26 Jul 06 A Bad Penny
My dad left at 5:30AM driving my truck and pulling his new trailer. After stopping for breakfast (and like a bad penny) he was back at the hacienda by 7AM. It seems there was too much weight in the trailer which caused the trailer not to pull correctly at highway speed. Nothing like being stressed, having a million things to do and then having to redo one of the million things. We removed 500 pounds of weight plates (when you are as buff as I am you need much weight to lift) from the trailer purchased a different towing receiver and off he went.
That seemed to work as Jed Clampett is now carrying the contents of our shed and garage to California.
Anyone ever think about the old days of going in a wagon across these great United States?
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This has nothing to do about a wagon across America, but many years ago we had a large Pontiac (don’t remember the model) and were going from Jan’s parents’ house to our home in Florida. It was summer and Grandaddy wanted us to take some potatoes home with us. I politely declined and he insisted. So after we packed the trunk full of suitcases (kids were small) and toys, he started packing in potatoes … in every nook and cranny. In northern Florida we had a flat tire. In the rain. To get to the spare, I had to remove every suitcase and every one of those potatoes. I was livid! Changed the tire and left the potatoes in a pile on the I-10 … along with many curses for my father-in-law.
I thought you were going to say your dad returned because he got lost trying to get out of Arlington! Did I mention I stayed lost 90% of the time I was there, and when we left town, we came home by way of Alexandria!
God bless your Dad and 500 pounds - you are the man!
Diana and I have talked many times of how difficult it must have been to move by covered wagon. I used to have a 1963 Volkswagen hippie bus. It’s top speed was 55, and going up Raton Pass on I-25 from New Mexico to Colorado when I would go home for the summer from ACU, I would end up in 1st gear going 5 mph, hoping I didn’t have to turn around and go up hill in reverse. Ahhh, the memories.
I hope the rest of your move is more predictable.
You removed 500 pounts in weights, so in other words, just the weight on your bench press bar right?
When my wife and drove from Portland to Virginia for lawschool, she drove our car while I drove the truck and we communicated with the help of walkie-talkies. Turns out they were tuned to the same frequency of several fast food drive thru windows along the way. This proved to be great entertainment as we made sure that everyone got super-sized from LA to Nashville and most people “decided” to order “oreos and milk” even though none of those restaurants actualy served them.
Happy travels.
One of the things I decided during our current heat wave is that I would have made a lousy pioneer. I don’t think the covered wagons came equipped with AC.
Steve, I think the special order, Japanese built covered wagons might have come with AC as an option, but in the process of discovering the west, who had time to special order from Japan?
I heard even that didn’t work out. I am so sorry. Hang in there. We are praying for you and excited about the move.