Just a note to all of you to let you know that I
finally made it back home safe and sound.
Though I must admit that there have been times in the last four days, when I wondered if I would! :rolleyes:
Let me take a few minutes to tell you about my adventures:
First off my time in Florida was just great! I got to see two wonderful Lighthouses that I had never seen before (Sanibel Island and Boca Grande)
both near Ft. Myers.
Then I spent three wonderful days with my Great-Uncle George and his wife Aunt Doris down in Winter Haven. There, I almost lost my dog "Foxie", for they fell in Love with her! Aunt Doris spoiled her rotten (as if she wasn't already!) and she followed Uncle George around like a little shadow.
Then that's when my troubles began.
After leaving Winter Haven I went back to my friends house (BonnieJean) in Brooksville and along the way I began to hear a slight noise in my front passenger wheel. At the time I didn't think much of it. I left her house late that night heading for Ocala where I was to pick my husband (Joe) up at the Greyhound Bus Station at 5am the next morning. The noise began to worsen, but again I didn't think too much of it, thinking it was just the road that I was on. After cat napping in the back seat of my van his bus arrived and we were off towards Cedar Keys Lighthouse. Well, we hardly got out of the Greyhound parking lot when that noise got really really bad! And it seemed like my wheel was locking up! Assuming that it was the brake caliper locking up (as it has done that before) we drove on with caution. When we arrived in the little town of Cedar Key (and I do mean little) there was one auto repair shop. But the guy said that he couldn't get to it until Tuesday or Wednesday (this was Friday morning).
We had lunch with some of the other FLA (Florida Lighthouse Ass.) members. And then the Wildlife Rangers took us all out to the island of Seahorse Key and the Cedar Keys Lighthouse, where we stayed for the next three days. It was great as always! This was Joe and I's third trip to stay at this lighthouse and we love it!
We do volunteer work there as tour guides, Joe does an exalent job on the Graveyard Tours! And everybody likes his cooking (we cook dinner for the FLA members that stay the night)! But all to soon Sunday evening rolled around and it was time to leave.
We loaded all our gear on the boat and headed back to the mainland and the town of Cedar Key. Once there Joe tried to look at the front wheel of my van and to see what he could do (now mind you that Joe is
NO Mechanic). First off we had no tools, not even a jack. So there was nothing that he could do. And we decided to go on hoping for the best. Now even worse than ever, I drove the next 30 or so miles doing about 15 mph running the emergence flashers all the way to the next town (Chiefland, FL).
This is another small town, yet larger than Cedar Key. Chiefland has a Wal Mart where we bought a jack. I parked under a street lamp and Joe jacked the van up to take a look. Well as soon as the weight of the vehicle was off the wheel we knew what the problem was. The Wheelbearings were gone !!!
Now I am supposed to be driving Joe back up to Atlanta, GA so that he could be at work the next morning. It didn't happen (not that night)! We hobbled over to a local Motel where we stayed till morning. Found a repair shop and they worked us in ASAP. They had to cut the spindle just to get the rotor off as the wheelbearings had gotten so hot that they had welded themselves (or rather the pieces) to the spindle. A small fortune later we are on our way.
Now just about the time I cross over the FL / GA State line I began to realize that I don't have any brakes.
But we keep going, and the brakes keep getting less and less. Now I have to ask, have you ever driven throu downtown Atlanta on I-75 in heavy traffic at night with no brakes? I did !
Believe me I talked to Jesus a lot that night, and he must have been right there with us all the way!
The next morning (yesterday) I found another shop that bleed the brake lines and said that that might do it. But if I had anymore problems that I should replace the master cylinder (I just did that last year). Well, low and behold not three miles away from the shop the brakes are gone again!
So here I'm stuck another night away form home. This morning I went back to that shop, I was there at 7:30am they don't open till 8: but I wanted to be the first person in line so that I could get back on the road toward south AL. Well they had both lifts tied up leftover from the day before. And although the mechanic was nice to me the service writher didn't even acknowal that I was there.
So by 8:45 still not being noticed, I got pissed and left.
Drove the 300 or so miles on in to Mobile in the rain most of the way with no brakes! (none at all)
Jesus sure is a good copilot.
Do you know anybody that would like to have a 1988 Dodge 250 Ram Conversion Van ?
I have one that I will
GIVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well that's all I have for now. I will try to post some pics tomarrow.
Stephanie Sue
