Ready To Go Forward...Again

Yesterday we cut out the molded carpet, completely emptied our tanks and we treated the infected areas with bleach, water & a bit of liquid soap. We turned the generator on, put the fans on to circulate the air and spent the night in a motel. The next step was to call our prayer group at Southwest Community Church in Olathe for a little supernatural support.

This morning, we took the RV to the mechanic as soon as they opened their doors. The owner was a bit gruff at first. We may have talked to him before coffee. At first, he said he couldn't help us but then he said to bring it back in an hour or so and he'd have one of his guys look at it. Around 9:15am I was getting ready to re-visit the mechanic when Lucy received a phone call from one of our prayer partners. Arnold was down the street! He had driven two hours to check on us and see how he could help. This guy doesn't just pray; he acts!

It felt good to have Arnold here. He is an electrical engineer and can translate mechanic-ese for me. The fellows at the Car Shoppe pulled the cruise control unit and pronounced it dead. They couldn't repair it or replace it...but...they did have another idea. As I understand it, the speedometer line is connected to the cruise control unit which is connected to the transmission. They suggested we do a daring cruise control bypass.

The cruise control was removed and bagged (as a keepsake I suppose) and the line from the speedometer was connected to the transmission. The next step was to see if the patient would register speed and miles traveled. With a nervous flutter of the heart, I turned the ignition key, put the Yellow Submarine in gear and gently drove down the road. Twenty...twenty-five ...thirty... thirty-five...woo-HOO! We''ve got speed indication! Now did it also measure mileage?...six-tenths...seven-tenths...we've got contact, Houston! I've never been so happy watching a speedometer!

The next project was to get some one inch screws and fix the panel that we had duct taped yesterday. That done, we re-treated the carpet and decided to monitor the smell to make sure we had things handled. We filled our tanks with fresh water and tomorrow we begin the walk again. Instead of driving back to the rest area, we plan to begin from where we are right now...Independence, KS. It doesn't matter if the miles we walk are in a line, as long as they total 3300 when we are finished.

We're ready to go forward...again! Tulsa, here we come!