Well...

I got lazy and dropped the truck off this morning at a radiator specialist. He drove it, couldn;t find any issues, drove it some more, still no issues. Took it back to the shop and did a pressure test, no leaks, checked the oil, didnt look like there was coolant in it. He said the problem must have been an AIR BLOCKAGE in the cooling system. I said what about the high level of coolant consumption? He said it could be head gasket related, but the regular coolant system pressure test would likely not show that. He said to monitor the consumption carefully, and if it is increasing, let him know. So how does an ai bubble or blockage happen? Would it have happened when I changed the blown hose? Was I supposed to bleed the cooling system after I changed the hose?

So I feel better now, and can now take my truck into the backroads of BC this weekend and do some exploring!