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Saturday, September 24, 2011
STATS
Departure: 6:50 am (yes, I really mean that early)
Breakfast: Mechanic’s Shed (very nice restaurant in Des Moines)
Lunch: Somewhere in the mid-west in the RV
Dinner: in the RV
Arrival: 4:00 pm CT, Interstate RV Park, Davenport, IA
Distance: 189 miles
Comments:
More interesting stuff has happened that makes my eyes spin in opposite directions, so I haven’t been doing the blog. So, let’s see if I can catch up.
We had to get up early to get to Graham Tire, a Goodyear dealership in Des Moines, so they could put six HUGE tires (do the math) on the rig. They close at noon on Saturdays, so we needed to get there to give them plenty of time to take our money. The people there were great, though, and helped us out a lot. If you ever need tires in Des Moines, stay home instead. (But I do recommend Graham Tire.)
After we left Graham Tires, we stopped for gas about three blocks away. On the way, I heard a very interesting sound coming from the tires, so I looked, and the mud flap mount (a piece of 1/16” steel, about 14” x 10”) behind the left rear tires (where the blowout occurred) was curled up and rubbing on the tires. After I filled the tank (takes about an hour and a half), I high-tailed it back to the tire store. They were able to bend the flap up, away from the tire, but it no longer provides any protection from rocks being thrown up and hitting the black-water holding tank, directly behind it. We now have to get a new mud flap installed. And, of course, no one is open in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. Must wait until Monday before I can pour more money into the money pit. Amazing.
I’ve decided that Molli didn’t have a hand (paw?) in the tire blow-out, but I’m still not sure about the fireflies.
I have no idea what happened the rest of the day. I think we continued on, because I woke up the next morning in Davenport.
- comments
Laura So, tell us what it costs to fill up the tank :-)
Leigh Ann Your entertaining commentary makes up for the lack of photos. One man's misfortune is the next man's entertainment. :-)
Rich You don't want to know what it costs to fill up the tank. I went yesterday to the local Chevron gas station in Garden Valley and filled the Subaru. So how much gas can a Suraru hold, considering that it gets 30 mpg? The answer is 20 gallons, and at $3.93/gal my almost empty tank cost $71 to fill. Next question. Why should gas up here cost $.40/gal more than the national average? Because it is the only gas station within 50 miles it can. Well, while filling up my tank a 35 foot "bouse" at the neighboring pump was filling up his tank. Ding, ding, ding,ding. That monster took 50 gallons of liquid gold, and his bill was almost $200. "How far will this tank take you?" I asked the fellow. "All the way to the Oregon Coast" (about 450 miles). Augh!!!