arrived at the Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort around 6:00 pm - more than a little worn out. The entire trip had been over 500 miles, much more than we had been told it would be. But at the same time, I gave thanks that we did not try Tioga Pass on Cal 120. The uphill climbs there are even tougher - we could still be there!
Oh well, we are here now, settled in and we have cellular service, great cable TV and the satellite works too! The resort is among the nicest we have ever stayed at 
- comparable to Lake Toxaway in North Carolina and Blue Water Key just outside Key West.
Monday morning was spent, cleaning up a lot of odds and ends. the mail. arrived from St. Brendan's Isle and there were a number of matters that required attention. I also called Freightliner and arranged to have the coach examined on Thursday. The tech and agreed that the heating issue is not normal, given what we are carrying and what we are towing. We think it might be either the clutch on the auxiliary fan or a bad thermostat, or both. We will find out!
I also arranged to have the Yosemite dust washed off the coach tomorrow morning. Now it is off to the car wash to get the toad cleaned up. Then it is off to the car wash to get the motorcycle cleaned up. After that, Suz and I will begin our tour of Las Vegas! I will post photos and commentary later on that. Until then, Cheers!
John, Suz and Dixie the Wonderdog
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