Oh my. If it's not one thing it's another. This morning as we were making our final departure preparations, there was a loud clunk! and then the trailer was decidedly off kilter. I ran outside to see what had happened. There was no screaming or cursing, which was concerning. I found Mike scratching his forehead and staring at the "landing gear," known to most people as a "jack." It had simply collapsed on the front right corner. (Sigh.) Mike was fine, but we were in a bit of a pickle because without the jack, we couldn't get the trailer hitched to the truck--or do much of anything else for that matter.
He decided to use the truck jack to jack the trailer up and we were able to get it hitched to the truck. "Now what?" became the question of the day. The part will have to be replaced obviously, but of course, this is Saturday. And it is Albuquerque, which, while big, is not exactly the kind of metropolis we need to get the part for making this repair. After several phone calls we decided to order the part ourselves, which is what any parts distributor will have to do. Now we'll have to wait until Monday for it to ship. It won't arrive any earlier than Tuesday, and so we are stuck here until Wednesday. (I just had such a strong hit of deja vu!)
Honestly, we've never had so many problems on a trip before. Fortunately, no one has been hurt. The worst of our problems have been the delays we've experienced. Now, I'll be the first to say that Albuquerque is no Witchita Falls. There is plenty to do here. There are at least five quilt shops. There is the Petroglyphs National Monument, and there are plenty of other artsy fartsy things to do in keeping with the Albuquerque vibe.
(I forgot to mention that I lived in Albuquerque when I was four years old. Don't even ask me how long ago that was. My mother, a serious asthmatic, couldn't take the wind and the dust here, and so for the one and only time during my father's 32-year career in the Marine Corps, he requested a transfer for medical reasons. We moved on to North Carolina from here.)
So, there's plenty to do here. The problem is that I don't know yet if we can unhitch, or if the truck is permanently attached to the trailer until we get the part and make the repair. This will require more in-depth investigation by the resident mechanic (Mike, if you're wondering). On a positive note, the wind has died down. If we can unhitch, we might actually have some fun. Only time will tell.
He decided to use the truck jack to jack the trailer up and we were able to get it hitched to the truck. "Now what?" became the question of the day. The part will have to be replaced obviously, but of course, this is Saturday. And it is Albuquerque, which, while big, is not exactly the kind of metropolis we need to get the part for making this repair. After several phone calls we decided to order the part ourselves, which is what any parts distributor will have to do. Now we'll have to wait until Monday for it to ship. It won't arrive any earlier than Tuesday, and so we are stuck here until Wednesday. (I just had such a strong hit of deja vu!)
Honestly, we've never had so many problems on a trip before. Fortunately, no one has been hurt. The worst of our problems have been the delays we've experienced. Now, I'll be the first to say that Albuquerque is no Witchita Falls. There is plenty to do here. There are at least five quilt shops. There is the Petroglyphs National Monument, and there are plenty of other artsy fartsy things to do in keeping with the Albuquerque vibe.
(I forgot to mention that I lived in Albuquerque when I was four years old. Don't even ask me how long ago that was. My mother, a serious asthmatic, couldn't take the wind and the dust here, and so for the one and only time during my father's 32-year career in the Marine Corps, he requested a transfer for medical reasons. We moved on to North Carolina from here.)
So, there's plenty to do here. The problem is that I don't know yet if we can unhitch, or if the truck is permanently attached to the trailer until we get the part and make the repair. This will require more in-depth investigation by the resident mechanic (Mike, if you're wondering). On a positive note, the wind has died down. If we can unhitch, we might actually have some fun. Only time will tell.
3 comments:
At least you can look on the bright side. Hope it all comes together for you.
Well now you get to check out the other quilt shops... it's fate :)
(Well, as long as you can drive the truck I guess)
Well, if you've got to be stuck someplace, Albequerque isn't too bad :-)
Post a Comment