It was nice to be home, in the confines of the camper, where everything you need is at your fingertips. No matter where you go, you sleep in your own bed. There’s a lot to be said for that.
On the drive back last night I sensed an issue with the truck. When leaving from a stop sign, the engine would rev and after a moment of pause, would harshly drop into gear. After three such occurrences the check engine light came on…..good times.
Thinking the salty breeze that had been passing over the truck for the last two and a half weeks I was praying that once I really got the truck warmed up, the issue would resolve itself……but I bucked my way all the way to the Toyota dealership in San Francisco. After some tests, it was determined that something was wrong with the solenoid switches that were related to the transmission. With fingers crossed I was hoping the switches needed replacement and I’d be on my way.
I was advised by the Toyota folks that If I wanted to get out of Dodge and on with my vacation I might be better off taking it to a transmission shop as ordering parts from Toyota might take days. I did just that and took it across the street to San Bruno Transmission. My first impression of this shop was how immaculate the place was. There was even an employee washing the cement floor under the lift bays with a mop. I’d never seen that in my life. The guy told me that he’d do some tests in it and get back to me the next day.
Before I dropped the truck off, I needed to remove the camper. I awkwardly left it in the street in front of the house where a friend lived. That was uncomfortable to say the least. I was waiting for the police to show up at any moment to tell me to get it off the street but so far it hasn’t happened. If I was asked to remove it, I have no idea how I would do it. My truck was at the shop.
Like a friend who learns that a loved one is sick, I got the phone call I dreaded. I needed a new transmission for............. $3000…….or a new truck. When the transmission pan was removed there were metal shavings attached to each magnet, making them look like tiny sea urchins. I took an hour or so to so some figuring. There was really no way I could afford to buy a new truck, either monetarily or time-wise. Even if I purchased a new truck, I’d have to kit it out with the equipment needed to haul the camper in its bed. I had to bit the bullet and have the transmission replaced. And It was going to take three days to do it. All I can say is……ouch, didn’t see that coming.
The bottom line is…. that life is for living, and things are just things. This would have happened whether I was here or at home. No one is sick, no one is hurt. It’s a rough thing to have happen, but you do your best, make the best, and carry on.
Wanna talk about making lemons into lemonade? Well that’s just what I did……
I’ve been on vacation for a month and a half now. I have eight fly rods in the camper, all my gear and have caught exactly zero fish on this trip. Aside from the three days bonefishing in Hawaii, I hadn’t even attempted to fish. I had the idea in the back of my head since before leaving home, maybe even long before that. With my truck in the shop I had nowhere to go and the finest fishing in the world just a three hour plane ride away, there was only one thing to do………..it was back to ALASKA!!!!!!!!!!
My plan was to go to Alaska for a week to be outdoors in the place I fell in love with last summer. I had all the fishing info and experience I needed to have a truly amazing week. I booked a flight for the day after tomorrow and planned to live cheap by renting a Ford Taurus Wagon to “live” in while I was there. Insane? Maybe……..but more insane to me would be to get home and think…why didn’t I go?
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