Jeep - Offroading, Travel Blog

When the Jeep Keeps Going but the Motorhome Says Nope

What began as a two-week off-road adventure in Apache Junction stretched into nearly three, thanks to a cracked motorhome hitch and a botched window repair. We hit the trails with the Escapees Jeepers BOF group near Cottonwood, made new friends with ice cream in the desert heat, and battled trail damage to Rubi. Back at camp, delays from an unprepared glass company and a failing hitch forced us to cancel Flagstaff plans and stay put for emergency repairs. At least Barb got to show off her expert parking skills at Golden Sun.

We were staying in this area these two weeks so that we could go to our first Escapee’s Jeepers BOF event, Southeast of Apache Junction about 30 minutes.  Given the record setting heat wave, we did not opt to try our hand at boondocking with the group.  As it turned out we had a full two plus week drama with the glass company, and we ended up agreeing that they would met up with in Flagstaff the following week, once all of the pieces of the puzzle were available. Unfortunately, they only partially installed that window back into the coach and it was held with two screws!

We did not realize this until we were hooking up to leave! Plus as it turns out the trailer hitch on the motorhome was behind the point we were comfortable with towing the Jeep.  Both of these issues together stopped us from leaving Apache Junction and going to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff areas for the following week.

It was a really hot day, records were being broken in the area for highs in the 90’s that early in the year. The group paused by the river to enjoy some shade, and even some ice cream from our freezer in the back of Rubi! It is great to be out with friends sharing such an enjoyable life, on the days that headaches do not otherwise hold us back.

Window Drama

Now nearly three months into our time in the Phoenix and Tucson area, we’re still trying to get the cracked driver-side window repaired. The whole saga started when the glass company failed to show up back in January while the rig was in the shop. Since then, it has been a comedy of errors, or maybe more of a slow-motion train wreck, as we’ve tried to coordinate remote on-site repairs with them. Of course, it came down to the final two weeks before they agreed to show up. And when they finally did? They had no idea they were even supposed to repair a window.

Not only had they failed to order the glass they quoted two months prior, but they also brought the wrong seals and had us order the wrong replacements from Amazon. They finally did get the correct kind of glass, that did not require new seals, but they did not cut it straight and we now have a air gap around the window and we have to shove a screw driver under it to get it to close properly! Plus, all of the weather seals they did apply around it came off within a week.  Now we have to have the window fixed again. It was hard enough to find this company that would do this work, much less now find another that is competent somewhere in the country!

Last September (2024) Jason and a friend tackled only two small windows on the motorhome that took a full day.  The first window taking the majority of the time, while making mistakes and leaning how to proceed better each time. The hardest part was getting the window frame opened, trying to break the silicon sealant caked over the heads of the screws.

There’s a common misconception that insulated RV windows are filled with some sort of special gas. In reality, most are just sealed with low-humidity factory air between the panes. Over time, that seal fails and the changing ambient pressure causes higher humidity air to seep in and out, leaving moisture and eventually mineral stains trapped inside. Sometimes that even etches the glass, making it impossible to clean.

In theory, the fix sounds straightforward: remove the window assembly, separate the panes, clean the interior surfaces, reseal the glass, and reinstall everything. So when the glass folks were finally coming for the cracked window, we figured we might as well have them defog a couple others. To their credit, they did an good job cleaning up the interior of the double-pane glass over Jason’s desk and the big window in the bedroom. What they didn’t do was finish cleaning all of the glass, so we were left looking through all of their finger prints and road grime.

The best office view doesn’t come with a cubicle. Jason’s “office” windows were temporarily removed during the repair saga. As a 2008 coach, many of the windows were “fogged” and needed to be cleaned. Jason now has an unobstructed view of mountains and streams, when get to park near them. Here it was just the too close neighbor RV instead!

We won’t name names here, but we now know at least one Mesa-based glass company we absolutely cannot recommend.

Trailer Hitch Repaired

Since Maine, we had been keeping a close eye on the trailer hitch, which had started showing signs of failure. The first clue was the collar around the hitch breaking off in small pieces. Over time, we had been working to stabilize the towing setup to reduce sway in the Jeep. When the hitch is able to move even a few degrees, and the Blue Ox lift adds its own movement, that play adds up fast. What starts as a couple degrees of flex at the motorhome can translate into feet of left-right drift in the Jeep on the highway. Minimizing that hitch movement means the Jeep stays more centered and tracks straighter behind us. Of course, that stability puts a lot of strain on the hitch and its components. Fortunately, our welder explained that Curt hitches from that era, around 2008, are known to fail like this. The older versions were assembled from welded parts, while the newer ones are cast as a single solid piece, eliminating the weak points we were now dealing with.

We have been monitoring the motorhome’s trailer hitch for thousands of miles now. Calling countless shops and ordering a couple from Amazon that had to be returned since they were very wrong. And then…a critical crack showed up that was very disturbing! No wonder things felt off while towing. Time to call in the welders and hold off on hitching up Rubi for a bit, putting us into a panic!

We were very impressed with BryGer Welding LLC in Mesa, AZ. From the moment we contacted them on a Sunday, they were immediately communicating and coming up with a plan for us. They got us in the following Monday morning right away. They diagnosed the issue right away, discussed options clearly with us, and by late afternoon had turned around a custom-fabricated fix that’s stronger than the original. Their welds were clean, the paint finish was solid, and the attention to detail gave us full confidence towing Rubi again. It’s rare these days to find a shop that balances craftsmanship, fair pricing, and genuinely friendly service—but BryGer nailed it. Their business has become focused on the motorhome towing market, something you can easily do in the Phoenix area. Highly recommended!

