NL 23

April 12- April 20th '99

Chanute again

Folks,

Boy have we been busy! I'm about a month behind now and will catch up fast.  This trip has had its share of problems and great people!  Sheesh! 

If ya think you can get on the road and everything go smooth every time . . . think again!  LOL!

We left off as I pulled into Chanute and kissed the ground after running the 4-way stop.  The next morning (at O-dark thirty) I had to bring my fiver into the factory service dept.  They had told me that there was a chance that they couldn't get all the work done (the leak repair and the skin re-fastening) in the allotted time.  I had made a three-day appointment for the skin then added the leak repair two months before the appointment-they were already so booked they could only add two days to my appointment and were not going to guarantee they could fix all of it in the five days. 

At that point, I was feeling that we had come to the make-or-break point of being full timers.  We'd heard horror stories of rotten structures and $10k repair bills for just the kind of stuff we were going in for.  Well, I followed Bob in to the service area and Jack came out to back my rig in promptly at 0700.  Double D (the service foreman) told me that there was no way that he could tell me the price up front for the repairs. 

And I needed to add the repair to my non-working running lights!  

Jack and Kirk were assigned to work on my rig and I showed them the loose siding and front cap and where the floor was rotten.  They got right to work.

I have to say here that the guys at the HitchHiker Service dept. are something to see work.  They have all been there as a team for the last ten years.  Kirk started in HitchHiker Service after High School (eight to ten years before), and is the most junior of the group.  Lots of the folks coming in were there for warranty work but there were a few who were paying for their own maintenance on their rigs (like us!). 

I noticed that most of the customers were very friendly and shared a special camaraderie with other HitchHiker owners and us. 

There were a very few who were angry and sullen.  I soon discovered that they were usually the "newbies".  They had bought their first "new" rig and were upset that some factory adjustments were required.

I had to admire how polite the repair guys were to those very few who treated them like they were either part of the "blame" or beneath them in social status. 

I've got to question the logic of anyone who is rude or patronizing to the folks who were about to work on their rig!  LOL!  They are fortunate that these guys are top-notch technicians and take such personal pride in their work.  Every job gets their best professional attention, which is considerable!  They did tell me that the front cap edge trim was not what came on the trailer originally. 

Apparently, one of the previous two owners had a non-factory repair done that only exacerbated the front cap problem.

Once the guys had gotten all the info needed from me, I left and took Bogart (who was waiting in the truck for me) and we went to check in at the motel.  Bob and Gloria got a room two doors down from me.  Their trailer was in for major repairs too, under warranty, and they had already settled in. 

I was relieved to find that they did indeed allow fur kids (like Bogart) to stay there.  I did comment to the manager that I was a little surprised at how many stains were in the carpet.  He agreed and said that that was the next improvement they intended to make.  I just figured they had designated "pet rooms" to keep stains from "accidents" limited to a few rooms.  I did comment that Bogart was a well-behaved fur kid who almost never had accidents. 

Shar-Pei's are a particularly fastidious breed, that are housebroken by their mothers before they are weaned.  So I was confident we would have no problems.  Bogart had stayed in many hotels with us in Europe.

I was a wreck from the stress of the previous three days.  Bob and Gloria took me under their wing.  It was about nine AM and I was anxious to find out if our trailer was gonna cost more than it was currently worth, and if Lynn was doing well with her surgery that day. 

I got almost no sleep, and by three p.m. the next day, was beginning to worry.  My father in law had received no word from Lynn's Mom, who'd accompanied her to the hospital!  He expressed concern because he expected a call long before then! 

Well, Lynn finally got home at 5 PM and all was well.  We celebrated in our motel by ordering some Pizza.  I went to my room at about ten after walking Bogie, and collapsed into a deep sleep almost immediately.

At about 2:30 AM I woke up from a strange noise in the room.  It was Bogart!  Throwing up!  On the carpet!  I had missed the first two times I was so tired. 

Where was Lynn?  She usually took care of this kind of thing!  So I got my roll of paper towels and cleaned it up the best I could with Windex and water!!  Not the best cleaner for carpet, but all I had.  I stayed up with the pup for an hour to make sure he was OK.  He seemed to have settled down, and I got back to sleep. 

At 4:30 I was again woken by poor Bogie getting sick again.  I walked him again and he was also suffering from diarrhea!  Bogart doesn't do well without Lynn around either! 

I stayed up and he seemed to be feeling better.  He also had a rash!  And the bump behind his ear was getting inflamed.  He'd had a bout or two in the past with an upset stomach and it was usually gone in a day, so I walked him a lot and he looked to be getting over it.  He kept looking at me as if to say "bright idea Dad-traveling without Momma!"

I went back to the factory that afternoon to get my Resolve carpet cleaner, and to check on my repairs.  They had the slide removed and there was a two-foot by four-foot section of black rot all the way through the floor.  It didn't look good. 

