There isn't much in the village of Chama, New Mexico, but they do have a great mechanic. Jim Townes knows how to fix anything from snowmobiles to Class 8 tractors, but he's retired. Finding him in the shop is a hit-and-miss proposition, especially on a Saturday. After waiting for six hours, I considered it a miss and headed back to Soni's to feed the U-joints some very overdue grease. I stocked up on crackers and cheese, the staple diet during this 2005 Weight Loss Tour. People may leave their heart in San Francisco, but I probably left about 15 pounds in Louisiana and Texas.
I managed to corner Townes at his house, so the poor guy ended up working on my junk on a Sunday, his only day off (retired, yeah, right). After making a really long drill bit by brazing one to a partially rifle-drilled piece of 1/4-inch rod, plus other creative solutions, we finally had the broken bolt out and the clutch adjusted, some four hours later. Then he had the nerve to charge me $80 for his effort. I gave him $120 and drove off with a charging system that worked better than ever, and a clutch that grabbed where it should.
The crowning touch was the fourth meal of the journey, a delicious home-cooked version at Soni's, after which I slept like a log. It didn't even bother me that my 100 gallons of fresh water in the trailer were almost gone and that the water pump had started to suck air.
After stopping for fuel in Kingman, Arizona, I hit a truck wash and gave the tractor and first trailer a bath, which seemed appropriate. Between the several thousand "love bugs" plastered over any forward-facing surface (you'd think they'd be an endangered species by now) and some 3,750 miles worth of general road grime, the whole setup looked pretty grim. There was lightning to the west, but that'd surely be over in the morning. I lucked out and got the last parking space in a rest area past Needles, California. Woke up at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of rain. I tried to wait it out but failed miserably. Six almost completely wet hours later, I was finally back home, wondering whatever happened to "It never rains in Southern California" ... in September?!?
Home sweet home. Sweet quiet home. Now I just need to regroup, and figure out why these Louisiana mosquito bites turned into welts the size of dimes, still there after nine days.
Days on the road: 12
Distance traveled: 4,079 miles
Weight of cargo: About 6 tons
Amount of cargo: 15 pallets plus
Actual meals consumed: 4
Breakdowns: 1
Number of fuel stops: 4
Gallons of fuel used: 657.969
Lowest price of Diesel spotted: $2.54
Highest price of Diesel spotted: $3.59
Number of mobile homes seen towed towards Louisiana or Mississippi: At least 100
Elvis sightings: 0
Water consumed due to heat and humidity: 507 fluid ounces (most of it in four days)
Special thanks to (in no particular order): Leonard Emanuelson, Automedia 2000; Harry and Jenna, Ecological 4-Wheeling; Jay Jones, TMC Automotive Group; Toyo Tires; Franklin Tire & Suspension; my understanding girlfriend; Bo Neece and the Tierra Del Sol 4WD Club; Warren Guidry, Interco Tire; Steve and Mary McNicholas; Bret Lovett, Superlift; Scott Frary, Detroit Locker; Tom Walker, Tony's Fine Foods; Sherry McCullough-Arfons, McCullough Public Relations; John Stewart, my former boss; Ole and Sherry Stortroen; Specifically Equine Veterinary Service; Phillip R. Devore; Carole and Bob Schroeder; plus many other friends and total strangers who helped in several ways-I wish I could mention every one. Getting my fuel bill paid was certainly most helpful, but knowing that I had so much support meant an awful lot more-especially during the many times when things just refused to go right. Thank you all, very, very much, because I couldn't have done it without your help. At least not without suffering permanent damage.