2021 Trip To Texas

[JEBar]

they are a nice, young (compared to us ) couple who are working hard to build their business .... he's a skilled mechanic and these days I see many Techs but very few mechanics .... we are having them over for a cookout on Saturday after they close their business

[JEBar]

we just returned from going out to eat at the local Cracker Barrel .... we had planned to do so for Valentines but tonight is the first time it has worked out ....happily, the truck performed well .... sure hope that continues .... while there my wife received a text from our campground saying that they are going to shut off the water at 9AM to repair pipes that burst during last week's subfreezing temp .... our water tank is full, we should be good to go

[BigAl52]

Good to hear all is well Jim. Hope you dont have anymore issues. I hate issues.

[JEBar]

I hate issues.

I couldn't agree more .... historically we spend considerable time and money in pre-trip maintenance and replacement of parts in which we don't have confidence .... I do have a tendency to not keep a close tab on parts that never give us trouble .... that's been the case with all 3 issues that have arisen on this trip, none of them would have raised concerns in when looking at them .... them being the OEM radiator cap, the OEM EGR cooler, and these Cable Operated Air Tank Drain Valves .... all three of these parts lasted 14 years .... sure hope the replacements make it that long .... another bit of positive news is we have found businesses in this area that we can trust to take care of our equipment

[BigAl52]

Im sure there is one but Ive not had anything on the truck that needs attention yet. But I know here there is a couple of RV repair people that frequent the park. There is also some people here that are very knowledgeable because they know Repair Vehicles well

[JEBar]

its a really good feeling to have such folks available when we are traveling

[JEBar]

another beautiful day on Lake Conroe under a cloudless sky .... with the water slated to be shut off at 9AM for them to repair water leaks, we drove over to Willis and on down to Conroe .... historically while in this are we usually grocery shop at the HEB in Conroe .... this morning we went there for the first time this trip .... its an old but very nice store .... their meats are excellent .... as with the other stores in this area they are still recovering from product losses caused by the recent long power outages .... on the way back we pumped 60 gallons of diesel into our truck .... that didn't fill its tanks but it did come close .... the last time we put any fuel into our truck was back on Jan 11th, our last days drive from home to Texas .... at $2.499 a gallon, that is the highest priced fuel we've purchased in many a moon .... we now have sufficient fuel to get to Granbury next week and my well not need more fuel until our first day's drive on our way home in March

[markiver54]

Enjoy your updates Jim.

[BigAl52]

Fuel has gone up about .45 a gallon since I have been here. I paid 2.00 a gallon when I last bought some at Sams in Corpus

[JEBar]

sadly there aren't any TA or Petro truck stops anywhere near us .... there is a Love's but its posted price is in the $3 dollar neighborhood and even with our program discount, we can buy cheaper fuel at other stations