Our Great Alaskan Adventure: Trials and Tribbilations (Thank you Star Trek)

Yesterday we got off to a slow start. Woke up in plenty of time, but by the time we made last minute errands (returning our WiFi modem & the gate keys) it was after 1030 when we finally were able to pull out of Green Caye RV Resort where we'd lived the past 19 months. Saying good by to friends and family was the hardest part. According to our Garmin, we have 4
Travel through Houston always takes forever and we finally made it to Huntsville around 12:30. Things smoothed out and we were making pretty good time. We only traveled at 60mph to help save the tires in heat over 100*

Photo of Sam Houston in Huntsville, TX

We we unfortunate enough to hit Dallas at 4:1 5pm, just in time for rush hour (and construction adding to the mix) 90 minutes to go 30 miles? Unreal. Trudging right along, we finally made Ardmore Oklahoma around 7:30 pm and found a spot for the night.

A beer, and bed. WiFi was only spotty, so I couldn't blog, John couldn't surf, no cable (hey, what do you want for $23.00 mid summer?) Off to bed for a collapse.

Total mileage for the day: a poor 390. :-(

July 8...Got up at 6:30. Fixed us both a good breakfast to start the day off right. Wanted to make a few make more miles today than we did yesterday. The fates had other plans for us.

First, John disconnected the shore power while the dining room slide was still out. It should come in on battery, but no go. Got the power cable plugged into the truck, and it came in ok. Guess we will need to replace a battery sometime today. (I can see the $$$ starting to add up).

We hit the trail at 8:30, and at 9:25, fate stepped in. Blown tire on the right side. I felt the RV sway a bit, then "blub, blub, blub." you know the sound a flat makes right? DANG IT. Emergency flashers on and pull off onto the shoulder. (1 more mile to an exit & better safety).

The fender was torn loose and the skirting and undercarriage shredded. WOW! Thank goodness we have Roadside Assistance. The guy from T & W roadside assist got to us at 10:35. 63 minutes after the call. Tire was changed in a jiffy.

Being the pessimists that traveling with an RV has caused us to morph into, we decided to play it safe and replace all 4 tires. Found a dealer ( W&W in Wayne, OK) 4 tires our size and load range in stock for $120.00 each. Installed and on the way in 90 minutes or less. Also replaced the battery that failed us this morning. Total out of pocket $663.66 (I was right about the $$$)

Back on the road, but don't want to travel that far until we can effect some repair of the skirting before the wind catches it and rips it further. Travel is now down to 55 - 60 mph. All-Stays app doesn't list anything in our area (the heat & aggravation make you very tired), but the Good Sam Club app showed a campground just 39 miles further down the road.

Repairs didn't take that long. I beat and twisted the skirting into submission, drilled holes where it overlapped and installed nuts & bolts to hold it still. A can of rubber undercarriage spray (always keep a can handy for just such a problem) used judiciously on the shredded undercarriage should hold the water out unless we get a flood of near Biblical proportions. John mixed JB Weld and placed it into the holes where the fender screws go, fender back in place (luckily only a slight warp from the heat of the burning rubber) and it looks almost good as new. Opinions are welcome.