Truck update - - Day 947 (Year 3, Day 214)

Bastrop, TX

Mitch finally went back to work this afternoon, so he lost a total of 3 days (1/2 day Mon and 1/2 day today).  Fortunately, he still had some vacation time left, so he used that so we wouldn't lose pay.

So two problems found: first involves lack of pickup and power -- the catalytic converter needs to be replaced.  We can still drive it, but definitely not recommended to do while towing, especially in the mountains or even hills.  We would have had them do it, but they probably couldn't get the part in until late in the day and it would take several hours of labor, meaning at least one more full day off work.  We decided to wait a few weeks and find a place that does work on Saturdays so we can leave it on a Friday afternoon.

The other problem - why it kept dying - is due to being out of gas, or at least that's what the computer thinks; we're really not sure.  It's either a faulty gauge not telling us we're low on gas (tank reads full) or a faulty sensor telling us we're out of gas when we're not.  Either way, it would require an extensive amount of work and expensive parts to fix the problem.  For now, we decided to just keep very careful track of how much gas we're using.  We know how many gallons each tank holds (and this actually may only be a problem with one of the 3 tanks) and approx. how many mpg we get (about 10), which tells us how many miles we can go before we start running low.  So as long as we're vigilant in keeping track, we shouldn't have this problem again.  This also happened on 1 specific tank, so we'll be careful not to use that one except in an emergency (unfortunately, that's the 75 gallon one.  The others are 35 and 15).

In other news... we got a call from one of the campgrounds a bit closer to Austin that they now have an opening for us (we were on the waiting list at about 6 places).  The campground itself isn't nearly as nice as this one (although this one is only average), but it's 26 miles closer to the city.  Considering Mitch is now commuting about 90-120 miles a day, in addition to walking 5-10 miles carrying heavy gas sniffing equipment, this will be only half the travel distance.  Granted, he won't get as much pay since he gets paid for mileage, but being closer is well worth it.  Plus (and most importantly), the shul will only be 12 miles away instead of 44, so we'll have a chance to go to services again.  Plus, there's a store with a huge kosher section, Trader Joe's and a few Dollar Trees within 5 miles (currently about 40).

We had an amazing sunset last night.  Unfortunately, the camera (Mitch's phone) didn't really do it justice.

  

Weekend, more truck problems - Day 945 (Year 3, Day 212)

Bastrop, TX

This past weekend, although uneventful, was pleasant.  Friday was a beautiful weather day - in the high 70s, a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.  After a nice Shabbat dinner, we wanted to sit outside to enjoy the fresh air.  Turns out that in the row across from us, 2 RVs down, there was a little get-together over a campfire and someone playing the guitar.  When he finished a song (all Texas country music), we applauded.  In return, he yelled over "it sounds better over here."  So we took our chairs and joined the group for a little while (as an aside, it seems there are more long-termers here than overnighters, so many folks seem to know each other, and everyone is very friendly).

Sunday was kind of nice as well.  We were hoping to go into Austin and do some sight-seeing, but money is extremely tight right now so we decided to just do our grocery run and laundry.

Speaking of groceries....  as of last week (after my doctor's visit), I realized how critical it is for me to lose weight.  I had lost about 100 lbs before, but since we've been on the road (2.75 years), I've put back on about 40.  Not good, and the dr. said that although I'm healthy, I'm a walking time bomb.  So I've just started a new food plan, which is completely cutting out all processed foods and high carb items (besides fast food which I don't eat anyway, no bread -- except maybe a very small piece of challah on Friday night -- pasta, grains (including cereal), anything with flour, high sugar fruits, milk, anything in a can.  Also have to give up my daily wine 😢. Basically it's just eggs, tofu, fish and lots of vegetables.  It's pretty much a very low carb, almost keto, diet.  So wish me success!

Now, about the truck... after much training (both at home and at the gas company), Mitch finally got his maps and was ready to start his inspections yesterday (Monday).  He had noticed that the truck was shaking, didn't have pickup, and stalled.  He pulled into a parking lot and checked the coolant level which was low.  He added some, but when he turned the key in the ignition, it wouldn't start.  Had to tow it 40 miles back to Bastrop (he was in Austin).  The initial diagnosis was a bad sensor in the crank shaft (according to the diagnostic codes), which $350 later, was replaced.  Started up fine, so mechanic took it out for a test drive.  It stalled while driving it, so back to the drawing board - obviously it's a different or additional problem.  He actually had the diagnostic meter on while driving and it lost all communication, so there's a good chance it's a computer issue.  Meanwhile, 2 days of lost work (possibly 3 if it's not ready tomorrow) and dipping even more into our savings.  I'd say let's get off the road, but not only would living in a house or apartment cost a lot more than campground rent, but you need to add in utilities.  Most importantly, this is a car, and it doesn't matter where we live -- cars will have problems!  Can't afford to trade it because what we need to pull the CoW (super heavy duty truck) will be way out of our price range and we have no plans to take on any debt via a loan.  Plus we'd need to buy a new hitch.  Makes more sense to just keep repairing it.  It's still a baby engine wise (has about 80K miles and these diesel trucks are designed for at least 500K.  I will, however, keep my eyes out for a great sale but I suspect anything we can afford will be much older and have far more miles.

Cows - Day 937 (Year 3, Day 204)

Bastrop, TX

Nothing at all to report.  Other than the usual work and errands, and the last exploration to the historic downtown area, we haven't done anything else of substance.

Just wanted to note that remember I said about the campground how I faced an open field with overgrown weeds?  Today, I see a cow and her calf grazing (and now the baby is just sitting there).  Unfortunately, my camera can't zoom far enough from where I am, and I'd need to trespass on someone's RV property to get closer.

