The impending launch of our first big adventure has triggered a strange mix of emotions. On the one hand, the launch represents the culmination of a year of planning and three years of dreaming, so we are very excited. On the other hand, the fear of the unknown is hitting a crescendo and my brain has taken up the dark habit of catastrophizing the smallest contingencies.  

Nonetheless, we leave on Wednesday, and nothing will delay us. We have reservations every night along the way, most of which would be difficult to move if delay strikes. Each domino must fall correctly in order to tip over the next domino. Wednesday is inevitable.

So today we embrace the epic battle of emotions, both calm in the knowledge that we will leave no matter what, and anxious about the lack of control and uncertain preparedness. We treasure both feelings. This woven blanket of mixed feelings is a part of the experience, just as much as the Florida sand certain to get stuck between our toes.

But these past few days have brought more than introspection. We have packed and organized more necessities stuff into the trailer, including clothing, shoes, food, and accessories. I assembled a collection of tools into a roll-up canvas tool carrier. I also finally solved the inverter remote issue, which entailed splicing an RJ11 jack onto the remote cord in place of the RJ22 that served the old inverter. I adjusted the Voyager rear-view camera so it shows more of the traffic behind us and less of our rear bumper. I also washed the trailer when we returned from Cannon Beach last Sunday, which was necessary and cathartic.

However, this last week also saw me struggle and fail to fix the Alde heating system. Our trailer does not have a traditional furnace like most trailers in the US. Instead, it uses a system manufactured by a Swedish company called Alde, which is popular on a lot of trailers in Europe. The Alde system uses either propane or electricity to heat a small manifold of tubes filled with an ethylene glycol mixture. Once heated, the system pumps the glycol through a circuit of pipes around the lower portion of the outside walls, thereby radiating ambient heat into the trailer by way of these heated pipes. The system also heats the fresh water, meaning hot water is continuous when the system is working well.

Unfortunately, the Alde system in our trailer is not currently heating the trailer, and without a furnace, the only other viable option would be the heat pump function in the AC units that require shore power. Time being limited, the dealership is no the first option. So I dug in.

I had originally focused on the air in the glycol lines due to the prominent gurgling noise. The problem with air in the lines is that the fluid does not travel smoothly through the lines. Instead, it stumbles and falters, getting caught in pockets and at corners, hissing and gurgling with a somewhat menacing tone. Fortunately, Alde places air bleeder valves throughout the system. In the Mouse House, we have at least 10 such bleeder valves. My bleeding efforts did remove air from the lines, but the Alde system still failed to heat the trailer beyond the first few yards of the piping.

I next dug into the core of the Adle unit, which is packed tightly into the space under the forward dinette seat. I noticed two pumps in series, but only one was working. I checked the control panel, the wires, the connections, and the fuses. All seemed fine to my very untrained eye.

I then conceded defeat and sought professional help from the dealership in spite of the obvious timing concerns. The dealership is typically booked out two months, and last time the trailer was there, they had it for four months. This time, we could barely afford four days, much less four months, so I hoped to find that the dealer would have a relatively quick fix. I called anyway.

After workshopping our problem by text and phone, they agreed I could bring the trailer in on Friday morning, with the hope of having it back to me on Wednesday or Thursday. I explained we were leaving on Wednesday, so we would need it back no later than Tuesday. He understood, but carefully made no promises.

We now have an RV trip that will begin on Wednesday regardless of preparedness and regardless of whether we have a functional heating system, but we will have no trailer until Tuesday. In the battle of emotions, anxiety currently has the advantage, but excitement is still in there. We’ll spend the weekend preparing and dreaming.