Getting It Right The Second Time.

Our Location today is McGregor, Ontario, Canada. 

The unexpected gift we both received had Kathy heading off to bed before 10:30 last night no longer able to keep her eyes open. Due to the nap I had yesterday afternoon it was past 11:30 when I finally used a sleep aid in hopes it would make me feel tired enough to sleep. It was only minutes before midnight when I quickly headed to bed. The next thing I knew the sun was shining through the skylight at 8:10 this morning which helped me start my day. 

Here I am repairing the damaged Airbag stem.

We were both feeling well rested and the intensity of the internal stomach pressure had diminished slightly. As usual when our plans for the day were discussed and how we’d accomplish them before moving to our computers. Not much time was spent checking our morning reading before we finished our inside chores. 

Checking that the airline fitting will work.

One of the things we talked about at breakfast was a change in our travel plans a bit so that meant that Kathy was back on the computer remapping the first leg of our trip. I made quite a few modifications on our previous trailer (the Avalanche) and some of it included some woodworking. My woodworking skills are not top notch and we both agree we need to have one of our kitchen cabinets slightly modified without affecting the décor of this trailer. Kathy was busy researching woodworking shops in the Goshen /Shipshewana, Indiana area that we were told that other RVers had used. afterwards she had to redirect our travels to get us back on course.  

Back at to finish the job.

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog after struggling most of the afternoon to install the hardest Airbag first I needed to remove it to find out why the airline would not connect. Once out in the sunlight it was easy to see the internal thread had been damaged by some kind of impact even though I removed a protective cap so it could be installed. If I’d tried returning it back to Vehicle Venture in Windsor, it could take more than a month to get the replacement. Having worked as a tradesman for well over forty years you learn a lot of tricks. I knew it would be a tedious time consuming job but I was up for it. It would take well over an hour and a half to file the entire top of the stem flat until the damaged threads were removed and making certain the airline fitting would work. I’d just finished that chore when Kathy called me for lunch. 

Had to do this side first.
The Airbag was put in place using mostly finger tips.
The Stainless Steel heat shield causing the reflection.

In a comment there was a question asked how I could work under the truck when feeling as sick as I described. The answer is that knowing how little time we have before we leave for the southwest can make you do things that would normally wait. Feeling only slightly better today I managed to get both the Airbags installed and air-tested within two hours which included a short visit from Kathy and our neighbour Larry. 

This was the easiest Airbag to install but if it
had been done first there wouldn't be enough
room to install the other Airbag.

To air-test the Airbags I plugged in the portable compressor that we carry to pump them up. I also adjusted the air pressure on the car tires but when it came to increasing the pressure on the truck tires our little machine just didn’t have the power. We’ll look at an alternative in the future but for now we won’t travel too far before going to a tire shop. I didn’t get a lot finished today but we are one step closer to being ready. 

Nice sunny day.

The temperature reached 75 F (24 C) this afternoon but the sun felt warmer. Even while Kathy was cooking supper she was feeling cold. We think that bug still has a bad hold on her. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

Words of Inspiration 

It takes two to speak the truth: one to speak, and another to hear. 

Henry David Thoreau, American Writer and Philosopher