07/14/2026
Just got back last night, had a blast driving my wife's car back from Bowling Green KY. It has that electric steering and Continuously Controlled Damping suspension, it rails the corners at 95mph so nice! lol
The rest of the trip was a nightmare. It was 110* in Mesa when Jimmy White picked me up at the air port. I joked with him I was going to have a stroke. After I got the van and got the temp tags at the last min. at the DMV I stopped a few miles down the road and got something to eat and drink. I rolled down the windows and started driving but the wind was burning my ears off so I had to roll the windows up and drive with out any air conditioning and couldn't turn on any venting. Then it started getting really loud, I thought the rod bearings were going out because it sounded like the pistons were hitting the heads. Louder then the noise these diesels make and had been making. Then I looked down by the gas peddle and seen the road, WHAT THE HECK! Turns out at 65mph the dog box engine cover wasn't hooked or bolted down and it blew back 2 inches! LOL. Took care of that and the loud noise went away! LOL I only drove a few miles but I was too hot, so I stopped at a Wal-Mart and bought one of those air conditioners you put ice and water in, a ice chest and water ect. As I checked out I started getting dizzy and only made it to the front doors and had to sit down. Drank a half gallon of water and 3 Gatorade. Sat there for a few minuets, but every time I got up I would start to pass out. I laying on the floor in Wal-Mart for over a hour! I finally made it out to the van only to find out the cigarette lighter didn't work so I couldn't plug the A/C unit in. So I started driving north on 17 to go towards Flag Staff AZ. A hour out started up the hill and the trans went out. It was just starting to get cooler out side but the ride in the cab baked me! I called a tow truck to tow it back for $1125 for the tow and to store it for a month. Got a ticked to Nashville TN. where my good customer and friend Eric Rowland picked me up and took me to Bowing green, a 6 hour drive out of his way, so grateful for him and Jimmy, good to have friends like that.
After a good night sleep I started asking God what was I to learn from this? I now have $5000 into this van and nothing to show for it! It took awhile, but then I realized, he saved me from a trip I probably would have either passed out at the wheel and at minimum wrecked or died if the van would have kept going. I wouldn't have made it 44 hours in the heat. I'm still feeling the effects today of heat exhaustion. God protected me once again, that's 3 times in the last year I have almost died. Pretty humbling! Who cares about a van. I put it up for sale in Mesa cheap to try and get some money back. Still might fix it, but the A/C will get fixed before I drive in the heat again! See less