Florida or Bust - Day 2

Monday morning. Driving through Roswell, our (Tuzi's) steering wasn't working right -- it pulled strongly to the left. I pulled over and called Tom, my RV service expert in Albq, to ask advice. He was busy, but would call me back. I drove a little further. Now, it was pulling strongly to the right. I pulled into a K-Mart parking lot and checked the power steering fluid tank, it was properly full. Tom called back. I explained the problem and he said he would call the manufacturer. While waiting, I made a couple of laps around the parking lot. Now, everything seemed to be working OK, so I ventured back onto the Roswell streets. Still OK. Tom called back and said the expert opinion was that it could be an air bubble in the hydraulic line, or it could be a pump problem. After I said things seemed OK, he said go ahead and drive it; apparently just a transient fluke and not the sort of problem that would strand us. Knock on wood, or fiberglass.



Couple of hours later, just leaving Plains, TX, we meet a truck. WHAP, WHAP, WHAP! Rocks fly off and hit the front of Tuzi. By this time, the cold front has moved through and there's a strong north wind blowing. This guy is hauling gravel or crushed rock, poorly covered, if at all, and he's rounding a curve as we meet and conditions combine so that he nails us. I glance up and there's a big chip out of our windshield. Some of you may recall our windshield woes in Tuzigoot One. Here we go again. At least, Susie says, the rock didn't come through and hit me in the head.



A little later, we have lunch in Brownfield, TX. Leaving there, a couple of birds are trying to fly across the road in front of us. Tough going into a north wind, and we hit one bird. Not in the windshield but with the back of the drivers side mirror. No big deal, but then I look at the mirror and see the impact has knocked the mirror-glass loose, and it's gone. There are three mirrors, a large one in the middle that is the main mirror, but fish-eye mirrors above and below that help you survey high and low behind you. It's the top mirror that's gone. Oh, well, they can probably replace that in Red Bay.



About this time, we see that we will get to Abilene in late afternoon -- so we'll spend the night there. We call our friends, Ken and Elsie Ray, and they graciously invite us to park in their driveway. This will be doubly good because we haven't been able to get Tuzi's hot water to work, so we can shower at the Rays and even sleep in their guest room. We'd had Tuzi winterized and part of that process is to turn a couple of valves that isolate the water heater. I knew about that and had reversed two valves -- located in an area that you can barely access and see -- but still no hot water. Susie asked a couple of times, have you looked in the book? No, I say, I know the process. Finally, Susie looks in the book. She reads: open two valves and close the third valve. Third valve? I ask. I didn't remember that. I go back, find that there is a third valve on the back side of a line, out of sight. I close that valve and we now have hot water.



Anyhow, as we're nearing Abilene, Susie's been in the back prettying up, and she comes up and says, I hate to tell you this, but we've got another problem. I can take it, I say. Tell me. We've got a mouse on board she says. I saw him come out from under the bed. So, in Abilene, after dinner I go into Wal-Mart and buy glue-traps. As I write this Tuesday morning, I haven't checked the traps yet. We'll let you know.

I'm going to post this, maybe update it later with Susie's input.

Cheers,

Susie and Rob