Manifest Manifold

The Turtle won't move until Rick and Liz say so! This is her destiny. On the trip out West last year, Rick and Liz saved the day by adding a blue bungee to the new accelerator cable. The job was done in about an hour. But this year, The Turtle required ten hours of non-stop work to get her manifold exhaust open. Rick found no gasket anywhere in sight. Someone had put the thing together without it and no wonder the exhaust was leaking. No one else would have attempted  taking off 33 year old nuts and bolts, but with a lot of muscle and cussing, it finally happened the day before I wanted to leave on my trip to the Grand Canyon and other canyons in the area. This time, my friend, Mary Jo Brezny is going to follow along in her son's Prius and she will be sleeping in the back bedroom, which on the 18 foot Turtle is the area where the dining table was. So the Turtle will turn into a motel  complete with fine dining cooked on her 3 burner stove and eaten under the newly refurbished awning which hopefully will have a picnic table under it. Mary Jo will head south after the Grand Canyon and the Turtle will revert back to her usual Internet cafe status. I will head further North to Gods knows where.  We leave tomorrow, Monday, August the 26th with two new rear tires, a  new fully- functioning spare, new front brake pads; cabinet, bathroom and closet doors   painted a sunny yellow and at last a properly sealed exhaust that almost exhausted my faith in being able to go anywhere. So I thank Rick and Liz Lindsay for the most dedicated and thoughtful process and persistence I have ever witnessed! The manifesting was dripping with sweat and sheer determination. It did not come easily. Sometimes we have to work  hard to get our dreams out there on the road. But with a lot of help from my friends, I am doing it. Say tuned like the Turtle.