Sunday, October 08, 2023 – Sometimes you lose . . .

On the Darker side:

I like TPMS.  Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems. 

I’ve installed one on each of my coaches and then included them with the coach when I sold them.  I like being able to see the pressure and temperatures in the tires as I go a rolling down the highways and byways.  And once I actually got a real alarm and found one of my trailer tires dangerously low from a slow leak on the valve stem.  Quick fix, on my way, and no cat-ass-trophy.

This year I bought an “EezTire” System.  $600 for an 8-sensor system.  Six tires on the coach, two on the bike trailer.  It looked like a step-up from previous systems as it has a bigger than usual COLOR display rather than the usual black & white and boasted of “easy installation and setup.”

Turned out to be a piece of do-do.  Vexed me every day.  I just gave it a Del Monte “adjustment.”  My brothers will understand what that means.

On the Lighter side:

The generator ran all day long as we travelled.  I’m 99% willing to say the genny problems are fixed. One more day and I will go to 100%.

And the Other side:

We are in a KOA in Foss, Oklahoma, which is about 10 miles east of Elk City and about 30 miles from Texas, and I gotta say I’m impressed with Oklahoma.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, in our Dodge Truck pulling our 24-foot Keystone camper, we came thru Oklahoma and Rt 40 was Soooo Baaaad the undulations and porpoising actually bent the solid 2” square, cast iron, center bar on the Blue Ox trailer hitch, something the manufacturer said had NEVER, EVER happened before and when I sent them photos they sent me a whole new hitch.

Because of that horrible experience I took a pencil and blacked out the whole state of Oklahoma in our Atlas, leaving a hole in the middle of America, and I SWORE I’d never venture thru here again.  And I hadn’t until now.

And I was pleasantly surprised. 

The highway is (mostly) really nice.  The section going thru OK City sucks rocks, but the rest of the interstate is darn nice.  So, this evening I took my trusty Pink Pearl eraser and cleaned up the state and returned it to America.

Now the only gaping black hole in the union is the one surrounding Salt Lake City, Utah.  And it’s gonna be a loooong time before that one gets erased!  BTW:  There is a bypass route around the east side of SLC.  I dunno the exacts, but it’s there and adds a few miles, but is well worth the price of missing the stress of going thru SLC.  Motto:  We have more accidents every day than Virginia’s I-95.

On the Back Side:

We are only doing about 200 to 250 miles each day.  Starting late, stopping early.  At this rate we will be another 4-5 days or so to get to Phoenix.

That’s it for now. 

See you on the flip.

Rusty Pistons.

PS:  JB, the thing I got you probably won’t be mailed until I get home unless I accidentally stop at a Gas Station/Office Supply/UPS Store/Post Office combination, of which are apparently very scarce.  Sorry.