Travels with haRVy

Not only did the WestyFest provide lots of good information, ideas, and comraderie, but those comrads came to our rescue when needed.

Last night’s potluck dinner was truly a feast. Tables were set-up on the Simak’s deck as the sun was setting. Everyone contributed something delicious, from Jeff’s grilled chicken kabobs and Kathy’s smoked turkey to Jack’s mac ‘N cheese, several assorted side dishes, 4 pies, and an endless supply of homemade cookies, everyone got more than their fill. Much amiable conversation ensued for hours afterwards.

Today we spent a leisurely morning looking at more of the Westy’s that arrived late and meeting their owners. We then prepared to head back to Auburn to visit with MaryEllen for a couple more days. We headed to the nearby waterfalls in “downtown” Holley where we took a nice walk up to the top of the falls and along the Erie Canal.

From top of falls – see haRVY?

We then drove east along the canal a bit before stopping for a canalside picnic lunch. We were then going to get back on the highway to Auburn, but that intention was thwarted when haRVy did not start.

This “Start Error” had ocurred once before, so we were not immediately over concerned. We thought it would reset after 10 or 15 minutes. Unfortunately, our various attempts to fix the problem failed. I called AAA to find out that my towing coverage does not include RV’s. Al called Geico to be similarly disappointed, even though he was quite sure he had requested the additional RV towing coverage. We then called back to the WestyFest to see if any of the other owners knew how to handle this problem. Turns out none of them had ever seen this problem before, but three fellow Westy owners made the 45-minute drive over to see if they could help. They tried all the tricks they could think of. When none got haRVy started again, they diligently searched online with their smart phones. These efforts finally produced the winning combination of disconnecting the positive side of the battery while the ignition key was engaged. Somehow this reset the computer and we were able to restart the engine. Hurray!

Our heroes at work

They followed us to the local Dodge dealer where we turned off the engine to see if the problem was resolved and voila – it restarted! We were finally back on our way after a 5 hour lunch break with the knowledge of what to do if the problem occurs again.

A big THANK YOU goes out to Jeff, Dick, & Bill. We deeply appreciate their help and support.

So, we are now happy to be once again parked in Dave Mazzeo’s lakeshore driveway where we will spend the next two nights.