When I stopped in Eloy, AZ to refuel for the drive to El Paso, I considered the open, mostly desolate stretch of road ahead, and thought about my cooling system again. I had not made provisions for water other than the gallon of drinking water on the deck next to my seat. In lieu of a formal container, I decided to fill my empty Gatorade and soda bottles from a nearby spigot. Better than nothing. I put them on the floor in front of the gas tank and took off.
And then it happened. An hour east of Tucson, a car on the side of the road, hood up, steam pouring out. I pulled over and went to see if he needed duct tape for a radiator hose or what. No, just overheated. So I walked back, grabbed the bottles, walked back and gave them to the guy. Providence. At that point his car was too hot to restart, so I was glad that I could leave them with him and not have to choose between waiting or leaving behind a water can. From this point on, I knew that this trip was going to be an excellent adventure.
I called dhondagod from Lordsburg to see if he could round up a header gasket for me, as I had reason to be suspicious of the one I had installed just prior to leaving [unbounded Kevlar crap I don‘t sell but had hanging around]. He was still running around Fresno, having been informed he would be in charge of collecting Marlin’s camping gear to transport to TX. He said he would have a look-see. I likewise said I would keep my eyes open for a local store en route.
Arriving in Mason midday the next day with no particular urgency, and spotting a Napa store within a block of the route junction, I stopped in and purchased their last collector gasket. Unfortunately, I left the Napa with an unintended souvenir as well: a nail, which remained in my tire for the duration of the event, as well as the entire drive home! Yeah, I’ve got a patch kit on board [actually two] but hey, it wasn’t leaking, and I bought a warranty to take care of this sheit here at home!
