A Fast & Unexpected Ride Home ~ Another life Adventure



Mr. Fixit had recently made some repairs to the old 1971 camper van. We took a 40 mile round trip last week and there were no evident problems. Last evening we headed toward the Pennsylvania line on what would be a 100 mile round trip. Forty miles into the trip the van gave out a couple of coughs as the engine missed. OH OH! Those sounds stopped for a while as we continued on our way. Then suddenly the van was lurching as the engine missed and backfired loudly as it blew out the muffler. We were so glad to see that were were near an off ramp as we were on a busy interstate. We made it almost to the top of the ramp before the vehicle ceased running. 

 Mr. Fixit always carries extra parts and tools so thinking that it might be an easy fix he pulled the cap off the engine which is inside of the van in the front and went to work. After a few new parts and tries it was decided that we would call the hook. AAA put us on their priority list as we were in a precarious place. 

 Semis that were exiting I80 were within a foot of our van as they came to the light just ahead. Some of them sped up to make the light. The noise from the giant trunks was unnerving. 

 It only took about 30 minutes for the big flatbed truck to show up. Another 15 minutes was spent loading and securing the van. Tow truck drivers seem to have no restrictions when it comes to speed on the interstate. It was a very speedy and nerve wracking ride to say the least. We were both glad to see the lights of home. The van will need more work before it can be taken on the next long ride. 

 We are thankful that we were able to get to a spot off of the interstate before the van stopped. Also we are thankful that the tow came in a short time and that we had AAA coverage for the tow. It was a bit cool waiting in the van but the weather was not terribly cold. The tow truck driver, though he drove faster than we would like,  was actually a very nice young family man who works for the tow company at night and is going to college full time at YSU to get a degree in chemical engineering. 

 We did not reach our destination but made an appointment to go today and all went well. It was a beautiful day. 





Comments

Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 5, 2013 at 11:21 AM
Unknown said…
I am glad you made it home safely! AAA is a great thing to have.
April 5, 2013 at 11:23 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Standing Rock in Kent Ohio

Image
Standing Rock is in the Cuyahoga River in Kent behind the Standing Rock Cemetery. When I was a child on Wolcott Avenue in Kent we would go in small groups riding our bikes or walking through the cemetery to see the large rock. We lived only a few blocks from the cemetery so it was a short trip. We never worried about going through the cemetery alone.  A bypass for the Cuyahoga River now flows around the dam on Main Street in Kent to speed up the river to improve the water quality. The level of the river has been cut down drastically because of the bypass. Ripples of water now flow over rocks where the river once was deep. It was deep enough years ago so that you could not see the rocks on the bottom.  Back then the water rose up under the jutting ledge near the top of the large stone. It would sometimes be higher when there was heavy precipitation and flooding. There were sometimes white spray painted graffiti and other marks on the rock. It made me wonder how people got out thro
Read more

Did This Product Work for Me? ~ A Super Clean Review

Image
Often we buy products by how they look on the shelf or how we like the advertisements. This product was recommended to me by someone who has had to clean tough dirt. We burn wood in a wood burning stove in our living room. When the stove is opened to add wood there are puffs of smoke that come out of the front. This smoky dirt travels up to the ceiling and the surrounding wall areas. This type of soil can be very difficult to clean. A friend told me to go to the Walmart automotive department and get some Super Clean. Rubber gloves should be used while using this strong degreaser and cleaner even in the diluted forms for light cleaning. I was happy that this product actually worked. We have hard water and this cleaner cleans up the hard water stains along with dirt and grease that other cleaners have not worked on. I used it in a diluted form in the kitchen today and it did a great job on the textured surface on the refrigerator. It leaves a nice clean looking shine on chrome. It
Read more