My anxiety levels were exceeding my limits at this point.  I needed sleep, but most of all, I realized how much I depended on my significant harassment!  I guess it takes a separation to find out how much we take each other for granted.  LOL!  Never again!  It only took 48 hours for me to have bags under my eyes, a crazed look in them, and was shuffling along.  I called Lynn to see if she could get here before Friday.  Of course I never let on that I wasn't doing well without a woman's supervision!  Of course I'd deny that!  Lynn was doing her own recovery and I had handled the carpet and Bogie OK.  I'd catch up on my sleep and all would be fine!  Sure!

That night I woke to Bogie scratching, and in the dark told him to go to sleep.  That night a whole crew of transient construction workers pulled in and decided to party in the next room.  Of course every time they walked by my room, Bogie did his job and let me know by barking once or twice, every hour, all nightlong!  This was "No Lynn Night" four.

So it was now Wed. and I went back to check on the rig.  Of course, the way things were going, I expected the worst.  Jack had already replaced all the flooring and the new carpet was about to go in!  Kirk had finished re-attaching the front cap and it looked like a new rig!  He said they'd be done in the next day or two!  Accck!  A ray of sunshine!  He asked me to check back later to be sure. 

I went back to the room and had to pass on a visit with Lyle and M'Lee because I had to stay with Bogie to make sure he was OK.

I went back to the factory and they had already put in the carpet and it looked fantastic!  The skin was done and Kirk was working on the running lights already. 

It would all be finished under the appointment time! 

Then Kirk told me that he was having trouble finding the problem with the running lights.  Accck!  I went to talk to Double D and he said that electrical troubleshooting could take a lot of time!!!!!  I guess I looked pretty dejected. 

He asked me if I had done any work on the rig recently. 

I told him that I had replaced all the vinyl trim the week before leaving, and tightened up all the screws underneath.  He smiled and asked me if I had put any screws in any of the holes that were missing screws?  I told him that indeed the factory had missed a few holes and I had filled em with screws.  He then asked if the new screws were different from the original ones.  I told him that "yes, they were white and what difference would color make?"  He told me that the factory left screws out intentionally where there were wires behind the holes! 

It took a minute to sink in.  I said "you mean I screwed the wire???"  He smiled and said it appeared so.  I went and sat down dejected.  I caused that one!  Less than two minutes later Kirk came over and said to relax, he found it, and it was one of my screws that had shorted the running light wire.  I asked him what it would take to fix it?  He said it was already fixed!  He explained that I looked so depressed about putting a screw through the running light wire, that he'd better tell me it was fixed. 

They found it by removing my "added" new screws!  Whoa!  I might still come in under budget!  I asked if there was time to put in some of that new carpet in the hallway too.  He said sure!  

"Dad and Bogie without Mom" day five was looking good!

We were supposed to go to Lyle and M'Lee's for a steak dinner that night but after I got back from the factory Bogie had been scratching so much that he had cut himself!  I had to pass on the dinner invitation as he was getting worse again.  We spent the night and he was itching all over, scratching, and was miserable.  After dinner and a walk he calmed down and settled in.  Exhausted, I did too.

I got up at 9 and noticed blood on the carpet!  Bogart had blood all over his head!  Bogart had scratched so much that he was bleeding!  On the carpet! I called a few vets but they didn't sound enthusiastic about treating a Shar-Pei.  They are a unique breed in their health problems, and there are a lot of them that have bitten Vets. 

I finally got a referral to Dr. LaRue.  And he was only a quarter mile from my motel!  I am hesitant about new Vets as most dislike the breed, or don't understand them.  I was assured that Dr. LaRue was the best in the area. 

After examining Bogie he told me that the poor dog had some serious allergies and a big cyst on his ear.  He suggested that he treat Bogart with a shot and an antibiotic.  I asked him if he could also remove the cyst and he said sure, but it would require a day for the surgery. 

Just Great!  Now my wife, my rig, and my dog were all being fixed at once! 

I also had his nails clipped while he was under as he hates to have 'em clipped while he's awake.  So I stayed there until Bogart was totally relaxed by the "pre-op" shot.  The Doc said that he'd seen the itching and scratching in Shar-Peis before and that he had success in allergy treatment with the breed.  That was a first!  He said I'd have a "new dog" when I got him back, relaxed, and no scratching.  This I had to see!  He would have to spend the night after surgery, if he didn't recover completely from the anesthesia.

I went back to the factory and they were wrapping it all up.  It was only Thursday!  They said they might get it back to me that afternoon!  The difference inside and out was amazing.  It looked like a new rig!  Oh Boy Lynn was gonna love the carpet!  I went back to the Vet's to check on Bogie.  He was pretty woozy but all had gone well!  Hey!  Things were looking up!  I took him for a walk and he was drunk!  He wobbled and lost his balance several times, but was recovering fast.  The vet said to check back in a few hours and he may get to go home that day!

Back to the factory and the rig was finished!  It was structurally sound again, and was unrecognizable inside and out!  I got the bill and it was one-fifth what I had been expecting.  And they did a lot more work!  I drove the rig back to the park and went to see about Bogie.  The vet said that I could take him home! 

