Homeward bound

I haven't updated this post in a while and the time has come. Before rolling out of Phoenix there was some work to be done. Betty White has spent a considerable amount of her life as a certified work truck. Prior to my ownership she lived out her days working for an industrial paint company (think bridges over the highways). That tough life broke her down and I have fixed her back up. One of the things out of my skill set is replacing windshields. She had scratches on the front glass so deep it was difficult to read road signs at night. Time to fix that problem once and for all. A paltry $150 takes care of this issue by the hands of some skilled workers belonging to Avondale Glass.

With the replacement complete we counted down the final days to departure. Phoenix is a place that has started to feel like a second home. Our family here coupled with amazing surroundings makes getting comfortable an easy thing to do. We've been here 3 times over the last three years. A little out of the ordinary is the December rains that see us out of here on our last days.

With everything packed up we hit the road with high ambitions on Day 1. Two hundred and twenty nine miles down the road I feel the truck suddenly lose power and fall on its face. In an attempt to keep Katie from being concerned I ignore it. Less than a minute goes by and she says "Do you hear that ticking?". Sure enough the misfire is loud and I can hear a cylinder missing out on the action. We pull over on the highway and the truck shudders and spits in anger. So now we sit on the side of I-10 looking for answers. Betty White is not happy and certainly should not be pulling 8k lbs in bad condition. A quick glance of the map sends us back towards a town we passed. Betty pulls her act together and gives us everything she has to get back to an RV park for the night. 

I limp Betty over to a shop in town and give the guy my best sad story of why we need to get home. Jarod turns out to be a man of integrity and grit. He turns wrenches on Betty late into the night in an effort to get us back on our journey. I'm looking for a savior to help us home in a much needed situation.

And save the day he did. A pinched ground wire in the fuel injector harness for cylinders 2&4 was making the ol' girl run rough. He simply un-squished the wire and the truck fired back to her original strength. Betty was missing on two cylinders and still manged to tow 8k pounds 6 miles back to town without dying. That's commitment. That's love. We hit it hard after the fix to pick up the extra miles loss the day before.  

This is our reward. All those hard miles home earned us the chance to bask in the glorious white backdrop of a Wisconsin winter. This is what we came home for? Yes.


​Yes it is.