12.29.99
Christmas Blues
(TX trip part 1)
I loaded up the Prairie Schooner my dogs, Beauxdreaux and Bucky and am on the road. I think I have set a record for the least number of miles traveled in the most amount of time— and still actually be in motion! I left the farm a week ago and have only made about 200 miles.. I am meandering toward Dallas, perhaps via Branson, MO. My itinerary is subject to change without notice or reason. Right now I am in central Indiana— this is genuine corn country.
Ypsilanti Area
I left the farm when the water froze. Had no desire to fist fight frozen pipes and I was ready to roll anyway. However, unkown to me, part of my charging system had failed and I pulled out with a low charge in my battery banks. The batteries are set up to charge off the engine when running, but the extra load on the alternator of 3 large battery banks all drained low was too much. Four miles from home, the alternator belt to let go.
No problem, I was still in Ypsi. I unhooked the Escort and zipped to AutoZone for a new belt— got there just before they closed. Then, while installing the new belt, I managed to break a bolt off on the alternator. So with a loose belt, I limped steaming and squealing over to my friend, Frank’s house in town near the water tower (no way was I going to bite the bullet and go back home). Another friend came over and we drank Margaritas all night. Not so bad as it turned out.
My second day on the road wasn’t too productive. I did manage to make it back to AutoZone for a new alternator and got it installed. Spent the rest of the day recovering from our side trip to Margaritaville. That night it snowed.
The next afternoon, thinking I could make it to Branson, MO in time for Y2K, I rolled out from Frank’s place into the teeth of a fierce some head wind. The new alternator belt had gotten chewed up a little riding on the loose alternator 2 nights before. About 29 miles south of Ypsi, the new belt let go. A couple miles later, and steaming profusely, I rolled into a truck stop. The engine was too hot to work on, so I crawled into my bunk and slept.
I awoke about 2100. The only belts that the truck stop had were those cheap ass Chinese made temporary belts— one size fits all and is held together with a metal clip. I measured the new belt using the broken one and cut it. Turns out I cut it too short so I bought another one— they were only ten bucks each. Repair finally in place, I got rolling south again. That cheap ass Chinese one size fits all fan belt didn’t last 3 miles.
Computer nav showed a 24 hr Meijer about 8 miles away in Sylvania, OH. Well, atleast I would be out of the state of Michigan. Steaming again, I rolled into Meijer. Meijer sells everything for cars— except fan belts. It was too late to go anywhere else. Thus began my first visit to Sylvania, OH. In the morning, as soon as the parts stores opened, I jumped in the Escort and bought another new belt. I am getting really good at putting them on.
By now, the batteries were getting low again. Because the charging system has something wrong with it, running the generator doesn’t help. With the batteries down, the draw on the alternator is so great that it over heats and trips an internal breaker in the alternator— which resets itself when it gets cool again. Meanwhile, I am running already low batteries lower, but I’ve got to run the engine to run the alternator— it’s a *catch 22*!
Wait!! I’m no dummy. Before I left, I grabbed one of my five battery chargers at the farm just in case I needed it. It’s a nice one that I lent out and to my surprise, got back again. When I tried to charge the batteries off the generator using it, it didn’t do anything anymore Ç:-( I would later discover that it was all burnt up inside. About this time, I’m figuring out that God does not want me to go to Branson— atleast not not in time for New Years. I looked at the map and figured it was about 150 miles to New Castle, IN. I have friends at the Moose Lodge there.
New Castle, IN (Click to Activate)
A few miles south of Toledo, the new belt had stretched enough to start squealing again at stop lights (the shortest distance to New Castle wasn’t the expressway). But the batteries are so low, that if I stop to fix the belt, I feared I wouldn’t be able to restart the engine again. My hope was that the intermittent charging off the alternator would give me enough juice to make it to New Castle— if I could get there before dark. Well, just before dark I rolled in squealing, but this time not steaming into the New Castle Moose Lodge.
With typical Moose hospitality, the folks in New Castle immediately set me up with an industrial strength battery charger and then proceeded to get me drunk and convince me that there would be no better place to bring in the new year than at a party the lodge was planning. Made perfect sense to me!!
After a couple days worth of driving, resting a couple days in one place seemed like a good idea. So I’ve stopped in corn country and am sharing the Y2K New Years festivities with friends in New Castle. Presently the weather is extremely mild— forecast is for temps in the 50s for New Years Eve and 60s for the first 2 days of the millennium.
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