He would be a little woozy but he was fine!  Bogie positively howled when he saw me, demanding that I get him out of there.  I got his prescriptions and the Doc told me that I would have a new dog, with no scratching, or irritation, immediately.  He told me to start the anti-biotic the next day and to start the other ones in 15 days.  He also asked to have the stitches removed in two weeks. 

I got home and called Lynn to let her know all was well with her furkid, and she confirmed she'd be in the next day (Friday) at four PM.  She'd board the bus Thursday night at midnight, arriving the next day!  Life was looking up! 

Lynn's Dad and our oldest son would see her on the bus safely.  I couldn't wait for her to see the new carpet, and the front cap.

The Park in Chanute is great with water and electric at each site, and a dump station.  They have a nice heated shower and bathroom in the center of the park to save on filling up the gray water tanks while there. 

I used them last time and they were fine.  For three bucks a night and the first 48 hours free, it's a real deal.  Especially with its location in the middle of a park and golf course.  On Friday morning Bogie was asking to go out but since I'd be in the shower for only ten minutes, figured he could wait just that long. 

I had gotten my first good nights sleep in a week!  Life was good and Lynn would be in that afternoon.  I showered quickly and returned to the rig to find that . . . Bogie couldn't wait!  Poor pup had just had surgery and I made him wait ten minutes too long!  So he had relieved himself in the middle of . . . the new living room carpet!  Acccck! 

Lynn hadn't even seen it yet!  And it was my fault!  (Important note:  Bogie has never had but one accident in his whole previous life of 5 years!  This was all new)

I got out the paper towels (I was getting good at cleaning carpet by then!) and the Resolve.  He had held it so long that it took three rolls to get up the wet spot.  No matter what I did, there was still a yellow stain!  I got some shout stain remover - no luck!  Desperate, I went downtown and got directions to Richardson's Carpet Cleaning Service.  I explained the situation, and that my wife would be arriving in four hours!  Could they get a cleaner out to me before then?  He said he would have ‘em there in the next hour or so, and to go back and wait for ‘em.

The carpet cleaners, Mike and Kevin, pulled up at two and looked at my problem.  They set up and in less time than it took to hook up their equipment, the stain and my problem were gone!  I asked them what the charge would be, and they said that since it was such a quick job, and they were en-route to another job previously scheduled, there would be no charge! 

I asked them to at least take a few of my foreign coins to give to their kids, which they did.  Kevin turned out to be an officer of the local fire dept. as  well as the savior of my new carpet!  We talked for a few minutes and found we had a lot in common (both of us had served in the AF).  We have also been invited to visit Kevin and Glenda (his better and crazier half!) the next time we are in town.  I thanked them heartily and Kevin and I exchanged email addresses and websites. 

It was time I got ready to go meet Lynn at the bus station.  Bogart went with me to get "Momma" and the bus was a half-hour late.  The Bus Station is also a TV sales and repair shop.  Only in Chanute. 

So I spent the time talking with the owner about the good ol’ days of TV, when Red Skelton, Gleason, and William Bendix were the stars.  He's been there 40 years since the first TV broadcasts came to Chanute.  Now he does all his diagnostics by computer and is up on all the latest stuff!  He's been state of the art, since the beginning of the industry there.  Competence appears to be a given in Chanute.

The bus finally arrived and I looked for Lynn.  She was the last to get off, and boy did she look tired.  I guess so!  She'd been traveling on a bus twice as long as it takes to fly to Europe!  She gave me a hug and said "boy am I ever glad to see you!"  LOL!  I got her bag and Bogart went ballistic when she got in the truck. 

She asked how everything had gone, and I told her everything went fine.  "Well", she said, "I've had the worst trip of my life!"  "How did you and Bogie do by yourselves?" 

"Oh" I said, "We can take care of ourselves."  Later, Gloria told on us!  Sheesh!

dg

Next Newsletters:

Lynn and the bus

Chanute this time

The Stray Dog

New itinerary!  Grand Canyon first!

Oklahoma City and the storms

Run to Amarillo

Santa Rosa Blue hole!

Albuquerque a rest!

Sandia crest!

The rims, tires, and the dually valve stem extenders!

The Pueblos, and the Bandalier cliff dwellings

Los Alamos

The dealership and the rims

The winds

Oops turned 47!

Cinco de Mayo

Bob the trip planner and Balloon Pilot.

The new radio and antenna

On the road to Holbrook Arizona and the Petrified Forest

Dehydration!

On the road to Williams and the Grand Canyon.

At Grand Canyon

Railside Ranch RV Park

Las Vegas and Nellis Famcamp

Sam's Town

The strip

The rim and Jerry at Dodge

Almost a wreck!

Michelin Tires

Another rim!

Beaver And Dave's place

Salt lake city

Hill AFB Famcamp

The last rim?

Doyle and NTB

Antelope Island and eating Buffalo

Temple square and the tabernacle

Idaho falls

West Yellowstone Snow!