Satan Continues To Throw His Darts

When we left Ohio, after being there for two and a half weeks, we had hoped our mechanical problems were behind us. During the previous 30 days, we had had to replace our two heavy-duty trailer batteries, 12 volt converter, refrigerator, broken dome light shade, closet door latches, trailer brake magnets, and finally our GMC Yukon XL. The Yukon had a broken frame. But the Evil One was not done with us yet. Going through flooded Iowa, with wind gusts of up to 50mph on Friday, June 13 (we are not superstitious), Gloria noted at a rest stop that one of our bedroom windows had been torn from the hardware. Probably it had not been latched properly. Then Jerry noticed that the ferocious winds had ripped one of the big, tinted, Plexiglas stone shields from one of our front panorama windows. That same protector had come off a couple of years ago. It was secured before we left home in April, but the flimsy (Sorry, Airstream designers) catches failed again. We repaired the missing bedroom window with clear plastic carpet cover and double-sided tape. Both items will be replaced at the upcoming rally.

While we could bemoan all the above issues adnausiam, the truth is that we have been on the road for most of the last two and a half years with few concerns. We sold our house in Virginia in October for a good profit, and the old 2000 GMC has been a great tow vehicle. We debated back in November about using some of our home sale money to replace our SUV for a sturdier model. “Naw, she’s running great. Let’s try to get 200,000 miles on her before getting something new.” WRONG! On the upside, we love our new, comfortable, Toyota Tundra, and its six-speed transmission provides great power on the mountain roads. Our retractable, polycarbonate bed cover is nearly water tight, except for a little seepage around the end gate. Our Airstream tracked steadily on the windy roads, and we hardly noticed the big passing 18-wheelers. Despite the adversity of the last month, we have been truly blessed in so many ways, and we love our “on the road again” lifestyle.

If we wanted to experience real problems, the flooded fields in Iowa gave us our chance. Only the top strands of wire showed above the water on many fences. Rivers were overflowing, and farmers’ crops have been lost. One could see the water above floor-level on several homes. Our problems during the last month do not begin to compare with these. The unfortunate people of Iowa deserve our continued prayers. As we passed by Des Moines, we were concerned that I-80 might close due to high waters. In places, the waves did lap the shoulders of the road, but the highway remained open. The same was not true in Cedar Rapids, but we did not need to go there.

In South Dakota and Wyoming, the snow-capped mountains reflected the daily sunshine. The contented grazing cattle on the rolling hills reminded us of a lifestyle that the farmers in Iowa would eventually cherish. In Wall, SD, we passed the unique, rugged Badlands and then stopped to visit the world's most famous drug store, Wall Drug, founded in 1931. It first became known for it's free ice water for thirsty early settlers passing through the area. Now one can get five cent coffee and partake of wonderful, homemade doughnuts. In fact the huge general store has everything from good meals to western wear, tack, souvenirs and gifts, and hardware items. Don't miss it if you come this way.

Though we are a week late, we are finally parked safely at the Montana State University at Bozeman. Above the domed field house, we see from our location the gorgeous Gallatin Mountains. Parked around the field house are several hundred Airstreams with their flags proudly waving. We are among the early workers responsible for building the forthcoming “Silver City.” The main rally begins on June 27 when the number of Airstreams here will approach 1100.

Jackson Center Ohio: Spending The Children's Inheritance

Oh, now we know a little of what Job must have felt--just a little! We arrived here at the Airstream factory two and a half weeks ago to get help with our refrigeration and electrical problems. Of course the refrigerator was one month out of warranty and had to be replaced. We also had to change the converter that changes 110 volt shore power to 12 volt power and charges our batteries, which had been replaced while we were in PA in mid-May. That was just a minor part of our problems.

When Jerry had unhooked the trailer to be serviced, he noted that the entire rear bumper and hitch assembly on the Yukon was drooping. To his dismay, he learned that the rear of the vehicle's frame had broken on both sides. The only thing that had been securing our 34-foot, 10500 pound trailer up and down the mountains of West Virginia were the rear shock nuts (actually the Lord's mighty hands). The old Yukon XL is eight years old and has 175,000 miles. It seemed the right time to retire her. Gloria's sister says that our guardian angels must be exausted having to watch over us.

After getting the GMC frame welded and removing the hitch bar, Jerry began exhaustive research on which vehicle to purchase. Ultimately, we began getting Internet bids on a Toyota Tundra Limited, double cab, 5.7 liter engine, 4 x4. It is rated to pull 10,300. We knew the dealer's invoice on such a vehicle, and after much negotiation, we finally agreed to an excellent offer from a dealer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, 94 miles away. By acting before June 2, Toyota gave us a $3000 rebate. Gloria would have preferred silver, but the exact truck we wanted was available only in red. OK, so stop laughing at two old folks in a brilliant red pickup. Just call it "senioritis."

Once we got the money from our broker and insurance company, we closed the deal and began driving the required 500 miles before towing. That included a trip the Hensley Hitch Factory in Romeo, MI to have our trusty hitch inspected. In addition, we had to take the truck to Lima, OH to have the bed sprayed and the paint sealed and protected. The hot Texas sun can take its toll on any paint job. Then our handy nephew, Dean, who is an optometrist in Leipsic, OH, did most of the work installing a retractable bedcover and bull bar. His son Nick was a super assistant.

All that remained to do (so we thought) was to have Airstream install our new brake controller. That was accomplished on Friday, June 6. We would depart on the weekend for Montana. On Sunday afternoon, after enjoying a wonderful church service in a nearby small town, Jerry finished intstalling our new Rock Tamer mudflaps. We hooked up our rig for a trial run. Oh NO! We had no brakes. Was the controller installed incorrectly? At 7:00 a.m. on Monday, Jerry returned the entire rig to Airstream for an analysis. It was determined that we needed three new brake magnets. "Why stop at three? Let's just change all of them," said Jerry, the big spender.

Six hundred dollars and six hours later, we were finally on our way to Leipsic to say goodbye to the family and let Dean and Kara's boys see the Airstream per their request. Ominous storm clouds were prevailing; ultimately torrential showers pounded us as we were parked in their driveway. Also, the sirens were blaring, and tornado warnings drove us into the house. We decided to stay where we were overnight.

One of the bright points of getting delayed in Jackson Center was meeting and greeting many Airstreamers who were there for repairs. We had a fun night of bridge with Jimmie and Bettie, from the VA Tidewater Unit. Our good friends, Lloyd and Elaine, arrived for a couple of days. We enjoyed a sumptuous buffet feast at a German restaurant one evening and could not get enough of the tasty sausage, wiener snitzel and mashed potatoes. We're still wearing it!
We also enjoyed two nights of competitive joker--at least the men enjoyed it. The women attributed it to lucky cards.

Another bright part of our stay in Ohio was getting to visit our old church in Marysville. We were charter members there in 1963-1964, and helped negotiate for an old factory building that has been converted to a lovely church building. At the service, we actually found two members who remembered us.

You meet a lot of characters while RVing. One was Dimmer, a full-timer guy with a GMC 4500 that hauls his jeep while towing his shiny Airstream. He is a competive rock crawler. While in Marysville, we met a family who had the largest fifth wheel travel trailer we have ever seen in all of our travels. It was a 48 foot, quad axle, Grand Teton, pulled by a Volvo tractor. The owner said he wanted a bigger one, but the factory claimed that their assembly line could accommodate nothing longer than 48 feet.

At last we are off to Montana on a bright, sunny, Tuesday morning!