We became recognizable fixtures by now. The guys were funny and went out of their way to keep us happy. I guess we were a bright spot in the middle of all those 18 wheelers. I was the only woman there all the times we pulled in with the exception of the ladies in the office that I assumed were the owner's wife and daughter.
I was curious so, I asked, "Do you ever have lady truckers in here?" "Well, yes we do get women truckers....... I wouldn't necessarily call them laaaaadies", was the answer. Everyone laughed, including me. I could only imagine!
The air conditioner had to come out to release the skin of the trailer so they could go fishing for the problem. It took a long time to find the issue. It was a soldering joint. Apparently, when soldering, one can pull a point in the solder which can be sharp as a needle. This needle had worked it's way through the electrical tape surrounding it and with one tiny pin prick, we lost our running lights. They repaired all the welds so the problem was solved. I would revisit the fuse issue in the truck at a later date under much different circumstances.
While the air conditioner frame was out, I saw how it was done. So, when we got Sprocket home, I went to work with my Dremmel making the opening bigger for the new larger capacity a/c unit I had found. It only took one afternoon! I also spent several hours water sealing all the nooks and crannies underneath the trailer with tubes of roofing tar in hand. Things were looking good!
With my confidence at an all time high, I planned another trip. I KNOW! By now you must think I'm a glutton for punishment, that I harbor some sad need to constantly fix things, you would be dead wrong. I'm very pragmatic, knowing there is a beginning, a middle, and an end to everything. This trailer just didn't seem to have an end! There is something about Aluminitus that affects your brain in such a way that hope always springs eternal. Against all odds, and I'm about as odd as they come, facing insurmountable hurdles, believing one day, there would be a PERFECT TRIP!
It started out well .......
We drove through Franklin, TN and stopped for a new skate fitting and went on to Gatilinburg for the night. We spent the next day at Dollywood, of course!
The two of us took in The Lost Sea tour, an underground cavern lake, the largest in North America.
We stayed overnight in Roanoke, VA and visited a friend. The color was beautiful on the hillsides and we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
Our trip paused for a tour of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. This is a completely worthwhile destination occupying a beautiful mountain top with lovely grounds, gardens, plus a nice interpretive center, and ample parking.
Here is a funny size comparison that happened spontaneously!
We arrived at our campground south of Washington, DC so that we could make day trips driving or riding the train into the Capitol. I had prearranged a tour of the Capitol Building through our Senator's office which was as informative as it was fascinating. The hop on hop off bus tour around the city made it very convenient seeing all the monuments.
Dave and I had been at the Lincoln Memorial and when we left, I looked down and saw engraved in the step, Martin Luther King "I Have A Dream" * I gasped* and began to cry, it just hit me that hard. I was taken by complete surprise. Dave held my arm and asked, "Oh Honey, What's the matter?" "Look down...", I choked. "Oh my..." he said softly. Other people sitting around on the steps came to see and there were gasps all around. I had forgotten this is where the great man stood and delivered that great message. Monuments are important for this very reason.
We had tickets for The White House Tour and were enthralled. You should go, you really should. I purchased a little White House Christmas tree ornament inside at the gift shop. I thought about all the First Ladies and the Presidents. There is something very powerful about The Nation's House, put it on your bucket list.
Our bus took us to the National Cathedral, The Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument. You cannot understand the largeness of the National Mall until you have been there in person.
A side trip the next day took us to Mount Vernon which is incredibly well done. Beautiful house and grounds plus a wonderful love story.
Years ago we would travel to New York City for business and we would always eat at Rosa's Mexicana. It was a real treat. So, imagine our surprise many years later when we rounded a corner in Washington DC, there was Rosa's Mexicana! We went right in. It was late October and we were familiar with Mexico's Day of the Dead traditions. In the foyer of the restaurant there was a table with a picture of Rosa surrounded by all her favorite dishes of food. We smiled. The hostess asked, "Did you know Rosa?" "Oh my yes, from New York. She made the first chicken mole' we ever tasted. Is it on the menu ?", we asked. "Not today but let me see what I can do....", she said. When we sat down, the waiter brought us chicken mole', we toasted Rosa and all those happy times in New York and the happy time we were having in Washington, DC.
Another side trip led us to Colonial Williamsburg where we learned a great deal about the Revolutionary War and how is affected everyday people of the time. It was interesting and somewhat of a culture shock listening to all the reenactors who painted a very accurate portrait of life back then.
We also toured the Smithsonian Museum and saw the Hope Diamond and many lovely things. Here are just a few that I'm sure weren't available in the gift shop......
Feeling very Patriotic and proud to be Americans, we left for home.
We had been out for over two weeks in the trailer and had not a problem one! Could this be?!
Remember the parable of counting your chickens before they hatch..... well, I had been counting with an abacus, calculator, fingers, and toes!
There is a lot to love about Arkansas, the beautiful Ozark Mountains, limestone bluffs and rambling rivers. Forests and caves, bean fields and diamond craters, it's called The Natural State. Things to dislike are the class divide, prejudice, and the summer heat and humidity. Some of these things may be arguable but there is one thing all Arkansans agree upon.
The current condition of Interstate 40 west of Memphis, TN
It's horrible and has been, forever.
Construction has been going on, forever.
When will it be finished? Sometime in forever.
And, the section west of Memphis is the worst of the worst.
It claimed a windshield on our car from thrown up debris during a trip to St. Louis years ago and it was about to get us again.....
We came through Memphis just fine and we had slipped over Appalachia in a snow. Our thoughts ran along the lines of "we made it" or "we're home free"
We weren't either of those things.
WHAM!
We hit a cavernous hole and heard a very loud POP. Damn. I was sure one of the airbags had exploded but when the squeaking began, we pulled over.
The frame attached to the airbag set up was broken on three sides of a square tubular steel support.
What to do? Just when I left my acetylene torch at home.... NOT!
We limped home slowly hoping beyond hope it would hold. Squeak squeek, squeak, squeak, squeak.... for 120 miles.....
THANKTHEGOODLORDINHEAVENITHELD
I called Buddy. Again. We limped to the shop. Again. 🙄🙁😒😠
I was almost embarrassed. I take good care of things and don't tear them up or use them in a hard manner. I had no reason to feel this way, Buddy reassured me. "The road is a rough place", he said. *no kidding* He would look at it and get back to me became so familiar I gave passing thought to needlepointing it on a pillow. When I heard from Buddy, he gave us a choice. Either pull the whole thing out and replace the leaf springs or rebuild and beef up the framing, these were the choices. This was the last piece of original inherited equipment. By this time, I was very used to raising and lowering the trailer over the jacks with the hydraulics plus it assisted in leveling the trailer. When it worked correctly, it was wonderful. I chose the beefed up rebuild. One more college try.....
It would be the right decision, from that point forward we never, ever, had another problem with the undercarriage.
SWEET VICTORY!
Emboldened by the prospect of worry free travel, I planned a cross country trip to Los Angeles, CA to spend Christmas with my cousins, Don and Judy, who sold their spot in Texas and were now trying out southern Arizona for the winter . It would be a Route 66 Trip! The Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Impact Crater, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell, were all on the list and the list was getting bigger!
We would soon retrace the path that we towed our diamond in the rough home from Southern California..... this was going to be fun!
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