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The Adventures of Me & My Shadow # 77 in WY,NE,IA,MO,IL,KY & TN 9/20/02 2,043 miles this trip, odometer now 28,431, total miles this year 32,891 From Nashville, Hi Everyone! When I first arrived at Warren AFB we had a few rainy days and then it stopped. A few days ago on the evening news they showed a wildfire north and west of Cheyenne not too far from the road Gus marked to take us to Cody on the forth of Sep. I quietly wished it would rain again to put out the wildfire so I wouldn’t have to worry about it. That was a mistake. The next night we got a little rain and a whole lot of hail in Cheyenne. They needed the rain but nobody needs hail. I understand it dented a lot of new cars in town and it was the first time for me in the motorhome. I’ll never wish for rain again! I haven’t seen any more about the wildfire, they must have put it out. I am making progress in getting the genealogy data back in the computer. I believe I have most of the ancestors in and am now working on cousins by the dozens. I also downloaded all the old Adventure stories from the web page and backed every thing up so if I get another virus I won’t have to go through this again. Someday when I’m to old to adventure, I plan to have the stories published so my descendants can read about their crazy old ancestor who had so much fun. The trip to Cody went well. The wind didn’t cooperate with me but it could have been worse. It was a west wind most of the time and I was heading north and west. I did luck out on the price of fuel. I topped off on the AFB before I left for $1.309, down a cent from the day before and a few cents less than off the base. The next time I needed fuel I found it for $1.449 with the competition a few cents more. I haven’t seen any for less than a buck & a half here in Cody. I can’t believe the wholesale price for fuel can be 20 cents higher here in Cody so I would say someone is greedy. The old 455 engine did not like the last fuel I bought for $1.449 and after I filled up she would cough and sputter a little on the steep grades telling me that I better check the fuel filter before I head east after the rally. My friends Kerry & Luanne Tandy had a problem about a hundred miles short of making it to Cody when one of his rear wheels passed him on the road. He was lucky to have the four-bag suspension system as it held the brake drum up off the pavement. He had the bearings all replaced less than a year ago so it looks like someone screwed up. I’m glad I am able to do most of the maintenance on my coach. He lucked out with only the bearings and spindle needing to be replaced. He checked the other rear wheel bearings a found another bearing in need of replacement. My Friends Mike & Judy Cherry encountered a deer on the way that mashed the grill and radiator so they had to finish the trip by car and rent a cabin. I guess I am just lucky. The weather in Cody could have been better. It would rain a little most days, just enough to make me run for cover, and then the sun would come out. We had some interesting and informational seminars and the food was great. I am looking forward to the next Western States GMC Rally. My friend Franz Staugler and I partook of the fantastic breakfast on the last morning and headed south on WY 120 with Franz in the lead as he was towing a pickup truck. We hadn’t gone too far when he pulled over and told me to go ahead as he was pushing his rebuilt engine too hard to try to run as fast as he thought I wanted to go. So I kicked it up to the speed limit and soon saw something that I had never seen before. It was a Train with twelve engines pulling it and they were all straining. I wondered how many hundred gallons of fuel they would burn in a mile while going up that grade. I saw other trains with two or three engines pulling and one pushing. The old GMC performed flawlessly all the way to Nashville and the weather was almost perfect. I would have liked to have more tail winds but was glad not to have head winds. Twice when I pulled off to get fuel, the price was uncivilized so I would shut the pump off at $20 and head on down the road. When the $20 was used up the price would be 10 to 20 cents per gallon lower and I would fill up. I arrived in Nashville two days before the Rally was to start. I should have known better. It is at a KOA Campground and I have known for a long time that KOAs are all overpriced and never a good deal. It cost me $60 for the two days. The site was worth about $20 for the two days, and the $40 was for the swimming pool and the miniature gulf course that I never use. On Monday evening I put something in the microwave to warm and when I took it out it was still cold. I checked the voltage and it was less than 100, I hope I didn’t ruin the microwave. And they charge $30 bucks a night for this service. Now that I am again east of the Mississippi, most of the drivers do not use turn signals to change lanes. I pointed this out to three patrolmen at a rest area and they agreed with me but could not offer a solution to the problem. The weather here in Nashville turned nasty on Sunday evening when we had our first catered dinner. I was lucky to get my food and return to the tent to eat it before the rain stated. Some of the late ones had to run through rain with their plates to the tent before they could eat. The weather reminds me of the weather in Cody, it’ a good idea to carry an umbrella every where I go, if I don’t, it is sure to rain. I attended some interesting seminars and gave a seminar on GPS, both in Cody and here. I always learn a lot when I give a seminar but my memory is getting so bad that I don’t remember much of it. Till next time, Dallas or Dad if it fits. |