So remember how I talked yesterday about the air conditioning in our mini van quitting outside of Springfield, MO? And how our children managed to ride for 6.25 hours without air conditioning without complaining at all (the best father's day gift ever)? Well, Amy and I made an executive decision last night and we decided that we were going to have to have the air conditioning repaired no matter what it took. Although we both secretly hoped it would just be a hose or a belt that was the culprit, from my own experience I was afraid it would be the compressor.
Let me preface this by saying that one of the things my family loves to do whenever we're riding in the car on the weekends is to listen to the NPR program "Car Talk" which is hosted by the brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, otherwise known as "Frick and Frack". We've heard so many different diagnoses over the years that I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. On top of that I had my own experience with cars to support me. Amy always refers to me as a "car guy" and I really can't claim to be a true one. Yes, I like old cars and I have owned a few really cool cars in my time (69 Karmen Ghia, 67 Mustang, 68, 69, 71 Volkswagen Beetles to name a few) and on almost all of them I did my own work - oil changes, tune ups, brake replacements, timing chain/belt replacement, rebuilding carburateurs (once on the side of the road, another time in the middle of my living room) and yes, replacing a compressor for the car air conditioning.
But that was before the advent of computers and how you can't even diagnose the problem with your car without a computer. But I just knew, you know. So the quest was to find a trustworthy car mechanic in Clinton, OK the very first thing in the morning with the hope that we could get back on the road by noon. I was on my way to Goodyear when I saw Zane's Auto Repair so on a hunch I stopped by. He just happened to be opening up and told me to come back in ten minutes. He and mechanic Scott took a look at it and told me what it was - the compressor was shot. He also told me it would be about $1,080 to fix! I didn't doubt that the cost was right, I was just upset that it would cost so much. But it had to be done so I took my bike off of the rack, and headed back to the Super 8 we were staying in. The hightlight was actually cycling on part of Route 66 on the 3 miles on the way. Three hours later I called and he said it was ready to pick up! We were right on schedule.
And then we got hit with the second punch of the morning. One of the tires was completely worn on the inside edge so that some of the metal radial lining was showing - it had to be replaced. They were great in the office about letting me pay for almost half of the bill with a myriad of Visa gift cards we had and I headed off to pick up Amy and the kids. I then broke the double whammy of bad news to her - the cost of the compressor and I needed to go get a new tire. So, with other errands to attend to, I dropped them off at the local KMart (yes, THE big shopping store in town) and headed off to get a new tire.
An hour and a half later and TWO tires later (the other one was worn out as well) we were on our way - at 3:30 in the afternoon - only three and a half hours late! But, after the first tire was replaced at Goodyear I started to drive to pick everyone up and the car was pulling hard to the right. So I had to go back and have them check it out and they showed me the left front tire was so worn down it was causing the car to pull - it had to be replaced as well.
But $226 later we had two new front tires and I could go get Amy and the kids! The good thing about all of it was that at both Zane's and Goodyear they didn't charge us tax because we are operating as a charity event and we were able to save almost $100 off of the cost of all the repairs.
We finally got back on the road with the idea of just driving as far as we could get. That ended up being Santa Rosa, NM but not before I had the chance to revisit a bit of my childhood on the way when I say glowing in the distance a sign that said;
Yes, the famous "Eat at Stuckey's and Get Gas Too!" Well, we got gas but we declined the eating part. It was still fun to wander about the grounds of one of the old stores and to revisit the sights and smells of my childhood when the Connor family used to make yearly summer pilgrammages from Fort Ord, CA to Gastonia, NC and back. There was so much I wanted to buy but I refrained - although a beaded belt may still be in my future - there's still a long time to go!
And the kids FINALLY got to visit Texas! It was only for a few hours, but they got to be in Texas! We whooped and hollered, talked trash about the Giants (much to Amy and James' chagrin - but they gave it right back) and we in general had a great time despite the heat and being behind.
And we continued to push as long as we could until we finally realized it was getting dark and we couldn't go much further. So tonight we stopped in Santa Rosa, NM and we had a FANTABULOUS dinner at the Santa Fe Cafe. I had the most amazing Chimichanga and I was in total Mexican food heaven. This is going to be a great time in the Southwest for me! Because to be honest, my favorite food is Mexican food and, to be honest, as the Bowling for Soup song says, "The Mexican food sucks north of here anyway." And so for your musical dessert (and much less fattening than flan or gelados fritas) I bring you a song we listened to during our brief stint in Texas;
Well, it's late and its time for sleep so I'll leave you all for now - we're getting closer!
Stay well and I'll write more from the road!
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