<VV> Smitty and Helen - the Trip from Hell continues.....

[Bill Hubbell]

I spoke with Smitty last night - they were somewhere in Nevada heading home 
after a long and arduous trip.  Smitty had just finished replacing his 
second rear wheel bearing.  You may recall the trip began on a sour note 
with a seized valve in June which caused him to miss the Iowa mini.  After 
ovecoming that problem and setting out again for Oregon, he has had to deal 
with:

-Broken Speedometer cable
-Broken fan belt
-Broken A/C (in the desert, no less!)
-Failed engine blower bearing
-Two failed rear wheel bearings
-Siezed rear axle (differential) - required replacement unit shipped from 
home
-Engine keeps overheating
and others I'm sure I have forgotten

Along the way, both Smitty and Helen have been sick at one time or another, 
and even Dee-O-Gee is ill now.  Smitty has endured more than a few injuries 
from his repair efforts, including getting wacked in the side of his face 
when a lug wrench slipped.

Their trip has taken them all across the country, from Virginia Beach 
through Kansas, etc., to Portland, up into Washington State, down to 
California, and now on the way home.

They left Helen's bike in Kansas on the way out west, so they have to stop 
there on the way home to retrieve it.

When I asked him when they would be arriving home, Smitty said, 
"Mid-October, at the present rate."  But barring any further incidents, he 
hopes to be home in another 3-4 days.

By the way, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on this trip.

Bill Hubbell