I'm also told there's a lot of wildlife, especially deer, that roam in that field.  I'll just need to meet someone on the other side of the row that doesn't mind my standing at the back of their trailer taking photos!

I also learned that the reason the fishing dock area is in shambles is due to an enormous, horrendous flood last year in which the river rose over 30 feet.  Besides destroying the area around its banks, it also destroyed a number of RVs in the park which couldn't evacuate.  I find it hard to imagine that the water could have come up this far, but apparently it did and it was devastating.  Lesson:  get all the facts before passing judgement on anything!

Belated post - NASA Johnson Space Center

Houston, TX

Last week, on Wed. Jan 4th, we spent the day at NASA Johnson Space Center.  We spent a little (ok, a lot) of extra money to take the "Level 9 VIP tour."  The regular tram tour just takes you outside some of the buildings and in some places, you can view things (like the mission control room) from behind a glass, whereas our tour took us to some extra areas and let us into the actual rooms.  It was a 6 hour tour and we covered a lot of ground, especially since the buildings are located in different campuses throughout Houston.  I will try to recreate the day:



The tours to NASA are handled by the Houston Space Center, which is really a space museum.  The premises open at 10, and our tour was scheduled for 10:45.  We left home at 8:00 and arrived at 9:45.  Although still in Houston, it was 45 miles away!

Before entering the premises, the first thing you see is a replica of a 747 carrying the Space Shuttle Independence.

  

At the end of the tour, we were able to go inside.  Although they tried to provide an experience as close as possible to being on the shuttle, it was still set up more like a museum.  Here are some photos (out of chronological order):

                    

When the doors opened, we walked around the museum a bit which had a lot of amazing, interactive exhibits until it was time to meet our tour group.  Some of the exhibits are in photos below.  One of the interactive exhibits I found the most fascinating was one where we could put on gloves that resembled the ones the astronauts wear and try to put relatively large plastic bolts onto screws.  For me, it was nearly impossible!  I can't imagine how astronauts can manipulate tiny objects while wearing their space gear and floating around in space!

      

At 10:45 we met with our tour group.  After having our photos taken (because we were entering government buildings, although they were available for sale after the tour), we got on our shuttle van. Our adorable and very knowledgeable tour guide, Ray:




The first stop of the tour was the building which housed the original Saturn V rocket, which launched all the Apollo missions.  First, we passed part of the property which belongs to a famous rancher, raising long-horn cattle:



Outside of the building was a replica of the rocket.  Inside was the entire thing (it was brought here and the building built around it).  Around the perimeter were pictures, banners and descriptions of all the Apollo missions:

          

     

And my favorite quote (if you can't read it: "We leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind."  Eugene Cernan, Commander of last Apollo mission).



Our next stop was the Sonny Carter Training facility where astronauts are trained to make repairs outside of the ISS (International Space Station) or for other space walks ("EVAs").  In order to do this, there is a 2 million gallon pool (40' deep) with an exact replica of the ISS below the water.  The buoyancy of the water is very close to zero gravity, and the astronauts wear their space suits and are tethered.  It is an exact replica of what they will encounter out in space!  We were able to watch the astronauts and divers!

              

Our next stop was the Space Vehicle Mockup facility, where there are replicas of just about every kind of space vehicle, including the entire inside of the ISS, for astronauts to train for inside work.  The most fascinating section was the robotics.  It was interesting to be walking through the area where people were actually working!  Besides the ISS, much of the training is for Orion, which will be the next mission to Mars.  (note the photo of Mitch posing with the Orion astronauts!)

                  

These last 2 facilities were about a 1/2 hour drive from the Space Center, so now it was time to return, for lunch.  Normally, the tour includes lunch in the corporate style cafeteria, but it was being renovated so we were taken to a restaurant across the street.  It was a wings place, but we were lucky to find a caesar salad on the menu, which we ordered, with curly fries on the side.

After lunch, it was time to visit the heart and brains of all astronaut programs -- Mission Control.  We were able to visit the 2 mission control centers: current day and past.

For the current day, we did need to sit behind the glass, as people were actually working.  The yellow on the screen meant there were some errors that needed to be investigated.  Note that in the last photo, EVA stands for Extra Vehicular Activity - any time someone needs to go outside the spaceship - not the woman's name!  Every desk has an opaque sign showing their position.

  
      

Compare this to the older Mission Control room, where we got to sit in the actual seats that the controllers sat in!  What I can't wrap my head around is not only how they used slide rules to perform very complex math functions (or should I say "rocket science?!"), and the capacity of their computers (which took up the space of rooms, was less than a standard cell phone today - and this landed man on the moon!)  Everything is so antiquated compared to today's technology.  Wow!  Here are some photos of the old mission control, which landed man on the moon and helped Apollo 13 return to Earth:

That's me in the yellow, sitting at a control panel.

     

A little background about this photo:  It is a plaque with a mirror which is hung over the water fountain.  You may want to click on the picture to enlarge it.  It was given to Mission Control by the astronauts on Apollo 13, to "reflect the image" of the people who brought them home safely.  Of course, every time someone took a drink, they would see themselves and know their role in history!  We talked about the Tom Hanks movie, "Apollo 13" and how extremely accurate it was.  If you haven't seen it yet, you must!



There was also a video display in the front of the room, looping through some photos from "the old days."  Here are some:

        


After Mission Control it was time to return to base, but one more quick stop along the way -- the Astronaut Memorial Garden.  Every time an astronaut dies, a tree is planted in his or her memory.  Here is a chart of trees planted, and a photo:

  

That was it for the tour.  We returned to the main building at about 4:30.  The museum closed at 5.  I wanted to go to the gift shop and we wanted to explore a little bit more.  First (as mentioned at the beginning of the post), we went to the Shuttle exhibit, then we finished up, exhausted but feeling accomplished.