Spring Break 2022

Road Trip anyone?  I had scheduled a quick trip to the Little Rock PragerU studios to do some green screen acting as Patrick Henry for the Freedom Encounter Theater where I volunteer.  They are putting in a hologram exhibit and wanted some character speeches to experiment with.   I figured if we were going to Little Rock, we might as well go on to Texas and take a few days off!

Since we were going that way I figured I could tow my little red enclosed trailer and pick up a table and chairs that I had purchased from a friend, we could just haul it back.  I hitched it up, then took off to Little Rock, arrived just after noon.  We filmed for a few hours and hit the road, said I'd drive it until the wheels fell off.  Little did I know that it actually would happen.

No, I mean Literally.

As we hit the interstate entrance ramp after a quick stop at McDonalds, I heard a clunk, and immediately spun my head to se what had happened!  In my rear view mirror, I could see that the little red trailer was listing to the right, indicating that I most likely had a flat, but as I pulled over and slowed down, the tire bounced on down the right side, across the service road, and into a business parking lot....  

Greaaaaat.

After a quick retrieval of the tire/rim assembly, I thought I'd just throw it back on and see if I had some spare lug nuts and put it back on.  Well, that wasn't happening, I didn't have any spare lug nuts, and I looked at the hub assembly I found it wasn't that bad, but all the lug nuts were still on the hub.  Wait, what?

Evidently the hub vibrations had loosened the lug nuts and then  wallowed out the holes in the wheel, allowing it to completely slip off the hub.  Ok, wwell.... What now?

I looked at the hub, and it really wasn't that bad, but the lug studs were toast.  I jacked up the trailer and secured it on blocks so it wouldn't fall over, then removed the hub assembly.  A quick trip (or three) to the parts store, I found new bearings, high temp grease, 4 new lug studs, and lug nuts.  A customer that was there tried to help me get the lug nuts off with his impact, but it wouldn't budge.  I finally got them off with a breaker bar and a section of pipe.   Back to the trailer.  Put the studs in the hub and....three of them were too small!  The one that we put in at the store was fine, but the other three we didn't try....  Back to the store.

No other lug studs, just the one.  Had to go to another store.  They didn't have the same stud as previously purchased, but they did have other Dorman Help! brand lugs with studs that were actually designed for trailer hubs.  Got those, then returned to the trailer.  By this time it was dark, and I was frustrated.  Installed the lug studs, packed the bearings, installed, and Boom, on down the road we go.  Since I was now running with my spare, I needed to stop and buy another one since this rim was toast.  Stopped at three places, but couldn't find anything.  I knew Tractor Supply would have them but they were closed. Decided to risk it and keep going, the tire was still good on the bad rim, and I had a compressor.  If I had a flat, I could just swap the tires on the rims and keep going.  Made it to my sister's house a few hours later without further issues.

Stayed at my sister's house and had a blast.  Went to our our old church.  Was good to see old friends and to chat with new folks there!  My sister took the kids so that I could visit with a friend.  Went to Tyler and filled up with Natural Gas. My nephews and one of their friends decided that they would also tag along on the camping trip, so they got the site right beside us (the one we were in in October from our last trip).

Monday - Drove to DeGray Lake State Resort Park in Arkansas, had a good time!  One of my sister's favorite places to camp, and we had been here in for the last trip in October, but we chose this time to get the slot next to our last one, and let her boys take the slot we had.  They had brought their pop up and we stayed in our tent.  Found out that.....well.....It leaks.

Tuesday - Went to town and got some weather proofing spray sealant for our tent and sprayed it down.  Hopefully that would fix it up (t did).,  We had run out of S'more's supplies, so had to replenish that too.  Had a great time teaching the boys how to start a camp fire with just a spark.  They were amazed.

Wednesday - Short trip, we had to pack up and head back to Branson, got there in time for church that night.  Parked the Adventure machine, changed clothes and jumped in the Jeepinator for church.