Yesterday was a lovely day. The weather was typical for Portland in early August as the thermometer topped out at 82 degrees. The morning dawned overcast, but it quickly burned off and we had blue skies all day.

We shot a video review of the Reliable Enviromate Pronto P7 Handheld Steam Cleaner and Fabric Steamer for Camping World. Shooting the video outdoors had its challenges. We tried to time our takes between airplanes flying by. Then the garbage truck arrived and emptied dumpsters at the end of our lane. Then a big diesel motorhome pulled into an open site across from ours. We kept plugging away until we had a usable video.

Donna’s friend, Susan Lannis, drove into our site at noon, right on schedule. After a short visit and tour of the coach, she and Donna drove east on old Highway 30. They planned to sightsee and enjoy a picnic lunch that Susan had packed.

Donna at an overlook of the Columbia Gorge – photo by Susan Lannis

They stopped at Latourell Falls and walked up the path to view the lower falls. They dined at a picnic table there.

Lower Latourell Falls – photo by Susan Lannis

The lower Latourell Falls plunges 249 feet to a pool below. The falls are named after Joseph “Frenchy” Latourell, a settler that came to the gorge in the 1850s.

While they were out, I rode the scooter to the Fastenal store. I talked to the guy at the counter and we discussed options for re-fastening the compartment cover on the right side of our coach. He thought I should drill out the holes and use a Heli-Coil® type thread insert. I agreed that this would be the strongest way to repair the damaged threads. However, there really isn’t any tension on the screws – it only keeps the panel from opening. The screws insert through a horizontal plate on the bottom of the panel and thread into a blind hole. The only force on the screw is a light shear, not tension. It only needs enough tension to hold it in place.

Instead of spending $35 for a thread insert tool and kit that I would probably use one time, I opted for trying a self-tapping screw. The original threads held a 1/4″ or 6mm screw. I’m not sure which one it was as the threads were damaged. I thought a 5/16″ self-tapping sheet metal screw would work. I paid $2 for a packet of five screws. If it didn’t work, I still had the option of doing the thread insert.

5/16 – 18 x 1/2″ hex washer head self-tapping screw

I removed the safety wire I had used to temporarily hold the panel closed. Then I cranked the self-tapping screw in place. It tightened up fine. I did the same on the second hole with the same result. Job done! I doubt if the screws will back out. If they do, I’ll install thread inserts.

Later, Donna and I shot another video review inside the coach. This one was for the Reliable Enviromate Brio steam cleaner. We’ve been wanting to do this review for a while. We finally had a nice afternoon without background noise in the coach from the air conditioners.

Yesterday afternoon, there were seven Alpine Coaches in the park. The Alpine Coach Association rally begins tomorrow. We expect to have at least 38 Alpine Coaches. Last evening, Donna and I took a walk through the RV park. We met Tom and Nancy Polk along with Vic and Willy Egg. Their Alpine coaches are parked next to each other. The four of them are the hosts for the rally.

This is our first organized RV rally. We’re looking forward to meeting like-minded people and I can learn more about Alpine Coach from experienced owners.

This morning, I plan to wash our rig and have it spiffy when we move to site 28 tomorrow. Donna’s going out for a bike ride.