On The Road Again .....

 Oh what a night!!  I'm just full of song titles this morning.  The good news is I got my truck back.  YAY!!

First off ... this was a local shop, run by two guys I've known for years.  I asked around, and no one had a bad word to say about them, including me.  I did NOT know they had moved to this new shop, so I'm glad I was able to hook up with them again.

Here's the diagnosis.  My truck actually had three codes.  The first was the air sensor.  They replaced the air cleaner at my request with a Delco one, just to be sure that wasn't the problem.  After a lot of diagnosis, they also replaced the sensor.  Next up, there was a code saying the temperature wasn't where it should be.  It's a long story, but they had to replace two thermostats, add coolant and fix something else.  

Add to all that the ridiculous $17 an hour they have to pay their employees (thanks to the Federal and State  laws) who do nothing more than go for parts and drive people home if need be.  With that, you have to pay your mechanics really high wages and even more employee taxes.  That's the main reason it costs so much.  

The last code ended up being the EGR valve.  They took it apart and cleaned everything up, but it needs to be replaced.  They can't get the part for a week, so that one will have to wait.  When I get to Arizona, I'll check with my neighbor at his shop and see what his cost might be.  

So there you have it ... my truck is okay for now ... but could probably use a little TLC.

Let's get to BINGO!!  I arrived a little too late.  There was a glass of white zin waiting for me.  It's better to arrive early and get a coke.  Not wanting to offend anyone, I drank it ... WAY too fast.  Since I'm such a lightweight ... I could feel it right away.  The infernal machine knew it too and took advantage at every turn.

We opened ten minutes early to a big crowd of waitees ... who never wait where they are supposed to.  Right off the bat I put in "received" $60.00 and it came up on the machine as 6 cents.  That's not fixable and the Infernal Machine knew it!!  It did it over and over again.  

The Mini Me Infernal Machine followed suit.  I made one debit card transaction and it closed out the night.  What the heck?  You have to hit three buttons to do that ... and I didn't even touch it!!  It made for a lot more accounting at the end of the night.

We sailed right along with little mumbling from the peasants until the second game.  It was won by the same lady who won the first game.  Oh my goodness ... the pitchforks came out in a flash.  They get really mad if you win TWICE ... but THREE TIMES???  I thought they were going to trample her into the carpet when she yelled Bingo on the fourth game.

She knew it too ... she tried to push off the burning torches onto her daughter who was sitting next to her, but the people KNEW.  Sometimes it's good NOT to win Bingo.  The crowd was rowdy all night long after that.  There was some loud name calling and a little pushing and shoving, but no police had to be called.

All I could think about was all the packing I had to do.  In spite of my best efforts, the infernal machine was $200 off.  Ugh ... I'm ready for bed and I had to spend another 30 minutes getting it straightened out.  Operator error ... I told it I paid out that money twice.  

Home sweet home at last ... I celebrated with the rest of the container of ice cream that won't fit in my tiny RV freezer.  It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.  Note to self ... late night ice cream makes for some terrible nightmares.

So I'll be packing up this morning, hitching up and heading out.  Only going about 200 miles so Jonathan can get a little acclimated to his traveling cage.  It's probably going to take me a little longer than usual because I'm not going to push my truck OR my luck!!  I'm on the road again.