We had the option of a winterized van rental, but the prospect of brushing our teeth with antifreeze didn’t appeal. So we paid $245 to replace the pink toxin with water. How cold could the temps fall in late April and early May? What were the chances that the van’s pipes would freeze?
Plenty.
While Denver boasts 300+ days of sun each year, we hit clouds and damp and a bone-chilling cold that seemed more United Kingdom than Colorful Colorado.. Spring snowstorms happen, often into May, but the streets are dry and grass surfaces within hours under the intense brightness. Not so for the neophyte van voyagers.
We picked up our Thor Sequence in fog. Packed it up in drizzle. Drove to our friends Lorrie and Jim in the rain. And while we sipped Shiraz (don’t get excited- we’re all vaccinated) and slurped soup, snow fell. And fell.
We followed the instructions on How-to-Prevent-Van-Pipes-from-Freezing: plugged the van into our hosts electricity, turned on the tank heaters, and tried to find the interior furnace knob. It wasn’t on the main panel. Checked the manual – always good – but the featured illustration looked foreign. Crossed our fingers and went to bed, visions of thousands of dollar repair bills dancing in our heads.
The snow stopped. Six inches of wet slush. The van started. Good. Reread the manual and rewatched the instructional video for the 18th time. Aha! The water heater and furnace have a separate panel tucked in an overhead compartment behind the DVD player. Tried not to fume that two out of three resources – Rachel who checked us into the van and the manual – had not shared this little ingredient. Focused on the clicks, the turns, the heat. Success! An hour later, turned on the water pump – the test. Held our breath.
Gurgle. Cough. Whoosh.
Saved.
As we headed west over the frosted mountain landscape, past Breckinridge and Copper and Vail, awed by the grandeur, the snow-slathered peaks, we thanked the van gods for preventing Potential Crisis #1.
And we thought that the dog would create the narrative conflict.
Driving Miss Maisie 
Excellent report! I especially liked the “gurgle” section. More photos, please.
LikeLike
I’ve head said that rv’ers are a bit like sailors—constantly fussing and trimming, tweaking and “messing about.” But, having woken up in many a tent with two or three inches of wet snow, it still may beat the alternative. Look forward to watching the saga unfold!
LikeLike
1. Denver is not called the ‘mile high city’ because of pot legalization. 2. You’re in the Rockies where a hint of summer may come between Aug 3rd to 11th. If you’re lucky. 3. Stay off the trail the Donner party followed.
LikeLike
Great job tackling the first possible glitch! Sounds like Maisie remained calm.
LikeLike
Wow! $245 to dewinterize. I did mine myself this week on our Winnebago Travato based on the same Promaster chassis. It takes about 20 minutes. Anyway, great post about your adventures. I see that you have written about abortion. I’ll have to check it out. What a stain on our our country. Check out our adventures at our blog/podcast at http://rollingforhome.wordpress.com
LikeLike
I love the whole “Gurgle, Cough, Whoosh” thing. THanks for the blog post, and thanks for sharing your experience. Good information to know for the colder times in the year.
LikeLike