Headed for Home!

Thursday morning arrived without a hint of the heat we were to encounter in the afternoon.  The morning was beautiful, cloudless, sunny and down right chilly!  We loaded up and decided to get an earlier start, because by the time we were to hit the North Carolina border the temperatures were expected to be in the upper 80's to lower 90's.

We didn't get out of the parking lot when Miz B decided that she had an electrical issue! The ammeter showed a definite drain - meaning the battery wasn't getting charged.  So, we were planning to put the little car on the trailer until Orville said he had an extra alternator!  Amazing the spare parts some folks travel with!  Boy was I thankful!  So, a parking lot tech session ensued.  They had the new alternator installed in about 30 minutes and we on our merry way.

The air temperature was about 50 degrees; chilly enough that I had a light blanket across my lap - no windows to stop the wind.  We headed out and started climbing the mountains.  After about 20 minutes, Miz B was definitely running HOT!  It was time to put her on the trailer.  We just didn't have the luxury of trying to figure out the overheating issue.  The extreme heat was going to arrive by noon.

On the trailer - ready to be home!

It was decided that we would not take the scenic route home, but hit the interstate system.  Not the most pleasant way to travel in a Model A, but quicker.  John and I again split up.  He rode in the air-conditioned truck, and I in the Booth's four door sedan.  I was determined that I was going to make the entire trip in a Model A - even if it wasn't mine!  We jumped on the interstate just above Johnson City, Tennessee.  The truck traffic was quite heavy.  We did get off on US11 for a bit, but then were back on I26 for the remainder of the trip.

We did have an interesting excursion - quite the scenic route, at one point.  We decided a break was in order, so we stopped at a Rest Area for a few minutes.  Then it was back on the road; only the two A's went straight out of the parking lot and the truck hauling Miz B went right!  Wow, did we in the A's get the scenic route!  We were on a very narrow mountain back road full of switch backs.  At first, we were headed straight down hill.  We then hit the valley floor and then it was straight back up the mountain - still more switch backs!  Thank goodness the truck wasn't following us - they wouldn't have made the curves!  We passed under I26 twice, finally making our way back to the interstate.  We were 6 miles further north than the Rest Area where we had gotten off!  Well, we got our scenic route for the day!

We traveled without incident all the rest of the way home.  We did stop once more at a fresh peach stand and enjoyed a very delicious and refreshing peach slushy.  The temperature was about 98 degrees.  We arrived at 5:30 to the sweltering heat of Columbia; it was 100 degrees!

But, it sure felt good to be back home!  We all agreed it was a great trip despite the issues we encountered on the road.  We enjoyed the fellowship of great friends, made new ones along the way, and truly had a memorable adventure in our Model A's.

Tomorrow, Miz B is getting a thorough check up.  There has to be a simple explanation for her issues.  We have to get ready for the mountains around Chattanooga and the MARC National Tour in September.