"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can......". The words of Pam the truck as she tried to climb up the Rocky mountains at an elevation above 10,000 feet. Her carburetor was special for ethanol and being that we hadn't found an ethanol station nearby, we were running on mostly gasoline. The combination of the altitude, the gas and carburetor, made for a very unhappy truck. It was beautiful, snow covered high mountain peaks, blue sky, a waterfall, and even a nice temperature.... Pam didn't care about such things,. She huffed and puffed up the hill and got slower and slower, until finally we were in first gear, not even 10mph, and losing power ...... curvy, steep mountain passes are not a good place to lose power. I tried not to panic, and said, "Let's just turn around and find a way to bypass the Rockies." Pam and Brian were thinking the same thing, he flipped a U turn in the highway, and headed downhill, pulled off onto a lookout spot (nice view), and the truck wouldn't start.
After a brief rest and some engine tinkering she started again. We finally made it back to the nearby town of Pagosa Springs.... again changed the route, Santa Fe, New Mexico sounded nice. We took a south east route and prayed for hill-less roads. Brian did a quick roadside carburetor swap for the truck’s original, so she could deal with gasoline better, and I made dinner. Brian drove for 10 hours yesterday! 10 hours! We pulled into Santa Fe late night, and parked the truck to sleep, I had many strange dreams, and awoke to the desert once again.
I think today we will just take it easy here, not too much driving. If only there was a Tuesday night lindy scene..... that would be amazing! Then maybe to Taos, and on up to Colorado Springs, we will have bypassed the Rockies and be back on ethanol. I like New Mexico, I could stay here for a while... maybe I’ll take the R.V route in life, and travel the states and Canada for a few years. Love and Blessings to you all. Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment