Well well well, you are all quite great with the wishes.
We made it back and it was a bit - different.
Now keeping in mind I am a particular glutton for punnishment - we left on Sat morning in theOld Taurus (yeah the one that died on us on fathers day and about 2 weeks ago also..)
Uneventfully we drove north ot to the town of Weed (the kids couldnt stop laughing) There was a raod sign the said <-----Comunity College Weed--->
PAtrick nearly wet himself laughing he said Dad I can see a guy standing infront of that sign looking one way and then the other....
We headed up the hill and Blah.. NO motor. Grr fricking car..(seems like a fuel problem at 3000 feet elevation?)
Rested the car a while and it decided to go again.
Hmm we ended up stopping 4 times each time the car died right in front of a service station. Hmm? MAybe the car wanted some attention...
OK we move on and now the car is dead or is it?
The car made it to a parts store called Shucks, Not really the word I would use at that time but this is the way it was going..
I decide it sounds like a fuel filter. (get tools pats and make the change)
Car runs hMM ? maybe a good decision..
Coming down the grade (7 mile steep grade) into Ashland Ore. The car croaks again. Patrick says dad why does it feel like we are sliding - coasting?
I said good feel Pat - the car died 3 miles ago.
(yeah dead stick on a major grade)
I coast it as far as possible we make an off ramp and it stops right at the 76 station. Mechanic on duty? Yea he will be back in a few minutes..
meanwile Im going through the system checking for vacum leaks and what not (hoping we didn't kill the fuel pump with a clogged fuel filter)
Well anyway lets try it again.
OK it decided to run. We call ahead and let them know we wouldn be making it to the step fathers.
It was at that point that the car decided it was happy.
My best guess was 1 clogged fuel filter, 2 clogged Injector / injectors,
3 Fuel pump was quiting..
Funny part was I didn't get upset at all - I just kne the car would eventually die in front of a car dealership and I would SOLVE it there!
(It was just a little daunting thinking about making 'vacation payments' for 48 or 60 months..)
Not a problem for the rest of the huge ass trip.
We saw all kinds of things went to that wildlife safari (saw some ****ing gibbons - no really thats all they would do is fornicate) and crater lake - but the smoke wouldn't let us see the lake
Went to a bunch of covered bridges and waterfalls, then went the Caves in Oregon. Long road there.. A lot of hiking involved.
Last night drove home and after 10 hours of driving pulled in.
Pictures videos yep we saw it all.
I even caught some little smallmouths ( my step father kept saying lets keep that one Its a nice size for eating)
I was like - you go ahead and catch some and keep them. These fish here need to grow up. He was asking why dont you want to keep them?
I said here wait a minute.
(I caught a 2 lb smally - got it in and showed him the parasistes - and said Im not eating that!) He was ohh I see..
The motel we stayted at was like a storage building with sheetrock walls tossed in as a motel room.. Plain Jane? you think?
It was allright for a place to sleep.
All in all we had a decent trip. The town we visited had a bit of a deppressed economy to say the least. It seemed like the Job of choice was collecting aluminum cans.
Certainly made me feel good about what our family is doing and how things are for us.
I met an interesting charictor Homeless Pete. He was a prospector looked like the 49er charictor, he had a shabby old dog named buffalo.
Was a Nam Vet and had quite the interesting story.
I handed him a great smoke Davidoff Millenium out of my traveler humi and told him Thanks for serving our country.
He was floored and savored that smoke.
Pete was 52 I kinda liked this guy. I was glad to have met him.
Well now its back to work..
Have a great one.
Hb
