Chassis checkup

Today I had an appointment to get the RV checked out by a mechanic. Another traveller in a ram promaster chassis has used Mechanics on a Mission halfway to Boquete where there was a nice campsite with full hook ups and a restaurant on site. We drove the hour to the campground and Christine and the kids got out with the homeschool work and I headed to the mechanic.

Marco at the shop had me drive on the to lift and diagnosed torn boots on the lower control arm passenger side and loose tie rods ends. They also screwed the bolt I purchased a few days ago on to the skidplate with thread lock. He did a tire rotation and looked into ordering parts for me to do the repairs on Monday. Today was Friday. $40 later I was headed back to Boquete. He later called back to let me know he ordered the parts.

Boquete sits in the Highlands above David and the weather is much cooler, highs in the 70s and lows in the 60s. This makes it an ideal place for expats to retire and ideal place for us to hang out for the weekend.

Camping was only $20 and laundry was only $10. 

We had a mixed plate of meat for lunch and packed the leftovers in Tupperware.

There was a nice park behind the campground and the kids went to play. I aired up the tires finally after Costa Rica and filled up water and plugged into power to charge the batteries after our short day on the road.

The park has paths made from pavers and a few ponds with a stream and lots of ducks. It was well manicured and there were families strolling as around.  The kids made "soup" and Christine went for a walk. 

We met a Christine at the supermarket next to the campground. It was so beautiful and clean and as good as the nicest store back home. Christine was excited to find gluten free snacks. There were specialty diet sections in the store. Dd was happy to find laughing cow cheese. $150 later we walked back to the RV. Processed foods cost more than unprocessed foods.  We might have bought too much.

We heated up leftover for dinner and enjoyed not running the AC and not sweating. We also picked up our laundry and enjoyed not having stinky swimwear hanging to dry. The kids bought small pumpkins at the store and we hung Halloween lights and small skeletons that Christine had brought from home. Halloween is in a week.