It ended much better than it started. Last night after a small dinner, Bob started feeling. nauseous. It was really hot and we were still pretty high up. I suggested that he go outside and got him a chair to sit in the shade with the breezes. We put a wet cloth over his head. He started feeling better.
It was looking pretty dark and stormy in the south. We could see lightning. Then the rain and the wind started. We got into Betsy quickly and closed the doors and windows. The wind was fierce. Worse than when we were in Gillette. It was coming right at the front of Betsy. Then it swirled around. We were shaking back and forth. (I think that the semis on either side of us helped save us.) then I looked up and saw that the vent above the bunk bend was torn, then the wind got it and it was gone. By now it is hailing. The hail is the size of big marbles. It is really loud as it hits the roof. And it is coming in the hole where the vent used to be. We tried towels, but the rain and the hail just soaked them. The mattress and the sleeping bag were getting wet. Then I thought of the wash basin that I use to keep our maps in. I cleared the area, threw out the maps and held up the basin. It wasn't big enough, and the towels were not good enough. The pieces of the vent that were there were making the rain and the hail splatter everywhere. Bob pulled them off and that was better. Then I remembered that I have a plastic tablecloth. I pulled it out, pulled out the mattress, and put the tablecloth all over everything. Then we set the basin down on the table cloth. (This took less than five minutes.) The rain continued at a fierce pace for about an hour. Then it finally let up and we could see the clear night sky.
I looked at Bob and said "I want to go home." Bob agreed. But we also agreed to think about it. I decided that if we could get it fixed I just wanted to go to warm sandy beaches. Not the blistering heat of Arizona and New Mexico (over 110). Bob went to bed. I tried and could not sleep. I got about 3 hours of sleep.
Before I went to bed I got on line and learned that there were two different Camping Worlds near us and both had their body shop open on Saturdays. We got up early, had a quick bite to eat and were off to the closest camping world. The sign on the door said that the body shop was not open on Saturdays. We started to drive away to the other, but I got smart and called first. The voice message said that they were not open on Saturdays. So we went back to the first one and were pouncing when they opened. I explained our problem (and the fact that the forecast was calling for more thundershowers today. He said that there was no one in the body shop and they were really busy anyway. He gave me a number to call. I called and they said that their body shop was closed. They had the part and might be able to find someone to install it, but gave me another number to try. That number led me to phone transfer hell, where I kept being told to leave messages. So I called back the second guy and he agreed to put it on for us.
He did and it is better quality and very nice. We decided that we wanted to go to the California beaches. But this weekend is a holiday. I called several places that looked good, but they were full. They told me that generally everyone in the area was full. So I scoured the map and we decided to go to Las Vegas for a couple days and then to California after the holiday. I got inexpensive reservations at a place that bills itself as within walking distance to the strip. We can also spend a few days driving around the area. It will be hot, but we will have electricity and air conditioning - and despite my reluctance I will use it.
So we started heading out. going a longer way to avoid the 11,000 foot altitude of the shorter way. This was only 8000 feet. At about 3 pm the clouds started to form. They got big and black. There was lightning. We had decided to stop at a Walmart. When we were about 25 miles from it the wind came up. bob had a very hard time holding on to the wheel and keeping us in our lane. The semis were roaring past us - apparently trying to outpace the storm. It was a very very long 25 miles. We finally got to the Walmart. then the weather started clearing up. No rain. The winds died down. the sky cleared. What a relief.
We had a nice small dinner and met another couple staying in the Walmart. they are from Australia and have been in the southwest and are heading to the Tetons and Yellowstone. They were very interesting. They are on a 6 month trip. If our experience is any indication, they will be exhausted by the end.
It is now nicely cool, Bob is in bed, and I am going to finish my book and go to bed. Glad today is over.
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