Charleston to Bend: Unplanned stop 4/21/14

Leaving Oceanside RV Resort near Charleston, OR, our original plans were to head North on US101 up to Florence, then take Oregon 126 to Eugene, OR, then on 126 through Leaburg, Vida and Blue River, then up over Tombstone and Santiam Passes along the Cascade Mountain Range, then Oregon 20 down into Sisters Oregon where we would check into our next destination, the Bend-Sisters Garden RV Resort, south of Sisters, OR.

For a map of our route, Click Here.  


But, life has a funny way of changing your plans.  On the afternoon of 4/21/14, and needing to fill the tank up with diesel, I made the mistake of stopping at a station in Veneta, Oregon, just west of Bend.  I say "mistake" because  I didn't recon the exit to the gas station well enough.  After filling up, I had to make a sharp right turn to exit the gas station.  I had plenty of clearance on the right side, making the right turn, but forgot that the left rear of the coach was going to swing while making this maneuver.

Upon hearing a rather loud "Crash", and jumping out of the truck to see what might be wrong, I realized that I had pivoted the left rear of the coach into one of the steel poles protecting the gas pumps.  The steel pole won.

Here are some pictures of what my outstanding driving skills created:

The Yellow Gas Pump Pole Won!

Not Sure if the Electrical Input Works Anymore

New Outlet Installed

Unplanned Overnight in Bend

We moved the coach to an adjacent shopping center and began the calls to our insurance company.  Our Progressive Agent, Glenda, was very helpful and recommended a RV repair shop in Bend.  She gave us directions to the repair shop, called the shop and alerted them that we would be arriving that afternoon.  The shop would look at the damage and determine what needed to be repaired.

Arriving the RV repair shop, Coach Masters, the owner Paul met me and surveyed the damage.  Since the Progressive Insurance Adjuster was not available to inspect the coach and make a repair estimate until the next day, Paul offered to allow us to hook up to electricity and water and spend the night there at his shop waiting for the adjuster.  He had his staff look at the damaged electrical input on the coach and replaced it with a new one just to be safe.

We spent the night in the parking lot of Coach Masters.  Not bad; it was at least as scenic as our first night under the US59 overpass when we picked up our rig in Houston back in October (see Link).

The next day, the Progressive agent inspected the rig and gave us an estimate of the repairs.  We scheduled the repairs to be made the following week at Coach Masters, and drove on into the RV resort south of Sisters.

Lessons learned:  1) - NEVER pull your rig into a service station unless you can clearly see an easy exit; and 2) - ALWAYS use a ground guide as you are pulling away from obstructions, just to be sure.  It also helps that these lessons are reinforced by the $1,000 collision deductible I carry on my rig.  Oh well - live and learn.

Also, I am very impressed with the service of Progressive Insurance, and with Paul and his entire staff at Coach Masters in Bend (Link).  

Stay tuned.