West is Next

Last night as I was coming back into Belleville, I was 'replaying' my last few weeks in my head. The first week of March I ended a two week vaca in FL. After working my way back to the STL area, my first trip out was south down to Houston, TX and then back. The next week out I went north up to Minot, SD and then back.

This past week I went east up to New Hampshire and then back last night. I will be heading out west sometime mid-week. I have been thru 23 states in the last month and will add at least 5 more (depending on how I come back from CA) in the next two weeks. Traveling the USA -- I love it!

I believe that this was my first time to NH and Vermont - ever. I did not get thru there at their most scenic time. Spring has not sprung up there yet, everything was still pretty dead. I was in-between seasons - the ski resorts were closed and the summer hiking and trail-type stuff had not begun. Most of the snow has melted and the streams and rivers are swollen with the run-off.

My trip turned out quite well. I was able to get a car coming back to Dayton, OH that loaded about 30 miles from my NH delivery. Then it was an 80 mile dead-head to Columbus and reload reels of plastic pipe going near STL. The only glitch was my 9 am scheduled delivery in NH. No one showed up until almost 11:30! Patience is not one of my virtues. Sitting around waiting for a jerk who really doesn't give a rats-ass about anybody else didn't sit well with me. But what are you gonna do? The broker tried to smooth it and added a few bucks to the trip.

Oh, there was one event that started as a disaster and ended as a blessing (how could I forget that?) As I was cruising along I-90 coming into Syracuse, NY my truck started spitting and sputtering. I knew the symptoms. I have had this issue before. Jan 25th in Springfield, MO to be specific! I pulled into a service plaza (I-90 is a toll road thru NY) and looked under my truck. Sure enough, significant fuel leakage. I have broken a fuel line -- AGAIN!

There are six stainless steel lines running from the fuel pump on the motor. Each one leads to an injector. Two months ago I replaced #3 (see Jan 23 blog archive on your left).

I got on the Internet and found a Cummins dealer. Incredibly he was less than a mile off the next exit which was only 2 miles up the road! (hint hint - this is only the first of a truly amazing sequence of good things). It was almost 3:30 but the guy I spoke with said get my truck there and they'd at least look at it but probably not get on it until in the morning since they close at 5.

I nursed the truck into their lot, making a mess all the way. The service manager came right out and confirmed it looked like a fuel line. The mechanic started on it immediately and said he may get it done this afternoon if they have the part. The bad news, it was the #3 line! The good news, there is a 6 month warranty!

Less than 2 hours later I'm rolling out of the parking lot with a "No Charge" ticket in my possession! You talk about a range of emotions. Holy Cow! I went from one extreme to the other in about 30 minutes. I asked the mechanic why the line failed so quickly. It appeared to be a faulty installation, he said.

The line has several clamps that secure it from vibration. There are plastic insulators under the clamp that fit around the line. One of the insulators had cracked, most likely from being over-tightened. This allowed the line to vibrate and crack.

The next day I turned this into a wonderful "April Fools" prank. I had shared my breakdown with several friends and family. The next day - April 1 - I text several of them; "leak not repaired as thought. Fire under the hood damaged much of wiring. Not sure what's next." I almost felt guilty with the frantic phone calls I got back. Almost.

I'm not sure exactly when I will start my trip west. I deliver this load at 7 am Monday and then will come back here for a day or two. Probably head out Wednesday or so. I'm trying to confirm when my cuz will be home in Phoenix, since that is my first visit. Bike Week starts Friday Apr 9th!