June 14

June 14, 2007

Sleeping in, going nowhere

“We are on a five, freakin’ lane highway!”
Last night was a late night for everyone. Luke and Ian braved midnight highway through St. Louis and into Eureka, Missouri; still the only two of us to drive yet. We pushed hard to avoid the big city traffic during the day. There were a few other, unhappy, drivers on the road with us that night, but we made it through in one piece. The twisted overpasses and crowded streets below seemed much younger and more complicated than Helen, who was just passing through. The Gateway Arch was a nice site at night, with the spotlights on it. No good pictures, sorry.
Windows open, we went to bed around 3:00am Holland time, 2:00am here. Sleeping in was our reward, and we did until 10:30 before cleaning, and washing up for a new day. The terrain of central Missouri is testing the limits of old Helen. The winding roads through the forested hills of this particular section of historic route 66 are slowing us down. We gauge the performance of the Winnebago on how many horns we get honked at us and angry drivers giving us the “number 1” sign.
The power converter from yesterday has drained our battery and ruined our alternator. We are at a stand still right now, about to head to the mechanic down the road. It’s going to take a new alternator, at the expense of a warm fridge, dead phones, and a bundle of cash. Not much else we can do but eat more Air Heads and try to stay cool. Rockey, the store manager from yesterday was probably right about the power converter. We’re starting to think that the fridge will have to be a pantry instead. Keep praying for us, we need to win the lotto (we’ve been playing in every state), we need the Bago to start, and we need to get moving or we could be out here for a long time…

It is 6:15pm here in Pacific, Missouri. We brought Helen to a mechanic’s shop called “The Shop” that was conveniently less than a quarter mile from where we decided we finally needed help. The people at “The Shop” were really nice. Dona the lady at the front desk took care of us in the waiting room. She offered us a stove for our Velveeta shells and cheese, chips and salsa leftover from the break room, a fridge to keep our cokes cold, and electricity to plug into to air condition the Winnebago. We were hesitant to ask for anything, but quick to take anything offered our way.
Being 35 years old makes ordering parts difficult. Two parts stores nearby didn’t have the right alternator for us, a creative makeshift combination of the old and new alternator proved to fit. The real test is ahead of us. We don’t know if it will charge our battery further down the road, but for now, it starts and it moves. So far today we’ve traveled roughly ten miles, but we may push through the night again. There is less traffic and we can go a little slower without making anyone mad.
Just one more paragraph to say how nice the people in Missouri are. Everyone is offering us help and genuine concern. Dona the desk lady and Dave the mechanic along with all the other guys here stayed late at the shop to help us get back on our way. They’re excited for us and we’re excited too. Getting back on the road will be a relief after a day full of stress and doubts.
Lessons learned, we are getting to know our vehicle a little better everyday. We know just how hard to push her and when we need to take breaks. When to add oil and when to change the fuel filters. We’ve made it through day three without buying a bus ticket home, I think we may get farther than you think…

Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Pacific, Missouri
552 miles from home