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
Thursday, June 14, 2007
June 13, later that day
June 13 (evening), 2007
The boys were tired from a full day of stop and go driving. The fuel filters were clogging up fast on the fresh, east end of historic route 66. A group of tired male high school graduates is a hungry group of boys. The quality of food and beverage has already become worse than the night before. The fridge hasn’t been plugged in since be left and the cooler cracked, spilling water, ice and deli meat onto the bathroom floor. Cookies, airheads, and scotch-a-roos have become dinner entrées already in our second day.
A stop at the “Loves” truck stop solved all of our problems. The 12v. power converter we had been using was enough to charge a cell phone here and there, but the stereo, fridge, laptops, and other necessities had been left powerless. There was a bigger, better converter in the store that we thought would power our Winnebago luxuries. Store manager Rockey supplied us with kind, but pessimistic advice, doubting our decision to buy a 400 watt converter. He was right, it didn’t work. But then a darker colored, even more powerful converter for the same price ($10.00 less after mail-in rebate) appeared in the display case. It was more difficult to install but we exchanged the 400 watt failure for the 500 watt powerhouse that would help us prove Rockey dead wrong. After a long break at the truck stop, we enjoyed cold beverages and non-melted candy bars. The laptops and phones stayed charged as the Winnebago (now called Helen) idled coarsely in front of “Loves” truck store. Another battle won in the name of Helen in this war against the road.
A few miles down the road, at the first light we encountered another minor set back, more exciting than troublesome. A side compartment containing a couple of car jacks and a shovel opened up and dropped cargo. Unsure if the boxes on the side of the road were ours or not, we made a quick right and a recovery team was launched out the side. Satisfied with the survival rate of our dropped luggage we regrouped and hopped back into Helen. A few on the run bottle rocket launches out the window, and everything is back to normal, as normal as things get in the Bago. Freshly cold mountain dews in hand for the first time since we left, we lug down the road towards Missouri, prepared for whatever our next state has to offer. Bring it on….
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
June 13, evening, 2007
North of Springfield, Illinois
395 miles from home
The boys were tired from a full day of stop and go driving. The fuel filters were clogging up fast on the fresh, east end of historic route 66. A group of tired male high school graduates is a hungry group of boys. The quality of food and beverage has already become worse than the night before. The fridge hasn’t been plugged in since be left and the cooler cracked, spilling water, ice and deli meat onto the bathroom floor. Cookies, airheads, and scotch-a-roos have become dinner entrées already in our second day.
A stop at the “Loves” truck stop solved all of our problems. The 12v. power converter we had been using was enough to charge a cell phone here and there, but the stereo, fridge, laptops, and other necessities had been left powerless. There was a bigger, better converter in the store that we thought would power our Winnebago luxuries. Store manager Rockey supplied us with kind, but pessimistic advice, doubting our decision to buy a 400 watt converter. He was right, it didn’t work. But then a darker colored, even more powerful converter for the same price ($10.00 less after mail-in rebate) appeared in the display case. It was more difficult to install but we exchanged the 400 watt failure for the 500 watt powerhouse that would help us prove Rockey dead wrong. After a long break at the truck stop, we enjoyed cold beverages and non-melted candy bars. The laptops and phones stayed charged as the Winnebago (now called Helen) idled coarsely in front of “Loves” truck store. Another battle won in the name of Helen in this war against the road.
A few miles down the road, at the first light we encountered another minor set back, more exciting than troublesome. A side compartment containing a couple of car jacks and a shovel opened up and dropped cargo. Unsure if the boxes on the side of the road were ours or not, we made a quick right and a recovery team was launched out the side. Satisfied with the survival rate of our dropped luggage we regrouped and hopped back into Helen. A few on the run bottle rocket launches out the window, and everything is back to normal, as normal as things get in the Bago. Freshly cold mountain dews in hand for the first time since we left, we lug down the road towards Missouri, prepared for whatever our next state has to offer. Bring it on….
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
June 13, evening, 2007
North of Springfield, Illinois
395 miles from home
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
