Our Tuesday, June 2, target date for leaving with our trailer was set back a few days due to mechanical problems. Bob started getting the rig prepared in April and had the normal de-winterizing and cleaning done at Eddy’s Trailers in Medford. The truck was checked and the scheduled maintenance was done earlier than necessary for a mid-May departure.
Somehow, the departure date for our two-month trip was changed as we took care of other business – it has been a busy year. On Friday, May 29 the ignition wires and coil assembly caused the truck to buck and it went into Ramp Ford where it sat over the weekend. We got it back on Monday and towed the trailer home to load it with all of our stuff.
We discovered that the batteries wouldn’t hold the charge and the gas water heater wasn’t working and took it back to Eddy’s. They fixed it promptly but on the way home, an exhaust cover fell off the bottom of the truck on Route 83. Thankfully, no one was around – it might have caused a major accident.
Repeated requests had been made to Pulte Homes to have the sprinkler head moved from next to the driveway – the water sprayed under the truck and we were afraid of brake damage. The band that Bob found on the highway near the cover was rusted and was probably caused by the constant watering. Another trip to Ramp was necessary and they repaired the problem quickly.
Finally, it seemed that everything was all set. A few minor things had to be done at the house, mainly loading the refrigerator, rounding up the house plants and assembling them in the kitchen, and cleaning the floors (vacuuming and mopping).
Everything was finished late at night and we finally left on Friday, June 5 around noon. The traffic wasn’t too bad and the trailer received another thorough washing with the day-long rain and, five hours later we had traveled about 170 miles to a campsite in New Jersey near Philadelphia for our first stop.
While Murphy’s Law (look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_law) was in full application, we didn’t panic at our delays and financial outlay. Instead, we found comfort in that Bible verse in Romans 8:28 that says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. We have no idea about the problems that we may have encountered had we left on time but we do know that the incidences were mere inconveniences. We are, after all, retired and have more flexible time than when we worked.
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