Our Summer travels have not exactly gone as planned! Instead of meeting friends in Montana, we spent this week trying to get our moose repaired. (Ugh!) We arrived in Loveland, just a few miles south of Fort Collins (Weren't we just here?) Sunday afternoon. After a quick overnight at Loveland RV Resort, we checked into nearby DM Mobile RV Repair. Owners Don and Mary Ann are great folks who made us feel comfortable that our moose was in good hands.
Our repair required removal of our heat pump for at least a day or two. With daytime temps forecasted near 100 degrees, staying in an air conditioner-less moose was not an option. We packed up the cats and a couple of bags and checked into the very accommodating and pet-friendly AmericInn in nearby Windsor. Our girl kitty felt most at home on top of our bags during our stay.
Our boy kitty enjoyed climbing to new heights in our two-room suite. From here he literally tried to climb the wall. (As our stay grew from a "night or two" to four, so did we!)
We made use of the time by doing some sightseeing in the area. These growing storm clouds looked quite dramatic over Lake Loveland.
Our friends Steve and Cathy encouraged us to tour the Benson Sculpture Garden during our stay. And, we're glad they did! Since 1985, this park has served as a beautiful and unique outdoor setting for showcasing sculpture. Each year the Loveland High Plains Arts Council hosts "Sculpture In The Park", one of the largest juried outdoor sculpture shows in the United States. This year's show, which starts in just two weeks, will showcase more than 2,000 pieces by 170 sculptors from around the world. Each year, the city acquires a few of the pieces from the annual show. The garden's permanent collection now includes more than 135 pieces on display amongst the walking paths, trees, plants and a winding stream.
When it comes to art, Loveland lives up to its name. The City of Loveland was the first in Colorado to pass an Art in Public Places Ordinance, which designates one percent of the city's capital projects for the purchase and maintenance of art.
Today, the city's collection includes more than 300 pieces placed in 29 public locations. The value of the growing collection is estimated to be approximately $7.6 million. That's something to crow about!
Living in a hotel for a few days meant lots of eating out during our stay. Henry's, located in historic downtown Loveland, was one of our favorites.
Maybe because we were living in a hotel, we stopped by open houses at a couple of new residential developments around Loveland. We didn't find anything we couldn't live without, but we did like this kitchen.
One of the most welcome distractions during our stay was an evening outing with our niece Kate, who was in town to visit her friends Abby and Max. The five of us topped off some shopping with a trip to Menchie's for frozen yogurt. No photos of Kate, Abby or Max, but I did get a snap of Kate's very healthy cone! It was great to spend time with y'all!
While we were out finding things to do, the cats were safe and sound crated in our air-conditioned suite. The housekeeping staff took a thoughtful extra step to make their stay comfortable.
This morning we got the call from Don and Mary Ann that after extensive conversations with our heat pump manufacturer, a diagnosis had been made on our heat pump. And, the news wasn't good. (Yes, dear readers, we did just wrap up two trips to the Winnebago factory for this problem, which was deemed "fixed" by them eight short weeks ago. Seems the work in Forest City caused more problems than it solved.) The repair plan requires parts that need to be shipped from the manufacturer. Instead of waiting around toasty Loveland, we've decided to pack our bags, check out of our temporary home and head for someplace cooler. We were all eager to get rolling again.
When we arrived back at DM late this afternoon, Don was wrapping up placing our crippled heat pump back in the moose. After all, half an air conditioner is better than nothing! We so appreciate Don's expertise and patience with this extra pesky problem.
After spending four days in the heat, Bullwinkle was roasty toasty inside! The late afternoon clouds brought welcome shade as our one compressor did its best to cool things down. Temperatures outside and in dropped with the setting sun. By the time we moved everybody back into the moose it was actually quite comfortable. Don and Mary Ann encouraged us to stay in their lot overnight, and we accepted their generous offer. We're settled in for the evening, enjoying the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics.
Our work here is not done. We have a date next month for Part 2 of our Loveland visit, when Don will make quick and proper work of completing our repair. Meanwhile, we've managed to snag a last-minute reservation at our favorite place to stay cool.
More soon from the mountains.
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1 comment:
I continue to be shocked by both the extent of your problems and the lack of skill at Winnebago. Perhaps you need to get a sign I saw on a blog recently where they have pasted their unhappiness with the quality of their Monaco all over the coach for everyone to see.
What has happened to you is awful. Winnebago should step up and do the right thing. Unfortunately, based on our experience that is unlikely to happen:(
Sure hope you get this resolved soon!
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