Bill & Jan's Excellent Adventure: Finally, finally done!

We are now in Wyoming after 9 days in Buena Vista waiting for our new AC. Granted all the time wasn't devoted to waiting. As I said we found out on the way to Buena Vista that the AC we were expecting on Thursday the 6th or latest Friday the 7th was not the right one and we would need to refuse it! How the company we ordered it from learned this we don't know for sure, but luckily we found out about it and were able to order the correct one that would be there either Weds the 12th or latest Thurs the 13th. We extended another 3 days at Buena Vista through Friday, the 14th, as we wanted to be covered for any contingency:-) We also alerted the campground to refuse the delivery Thurs or Friday if we missed them as it was the wrong AC. Later after reordering we find out the wrong AC wouldn't be delivered Thurs or Friday anyway!

We weren't just twirling our thumbs all this time, just some of it. We had left the truck in Colorado Springs to have the windshield replaced and planned to pick it up on Sat the 8th, but, good news, they called and said it was ready Thursday, the same day we dropped it! So we spent Friday driving back, dropping the rental, and picking the truck and took a lovely alternative route back to BV through Canon City, CO along the Arkansas River.

Now to be fair the weather wasn't cooperating too much during this week either, and an unsettled system would bring rain each day around noon and continue off and on throughout the rest of the day. Had us a little worried as to the AC install as well, although we knew other than getting it on and off the roof, it wouldn't take too long. After all we are experts, having replaced all 3 of our AC units 5 years ago.

So what to do? We had learned several years ago while at Harvey's campground in Pagosa Springs that it is legal to shoot in a National Forest as long as it isn't in hunting season and if you are at least 150 yards away from people, campsites, buildings, etc. We do like to shoot to stay competent with our guns. So we took a ride to find the "ideal" spot. I should mention BV is surrounded by National Forest land. We found a beautiful dirt road with excellent scenery which meandered in a loop through the forest land.

Nice

And after awhile we found a perfect place, off the road, into a hillside with no one around.

In fact it worked out so well we went back another day before the rains came, and shot for awhile and then had coffee on a knoll as the storms moved in.

So we got a tracking number for the second (correct) AC, and checking it, it said delivery Tuesday!! Wow, at least 2 days early. So we made our plan, the biggest challenge was Jan and I alone getting the 115# unit on the roof and the bad one back down. We decided to make a 2X4 ladder of sorts to slide it up. We'd place it in the truck bed, put a rope around it, and I would pull and Jan would push and make sure it didn't slide off the side. So on Monday delivery still showed Tuesday, wow, we might be ahead of schedule! So Tuesday comes and we hear from the company we ordered it from and she says it's in Denver, and will be transferred to another smaller freight company to deliver to BV. What? No, no it says right here, delivery today! Then she tells us to be careful because BOTH AC's are on the same delivery. What, you mean the one that was supposed to be here on Thurs the 6th will now arrive with the correct one a whole week later? Yes. So I call the freight company, oh no she says, Tuesday means delivery to the small freight company in Denver, we have no idea when they will deliver to you, but you can call and ask. So I call the small company and she says it will leave Denver Sunday night and go to their terminal in Salida, CO, only 30 miles from us to be put on a truck sometime and delivered to you in BV. I ask if I can pick it up in Salida, sure, she says. Well, all right, so Monday? She says she thinks so, but call the terminal to make sure.

So we are getting ecstatic thinking we'll be getting it on Monday. Not so fast. The terminal people say it did arrive Monday morning but they are backed up and that trailer won't be unloaded until Tuesday. Okay we can live with that. Call us back tomorrow. So I call Tuesday, no not today probably, still backed up. Grrrr. So Wednesday, yeah most likely, call at noon. We call, not yet, call back at 2pm. No not yet, it's not over at the dock yet, maybe later this afternoon. At 4pm I call and she says come on down, we'll have it ready when you get here, well okay! We are 10 miles into the journey when my phone rings and she says they don't have it, it is still in the trailer that isn't at the dock, then why did you tell me to come? It wasn't me it was the other girl......... Well when will it be ready then, oh maybe tomorrow, Thursday.

To say we are frustrated is an understatement. So anyway finally they call at 11:30 the next morning and tell me both are ready. We go down to Salida, a very cute little town, have a great lunch and go over to the tiny terminal, I walk into the office and there are the 2 women I have talked to at least 20 times over the last 3 days and when I give them my name, they both have a blank look, ask me what do I want????? Finally she shows me the 2 boxes, the good AC and the wrong AC, I refuse the wrong one, Jan and I without any assistance, load the good one into the truck and bring it back in a torrential rainstorm that lasts the rest of the day. So on Friday, our last day Jan and I replace the AC. Fun, huh?