After a hard and disappointing week of Dr. visits for me, we left Seaside Thousand Trails on November 16th. The plan was to pull into Palm Desert Thousand Tails on the 19th. We were planning to stop and see my aunt on the way down, but the weather was reporting the possibly of snow and 75 MPH winds over the mountains starting mid day on the 17th. So we left Seaside, driving the legal speed, stopping only for fuel. We go up to about Mt Shasta just north of lake Shasta when the wind and rain kicked in with ill-intent, successfully ripping the passenger side windshield wiper off. Fortunately, the wiper was still hanging on by the washer hose and we were able to retrieve it. Getting down the mountain required we wrap the windshield wiper arm in a dish towel so it would not scratch the windshield. We secured the dishtowel with Sarah’s hunters Orange Duct tape. Yes, duct tape again saves the day. We traveled until we reached Red Bluff late in the evening on the 16th, pulled in between a couple trucks in the rest area and slept for 8 hours, woke up tired, but ready to leave.
Still raining but daylight, we filled up at three truck stops on our way to Bakersfield. Diesel was about 50 cents a gallon cheaper in central California than Oregon, so that made us happy, as we were burning diesel like we were being paid to burn it. We checked all the truck stops and found no one had a wiper large enough to replace the broken wiper. By the time we got to Bakersfield, the rain was all but done anyway, so we did not pursue another wiper until we reached Palm Springs. (We stayed at Bear Mountain RV Park in Bakersfield for $27.00 for the night. Go to the What to do where to stay page on the left hand menu to learn more). On November 18th, we arrived in Palm Springs, nearly 24 hours ahead of schedule. Being ahead made us so tired we could hardly be friendly humans, but saved us sleeping in rest areas, or paying rack rate at campgrounds on the way down, so in the end probably a good thing. For those reading this blog looking into diesel pusher RV’s and wondering what kind of mileage they get, the number seams to be between 7.7 and 8.3 mpg. We have logged 7000 miles over the last 11 months, and this 7.8 is our average MPG. we spoke with several other owners this year, and they seem to report the same number.
Once in Palm Springs we went to the local Holiday Rambler / Monoco dealer and asked about the wiper. They could not fit us with one, 
The good thing is our neighbor has the same make model and year of RV as ours. 2006 Holiday Rambler PLQ40. He knew the part number. True Vision TV8-28″ . So if you happen to own this RV we are selling your wiper through our Amazon affiliate. RV Motorhome Trailer 28 Inch J Hook Wiper Blade Assembly
When we got back in the house, we found the dinette table had stuck into the slot on the wall. The kids figuring it was possessed of Satan, decided it would take more than just a little friendly persuasion to place it in sleeping position.
