This is Part 2 of the Clan of the Camper Van
The excitement of meeting this iron maiden was offset by the rigor of a red-eye flight and the trepidation that she could be hiding under that beautiful façade a jackpot of misery from almost 20 years of inertia.
I expected a slow start of checking things, familiarizing, and unpacking and stowing items. But my traveling companion threw our suitcases in the back, fired her up, and put her in drive.
We were off!
And then we were not. The telltale smell of something burning, followed by the comment, “We’ve got a shimmy,” at only 24-miles in put us on the side of the road in search of a tow truck. In a brilliant stroke of luck, we coasted to a HOT stop on the doorstep of a local, family-run mechanic who had the time to fit us in and a lift big enough to get this heavy girl off the ground. <what luck!> Unloaded she tips the scales at 7,400 lbs.
Broke Down and Blue: The Sportmobile and her first mechanical issue.
It was an unexpected $1,000+ bill right out of the gate. And we had to use Delco parts in a Ford, but got a two-year guarantee coast-to-coast and a brand new set of front brakes. Thank you, Michael at Tool Time. We were back on the road in just under 4 hours. Can you believe it?
We arrived at our first destination of Hockessin, Delaware (think DuPont) so tired I could barely speak, but not too tired to grab a beer before we tucked in for the night.
