Not A Good Day

Yesterday started out beautiful.  The weather was great.  We doddled around pulling up stakes to make our day's run.  I decided it was time to check the tires and found one rear tire quite low.  As I messed with it, I could hear air escaping sometimes.  The sound was directly related to movement of the air valve extender, a braided steel extension added to make airing up easier - actually, possible.  After messing with it a while, I checked the pressure again and it checked about normal.  So, I decided the problem was the extension and it was not opening the valve enough to give a good pressure test.  I checked on-line for the closest tire shop, but didn't really find anything - not surprising, considering where we were.  I decided we'd better head back to Broken Bow and get it checked out.  But, as it turned out, there was a tire shop/gas station/feed store back at the highway only a few miles.  The fella there was nice and helped us out immediately.  He jacked it up and jerked the wheel off (actually, two things good did happen that day - the convenient tire shop and the bad tire was on the outside).  My diagnosis of the problem was correct.  The butt hole that I had replace all my valve stems and re-balance the tires for $162 has used a replacement valve that didn't fit right.  He had obviously had trouble with it a had damaged it.  So, the extender could not thread down on it well.  As for the leak, the extender itself was cracked.  Whether the tire guy at Forsyth damaged it or not, I'll never know.  But, the tire guy at Anselmo, NE replaced the valve stem and added another type extender - all for $12.50.

We got back on the road thanking our lucky stars for the tire shop.  It was stressful and before long I was getting tired.  Joyce took over the driving - it was a straight road with little traffic.  She can't possibly get into trouble.  And, she didn't.

Just a few miles out of Alliance, NE, we switched back.  I hadn't driven more than a few miles when "whoosh", something seemed to have blown off the roof.  We both thought it was one of the vent covers and I pulled to a stop alongside the road.  I climbed the rear ladder and checked the roof.  Roof amiss up there.  I climbed down and walked along the passenger side.  Nothing.  I walked around the front to the driver's side and there it was.  The first 2-3 feet of the siding on the cab-over bunk had blown off, leaving a jagged tear at the start of the side window and exposing raw plywood underneath.  Crap!

I walked back down the highway looking for the piece and as I was approaching it, a Highway Patrolman pulled up to it and threw it in his car then drove up to me.  He gave me and the piece of siding a ride back to Pumpkin and after verifying I was still mobile, he headed on his way.  Nice guy.

Our next campsite was to be Walgen Lake, but we had earlier decided to change it to Chadron State Park.  It wasn't far away, so we made our way there - slowly.

Once we got settled at the campground, I drove to the town of Chadron and bought some "supplies".  I got some 4" wide Gorilla tape, some silicon caulk and caulking gun and some spray paint.  When I got back to camp, I taped the area all up and sealed the edges.

Then this morning, after it warmed up some, I spray painted it so it wouldn't look too terrible.

Now, where were we?

Oh yes.  Now I remember.  We drove up to the Badlands.  We're camped there now.

There's more to the trip from Chadron to the Badlands, but this post is long enough.  I'll fill you in tomorrow.