Monday, April 15, 2013

Needles on Tax Day

Needles - could be a sharp instrument or a railroad/freeway town in California. In this case, it's a sharp pain in the wallet in a railroad/freeway town in California.

We started using brake fluid yesterday with no sign of leaks which likely meant one thing. A little Google work last night found a shop with good reviews which became our first destination today. Doesn't look like much, but the guys know what they're doing, and have been great to work with.

After confirming my diagnosis, it took a while to locate the parts, with the master cylinder down the road in one direction and the assumed booster sixty miles away in another direction. Meanwhile, the trailer is parked in a neighboring lot with a beautiful view of the I-40 freeway. The chairs are out and we're drinking lemonade.

About 3:30 p.m. I wandered over to see how they were doing, just in time to discover that the booster they got didn't match the booster in the truck - Toyota had made a mid-year change, so Blair, the shop dog, tells us that we'll be here until tomorrow sometime. In spite of the challenges, A+ Auto Care has been very nice, and friendly.

Looks like Kelso and Calico will have to wait until next time. Maybe we can stitch them into a Death Valley trip next winter.

6 comments:

  1. Jeanette and JerryApril 15, 2013 at 6:18 PM

    Our dream is to travel to Alaska next year (from East Tennessee) so
    look forward to following your blog. Sorry for your "rough start" today.

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  2. So sorry you had a problem this early into your journey, but better California than some remote area of Canada or Alaska. A couple of days from now it will just be a memory. Kelso will still be there the next time you're in the area.

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    1. Your report on Kelso put it on the list but we'll have other opportunities. Meanwhile, we're practicing flexibility!

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  3. Making lemonade during a setback - that's prophetic.

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    1. But that was the last of the fresh lemons! This was the first unanticipated repair on the truck since new. Hopefully the last for this trip.

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