Thursday, April 12, 2018

'18/#6 Exploding Jello!

If you follow our blog you know that I always say our plans are written in jello. That just means that whatever we plan anything can happen, we just have to go with the flow. This time it was a tsunami that got in the way.

We left Pharr at 5am and made good time to San Antonio. Mary took over the driving and got us through the city and shortly after that the tire pressure monitor(TPM) started screaming and other drivers were pointing at the trailer. By the time we got off the road the tire was shredded. As we have done in the past we found a safe place to park and changed the tire. Not too far down the road we found a tire dealer and got a replacement because we DO NOT drive without a spare. We made it as far as Fort Stockton and stopped. We were about 120 mile short of our intended destination but like I say, the jello got shaken.

Day 2 we hit the road by 4:30am. About 2 hours into our travels the TPM started screaming again. This time we got off the road before the tire blew. Again we made the tire change like a couple of pros, just this time it was in the dark and just off the interstate. We drove to a little truck stop that had a tire dealer to get another replacement. Of course the the jello had been shaken now it needed to be stirred. The tire shop wasn't opening for another hour so the plans changed again. We decided to sit and have breakfast while we waited for the tire shop to open. Of course once they opened they didn't have the tire we needed. Shaken, stirred, and now into the blender! On to El Paso to get a tire from a dealer that had them in stock. But wait, upon arriving we were told they were mistaken and didn't have the tire! OK the jello just got thrown through the fan.

Fortunately there was another tire dealer that had the right size tire just not the brand we wanted. Not optimal but it will do. While we were getting the tire Mary decided we should get an extra just not mounted on the rim. We have the room for it and since our tires seem to be getting hard to find, why not? Back on the road and looking forward to putting some miles behind us, and then ....BOOM! Another tire blows up. The jello is now all over the floor. Enough is enough. We are tired of changing tires so we call our road service through Good Sam Club. Apparently the people who work for the road service can't read maps or understand directions. We were right on I10 west between exits 151 and 155. Easy, right? After 45 minutes of trying to explain where we were stuck we gave up and changed our third tire in two days in less time than it took for road service to find a provider. The jello is now getting slopped all over the walls.

The next town up the road we found a tire dealer to mount the extra tire and he didn't charge us at all. Ok, something has finally gone right. But we still had to get through New Mexico. No more tire problems. Now we are experiencing high winds and dust storms. Not bad enough to close roads or for us to stop but there were a couple of white knuckle moments. We stopped for fuel and a snack and got on the road. 30 to 45 mph winds while traveling at 60 mph and our awning starts to come unraveled. Another stop. This time in the wind and the dust to reroll the awning so we could continue down the road. I am now loading the jello into a confetti cannon!

Tires, idiots, wind, and dust and we find our way to our destination for the night. After a shower and a light dinner two exhausted travelers are ready for bed in their home for tonight in Wilcox Arizona because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

1 comment:

  1. Yeez, that was a crazy day. Happy you are both ok and relaxing. Willie G.

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