This morning, as per usual, after I raise the leveling jacks I look under Tuzi to be sure they really went up. Oh, no. I see something -- long metal contraption -- hanging down between the front wheels. Turns out, I soon learn, that it's a stabilizing bar. It's attached to steering mechanism and is there to improve handling -- keep the coach going straight and not wandering around the road. Not knowing what I was seeing, though, I went in to the KOA office, explained my finding, and they called a local repair shop. Mechanic came right away and diagnosed the problem. The bracket supporting one end of the stabilizer had broken off. This is a piece of metal about a half inch thick! Frank asked if I had had any steering problems. Well, yes, two days ago in Roswell, but problem cleared up. When he took the stabilizer off, he found that it was frozen up, frozen in the sense of not being able to expand and contract as it's supposed to -- that's what keeps vehicle going straight -- not frozen as in ice-cold. That rigidity is what pulled me left, then right, on Monday. The force put on the bracket when I jerked the wheel back to center to go straight just snapped it. But, the stabilizer didn't drag on the ground (it was about 3 in. off the ground, and I probably wouldn't be able to hear or feel occasional scrapes), so I didn't hear or feel anything. Also, a vehicle is drivable without the stabilizer and there was certainly no dramatic difference in handling ability, so that I, keenly attuned to Tuzi's pulse and other vital signs, didn't detect a problem. Further, at the Rays in Abilene, we hadn't put the jacks down, so there was no reason the check them Tuesday morning when we left there. So, we'd driven two days with a dangling stabilizer, clueless!
Frank couldn't find a replacement stabilizer in Shreveport, but assured us we were good to go, so we did.
Low clouds across LA, then rain in MS. Ugly day, but above freezing. Speaking of which, in the past I've commented on Texas's road signs: Watch for Ice on Bridge. Every bridge has one. Now, you don't want that warning year-round, so these signs are hinged in the middle, so in spring and summer, they fold up to say Don't Mess With Texas and maybe other inspirational sayings. This means, I've conjectured, that some guy drives from north to south every fall to fold the signs down, then in spring reverses his route to fold the signs up. Is that a good job, or what? Anyhow, in LA and MS the signs say, Bridge May Ice in Cold Weather. With that conditional piece of information, you don't have to make the spring/fall message sign changes.
Maybe I was thinking of that bit of language trivia when the next bad thing happened. In late afternoon a pick-up comes alongside and the driver flags us down. I think maybe he's telling me we've got a problem, like no tail lights (it's dusk) or a flat on the Explorer. But, Nooo .. o. We pull off on the shoulder and I go up to talk to him. He says we brushed against each other as he passed us. I didn't feel anything, and I didn't happen to be watching him in the rear view mirror as he approached and passed so I didn't see anything either, but he knew we had brushed -- his right side mirror was snapped in. We look at Tuzi -- there are scratches and abrasions near left rear wheel, but nothing bent or broken. Pick-up's right front wheel well is dented a bit and scratched. We talk about what happened and exchange insurance information. Susie remembers him saying he hit us, and I think that must be the case as I generally keep just right of center in the outside lane. Whatever, the last straw is getting closer. Sure hope writing about all this is therapeutic, not perverse.
We go on, find an RV park, and set up for the night. Thankfully, rain has stopped. A little later Susie says, Oh, there's a baby. Mouse, she means. Small mouse is roaming around our bathroom. With a combination of wastepaper cans and plastic grocery bags we catch him, put him in a trash bag and deport him out of Tuzigoot. Could there be more lurking around? Stay tuned. We still have glue traps out. Susie and I have deep philosophical discussions. I think I should read Job again.
Incidentally, this is Malia's birthday. Three years old. If you haven't checked her blog in a while, take a look at bringinghomemalia.blogspot.com.
Tomorrow we'll get to Red Bay by noon. I've called service rep and said we're coming to show you some paint problems, but we've got a few other things requiring attention. Hope you all can get to them in time for us to leave Friday. We've got to be in Cocoa on Wednesday and we've already had a Red Bay weekend a couple of years ago.
Cheers(?)
Susie and Rob
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