Road Trip 10/26/12

Road Trip

Adopting the philosophy of indecision as the key to flexibility turned out to be the theme of this road trip. By two on Friday I decided to pack, by four I was on the road. An oil change, tire pressure check, a desperate need for a new cruise control module for the suburban, all forgone in the interest of moving ahead. A short stop at the wife’s workplace to let her know I was on my way out of town for a week or two, ended with observing a green puddle beneath the ‘Burb and the distinctive odor of antifreeze. The immensely valuable tried and true “close visual inspection” yielded an empty radiator but no discernible leak. A leftover cooler full of water bottles and Gatorade from the last sailboat race provide initial fluid replacement for the hydro-free cooling system. A trip to the restroom with four empty half liter bottles provided a second gallon, and I convinced myself that would get me to somewhere with a hose. (Writing it made me realize that two quarts is only half a gallon.) Oh well, it is only a block to the store/station. The air/water dispenser at the Citgo at the corner of I-4 and Lee Road will take your dollars worth of quarters. It will not apply any water to the water hose, and my tires were not the issue. Two gallons of cold water for an additional five bucks did fill the radiator, temporarily. I hoped it would get me home. It lasted four miles. During that four miles I called my buddy Foster in Atlanta and told him I had intended to surprise him but I was having radiator issues, as my favorite mechanical person, he understood and offered a couple of suggestions. As I veered onto the exit ramp for SR 436, I noted the rising temperature gauge. How convenient for the Mobil Lube and Brake Center that I had intended to stop at earlier in the day to be located at that precise location. I pulled in under a cloud of steam. The first attendant said “you are not looking for an oil change are you?” He was very astute, so astute in fact he directed me to a different parking place while he went to find the other mechanic/attendant. Under the hood, steam was rising from the passenger side exhaust manifold, and Astute One said, “oh no, looks like it is coming right out of the head.” Astute Two was more methodical, he checked the oil dipstick and I was grateful to not be embarrassed by an obvious lack of lubrication, and it was still relatively clean. Most importantly, it was not milky, the way it might have been, if the head or head gasket was the issue. Next he opened the oil filler cap and it was clean. I was proud. By this time Astute One had returned from inside the station with a radiator filler container, old school, several gallons, with the long curved neck. Radiator was empty and cool, not good, but it made opening the pressurized cap less eventful than it might have been otherwise. He poured, and poured, and poured some more. The water started pouring out onto the ground from the short heater hose next to the firewall. The manager had arrived by now, looking at his watch, as Astute Brothers questioned whether or not they had the right hose. “Can you fix it?” says I. “Yeah” says Astute Two. “Better hurry,” says the manager as he looked at his watch again. While the mechanic found the right hose the manager said “I am not gonna charge you for eight inches of heater hose. You got cash?” I nodded. ”Tip the kid”, says he. I made sure the tip was enough to be remembered and shortly thereafter I was on the road again. My plan included a stop at the Forrest’s, Andy and Diane, because I had acquired a copy of John McLaughlin’s newest CD, and few of my friends appreciate McLaughlin jazz like Andy and Diane. Secondly I hoped to catch Fisk Hayden to deliver a Harken wire bullet block and net some cash. Both of those parts of the plan were successful. Next phase included a trip to Gainesville to see Thor, my older son. Pleasant news on several fronts there. Promoted, certified, clarified, and organized, who knew? We talked until early, and I went on down the road. The motel where I landed was overpriced at $29.95, although they did have a mattress and running water.