Our maiden voyage was, hopefully, the last time we will pull our home in the snow. It was a learning and trying experience, to say the least, and one I am not willing to every repeat. Bubba is my HERO. He accomplished things behind the wheel that I didn't believe possible. My faith in God and in Bubba's experience were what I clung to when things were at their worst.
We started out Saturday afternoon, the 29th, at around 2pm. We were excited, confident and anxious to get underway. Thanks to the help of my parents, getting underway was as safe and easy as it could be. We sailed along, talking about the truck and trailer, how it was handling and what we might experience next. We stopped for fuel at the Boonedocks and headed South of I35. The first rest area was a welcome site and we made a quick stop.
Shortly after this rest area the truck lost power and within miles would not exceed 20 mph. We deduced that we must have received summer fuel at the Boonedocks and our diesel was gelling up. From this point things got sticky and stressful but only about the breakdown, not between the two of us. We dealt with AAA, a few experienced driver friends and repair shops for hours and ended up limping the rig into a fuel station in Ames. We spent the night in the truck with it idling and limped it to a repair shop Sunday morning to have our fuel filter replaced. The repair shop was kind enough to write it up as a tow so we could be reimbursed by AAA and we were on our way.It was amazing that the truck ran all night and didn't choke itself and stall. It was more amazing that it drove up to 24mph the next morning to get us to the repair shop. It was miraculous that there was a repair shop open and willing to help on a Sunday morning of a holiday weekend. Amazing still that they charged us, unknowingly, just the amount of cash in Bubba's pocket. It was amazing that we had phone service the entire time and did not run out of battery. Nothing is impossible when you pray to the Lord for his assistance!
We decided to stop in Osceola Sunday because we were weary from the night in the truck and knew the RV park was open at the casino. Getting in, hooked up and set up was an easy experience. We went in to the buffet, stuffed ourselves and went out for a knap. We decided to go ahead and spend the night and take off in the morning. At 4am Bubba woke me to tell me we had run out of propane and needed to head out. We made record time, working together to put things away, slide outs in, disconnect and get rolling. Everything was cool, despite the fact that we couldn't find propane, till about the state line. From that point the snow started, it got blinding and real scarey and it all becomes a blur of fear and functioning until about Kansas City. In Bethany, MO they were getting snow accumulating by inches per hour ........ it was bad.
Needless to say, I was never so glad to arrive at the RV Park Monday evening. It was extremely cold and windy for a couple days but warmed up today and will continue to do so. What a gorgeous park!!!!!!!! The facilities are great, the rates are superb and the hospitality could not be better. The photo at the top of the page is the view from the park office. The gentleman chatting with Bubba here is the park's owner, Rene.
We've been to Harrison and found the Wal Mart even bigger and with better selection than Waverly. We've been to the local Angel Food Host Site church and plan to attend Sunday morning services and to order our January box after.
This is going to be a great place to spend the rest of the winter. I miss my parents, family and church family something fierce, but I know we made the right choice.
More later. ;-)
PRAY OFTEN
LIVE WELL
LAUGH OFTEN
LOVE MUCH
2 comments:
Wow! You guys had quite an adventure to start with! Does this mean you'll be wintering in AR the entire time? (no trip to AL or NC?? )
Love to you three!
For now, I think our pocketbook might keep us here for the winter. If the VA comes through and bumps his benefits we'll sure see you, though.
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