Oregon: The Medford Pilot Experience

May 25, 2026: Medford is rather nice and green. It has a glorious food co-op with healthy foods. Unfortunately, there are not many options for overnight parking. I stayed at a Petro truckstop along Interstate 5 which was a noisy nightmare. In addition, there is a forest fire somewhere and the smoke makes it difficult to breathe. It was a harsh night on top of all the stress and worry of dealing with another dealership.

I vowed I'd never go to another dealership after all the problems I've had with too many of them, but at the independent shop last week after they had me wait a week for an appointment then told me they couldn't work on the van, I didn't have a choice. They didn't have the equipment to hoist it in the air. They couldn't have told me that a week ago?? 

So Ford...this service agent knew exactly what I was saying, understood the issues without staring at me like an idiot deer caught in headlights, and agreed with me on all my mechanical theories! Even my theory on the all-terrain tires screwing with the transmission. He looked on the computer, checked my tire size, agreed with me, and gave me a quote for better tires! OMG! He didn't once try to gaslight me or tell me "that isn't possible," "that wouldn't do any good," or "that wouldn't cause that". I was very surprised and once again hopeful.

After the initial diagnoses to figure out why I am losing coolant and overheating, he came back and said the mechanic couldn't find a leak! My dreams were dashed. But they were now going to take it a level higher and add dye, do all kinds of things to find the leak warning me I may have to take it, drive it for a few days and then bring it back. Didn't have to! They found the leak hidden in the gills of the radiator. UGH. Another $2,000! And I was warned, it would be a whole second day to get it done AND they may need to keep it overnight. Oh god, no, please, no! Where would I go?

I scouted a nearby 24-hour Pilot Truck Stop that had a restaurant sitting area and my plan was to sit up all night. Oh, god, please no! I spent my second night in Medford at a freeway rest stop that limits stays to 12 hours. One minute over 12 hours and an AI system will call a tow truck and haul your ass away! The place was filled to the max with every space and even every non-space taken probably because there are so few places in town to stay the night. I actually felt really safe! And it was raining all afternoon. I tried several times to head up to a mountain BLM spot where people paraglide, but every time I tried the rain was pounding so hard I couldn't see. I'm not going to go up a twisty turning one lane dirt road up a mountain in a thunderstorm!

GORGEOUS!

Ford employees gave me an empty office to work and I spent the next day all day at Ford. At one point I needed to go for a walk to stretch out my very stiff butt. There was a trail along the edge of the dealership...filled with CATS!! At least thirty cats just laying around in the grass with some sitting on the walkway. Most were not frightening, looked healthy, and someone told me later they are well-fed by kind, cat-loving people.

And a turkey!! It was surreal! Thirty cats and a turkey! The turkey was just wandering in and out of the cats that were looking like they wanted to pounce, but since the turkey was twice as big, they were thinking twice about it. I am certainly easily entertained these days!

At almost 5pm, the service agent tells me the mechanic won't finish and their driver can take me to the truck stop. I inform him I can't get in a vehicle with air fresheners. He says all the cars here have air fresheners in them. I start to cry and I ask, "No one here has a car without air fresheners?" He isn't very good at thinking out of the box. He says let me check something, comes back and asks if I can test their shuttle car as it hasn't been detailed in a long time. Sticking my nose into a toxic space is always a risk, but I say "Yes!" for lack of options. It was fine. As I'm getting my backpack and supplies from my van, the service agent tells me the manager has approved a $200 voucher to a nearby hotel. I thank him kindly, but tell him I cannot go to a hotel as they use air fresheners. This is why I live in a van. Welcome to my world! I packed planning if the truck stop is too toxic, I may have to walk the streets of Medford all night. Good, god! How did this become my life?

I sat up all night at a the nearby 24-hour Pilot Truck Stop in the area where there are tables for Taco Bell and Subway. Initially I was scared. There is an app somewhere I saw once where you can check to see which are the most dangerous truck stops. I did not check to see if this truck stop was dangerous. I don't have a choice and I don't want to know. However, the employees were really nice. The woman who was working until 11pm took a break, sat in the restaurant, and talked to me. It was kind of interesting watching the people come and go at all hours of the night. I wondered if they worked late night shifts or early morning hours? Why are teenagers here at midnight on a school night? Why are people bringing toddlers in at 2am? To kill twelve hours of nothing, I took photos almost every hour documenting my experience. They had one high table with stools and outlets for phone charging.

6pm

7pm

8pm

9pm

10pm

Midnight

2am The table in the corner is where I sat most of the night.

3am

5am

6:30am

At 6:30am I was so ready to leave! I was stiff and cold from sitting. The shuttle doesn't start until 8am, but I realized that trail behind Ford  with all the cats - it goes all the way to the front door of Pilot! I walked back, incredibly tired and incredibly hungry, it was more like stumbling and trying really hard not to fall.

Van was fixed around 11am (2 1/2 days!) and I couldn't wait to get out of there! It never ceases to be an adventure!

I headed back to Klamath Falls in the rain. The first campsite I attempted was in the woods next to a creek. I arrived when it was sprinkling, but within an hour it turned into downpour. The down-hill dirt road became a waterfall and the little puddle in front of my parked van a lake. I saw on the weather app this downpour would last 24 hours. I'm outta there! Beautiful or not, and so exhausted from lack of sleep I can hardly move, I have no desire to get stuck in mud!

Beautiful but deadly!

I quickly left and drove fifteen miles up the highway to a Snow Park: flat, paved, huge! Safety! I never slept so good in my life! In the morning there was a camper trailer behind me about 20 feet and a Sprinter van in front of me 20 feet. I didn't even hear them come in!

The next night I stayed at another Snow Park on Quartz Mountain east of Klamath Falls. Paved and quiet, but I woke to 37 degrees! Too cold. I headed to Lakeside to warm up the van and make breakfast.

On to Nevada!