OurDad and I made it back from the Silversides submarine, but not before his truck was torpedoed!
Our Scout troop went to Muskegon on the other side of the state to camp on the Silversides submarine on Friday. We got to bunk in the sub overnight. It's awesome, but we all agreed just for one night. The Silversides was one of the most decorated subs in WWII history, and maybe the luckiest--they lost only one man throughout the war. Submarine duty was the most deadly in the entire war, and after sleeping on a sub for just one night we wondered if the real danger wasn't from crewmates. Imagine living in a 300 foot long metal tube that's only 20 feet in diameter with 80 men, most of them not showered, for weeks on end, and oh yeah, it's 200 feet under water most of the time.
Ok is wasn't really a torpedo attack, but I think it was sabotage, so it's still a sneak attack of sorts. The truck had been making horrible, thrown bearing, sounds for a couple of weeks. OurDad knew something bad was coming, that's why we think it was an inside job. You want more evidence... OurDad took it to a muffler shop a couple weeks ago. They told him, "it's definitely making a strange sound, but we can't pinpoint it. We think you should drive it until it's clearer what's wrong with it." They didn't say to drive it to Muskegon! Who takes a drive train problem to a muffler shop, unless of course what they want is a new truck.
At least it didn't die on the way to the sub so I got to camp, but getting home... Well we lucked out there. Another scout family, Thank you mister R, Found Off Road Dead ranger and stoped for us. They were headed to their cabin up north so we got to add a bonus day to our trip, but the cost was one truck. OurDad was so disgusted, or perhaps delighted, that we didn't even wait for the tow. The tuck is currently in Fruitland, Michigan at Quality Auto, anyone know where that is? We're awaiting a final diagnosis, but it looked pretty DOA to me.
Decisions decisions, fix it, junk it, haul it to a Ford dealer or trust the small town guy, buy a used car here or wait until we get to StL.... and what about the stuff we left in the truck. Looks to me like he's scammed another trip to Lake Michigan too.
If you have advice for OurDad please leave a comment.
About Me
- SourDad
- The Boy Child (5/16/96) and the Girl Child (7/2/98) live in Michigan with Great Mom, BUT Sour Dad now lives in Missery. He's now a zero-time Dad and full-time goof-off or rather assistant professor whose kids are would like him to return to being at least a part-time stay-at-home parent. Idle no more science Ph.D. we just hope he'll toss the literary aspirations and stick to grading student papers instead of trying to imitate the likes of Roth, Twain, Kafka, Vonnegut, Orwell, McCort, Magnuson, Sedaris, and Boyle all at the same time.
10 comments:
It looks bad, and no I didn't want a new truck, and I aint getting one without a winning lottery ticket.
At the best we could afford an old civic.
It will be a bit ironic if I replace my truck with some old Jap rice burner. I guess when you're leaving Detroit there's no looking back.
Oh and Greatmom's PDA died today too.
Are the god's testing me or are they trying to tell me something?
Dude .. you've been limping that truck along for waaay tooo long already .. I think its time to let it go. I'm sure you could have bought something else by now with the $$ you've spent to keep it running.
While I totally agree with Marty here, I also think this is the universe's way of making sure you don't miss Michigan in the slightest. You can't have milk and honey without spending 40 days and nights in the desert.
Hey good news! The PDA rebooted ok using that little reset button on the back. Of course GreatMom had everything backed up on her laptop so all she had to do is sync it.
Double good news. The Truck only needs a mid shaft bearing not a transmission! Those pinheads at the muffler shop couldn't pick that out. I should have gone else where... But hey it's only a couple hundred dollars to fix, not even a car payment, and we'll get a side trip to Grand Haven to boot!
I just want a few more months out of it. That truck is like that favorite pare of sneakers. I just don't want to part with it. And really it has been much cheaper than payments for the last couple years, but I'll admit it lacks the style it once had.
Fixed for $250. Perhaps the gods have been appeased.
And Now we get to spend a bonus day in Grand Haven! Not that that will be free...
Have fun in Grand Haven!
Aunt Mel
Thanks Mel
Fruitland, Michigan? There's a Fruitland, Michigan? That could be either really good or really bad ...
I have no advice on the truck, by the way, that doesn't involve a giant sledgehammer. I'm probably not going to be that good for you.
Oops it's actually Fruitport. Fruitland is in Missouri.
I'm always getting these gay places mixed up.
So then, my grandpa spent a whole lotta too much time in the Silversides. Coming home meant going to the local tavern for a good long while, followed up with a drive to the steep, sandy river banks that ultimately left him stranded in the Big Manistee. A real legend around here - tough to make a name for MYself with those shoes to fill! ZzzZZZzz... These days, he is a seriously well adjusted, sober gentlemen living out his life REmarried (grandma thought the river stunt was a bit much) to a great lady in Frankfort.
enCAMPment ---- a bit too much like enTRAPment for me!
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