Give me a Break (or Brake!)

            Dateline: Roanoke, Virginia, in the parking lot of the Excel Truck Group, 3:05 AM     

I feel like I’m writing a Serial Piece as this will seem to be just a continuation of yesterday. Here goes:

                        “When we last left our Wayfaring Wanderers, they were trying to escape the grip of Mother Nature who was really pissed off because someone had left the freezer door open all night! This setting not only affected our heroes’ batteries but there was even more mayhem afoot as we check in on them today…. “

When using the term “On the Hook” in an idiomatic way, it usually refers to being responsible for something, especially something financial and/or being caught in a vulnerable / tense / dangerous situation.

                        In our lucky case we hit the Trifecta of Definitions because we are able to add a THIRD definition to this phrase using it as we transfer to a literal meaning …… you guessed it!

                                    Being ‘Towed” from the side of road! (Plus, in this case we get to retain the two previous definitions too, because this turned into a definitely tense/dangerous, and financially disruptive situation!)

                        And you thought that yesterday’s Post about Frosty Windshields was of questionable genesistical reporting!

            Scenario: Cold (very, as previously reported)….. this adverse condition had yet another victim waiting in the long shadows of a wintery day’s early morning hours …… our Brakes.

            “Ah, com’on Donny, we all drive around all day long in cold weather and we never have any ‘brake’ issues! They work just fine!”

            Well, that may be fine for you Mr. ‘Stopping Systems R’ Us’, but we use “Air Brakes” not the brake fluid type that you all use. This means that periodically moisture enters the system in the form of condensation, and we now understand what happens to said condensation when it encounters some really low temps!

                                    It freezes!

                                    And what do you think may be the bane of an ‘Air Brake’ system? Yup! Clogged (with ice) air lines and/or components of that system.

                                    “Well Donny, did you slam into the rear of that 18-wheeler in front of you? Or careen off of the side of the Interstate in one of those long, crazy turns in Virginia?

                        Sorry to disappoint you Mr. ‘Looking on the Bright Side’…. fortunately, we were able to discover this current malady before we ended up in the local papers.

                        As you may imagine, there are some gauges on the dash that monitor this brake system. We usually have well over 100 psi in the system. I noticed yesterday that we were lower, down around 75 or so. Being the worry-wort that I am, (you know, the guy hurtling down the road with the 28,000-pound rolling brick and a little car tagging along behind it) I called my “All Things Truck Related” Life-Line…. he is a former Over the Road Tractor-Trailer Driver, neighbor and all-around good guy with a very nice name…… Don (!)

                        He obviously always has good, solid advice for us.

                        He did not sound encouraging.

                        He told us that if that pressure drops to around 60 psi, then the brakes will automatically lock up and bring us to a (literal) screeching halt. Because….. that’s better than letting any more air escape to the point where you (us!) actually have ZERO stopping power and the Fred Flintstone maneuver just isn’t enough to bring us safely to the side of the road.

                        So, before we did any of the previously mentioned negativity we pulled over on the shoulder of I-81, just south of Roanoke, Virginia. A flurry of phone calls ensued…. first to Don, then to my guy Corbin up at Campbell’s in Lafayette (our repair facility) then to Andrew at the local Roanoke Freightliner fixers, and finally to the guy at Brown’s Towing who dispatched Ethan in one of those giant “Ice Road Truckers” trucks to save us. All of these guys were a pleasure to deal with, especially Ethan who needed to crawl under our motorhome, take apart the driveshaft and remove some other pieces of equipment that had the possibility of getting mushed when we were put ‘on the hook’.

                        Just an aside here: You will have tons more consideration for the broken-down vehicle on the side of a highway after you endure the whoooosh of the passing trucks and cars yourself! We always try to move over a lane when we see someone on the side of the road. You will notice all truck drivers do because they have experienced this at least once in their careers and it’s not fun. In fact, it’s downright uncomfortable! Never mind the safety factor! Unless of course, the traffic is considerable and there is no time/room to make that move over one lane then it’s just ‘hold on tight’!            

                                    That was our case yesterday. Unfortunately, soon after we pulled over, someone behind us opened the floodgates and poured so much additional traffic onto the highway that it was impossible for anyone to make their “Courtesy Move-Over” without putting their neighbor into the concrete median. So ‘rock on!’ was our mantra until Ethan hooked us up and extricated us from that situation. We followed our Home on Wheels as it was towed away and stopped when it was deposited at the Freightliner fixer, Excel Truck Group.

                        Now the third part of our Trifecta comes into play….. the financial one! We all know that dispatching a tow truck is a rather expensive deal. How about dispatching the giant ‘truck-that-can-tow-another-truck’ truck? Yea…. add some more to that estimate! It’s $450.00 per hour, three-hour minimum. Oh well, at least we are now safe in the parking lot of Excel Truck Group where they let us spend the night. They were closing up when we arrived, so we’re on the docket for this morning, but there are a few customers in front of us.

                        Stay tuned for the further adventures of Paula and Don in their continuing saga of Highways to Hell (and back)!

                        Hmm…. I wonder if I can get a credit for Overnight Parking Lot Surveillance because I haven’t slept a wink. Nah…. probably not, I should be thankful that they didn’t charge us for an over-night stay!

P.S.  As I write this, that Battery System is giving me fits, I’m glad(?) that I’m awake to monitor the issue. If it turns out to be any more calamitous than just batteries (like a new Inverter!) you will be able to hear our collective screams from the comfort of your own homes, wherever you may be!