We are on our way!!

Just before we left, on Saturday, we took our last load to storage.  When we left (we were in the truck), all of a sudden there was a burning smell and we realized it was coming from the steering column.  We pulled over but there was no fire, no problem that we could find.  When we got home we realized it was the wire that controlled the turn signals and brake lights.  We didn't have the time to fix it so we left on Sunday anyway.  I followed Scott (he drove the truck and the big trailer, I was in the car and little trailer) and I was his brake lights, his turn signals, and I was also his mirrors because he had a hard time seeing around the trailer. 

Day 1 - Easter Sunday (4/20/14)

We just stopped for the night in Urbana, IL at the Super 8 motel.  The cats did AMAZING in the car.  Tiger sat on my lap the whole time and the rest did really well in their cages.  They 'talked' to me and cried with me for the first hour on the road.  We did have one minor hiccup  - when we stopped for gas about 13 miles ago, his truck died on him as soon as we pulled in the gas station.  Realized it was running hotter than normal because of pulling the trailer.  We let it cool down for an hour, then when he was starting it the float to the carb was sticking causing the gas to pour into it.  After another hour of trying to fix it he called his uncle Clay and Scott just banged like 15 times on something and that did the trick!!  Otherwise we are doing great! My car seems to be getting about 25-28 mpg but Scott's truck is about 7-8!  Guess it evens out right?  The trailer is pulling really well, just have to watch for speeding semi trucks that pass by.  My car/trailer was perfect, no issues with either and the trailer is pulling beautifully.  We may stop to get a pin for the hitch that is slightly bigger than the one we have because it is 'roomy' in the hole.  We only stopped 2 times to get gas and now at the hotel.  We left at ~11:15am.  We snuck the cats into the hotel and they are doing great! Took a while for them to 'chill out' but now they are playing and princess is in the window.  We are going to be starting the day early tomorrow so we can drive when it is a bit cooler out for the trucks sake. 

 

Above - Scott is trying to figure out what is wrong with the truck.

 

 

Above - I'm sorry! I just had to do it!! His butt shot for today:)  And since he's a tad vertically challenged he stands on the bumper to get to the carburetor.

 



 

Above, Tiger is hiding on the floor of the passenger seat.  He does this when we come to a stop and I have to get out of the car.  Otherwise he stays on my lap the whole time.

 

 

Above - Tuffy is in his cage.  Princess is in there too, but she is under the blanket.  He was half asleep here.

 

Above - Buddy in his cage definitely asleep!!

 

 

We had read that you can give them medicine to make them drowsy for the trip, but heard there could be bad side effects.  So we didn't do this.  Instead, Scott read that having catnip, lavender or honeysuckle in with them helps keep them calm.  I think it worked!!

 



Day 2 - Monday 4/21/14

We left the hotel in IL about 8am (IL time) or 9am (OH time).  We stopped to get gas and Scott's truck did the same thing again with the carburetor.  So he did what he was told and it fixed it!  We had no other problems with either vehicles or trailers today.  We drove till about 7pm (OH time) and let me tell you it was a LONG day!!  We only go about 50-55mph so we end up getting passed the whole time. The towing capability of the truck does not get to the necessary RPM range at slower speeds.  So twice, Scott had to put the truck in passing gear to make it up a few hills and maintain speed.  We stopped at a gas station after this and he adjusted the vacuum canister half a turn clockwise to advance timing.  Now the truck pulls up the hills without even having to push more on the gas pedal.  Basically it pulls up the hills very easily now.

The reason we are going 50-55mph isn't because the vehicles won't do it, but because of the gas mileage trade-off.  At this speed range, Scott is getting nearly 9 mpg (that sucks I know) but I'm getting 25+ easily!!  But if we go 60 mph or more, it cuts his truck nearly in half or more for mpg and my car gets about 18 mpg.  So, we sacrifice a little time but get better gas mileage and we're being safe too.

Funny thing - Since I'm following Scott and I keep at least one semi truck distance between us, it is so funny to watch the cars that are in such a hurry and think if they get around me they can pass faster.  But then they find out Scott is going slow too.  HAHA!!  I will say that driving the trailer is a pain in the rear when you need to get over.  I feel for semi trucks because no one wanted to let us over unless we literally had to make them get out of our way.

This was a really long day for the cats, but they did fantastic!! Tiger, my trusty side-kick, was great!!  He really hates semi trucks, and when they would pass by, he would hold onto my leg a little tighter like he was hugging it.  I think I have permanent claw marks in my knee now.  We did encounter some rain early in the afternoon that was pretty scary!  It came down so hard that it was near white-out conditions.  I slowed way down and we were separated by about a half to 3/4ths of a mile.  After that we stopped for a bit to get gas and just chill with the cats.  They freaked a little from the rain and everyone in the car was talking as a result.  The rest of the day the weather was just fine. We did have to deal with a tire blow-out, luckily not from our vehicles or trailer, but by a passing oversized dump truck.  It was between Scott and I but in the fast lane.  Scott didn't even know it happened (he was in front) but I was able to keep my cool and got around all the debris without any problems.  It sounded like a shot gun went off and scared me and the cats!! I thought of my dad today.  We traveled through most of Iowa and when I did get to peek at the scenery, it was gorgeous rolling farms!!  And we passed the Kinze plant. 

The babies (Tuffy and Princess) are in a cage together and they kept cracking me up!!  If there was a loud noise they would pop up like the Meer Cats do on the tv show.  The cats didn't meow much in the car today and Tiger got so comfortable that he was upside down on my leg sleeping while I rubbed his belly.

We are thankful for another safe day of travels.  We are about halfway to Wyoming now with about 2 more days of driving.  We should be crossing all or most of Nebraska tomorrow.  If you've never looked at a map of Nebraska, check it out! It is a LONG state.