12/17/2010 - 12/19/2010 - Travel to Florida

12/17/2010 - Friday morning Jim and I were just hanging out when we both decided to pack up and leave for Florida.  We were going to leave on Saturday but we left on Friday.  Which turned out to be a very good thing because....  I don't know if I related all the trouble we've had with the 2005 Ford F350 Truck or not but it was major.  This truck has has issues for years.  Jim has taken it into the Ford Garage in almost every town we have been in.  All he has ever heard is, 'we can't find the problem' or 'well you know the truck is getting older and naturally it will start harder.'  So after fooling around with "The Ford Company" for years the truck finally just stopped all together.  The engine warranty was for 100,000 miles, the truck broke down at 105,000 miles after many many trips into the Ford Garage.  I don't doubt for a minute that all Ford Garage owners were instructed not to find anything wrong with those trucks as there is a blog site for these trucks just filled with people who have the same issues.  Should Ford have honored their warranty, you bet they should have but they won't.  So after the breakdown in South Dakota in September we made it to Mesa, AZ.  As I said before we could never turn the truck off once it was hot as it would not start again.  Jim took the truck in for an oil change and just mentioned that it was having these issues, now at 110,000 miles, and they said sure they can find a high pressure leak.  They found it and fixed it but it came back to us missing like crazy but it would now start when it was hot.  They told Jim the truck needed number 1,3,5, injectors and the EGR cooler and oil cooler was leaking.  The 1,3 and 5 injectors were not missing when we took it in, but they said they did not do anything to it to cause that.  It happened overnight I guess.  We naturally got another opinion and decided to have it repaired as it hardly ran.  No the Ford Garage did not repair it.
So when we left Friday at noon it was with a lot of concern as to the truck running.  We got all of twenty miles away when we heard this very loud kaboom sound.  It sounded like a tire had exploded.  The truck lost all its power and we coasted to the edge of I-10.  Jim called the repair service center and as soon as he told them the problem they said they would be right out.  Long and short of it was one of the high pressure clamps broke.  Thus no power.  Once repaired it was fine. 

But I do have to tell you our trip the first few days have been a bit tense as we were more than a little concerned about the truck.  But it is running very well, actually Jim said it's running better than it has in years.  Lets pray it keeps on running well.  Would we ever buy another Ford of any kind-----never never and I'm telling everyone I know not to buy one either.  The really sad thing is most everyone who needs a big truck like that knows about the Ford truck and won't touch it so the resale is almost nothing on them.  Thank you Ford!!!  I'm working on putting that all behind me but what Ford has done is morally wrong and hard for me.

Mountains

More I-10 Views

I-10 View

Arizona Scene

Scene on I-10 in Arizona

So our first day driving we made it to Lordsburg, NM which was only about 300 miles but remember we were held up with the broken clamp and did not start until noon.  We pulled into this all night truck plaza and decided that we would just sleep in the 5th wheel.  They had a Days Inn right next door but the 5th wheel would do nicely.  Once we were settled in I started to think about my one friend who had their truck stolen as they were close to the Mexican border and we were very close to the border in this truck plaza.  My mind started to thinking about what if they steal the truck not knowing we are in the 5th wheel.  We could be hauled into Mexico and not be able to get out.  I sat up, woke Jim up, and said let's stay at the Days Inn.  When I told him why he just burst out laughing.....but we did stay at the Days Inn. 

Cotton being hauled via truck

Welcome to New Mexico

Welcome to Texas

12/18/2010 - Saturday we left around 6:30am and got as far as Ozona, TX and stayed at the Circle Bar RV Park which was 200 miles west of San Antino, TX.  It seemed nice to just veg for the evening.  We did not do a thing just read and took it easy.

Cattle in holding pens.  For about two miles that's all we could see.  Poor things.

Texas Refinery

12/19/2010 - Sunday we left Ozona, TX about 7:00am and once we got onto I-10 I knew right away we were in trouble because the road was all white and crusty looking.  Jim does not agree with me but I am positive the road was covered in a thin layer of frost that had frozen.  It was shinny and crispy like and I don't care what Jim said it looked slippery.  We drove on this for over an hour before the sun came out and warmed the road up so it melted away.  By now you know I do not like slippery roads.  My teeth even hurt later in the day.  But once it warmed up we made terrific time.  Jim drove thru San Antonio, TX like nothing and I just knew once we got near Houston it would be ugly.  I was totally wrong as Jim drove right through the city and had no trouble at all. We drove in Texas for two days and finally around 3:00pm we drove out of that state.  Yea!! 

Welcome to Louisiana

 By five at night we were all set up in this little RV park called Frog City RV Park in Duson, LA.   There really is nothing exciting to blog about as I-10 is really a boring road to drive on.  Nothing to even take a pic of.

But anyway at least you know we are heading east and hopefully will arrive in Punta Gorda, FL Tuesday or Wednesday.  Tonight we are watching Green Bay play New England.  Good game.