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I would tell you what time it is but my last conversation with Denny a few hours ago, confused me so much that I haven’t the foggiest idea what time it is at this very moment. Denny tried to explain to me that Phoenix doesn’t use daylight savings time and we are changing time zones somewhere soon. And it’s the annual “Fall Back” time change day tonight. Somehow that equates the time . . . Oh forget it.

Thanks Denny.

Let’s just say that we just realized it was dark and we are crossing Benson, Arizona. You figure out what time it is.

We didn’t leave Greg and Lori’s house in Phoenix until around 2:30p. Greg wasn’t there when we left. He actually flew to Colorado last night, but I couldn’t tell you that. It was a surprise for his mom and siblings (who also flew in to surprise mom). That’s why we were trying to get to his house by Thursday. We were a day late and only had a few hours with Greg before he had to leave for the airport. But, after that we had his beautiful wife, Lori, all to ourselves. Except when Dan’s cousin, Sheri, and her husband, Lyle and his daughter came for dinner. Dan and Sheri hadn’t seen each other in over ten years. I hadn’t seen Sheri in, ah let’s see. . . 41 years! First time’s a charm!

Lori made chili and Sheri brought pizza. We pigged and prattled and enjoyed the company. And Lyle manages an RV repair shop! Between the hands on help and advance advice on engine repair from Greg before he left (Greg is a mechanic at heart) and the RV repair shop advice from Lyle, Dan had a list of fixes to work on. According to Lyle, this old beast has been altered and adjusted and rigged and jimmied. Evidently, there are circuit boards running circuit boards that were never included in the factory schematics. There are add-ons and switches-outs that I can’t even begin to understand. And corrosion. You know how I keep telling you that we are running on a wing and a prayer? Turns out that we are running on a wing and a prayer and rust and duct tape. (Or is that Duck tape for the Duck Mobile?)

Keep praying! Please Don’t stop!

While Dan was completing his list of fixes, the kids and I went with Lori to the community pool! Aren’t we terrible? No really, we did it for Dan. Ya! This way we weren’t complaining about how long it was taking him to get us back on the road. It was the least we could do for him. We love him so much, you see.

I hadn’t been in a swimming pool in . . . I can’t tell you how long. I wrapped a floating noodle around me and hung my battered and broken body in the deep end. I could have stayed there forever. Lori and I talked while the kids frolicked (I like that word, don’t you?). They decided that they could adjust to life that included blue skies and warm pools. Fancy that.

By the time we were wrinkled out of the pool and made it back to the house, Dan had done all he could do. Lori treated us to lunch and we hugged our goodbyes.

And we drove on.

Somewhere (I can’t remember where it was) we stopped, again, for gas. (Seems to be our favorite pastime these days.) Just as we were ready to pull away, a fella in a Uhaul truck clipped our back corner.

“Hey! STOP!”
“What? Why?”
“You hit the motorhome!”

Enough people heard it and were watching that he had no choice but to pull over. The only damage that we could legitimately assign to him (there is so much other damage, we could hardly claim he caused the delamination and dents! Lol) was a small broken red light cover on the side corner. We told him that if he went inside the store and bought some red reflector tape we would call it OK. He got off with $1.79 plus whatever the tax is in Arizona. Not bad. We just couldn’t take the time to make a fuss. (Watch that cover be like $40 to replace!)

We drove on.

It’s the driving on now that is troubling us. Once we had to turn on the headlights, adding them to the TV, the batteries stopped charging again. And we can tell that the lights are dimmer than they should be. (And they are new, remember.) Greg tested the alternator before he left for Colorado and it was putting out the right whatever it is supposed to do. Lyle made suggestions to improve the charge and Dan followed his directions. The problem seems to worsen after the headlights are turned on. (Anyone have the answer, please send us an email!!!) For the rest of the trip, we will have to drive sun up to sun down.

And (a lot of “And‘s“, I know) the transmission is slipping into overdrive more and more frequently. Going up a hill. Or accelerating too fast. Or decelerating too fast. By the time we get to Florida, this motorhome will either be running like a top or be ready for a shove off a small cliff. (oh, no cliffs in Florida . . . How about a long push off a short pier.)

Joy ride.

And Anita says, “Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet?”

Wing and a prayer, sissypoo. We’re coming.

We just passed the New Mexico state line. Little by Little. Mile by Mile. Day by Day. We’re on our way.

Looks like we are going to make our goal of Lordsburg, New Mexico tonight. We called ahead this time to make sure no new old guy at a gate would send us away. Besides it’s a KOA we are headed to and we HAVE a card for this joint! Membership has it’s privileges. No one can turn us away!

When we get there, I’ll let you know what time it really is.

“Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care. . .?”

PS: When we pulled into the KOA the office was already closed. There was another guy doing the after hours check in. Dan asked him if it was a quarter to eight, or a quarter to nine.

“Ya, one of those. I’m from California.”

Fancy That.

And tomorrow we’ll drive on again.