From fracture to fix—this new hitch mount is beefy, welded solid, and ready to haul. After discovering the crack, we had a local fab shop rebuild it stronger than stock. Clean welds, fresh paint, and a little peace of mind before Rubi goes back in tow.

Cottonwood Jeepers BOF

Jeep Notes: Jeepers BOFs
In March 2025, the Escapees Jeepers BOF (Birds of a Feather) group organized a memorable off-road gathering near Cottonwood, Arizona. This event brought together Jeep enthusiasts from the Escapees RV Club for several days of dispersed camping and trail riding. Participants navigated a variety of off-road trails, ranging from moderate to challenging, showcasing the rugged beauty of the Arizona landscape. A communal fire ring served as the central hub for evening gatherings, where attendees shared stories and planned the next day’s adventures. The event emphasized self-sufficiency, with attendees advised to bring full water tanks and required to obtain a state land permit for camping on Arizona state land. The camaraderie and shared passion for off-roading made this gathering a highlight for many in the Escapees community.

This was our first time joining the Escapees Jeepers BOF (Birds of a Feather) group, and it turned out to be well worth the time. We reconnected with a few folks we had originally met during the 2021 Moab Escapees Off-Road HOP, friendships that had stayed alive through social media ever since. The Cottonwood recreation area near Florence, Arizona, delivered on its promise of rugged terrain. The rocks came for the Jeep’s underbelly right away, and on day one, a moderate water fall rock climb bent back the bottom of the rear differential cover. Jason was able to temporarily bend back the plate to stop the fluid from rapidly escaping, but then we had to be careful on obstacles the remainder of the week. But not everything was a loss, passing around single-serve cups of ice cream from the Jeep’s freezer on a record-setting Arizona hot day turned out to be a surprisingly effective way to make solidify friends!

With the mighty saguaros standing over us, arms up high somewhere in Cottonwood Canyon, Rubi’s crawling up a jagged mess with trail spotter Tim guiding her tire-by-tire.
Trail carnage at its finest: Rubi’s rear differential cover took a hit and peeled open like a split lip. Fluid dripping everywhere, fortunately Jason was able to hammer the joint back together and we could resume being on the trails the next day. After the event was over, we did get in with a local off road shop that put on cover number two of what would end up being three in the spring of 2025!
The Cottonwood Canyon area stretches out in textbook Sonoran Desert fashion—paint pin striping bushes, rocky, and wide open. Every saguaro seems to stand on its own bit of rocky real estate, framed by palo verde trees and cholla cacti. Every trail showcased a different climate, whether in the shadow of a mountain slope, along a wet or a dried out river bed, each was very different from the other.
A saguaro cactus with a fan top is called a crested saguaro or cristate saguaro. This rare variation occurs when the growing tip of the cactus forms a fan-shaped crest instead of the typical rounded top. The exact cause of crest formation is unknown, but it’s believed to be either a genetic mutation or potentially triggered by environmental factors like damage or freezing. Crested saguaros are uncommon, with only about one in 200,000 saguaro cacti exhibiting this growth formation. And we saw 2!!!
Sometimes the best trail stop isn’t a scenic overlook—it’s a patch of shade under an old steel railroad trestle. This bridge near Cottonwood Canyon made the perfect lunch and regroup spot for the Arizona Jeepers BoF crew. Plenty of rigs, laughter, and friendships being solidified between off-roaders. (Oh, and yes, we even let that Ford Bronco into the group!)
Many of our selfies have “bloopers” that start out this way, time to put one out into the world! Jason’s rocking the new cowboy hat like he was born in Tombstone, and Barb… well, she’s clearly making different moves! Somewhere under the rusted bridge beams of Arizona, this moment was more outlaw-western-meets-love-story than dusty trail ride.

Golden Sun Encore Resort

On our quest to milk our Thousand Trails Adventure (and Trails Collection) memberships to their max, we planned another stay one of the dozen Encore resorts in the Phoenix metro area. We had decided very late to not continue from Arizona into California and ultimately to Alaska this year.  This meant we were trying wto find availability at Encore Resorts at the end of the busy winter season. We happened to get the two weeks we needed at the Golden Sun Encore Resort and it worked out well for us.

Ultimately, because of the issues we had with the window and the trailer hitch we ended up at three different sites but the staff were great to work with there. We did not get a picture of our third site, but it was another “standing ovation” site getting into it. The woman across the street came over and congratulated Barb on her amazing backing skills when she landed the motorhome into the cramp site that many have failed before her.

It was a tight on, Barb backed us in like a pro…no second tries needed. The neighbors came out just to watch, probably wondering how something this big was going to fit on that tiny gravel pad. Turns out, this section of the park is mostly long-term park models, but this cleared spot was open for short-timers like us. The bonus? A huge concrete patio. The catch? The sewer hookup was dead center behind our rear wheels—because of course it was.
We realized as were hooking up, that plans to go the Grand Canyon south rim area were off thanks to the issues with the window repair and the crack found in the hitch. We self identified a spot that did not have a check-in package at the office, since the office was closed, and squeezed into this spot. A nice off-duty officer worker came around and exclaimed we were 10 feet too long for that site, but it would work for the night.

What’s next? Las Vegas baby!

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