Dave first thought about disconnecting the gray tank completely. We could lower the tank and store it inside the RV. It was completely empty and was washed out and cleaned before we left Georgia. Dave found he could remove the screws that attached the wiring to the tank. That was easy - they were in great shape and suffered no damage. But when he tried to remove the bolt that went to the last bracket, he found it was too rusty to move. If he kept at it, the bolt would either break or get stripped. OK - do we have a plan B?
A guy pulled up to the pump next to us to get fuel. He looked at our
situation and also realized it couldn't be fixed here. Turns out, he was
also from Maine and was moving some furniture that day. He happened to
have a brand new, long, heavy duty ratchet strap that we purchased from him
for cheap. We ran it up one side, then over the top of the Nomad, then
underneath both waste tanks, and secured it on the drivers side. Dave also
fastened two heavy duty bungee cords under the tanks as well. The repair looked
like a huge yellow band aid on the Nomad, but it worked! We zip tied
some thick cardboard around the ratchet area so it would bang up the
fiberglass on the side of the Nomad.
Onward! We pushed through
New York, over more horrible roads in Waterbury, Connecticut, and
finally landed at our stopping point for the evening in Bristol, CT. We
went into Wal-Mart for a few supplies as well as to Subway for something
different for dinner. It was in this store we met a wonderful woman
named Linda. Linda an employee who was singing in the middle of the store.
As we followed her singing through the aisles, we found some of her
co-workers who pointed her out. She became embarrassed and started to
bolt. Jill asked the others for her name. "Linda," one replied.
Jill called her back and she came back over. Jill explained about our
trek from Georgia, how we left there for Maine, that we were missing the
Southern hospitality, and how her singing comforted Jill. She had a
beautiful voice!The next morning, we went in for our morning coffee. Linda was coming towards us from the other direction and said, "Thank God! You came back!" The first thing Jill thought of was, "Oh great - what did we do now?" Linda continued, "Some other woman complained that I was carrying on too loudly. Could you tell my manager what you told me yesterday. How y'all are traveling and you liked my singing. Oh, sorry - I'll let you tell him..." Now that she'd finally stop talking, Jill explained to the store manager, Justin, how her singing comforted me, was really beautiful, and that it made this Wal-Mart a nicer store to visit. Dave saw that Justin had his arms crossed; "You don't have to be defensive, man. You can relax your arms. It's all good". The poor manager didn't know what to say or think! He just smiled and carried on with his duties. Linda and Jill hugged each other. Linda wished us well on our journey, and we parted ways.
Dave
and I packed up the Nomad, read some meditations, saw a nice sunrise, and finished our
coffee. Time to hit the road to get to Jill's Moms house in Fitchburg,
Massachusetts. Dave turned the key over and the Nomad wouldn't start.
Hold on a minute here. The battery and starter were fine; the engine was
turning over. We could smell gas, so it wasn't a fuel issue. Our RV is
36 years old - there are no computers, sensors, or any other
technological devices. Dave tried starting the Nomad in park as well as
neutral - no dice. Dave went back inside Wal-Mart and purchased some
starting fluid. Dave took off the dog house inside the Nomad to get to
the engine. He sprayed some fluid into the carburetor - still nothing. He tapped the side of the carburetor with a large screwdriver to see if the choke was stuck for some reason - nada. He checked the linkage as well as other small parts... everything seemed fine & in perfect working order. We looked at each other. Now what?
Until next time,
The Happy Campers,
Jill & Dave
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