The Exodus from Indy

As we had planned, we arrived at the Escapees Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, AL on Wednesday afternoon.  We set up camp in sunny 67 degree weather.  That was great, but it’s getting ahead of the story. 

In order to get away from the predicted sub-0 temperatures moving into Indy, we finished packing up the trailer and got on the road at about 2:30 Sunday afternoon January 17.  I had led a worship service on Saturday evening and 2 more on Sunday morning, so I was tired but pumped up and excited to be on the road.  By the time we reached a Kentucky Welcome Center rest stop south of Louisville, I was ready to quit for the day. 

The temperature was barely double digit and the truck was showing an error code on the dash.  The furnace in the trailer worked for a while so it was warm while we had a nice hot supper and headed for bed.  However, due to some complex physics in the LP bottles, gas flow to the furnace ceased.  I got up at 2:30 a.m. with the temp in the trailer at 47 degrees.  I started our Big Buddy propane space heater and went back to the warmth of our bed.

The dogs got me up about 6:30 Monday morning for food and a walk.  It was single digit cold outside and we weren’t as far south as we were supposed to be in order to out-run the cold.  We got on the road as fast as we could, without coffee or breakfast. 

The truck insisted on showing the error code which had to do with a transmission temperature sensor.  Then the engine popped up an error code, too.  Darlene quickly Googled and found a Ford dealer just ahead in Elizabethtown, KY.  I called and was told they would at least try to discover the problem for us.  The nice folks at Bob Swope Ford even assured us they had a place for us to drop our trailer so the truck could be serviced.  With the trailer unhitched, the truck disappeared into the service bay and a courtesy van took us to a restaurant for breakfast.

When we got back, we set about making the trailer livable, but found that the furnace couldn’t keep up with the cold (Think physics of evaporation and cold temperatures. Never mind. It was cold in here).  After some on-line research, I learned about the physics I have mentioned before.  One remedy is to make sure the LP tanks are FULL.  I went to the office and told the nice lady about our plight.  She soon had a loaner car for us to use.  I loaded the LP tanks in the trunk, got them filled, and soon the trailer interior was pleasantly warn.  A great steak and margarita at a local restaurant put us in the mood for a sound night’s sleep. 

The truck transmission was diagnosed as needing some kind of internal wiring harness and a sensor. The engine required a fan clutch.  Since a part had to be delivered from somewhere, the repairs weren’t completed until about 4:00 on Tuesday. 

Since the weatherman was calling for freezing rain and snow in Elizabethtown, we got hooked up and on the road by 4:30.  We were determined to outrun the winter storm so we drove into the night and found a cozy Walmart parking lot on the north side of Birmingham, AL late Tuesday evening.

We started out with only one campground reservation, Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale, Al.  From Birmingham it was a pleasant & easy drive to arrive there in plenty of time to set up on a warm & sunny afternoon.  The plan is to sit here through the weekend, attend services at St. Paul Lutheran in Foley, AL on Sunday and then get back on the road Monday morning.