090714 - Birch Bay, Washington

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Birch Bay, Washington

We are currently roaming around the northwest portion of Washington State in expectation of a rendezvous with friends in Bellingham next week.

Monday we spent the day having the Beast worked on and inspected for some rattling and suspension problems.
The good news is that the broken shower fixture was easily replaced and the rattling was a broken bolt on a heat shield at the exhaust that was also repaired.

The bad news was that the suspension needs work and the leaf springs should be replaced. The cost is supposed to be expensive and also only repaired by special shops. I will have to get more details on this problem.

We overnighted at an interstate rest area, which was very comfortable and safe. Danny enjoyed the natural setting and landscape to explore and decorate.

Birch bay is about 20 miles south of the Canadian border. As we drove along the bayside streets, we could see lots of people walking the beach at low tide, playing, running and exploring the wet beach alongside boats and floating orange ball moorings that sit beached, waiting for the returning tide to raise them.

We chose a small bayside restaurant with an outdoor deck. The weather was cool, high 60s, clear and calm. We tool our time ordering and enjoying a leisurely lunch accompanied by a local beer. After lunch, with a cup of coffee and a good book, I enjoyed the next hour. Danny is not much of a reader and I haven’t found a book he would enjoy so he just put his head between his paws and napped.

Returning to the Beast, settling into the captain’s chair, I turned the ignition key and was surprised with the sound of silence. Not a groan or strain or click or buzz: absolute silence. Not a light of any kind on the dash .

Surprise morphed into panic, which induced an adrenalin rush and increased circulation to the brain.

There is a security device with an ignition shut off switch. It was installed by the original owner but i never used it. Removing a small computer chip from its slot beneath the dash activates the control. In the past, it had been dislodged by Peter when he explored the under-dash area. I confidently reached down to confirm my suspicion and was disappointed to find the “key” chip securely in place. I began to picture the Beast on the back of a tow truck being taken in for repairs.

As I turned the ignition one more time in desperation, I spotted a small button on the dash, just above the steering column. I recalled that it had something to do with emergency starting, so I pressed it, turned the key, and still nothing.
I next tried holding it down while I turned the key, which was uncomfortable in an awkward position, but the engine roared to life. I was pumped.

After letting the engine run for about 5 minutes, I turned it off and tried to start it again and it worked fine. At that moment, I noticed that my headlights were on.

It all came back to me in a flash. Driving up the coast earlier it had been overcast so I turned on my headlights. When I parked, I forgot to turn them off.
I found out that the emergency button draws power from the auxiliary (house) batteries to the starter. Another close call that could have ruined an otherwise pleasant day but didn’t.