I had some items in the refrigerator and since I was not plugged into electricity while staying at the Ramada Inn, I turned on the propane to keep everything cool. The frig works on electric, 12 volt or propane. However, when I checked the frig before I took the RT to the repair shop, it was not cool. The RT needs to be level so that the coolant is evenly distributed and will cool thoroughly, but it was on a slight slant and I guess that was the problem. I had more important things to worry about, so I just left everything in the frig and disposed of it later.

When I arrived at the repair shop, the mechanic determined they couldn't work on it because they didn't have a heavy duty lift. However, they called another store in their franchise that could look at it, but I would have to wait about an hour before they could get to it. I didn't care as long as SOMEONE looked at it! It was only about 7 miles away, and the owner was apologetic and wrote out the directions for me. When I arrived at the second shop, the manager assured me they would be happy to evaluate the situation but that there would be a wait. I told him it wasn't a problem - I was desperate! After about an hour, the mechanic asked me to explain the problem I had experienced the day before. He didn't see that anything was wrong with the caliper but did say that the mechanic who did the previous repair didn't clean it up very well, and there was alot of grease and other residue around that area. Twenty minutes later, they told me the RT was ready. The mechanic never did find a problem and could only assume the smoke was from the residue/grease and/or new brake pads. They didn't charge me anything! I was very thankful, but still a little leery of the whole situation. He test drove it and did alot of braking and didn't notice a problem with the steering which would be indicative of a caliper problem. I really did encounter some very nice people in that area with great customer service. Except for the woman in the campground, that is!

My next destination was Bristow, VA to spend a couple of days with my daughter, Lori, her husband, Chris, and 3 year old granddaughter, Hannah. I didn't experience any problems driving, just alot of construction and other traffic delays. At times, though, the RT just didn't feel right, and I will have it checked at the local Dodge dealer before I attempt any more long trips.

I had a nice visit with the kids and took care of Hannah all day on Thursday which was a treat for me! I had never had her for a whole day, and she's a well-behaved child and alot of fun! My son and his family live in that area, too, but their children were at Tae Kwon Do camp and had other things going on, so I will see them on the next visit.

I arrived home Friday afternoon 3,772 miles later, and I drove through 12 States and the province of Ontario, Canada. Gas prices averaged $2.58 per gallon. The lowest price was $2.37 in Kinston, NC and the highest was $2.79 in Leicester, NY. That does not include the $35 I spent for gas in Canada. I never could quite figure out how much it was per gallon since prices are listed in liters, but I believe it was around $3.80 per gallon.

Driving much of the time was not pleasant as I was mostly on Interstates and experienced alot of construction and delays and I had the added worry of mechanical problems on this trip. I think on future long distance trips I will re-think driving on Interstates, allow more time and take secondary routes. I'm getting older and my van is getting older so we need to pamper each other! The visits with family and friends, the wedding and 50th wedding anniversary celebration were all very special. I reunited with old friends at the rallies and made new friends and that's what life is all about! Next year I hope to go West again and will definitely create a blog for that trip as well. This was a new experience for me and a "chore" at times, but it was also fun and a great way to preserve the memories. I keep a daily handwritten journal, but I would not have elaborated as much with that. I hope you've enjoyed traveling along with me. Until next time.................................Ginger