Goal: Front End Alignment for Clyde.
Today the goal was to get a front end alignment for Clyde, and wash the laundry. Due to a manufacturing recall on Ram trucks manufactured between 2013 and 2018, alignments have to be done by dealerships, as the Drag Link has to be tack welded to secure the jam nuts.
We rise early and make coffee before heading over to Westgate Dodge Ram of Wake Forest in Clyde. We are greeted quickly and Clyde was whisked off to the shop. We settle into the waiting room.
2 hours later, Rob goes out to find out how we are doing. He comes back with a story, which he will share once we are off the property.
It turns out that the dealer was UNABLE to do the front end alignment. When the previous dealership (in New Hampshire) had aligned the truck, they had not just tack wielded the jam nuts, they had fully welded the nuts all the way around! This means that the Drag Link had to be replaced. The next opportunity won’t be until Memphis! DRAT!
We grab some lunch then find a laundromat and clean our clothes. Luckily that is all the excitement for today, and once back at camp we can spend time making reservations for later in the trip.
Deryl spends time on the phone with Lander Ram in Southhaven, Mississippi, just south of Memphis, while Rob spends time on the phone with Ram corporate client services, trying to arrange an appointment to get the front end service Clyde needs, as Memphis will be the next opportunity we will have to dedicate a day to truck service.
Next Chore: Laundry
Deryl has located (via a web search) a laundromat near the Ram dealership in Wakeforest. Even with the address, it was a small challenge to locate where in the strip malls it was located.
We do find it and Rob helps Deryl unload the truck of the laundry. Deryl gets the laundry into multiple washers, and learns that this laundromat has the new modern machines that are able to pay for the load via a credit/debit card (instead of quarters).
We settle in to read the news till it is time to move the laundry to the dryers. The dryers also allow payment via credit/debit card, select the amount of time, then swipe your card.
An hour and a half later, all the laundry is clean, dry, and folded. We head back to camp.
Next: Chase a Train
At Holly Point State Park, we had occasionally heard train whistles for grade crossings. Since we had time on the way back to camp we decided to see if we could locate where the train tracks ran.
While laundry was doing its thing, Rob had studied maps, and located where he thought train tracks might be located. So after laundry, we went off to see if we could locate the tracks, in hopes of seeing a train go by.
A short drive later, the tracks were located. To our delight as we were crossing a bridge over the tracks we could see a train heading towards us. Rob then drives on a road parallel to the tracks to where the tracks cross at grade level.
There we turn to cross the tracks just before the train approaches and lowers the crossing gates. It is a mixed freight with tankers, and piggy back cars. We find it fascinating to see how many goods move by train.
And Home Again:
After watching the train, we returned to the Wols Roost, for some relaxation time, before we made dinner.
The remaining hours were devoted to working on this website, before we retired.