Yeah, I said that we'd stop somewhere with wirelaess and I'd do a Wreck List diary this morning, and I didn't.
Those that have been paying attention this whole Red State drama may be suspecting some terrible drama or horrible disaster had befallen us, and of course you'd be right.
See me below the curlicue thing to find out what in God's name happened this time.
So, we'd been noticing a woodsmoke smell ever since we got the rear end of the RV worked on, and thought it was the heater.
This trip, we got to Carksville yesterday afternoon and when I went to put gas in, I noticed part of the side of the RV charring and melting and told the gas station attendant, who called the fire department as I emptied our fire extinguisher into the hot area and moved our RV away from the pumps.
The FD showed up, found it was not an electrical fire, hosed the hot, charring siding down, assured me that we were good to go, and sent us on our way. I noticed when we stopped to check it that at some point, either during the repair or during the firefighting, the exhaust pipe had been pushed up against the siding.
Aha, I thought to myself, bent the exhaust pipe back down, tore the charred siding away from it, and resolved to check it every stop and make sure everything was OK.
Which I did until we were approaching the bridge over the Mississippi to Memphis, TN, and the RV caught fire.
We got out. I am saddened to report that the Little's teddy bear didn't make it, as well as most of our possessions.
The insurance and roadside assistance refused our claim, as they found it suspicious that we just got the coverage and were reoprting a total loss. I got my money back, for what it's worth.
Turns out the U-Haul car dolly, which I got the "replace the equipment and up to $5,000 of your personal items" insurance for on a whim when I rented it, may be saving us after all.
But I'm posting this from a free Internet station in a motel on the outskirts of Memphis because my nice new gaming laptop is a puddle of melted plastic and metal in the bottom of the RV. Along with my phone, come to think of it.
Things are grim, but not desperate. I haven't posted earliwer because an employee of the wrecking company that towed what was left of our home away arranged for food, replacement clothing, some toys for the Little, a replacement key for our car (which was thankfully undamaged), and made the thirteen hundred dollar towing/wrecking bill that we couldn't even begin to pay go away.
Once again, I am stunned by the kindness of strangers. Much like when this saga started.
We press on. I'm going to try to get the oil changed on the car at least, as it is in desperate need of maintenance, and we're going to continue up because we have no real choice at this point.
But I figured you all would want to know.