From Rally to Reality

Last Monday, we left the repair place near Richmond and proceeded to Urbana. About 15 miles down the road, Ed's speedometer, tachometer, and other gauges stopped working. Luckily, we soon found a rest stop. He called the mechanic who said it probably wasn't dangerous and was likely a cable that had shaken loose. Ed spent lots of time finding the wiring diagram and had several people at the rally take a look but they couldn't find the place where the wiring was. Aren't owners' manuals helpful?

The 295 beltway around Richmond was one of the WORST roads we've ever been on so when we left Urbana on Sunday morning, we were careful to get on Rt. 33 and go straight onto I64. Harumph! That also had absolutely deplorable sections! Richmond and the surrounding area have moved to the bottom of our list of "Places to See"! Sounds like the roads in Alaska are better than in Richmond.

We got to Harrisonburg and as we took the last exit just north of the "burg", the shifting started acting strange. We had decided to backtrack a bit and go home by Rt. 42 rather than take the country roads. Less than a half mile after we passed Highway Motors (where we've had work done several times), the coach just quit responding. Ed couldn't get it out of neutral and when he pressed the gas, nothing happened except a roaring of the engine.

He did manage to pull off the road - barely - and called our Roadside Assistance number. He decided it wasn't an emergency so they planned to tow us Monday morning. Meanwhile, we unhooked the Ford Explorer and I quickly emptied the fridge and freezer. We came on home.

Ed went back over twice to see if the batteries had recharged at all. On the second trip, our friend, Robert Foerster, went with him. The batteries had recharged just enough that Ed was able to get it started and go back to Highway Motors. He planned to park it a certain place in back but it gave out. He was able to roll it back to a satisfactory spot. Ed's already talked to them this morning and hopefully, they'll be able to get to work on it soon. Let's hope it's "nothing major"....meaning "nothing super expensive". He and Robert both think it might be the alternator.

Now, it's time to return to the world of reality. We'll be busy preparing for our trip out West - trying to anticipate all the things we'll need, catching up on business affairs that have shown up in the mail, and getting Ed's CAT scan done. I am happy to report that he is feeling OK.

Our friend, Maggie Gridley, house-sat for us, took care of Pepper, and watered my plants. We returned to a house that is absolutely sparkling clean. Ed says we'll have to have Maggie come stay every now and then! It's nice to have a friend who is so dependable and leaves the place better than when she came. It also gave her a mini-vacation. Thank you, Maggie!