Leaving Oklahoma

Leaving Oklahoma was not as easy as we thought it would be.  We were thinking it would be: make a couple of last minute checks, turn the key, start the engine, hook up the Jeep and go.  That’s not complicated, is it?

Wrong!  Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

We checked the tires.  They all had 100 psi of air in them.  Except the right side rear inside dual.  It didn’t move the air gauge a hair.  Not a smidge!!!  Was the tire really flat? It didn’t look it.  We got out the compressor and put some air in.  It read 120 psi!!!!  Yikes!!!  We needed to let air out.  Riding a long distance with one tire overinflated in extremely hot weather is a recipe for disaster.  But we couldn’t get it to let air out.  Or to even read on the guage again.  To fully appreciate this scenario, you have to picture both of us down on our hands and knees trying to get the stupid air guage onto the valve extender which barely peekz through a small hole in the outside rear tire.  Then laying on the ground, trying to reach around in between the tires, also with no success. We decided to go to a tire place and see if they could help.

Richard started the motorhome and the check engine light came on.  Grrrrrrr.   But it went off by itself once he put it in gear and started driving.  So, we got the Jeep hooked up and hit the road gently. It was just after 9 am.

About 20 miles down the road, we stopped at the BIG O tire shop in Mustang.  A very nice, scrawny young man crawled around on the ground next to our recalictrant rear tire.  He had to go through three air guages befor he got one that worked.  Then he got his skinny little arm in between the tires and got the valve stem extender off and managed to get an air guage on the tire.  We heard the satisfying hiss of escaping air.  He got the guage on it again and said we now had 100 psi in the tire!  YAY!!  He said “no charge” but we gave him a handsome tip for helping us out.

Finally, an hour after we pulled out of the RV park, we were on our way!!

Richard did the driving and the only problem he had was that the seat belt runs right across the pacemaker incision.  We put a pad over it so it wouldn’t get rubbed too much.

We are camped in Emporia, Kansas tonite.  Richard had wanted to get farther down the road today.  But all things considered, it’s not a bad day’s travel.