APR 23, 22 .. THE SAGA CONTINUES ..

I just went-back-in-time and re-titled our last Post.

It originally was : APR 21, 22 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH

It now reads :        APR 21, 22 .. WE’RE HOME .. THE SAGA BEGINS

I then define saga : a long story of heroic achievement

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Saturday the 23rd of April (Today, Now)

To begin with, I have to believe that some of you following along here actually care and are interested in our doings. So to honor that interest, I have to continue with what I began in my last Post, dated APR 21, 22, that has turned out to be : The Saga Of Getting Our Truck out of storage while we were down in Arizona some four and one half months.

The last three days, Wednesday the 20th, Thursday the 21st, and Friday the 22nd, have turned out to be among some of the more challenging days, possibly amongst the top 20, of my life, both emotionally and oddly physically as well.

Here, in real time, it is early (3am) in the morning of Saturday the 23rd of April. Last night I was so totally spent and exhausted that, before beginning this Post, I lay down to take a short nap, and slept-like-the-dead for over five hours.

To cut-to-the-quick, I now know (what I did NOT know last Wednesday the 20th when I tried to get our truck running) our truck was vandalized while in storage. Gasoline thieves (the latest in criminal activities) punctured our gas tank and drained out all of the gasoline. This was no easy task because, to do this, they had to pierce a factory installed skid plate under the gas tank.

Wednesday the 20th of April

Late in the afternoon I went to pick up our truck from where it is stored when we are away for a prolonged period of time. It did not go well. The engine turned over (so the batteries are just fine) but it would not start. After at least a full hour and a half of trying to get some gasoline into it, I will not go into the details, I called it quits and went home to watch the televison show Survivor with Patti. 

Thursday the 21st of April

To get back over the the storage facility where our truck was located, I opted to walk. YES I could have (maybe I should have) called someone for a ride but opted not to do so. So out and off I went, intending to walk a specific route, along a local hiking and bicycling trail, BUT I encountered some snow that made that plan (basically) impossible.

So I was forced to opt to take a dry pavement route.

I then walked about a mile stopping at a local bus stop where I sat down to rest. Well, lo-and-behold a bus appeared, and I hopped on (a good decision) and saved myself another mile or so of walking. 

I was now at our truck. The windows were absolutely filthy and I opted to clean them.

In the below photo, if you look closely, to the right is the clean area and to the left the yet-to-be-cleaned area of the windshield.

Below is a closeup look at the left area above. It was really dirty.

Looking out, from inside our truck, through the dirty area.

Looking out after cleaning the above area.

Voila !! A very clean windshield.

Now to the next project. The 5 gallon gasoline jug was in the back of our truck. It was very heavy (estimate 30 pounds) at least for me.

On the pavement immediately behind our truck was a small glacier of ice. To get the gas jug meant I had to traverse this (potentially) slippery and dangerous glacier. So I did my best to remove some of the glacier and, in so doing, actually made it much safer for me to get the gas jug out. At this point in life, I don’t need to take another fall !!

In the next photo below, at the top left, please notice the clean rear door windows. They too were absolutely filthy.

Voila !! It was now Much MUCH safer to traverse this area lugging the gasoline jug.

A last and final look at the glacier.

Just (all the walking) getting myself over to the truck, cleaning the windows, chopping away at the mini-glacier, I was getting tired !!

Now to the project of getting gasoline into our truck. Yesterday I could not get gasoline into the gas tank because of the safety features in the design of the 5 gallon gasoline jug. 

First keep in mind that it is heavy (30 pounds when full of gasoline) and bulky and awkward to handle. Then, to get gasoline to pour out, one must do several things at the same time, press a venting device then a second device to allow the gasoline to flow out. 

Then, to make matters even worse, even with the gasoline nozzle off the jug, it simply would NOT fit into the truck’s gasoline filler port. 

The nozzle would NOT go into the filler port to press down the flap at the top of the fuel line into the gas tank.

So? I had to use my own small funnel that would depress the flap you see below.

So, I first poured gasoline into a one gallon Clorox bottle. Then, using my small funnel inserted into the filler port, I would empty the Clorox bottle full of gasoline (much smaller and far easier to handle than the large 5 gallon jug!!) into the funnel.

A Job ?? You betcha Red Ryder !!

When I finished (it took all of 1/2 hour to do the gasoline project) I could see the truck’s fuel gauge had actually moved (slightly) so I knew it had enough gasoline to start. And ?? It fired right up !! And off we went home to our Condo. Our truck, Patti and I were thrilled to have it home.

And ?? I went to my Men’s, Thursday Night Stag Meeting. And ?? After the meeting, walking outside, several members said, “Cap ! Your truck is leaking gasoline all over the pavement !!” And ?? It sure was !! I knew, first thing in the morning, I would have to get our truck to our local service center, one we’ve been using for 25 or so years.

I went home and collapsed into bed after visiting with Patti.

We are now at ..

Friday April the 22nd

This will be quick. I was at our service center at 7am. They open at 7:30am. Along with about ten others we waited for them to open their doors. I was first in. They (we are almost family !!) said I would be taken care of. At 10am I got the bad news. I was the victim of a gasoline theft crime. The fuel tank was punctured and would have to be replaced. No other option. They had to get a fuel tank. Off I went, walking to the Dimond Transit Center. Two buses and 45 minutes later I was home. I ate a very late breakfast and got the call at 3:30pm. An absolute MIRACLE had accurred !! The new gasoline tank was installed. Two more bus rides (afternoon schedule) and over an hour later I was at our service center. Eight hundred and thrity one dollars ($831) I was back in business. The thief got probably 2 or 3 gallons of gasoline and it cost me $831 ..

It’s 6:30am Saturday morning. Yes !! Yes indeed !! What just took you a few minutes to scan over took me over three hours to put together.

Gullible can YOU relate to that?

Over and Out ..

Cap and Patti

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