June 23, 2015
We are up early (did we sleep?) and ready to leave the noisy Flying J Truck Stop / Service Area and the clouds are getting dark. The weather did call for all day rain. We are going to try to beat it and travel 80 West from Milesburg, PA to Clearfield, PA. I just needed some Go-Go Juice and we can hit the road.
Now mind you I still have only one windshield wiper as I have yet to find anyone who carries the style and size I need. Glad I saw the mechanic install the wiper on the passenger's side as Kaiya doesn't need a new blade. And here comes the rain. And then Goliath starts to sway and we have to go 45-55 mph on a 70mph highway and then I noticed most trucks and semi's are going just as slow due to the wind and climbing the hills. A Chevy 454 just climbs hills like a train, slow and steady. And what is happening? My temp gauge is climbing and my engine battery is dying. Are you frikn' kidding me? Then it begins to pour and the engine is cooling down, thank goodness, but the battery is still dying and the house batteries are having a very hard time with the hills. We make it the 40 miles and Walmart is not at the end of the ramp and the sign is so small, up high on a hill and surrounded by trees that it took days before I ever saw it so I drove right by it and stopped at Swish Swash Laundromat and just in time as now it is a torrential downpour. We wait it out a couple of hours and then I toss the laundry in to be washed and went to Fox's Pizza Den. It is a hole in the wall but their pizza sure is good and I can not wait to go back.
www.foxspizza.com
While I was dining I heard a local lady state that all interstate traffic was being rerouted to 322 due to a semi that went down across the highway, not sure if cars were involved also. And then 2 cars collided and someone had to be scooped up. And then a semi went down along the passenger side guardrail. So I am happy that this was not only a planned stop but that Goliath was acting up and forced us off the highway.
After I dined I was chatting with a nice man (oddly we never exchanged names) across from Swish Swash and he told me to speak to the laundromat owner, Larry, and I could probably stay the night and Larry said it was fine, whew. The man also told me where to get Goliath checked. It ended up being a good day with a great night's rest until 3-4 am when the two trucks came to empty the two dumpsters beside us.
The next morn bright and early we head over to Bud's Electric in Clearfield, PA and I met Greg who is loaded with wealthy info about 454 engines, about time I met someone with true knowledge. The old timer, Bud, and his other son, Chris looked at Goliath and nearly keeled over as we would have never made it to the next exit because a wire harness was rubbing against the newly installed alternator and it was ready to go up in flames, omg! (wish I photoed it) Not only that but the wrong size belt was put on and put on incorrectly and that is why my battery was dying. The alternator pulley wasn't being pulled, ug. Take out the alternator and the wrong size pulley was installed on the alternator along with the wrong gauge wire and the wire was ready to fall off as it was never soldered on! I paid $300 on a $900 job for what ?!? and gave him expensive antique ram horn candlesticks for this! For Goliath to go up in flames and I have to try to think of a way to get Kaiya safely out of the rig with flames between us!
Similar to what was gifted but mine were much better
It took Bud and Chris 6 hours to rebuild the alternator, fix and heatproof the wire harness and install the proper belts and put them on properly. At least these guys are only $45 per hour instead of $85 like the 4-5 other shops I have dealt with and they guarantee their work. Greg also knew why I smelled gas all the time. The smog pump was removed. Some people believe you will save on gas mileage. I don't know if this is a fact or a myth. They are hard to find in PA as now they are a must have to pass inspection and I am working on finding one. They contacted one junk yard and they didn't have anything left. They were hoping to install it while the belts were off since the engine requires 3 belts with the smog pump instead of using 2 belts as I have been doing. So I dropped $300 at Bud's. My wallet is now hurting. A husband pulled into the lot with his wife and she hears me chatter about how it is $60 a night to stay at the state campground and how I have been going some 50 miles from shop to shop so she hollers at me to stay on their property 8 miles away.
Here is
Bud's Electric Services Inc
(814) 267-8091
Auto Electrical Service
https://plus.google.com/117037355041554999656/about?gl=us&hl=en
I dreaded the 8 mile drive to someone's home whom I don't even know when now I am just mentally, physically and wallet exhausted but I thought what the aye, may as well give it a try. So we put on the RV GPS and off we go up and down the hilly windy roads and wondering if I should have stopped for gas and food first but, like I said, I'm exhausted. Kaiya needed to rest also. So I give Chrissy a call to let her know we are on our way and she is oh so excited and supper will be ready when we arrive. So I just planted Goliath sideways across the driveway until instructed what to do and went into the house and we have vegetable stir-fry, now I am in heaven. Why? I have been a vegetarian for over 6 years and I was worried about the menu for the evening and didn't want to be impolite upon my new friends. We chat about this and that and we are all having a great time and Jesse receives a call from his son and Jesse runs to his house. What does he arrive back with? BBQ Ribs, omg, yes, I did, I ate them and they were GOOD!
I have SO much I must do. I better get going. I will finish this when I get back. Chrissy is hollering for me. It is past tea time.
Wild Deer Silver Plated Round Cufflinks
zazzle.com/CapeCodGiftShop
I want to thank MyNaturalFamily.com for the recipes
Here is the link:
http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/gluten-free/gluten-free-crock-pot-meals
Until Later,
Spirit and Kaiya
The Wandering Gypsies
Up the hill beside our rig. The creek is so tranquil
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
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