September 24, 2004

September 24, 2004

DAY 99

 

 

I started my new preventative maintenance program on the truck and trailer today. Every day I will do a series of inspections and adjustments. I set up a checklist so that every day I do something different, and everything critical gets checked and/or adjusted at least weekly. Hopefully this will reduce the mechanical breakdowns we have been experiencing. While doing this in the parking lot of the Flying J, I walked across the street to the GM dealer to buy a replacement part that I thought would be a good idea to replace. It's a spring loaded valve, with a viewing glass. There is a green band showing when your air cleaner is OK, and an orange band displayed if your air cleaner is dirty and clogged. GM has discontinued the part, and there is no substitution. Apparently the part was considered, in hindsight, to be so totally useless, that it should be discontinued, and no replacements made available.

Beside the GM dealer was a car and truck wash business. I walked over to inquire how much would they charge to wash the thick layer of bugs off the front of the trailer. The last attempt I made to clean the bugs off the trailer was in Winnipeg, and the problem has become steadily worse. I think people look at the Manitoba license plate and surmise that the rig must belong to a Manitoba pig farmer. The tattooed bimbo running the wash business said she would clean the front of the trailer for $7.00 so I drove it over. She applied soap, and scrubbed, and the bugs didn't come off. She applied degreaser, and scrubbed, and the bugs didn't come off. Finally she applied a bit of abrasive cleanser ( like Comet ) and scrubbed, and succeeded in cleaning a small spot. At that point, she announced she was leaving for a doctor's appointment. Seven bucks, please ! Bimbo ! ! I suppose it was worth $7.00 to find out that abrasive cleanser would do the job quite well.

We set off for Kingston, less than an hour east on Hwy. 401. As we crossed the bridge over the Cataraqui River, a huge snapping turtle ambled off the shoulder of the road and into my lane. I was doing 100 km. and had traffic beside me and behind me. Moving over into the next lane was out of the question. Slamming on the brakes was out of the question. I moved over to the right, dropping the right side of the truck and trailer onto the shoulder. I managed to pass over the turtle without hitting it, but I'm sure that his life ended within a few seconds. The car behind me saw it and avoided it, but I don't think the tractor trailer behind the car could have missed the turtle. You would think by the time the turtle was old enough to be that large, it would have developed the life skills to stay out of traffic.

We set up at Rideau Acres, the campground where the Escapees Chapter 18 Spring Rally was, and the very first place we stopped after "leaving home" on June 18. Joanne took Dee-Dee into Kingston to do some grocery shopping, while I got caught up on e-mail and journal updates. When she returned from shopping, we washed and scrubbed the front of the trailer until it looks like new ! AHHHHH !

I did some shopping for a new truck today. OOOOOHHHHH ! I don't think our budget will permit purchasing a new truck at this time.

DSK