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For at least 800-miles, I’ve suffered frozen toes and frostbitten legs driving the ’89 Winnebago. Turns out, the fix wasn’t complicated – and took only 1.5-seconds to execute. And had I not taken-out that flag-pole at a gas station in Oklahoma, I may never have found the solution!…
It was cold enough, I’d taken to wearing long underwear and socks just to drive the ’89 Winnebago on long road trips.
I just assumed, when I fixed the heater core and reassembled the dashboard, perhaps the 10-screws left-over had something to do with the rush of cold air flooding into the driver’s side floorboard.
It was miserable driving like this – frozen toes, frozen knees – but hey, the engine was running…the camper was getting us from point-A to point-B – don’t question it, man-up and motor on!
800 frigid miles later, I finally decided to investigate further during a stop on our way to Duncan, Oklahoma for Christmas.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear…an antiquated VENT, WIDE-OPEN, pouring freezing air directly onto my feet and legs. One tap of the lever…and the vent was fully closed – allowing for pure comfort with the remaining 150-miles to our destination.
I…am…a complete moron.
For hundreds of miles, I nearly frostbit my toes. Rather than investigate further – I just assumed the cold air was a product of my mechanic-incompetence. Instead…it was my simply incompetence as a human being – because all I truly needed to do was close a small vent to ride in comfort in cold weather.
I started telling this story to my brother-in-law Gene before leaving his place on Monday…I said: “So I’ve been wearing long underwear and wool socks just to drive this thing…” And he went ahead and finished the story: “because you left the vent wide open?”
Yeah – he got a good chuckle out of it.
It’s at this point, I should admit as well – I finally discovered the vent while giving the camper a look-over…after backing the RV into a flag-pole at the Kum’n Go in Claremore, Oklahoma…in front of dozens of other holiday travelers.
Will Rogers, Garth Brooks – they’ve left their mark on Claremore. And now I guess the same can be said of me…
