ALBUQUERQUE - EPILOGUE

Home we are, despite the best efforts of CA highways to reduce our rig to a pile of rubble.  Coming up I5, which is breaking up very badly in the truck lane, we slammed from one hole to the next for miles on end, resolving never to do I5 northbound again.  Finally, Patti heard metal dragging on the road.   Started out with an occasional ping and finally got loud enough and continuous enough that I could hear it, we pulled to the side of I5, which is a bad thing to do anytime.  The damn tail pipe has broken just aft of the last hanger, just couldn't take any more jouncing I guess.  I broke it off and we went to the next exit to deal with it.  Baling wire and plumbers tape to make a temporary hanger and we came on home.

Anyway, here is a synopsis of our expedition to Albuquerque.  12 days on the road total, 4 days to get there, stopped lots, 5 days of touring NM (hub tour), 3 days to hightail it home (no stops).  2049 miles on the Bronco, 468 miles on the T, total gas for the Bronco $409.65, total gas for the T $48.54, most expensive gas, $2.90 in Los Altos, cheapest $1.99 in Albuquerque. There were 92 T's at the event and over 200 people.  Only one T had a fatal problem.  Highest altitude in the T was 9101 ft at the Valles Caldera (1.2 million years ago volcano)  enroute to the Jemez Pueblo.   Lots of low pedal.
Pat's favorite sign on the whole trip, "Indoor Machine Gun Range", this was in Needles, those folks ain't voting for no stinking gun control.

Yesterday evening, Pat went out to take the Fusion downtown and came back in and said it is vibrating.  Raised the hood and this is what we found.

A damn rats nest, Fusion running on 3 cylinders because of the chewed wires.

Spliced in some new wires and set some rat traps.   Went out this morning and the new wires and more of the other wires were chewed, no rats in the traps.  Got it to run again, more drastic measures required.  (machine gun?)         End of story.   Where we goin' next year?