December 26, 2017. A Different Kind of Trip, Yet Similar.

December 26, 2017.  A Different Kind of Trip, Yet Similar.  It was 9 degrees this morning and there was a light snow falling as we departed for Fort Myers.  I needed to pull the car forward in the garage so I could mount the bikes on the rear.  The engine cranked a couple of times, then the starter just clicked.  I had a "Jump Starter" portable battery kit and hooked it to the battery.  The car started.  As we drove off in the cold, snowy, early morning, I was confident that the battery would charge as we made our way east.

Two hours later, we stopped at a rest stop.  When I tried to start the car, it was stone dead.  I used the Jump Starter again and we drove to the nearest Walmart.  I have bought several batteries at Walmart and paid about $100 for each.  But, by this time, I was having additional concerns that the problem might be the alternator.  An alternator recharges a battery as the engine runs.  Since the battery was dead after two hours of charging, I thought it could be the battery, the alternator, or both.

The nice man at the service desk told me it would be several hours before they could test the battery.  Of course, I didn't want to wait, so I drove to the nearest auto repair shop.  I was pleased that the service manager got the car into the shop immediately.  Ten minutes later, the mechanic told me that the alternator tested okay, but the battery was shot.  Twenty five minutes after arriving, all that was left to do was to pay for the battery.  The cost was twice what I have paid in the past, $218.22.  But, I didn't mind all that much.  The service manager dropped everything to get me back on the road as quickly as possible.  Time can be more valuable than money. 

With Harvey, we reposed in repair shops all over America and even Vancouver Island.  I thought those days were over.  Oh no, mon frere.  However, 25 minutes in an auto repair shop is much better than 2-3 days in an RV shop.  But, alas, there was a happy ending.  As we left the repair shop, we saw a Five Guys hamburger shop.  We spent as much time there as we spent in the repair shop but to much better effect.

The pictures: Annie has her sun hat on as we pose in the garage before driving off.  Several of the pictures were taken with a flash.  Those show the snowflakes falling as we left  Those without snowflakes were taken with the flash disabled.  We hit more snow in St. Louis.  You have to look carefully, but you can see the famous Arch in one of the pictures as we crossed the Mighty Mississippi.

We are in Paducah, KY, tonight, about 900 miles from our destination.  I will write again when I have something which may interest you.  Until then, Goodnight.