Thursday, June 28, 2007
Joe Btfsplk Alive and Kicking!
I knew that it was not wise to tempt fate, but I did anyway and lived to regret it. At least I am still alive as I write this. Remember that three-week camping trip I wrote about in that last blog? The trip started off with an ominous beginning. The cover for the propane tank that my wife had so diligently repaired just a few days before, blew off the storage tank shortly after we left the city limits and proceeded to self-destruct. We should have turned back then and there, but of course, our grandsons were already on the way.
The first real sign of that dark cloud hanging over our heads came as we prepared to leave Mesa Verde. The left tire on the tent trailer blew out. Now, being a far-sighted individual and having learned that Joe Btfsplk is never far behind when I travel, I had bought a second spare just to be on the safe side. Like a boy scout, I always come prepared when I suspect that Joe Btfsplk just might be lurking somewhere nearby. After stopping traffic on the narrow two-lane exit, I managed to back the trailer up and into a secure parking lot where I proceeded to try to change the tire. I had anticipated an easy procedure having changed quite a few flats in my life. To my dismay I discovered that I could not get the trailer high enough off the ground to change the tire. I took the two-by-fours that I had been using for chocks and inserted a couple under the jack. It worked and after about an hour and a half we were back on the road. However, I had wrenched my back in the exhaustive undertaking.
The second mishap occurred soon after we left Ft. Collins. We had a second blowout and now both of the original tires were shot to pieces. I maneuvered the trailer well off the interstate and into a grassy area where I proceeded to work my miracle. In less than ten minutes I had replaced the tire and eased the trailer back down. Thinking that we were about ready to go, I watched in disbelief as the spare gulped and went flat. That is not really a problem I thought. I went to the SUV and took out my trusty compressor. At least it used to be “trusty,” but not anymore. It had mysteriously died within the last 48 hours. We called AAA and after a long and arduous wait, they arrived and aired up the tire. We retreated back to Ft. Collins and after four stops at tire stores, we finally found one that had the right size in stock. We were now only six hours behind schedule.
I should also note that the computer had died a few days earlier. My back vibrator/heating pad that plugged into the cigarette lighter and had always been “trusty” had also given up the ghost. I have resolved never to put the “trusty” label on any of my acquisitions ever again.
We stopped off in Cortese, CO, to pick up a few items at the local Wal-Mart. We returned with our purchases to our vehicle and hit the road. That evening as we were setting up our tent trailer, we made a sickening discovery. Someone had sideswiped our trailer while we were in Wal-Mart. Judging by the long black mark that ran the length of the trailer on the driver’s side, it must have been a large pick-up. The next morning I washed the black mark off and discovered that there was only minor damage to the trailer.
We had camped in the Tetons and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. Everyone except me that is. The pimple had evolved on my back that was becoming increasingly excruciating as I walked. My wife looked at it and thought it might be a spider bite. Another friend looked at it and thought it might be infected. We sought medical help and were directed to the emergency room in Jackson, Wyoming. It was shingles. My back is still pretty painful, but it is improving.
Now don’t go feeling sorry for me just yet. In 2002 we visited Conway, New Hampshire. In May the next year, The Old Man of the Mountain lost his cool and fell off. In 2003 we visited Lake Tahoe. As noted in the last blog, we experienced some misfortune while we were at Fallen Leaf Lake. Yeap! You guessed it. The fire that is now raging at Lake Tahoe appears to have started somewhere near Fallen Leaf Lake. And last fall we left the Big Island just two weeks before the earthquake hit Kona. I am reviewing everywhere we went for the last four years and I am now thinking that maybe I should ask government officials in those areas to go ahead and seek disaster status. It seems that Joe Btfsplk is alive and kicking and hot on my trail.
