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What a trip!

Yahoo Message Number: 594
Hi group, we just returned unexpectedly from our trip to the west. We took my wife's dad with us, he's 87 and just kept shaking his head when he told the kids about one of our typical excursions. First thing to happen was that our Jeep Cherokee which was only three weeks old got shot while traveling through South Dakota on the way to the badlands. I couldn't believe it when I was checking out the rig and car at the campground and came across the bullet hole. Next thing to happen was at the Mt. Rushmore area where I became sick and was advised at the local clinic that they would treat my problem but that I should head home for further testing. So we had to cut our estimated five week trip short and turn around after ten days. On the way home, In South Dakota again, we pulled into a campground and couldn't help but remark how dark and foreboding the sky was. Having been in a few tornado warnings (the milder of the two, I don't know if it is watch or warning) I asked at the desk about the shelter as I normally do. They told me that sirens would alert the campground if an evacuation is needed and that we should go to the courthouse about two blocks away.

Forty five minutes later I hooked up my campers world weather alert radio and almost immediately it sounded a tornado alert. Lightning was getting bad and the sky was getting darker. Then the sirens went off and we had to evacuate the campground. What a scary situation to see what must have been a couple of hundred people rushing off to the shelter. I flagged down a car and got my father-in-law a ride to the courthouse and then off we went. Yellow skies, high winds, heavy rain, the works but the cloud never formed, than God.

Then the final stroke of bad luck, this time in Minnesota where I passed a car that was going quite slow on the road along the Mississippi and pretty soon he came up on my tail flashing his lights and making all kinds of signals. I couldn't pull over for about two miles because of a really narrow road with a guard rail along the side and when I finally got into a parking lot he came by and told me that the Cherokee had had a blow out right after I passed him. I walked back to the Cherokee and sure enough the right rear tire was completely gone and the rim had been worn down about a half inch. I couldn't see any problem on the monitor and there was no indication of the blow out. We could have suffered major damage if he had not seen my problem and flagged me down.

I have the tire sensors on the motorhome and am going to investigate if there are enough sensors for me to add a whole set to the Cherokee.
They certainly would have come in handy in this situation.

Happy Camping.

John Panzenhagen

Re: What a trip!

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 596
John - sounds like we passed each other during the gun fire in SD, we seem to have escaped unscathed! Endured South Dakota's amazing heat and swarms of flies in order to investigate Sturgis on the 6th, take a helicopter ride in the badlands then trek to Mt Rushmore with the water temp light flickering up the hill the next day. The engine never backed off (although I sure did)nor did the temp gage peg. Call to CC confirmed that 104f ambient temp is probably enough to trigger the light. Went on to the Big Horn mountains and then dodged forest fires to Yellowstone. Dragged the Bronco all the way from Ten Sleep WY to Cody with parking brake engaged. Darned fine mechanics there at the Fishing Bridge Conoco garage...

Hope you are feeling better!
Kent

'99 Intrigue
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Re: What a trip!

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 599
Hey John,

Sorry to hear about all of the problems on your last trip.
Unfortunately, I have more bad news. The tire monitor system on your coach, if it is SmartTire, does not currently have a system that can be implemented into your toad and then enable you to monitor it in your coach. I think the maximum # of tires that can be monitored is
6. However, keep an eye and ear open for SmartTire or another
manufacturer to make one.

I know NASCAR uses something similar to the SmartTire unit.
Since many, if not all, drivers utilize RV's in some fashion, try checking into the NASCSAR or similar web site for more info. Also, the trucking industry is just beginning to warm up to these devices (freightliner?). I think the government is also requiring the new 'run flat' tires to be equipped with a tire monitoring system.
Hope your feeling better.
 

Re: What a trip!

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 603
Hey Kent, that sounds like our kind of trip, especially dragging the Bronco with the brake on. Feeling better, thanks.