Headed home for the weekend (need some vitamin D)

When I left Lake Egypt last Sunday, I headed to Memphis and loaded Monday morning going to Waycross, GA. The objective was to deliver Tuesday and then deadhead the 120 miles or so to my parents house. My dad was having an out-patient procedure Wednesday and I wanted to be there.

On my way to Waycross I found a load going from Jacksonville, FL - 80 miles south - to within 25 miles of their house. PERFECT! (I thought) Less than 50 miles from my "bonus trip" delivery, I stopped for fuel and a sandwich. The truck parking at Mickey Ds was a gravel lot with holes deep enough to lose sight of the horizon as you bounce thru. I broke an axle spring on my trailer. I also discovered a trailer tire - same side, different axle - with a nail. From the looks of the nail, it happened much earlier in the day.

An hour-and-a-half and $50 later (OUCH!) the tire's fixed but the spring is a different story. When stopped on level ground my loaded trailer was just barely off the tire. Going down the road it frequently touched sending a cloud of blue smoke out the side. To make a long story (and afternoon) short, I drove the next 35 miles on the shoulder at about 20 mph. Amazingly, my saving grace was the rain. It 'lubricated' the tire so there was minimal damage when it touched. I stopped probably ten times along the way checking.

Most importantly I got the job done - safely. But I did manage to pick-up a screw that made it's home in another trailer tire. I'm thinking this actually happened at the job site from the looks of the head (no scratches).

But I was at my parents house Tuesday night and went to the hospital with them Wednesday. The surgery went fine but they decided to keep my dad overnight just for observation. I guess your recuperative powers are a bit slower at 88 years old.

And today I am loaded and headed for Tampa. I'll deliver this today and then sleep in MY bed tonight! Then tomorrow it's vitamin D time!