Still In Nashville!

Just a quick update to our "situation".

As you can see by the title, we are still in Nashville, TN.

We picked up the bus last Thursday and got on our way north, up I-65 with campground reservations just inside the KY state line. Surprise, we didn't make it!

About 20 miles north as we were approaching the White House, TN exit the bus started doing the exact same thing it did almost 3 weeks ago. I couldn't believe it was happening again. Anyway, we pulled off the interstate to a Wal-Mart parking lot and called Cummins. They sent a technician to check it out. Of course, when he started checking, he could not see anything and his computer only showed one fault code and that was that the turbo had got hot. He suggests that we drive it back to Cummins for further checking and that he would follow us. I told him we would not get the whole way back, as a matter of fact, I wasn't sure just how far we would get!

Well, we made it to within about 5 miles of Cummins. I had started to give the bus I little gas and nothing happened except for no acceleration and a lot of black smoke coming out the exhaust! At least the Cummins tech got to see for himself that what we've been saying is true!

Coming off the interstate it is a uphill climb to Cummins. Talk about knowing that we were not going to make it! We did but at 5 mph.

I was so upset the last 5 miles with traffic passing me at 55-60 mph and me going 20-25 mph - I just knew we were going to get hit, even though the Cummins tech was right behind us. I cried all the way to Cummins.

When we limped into the lot, the tech said not to turn the engine off. He began looking for the problem along with two other tech that come out. Hah, he said. There is the problem. The boot on the turbo had collapsed and the turbo could not get air.

It was now almost 4pm and nothing was going to happen so we set up camp in their lot with a very low 20 amp. If you have read my comments on FaceBook you know about our 3:30 am visitor. Talk about a nightmare situation. I never did get back to sleep Thursday night.

Friday they spend most of the day searching for the part locally with no results. It is being shipped from Memphis and is supposed to arrive by 11am Monday. I couldn't take three nights of low 20amp and o'dark thirty visitors so we are back at the LaQuinta. Boy were they surprised to see us. The General Manager is a doll. She booked us back in at the same (lower) rate we had before, even though the rates had gone up.

Yesterday, Saturday, Dean and I took off for Monell's Reastaurant in Gallatin, TN. It was great. True southern home cookin served up family style. We are getting ready right now to head to the one here in Nashville for breakfast. Should be very good.

So there you are. We're still in Nashville and waiting again. I can only pray that this part is the source of the problem and when we head out this time we can get somewhere! I honestly think if we have one more delay, we will just turn around and head back south.

Safe travels ya'll.....