We have just started our cross country journey on June 7 and we left at 10 PM after my Knights of Columbus meeting. Our first stop was at the Spotlight 29 Casino about 30 minutes east of Palm Springs, California on the interstate 10 freeway. We just wanted to get ahead of the traffic and thought we could snag a cheap breakfast at the casino. They also allow you to park 24 hours in their parking lot for free. We opened up the Cafe at 6 AM and the meal was not exciting or cheap, but the service was fine and it nourished us for the beginning of the next 25 hours of driving over the next three days when we arrive at our first stop in Branson, Mo. When I went to pay for breakfast, I whipped out my credit card and when they asked for my ID I could not find it. Good way to start a 8000 mile trip with no drivers license. As it turned out, on Monday, June 5, I gave my license to a loan officer at the BBVA Bank where I was cashing out our CD's for the Knights of Columbus. He took my licence in the back room and returned with my two cashiers checks, but no license. I contacted the loan officer and had him mail it to me at the Post Office to General Delivery in Millington, Tenn. as I was afraid it would not arrive in Branson on time.
June 8 we spent in a Love's Truck Stop and it was quite noisy and we did not sleep very well. We were only on the road a few hours and I noticed what looked as a bay door on the passengers side flapping open. I pulled into the next rest area and checked out the situation. As it turned out, It was a fender panel which came loose, so with drill and rivet gun in hand I go to town fixing the problem only to find out that the fiberglass which is attached to the fender was broken off. I temporarily tied it up with a bungy cord until I have time to deal with it. Shortly after that incident we had a right inside rear tire blow in Amarillo Texas. AAA Auto Club let us sit on the freeway for 3 hours with no help, so I decided to call another company and they were there in 15 minutes. We were on the road in less than an hour as I did have a spare tire but it was not mounted on a rim. My tires were in great condition but were 8 years old as I purchased all new tires in January of 2010. Needless to say the next day we stopped in Oklahoma City and replaced 4 tires as I had replaced 2 tires in 2013. This set us back $2100 and another 3 hours. In three years I will replace those two tires as I don't wish to have this problem again. It was a horrendous noise and fortunately no other damage was done. June 9 we spent in a rest area 40 miles west of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We did arrive in Branson on our scheduled date but a little later than anticipated, just before 6PM. OK, I have had enough excitement for 3 days.
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