Thursday, 6/13/24
As we once again prepared to depart Edwards Nissan where Thomas' transmission was about to undergo a complete cleanse and detox, Scott said, "We're going straight for one big block, then turning left and going to the stoplight, then turning right and going to Leach RV for the part." (That would be the part to hopefully fix our camper's water pump.)
"Okay," I replied, and we headed out. Scott led, I followed, and a few minutes later I saw the Leach RV sign up ahead on the left. And Scott rode right past it. Huh?!? But he was leading, so I followed him – past Leach RV, out of the traffic, and onto a long straight, very, very sunny, paved bike path. Did I mention that it was now about 10:30 AM, we were in full sun, and the temperature was in the upper 80s? I asked Scott why he hadn't stopped at Leach RV for the part. Had he called and they didn't have it?
"They don't have parts. They're just a dealership. They only sell."
Sigh.
Okay.
So much for fixing the pump. On we rode.
We were scheduled to stay camped down in Waubonsie State Park for five more nights to bike the Wabash Trace trail and then move up to Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs for three nights to bike some trails just across the Missouri River in Omaha NE. The path we were currently riding took us around and then on into Manawa State Park, where we found the campground we'd be living in a few days later. We did not like the looks of it. I may have already mentioned that we do like a shady spot, and only two of these spots were anywhere near any trees. All the rest, including the site we had reserved, were set in a big, grassy, treeless loop. This was not pleasing news, but better to find out now before we went through all the logistics of moving the camper here. Maybe Scott could find us a site in some other campground? In any case, we rode on, and it was getting very hot.
We were finding it difficult to stay hydrated in the heat, so after perusing various connected trails in the area and making only a few wrong turns, Scott called Edwards Nissan and was pleased to learn that Thomas would be ready in less than 30 minutes. We headed back into town, taking a route that was different but still on bike paths. As we got back to the main roads of the semi-industrial area, we recognized some street names from earlier that morning, and sure enough, we soon saw Edwards GMC.
"Hey, look, it's Edwards!" I called up to Scott, realizing we were almost home. Of course, I was looking at Edwards GMC, not Edwards Nissan, where Thomas was. The Nissan section must be just around the back. But no.
We rode up and down streets and back and forth between more related car dealerships than I could imagine: Edwards Mitsubishi, Edwards Buick, Edwards Kia, Edwards Chevrolet, Edwards Fiat, Edwards Chrysler, Edwards Watersports(?!?), Edwards Hyundai, Edwards Jeep, and even Edwards Cycles (that's motorcycles, not bicycles). The amazing thing was that each one of these facilities had its own sales, service, and parts departments! The whole Edwards empire took up at least four really big blocks! So although we kept thinking Edwards Nissan was "just around the next corner," it was actually the very last Edwards lot we came to.
Thomas was still inside when the service lady came out and told Scott that he really needs new tires. Now, we weren't there for tires, and although I didn't overhear their whole conversation, I'm pretty sure Scott very kindly and politely told her some version of "hogwash." We'd been quoted something in the $275-ish range for his transmission service and flush, but when Scott went to pay they told him that Thomas has a significant problem that must be fixed; it was something to do with the timing chain cover leaking oil or something. They said they could fix it, but Scott said we have an extended warranty from Wood Motor Company in Harrison (where we bought Thomas) that covers nearly everything for the life of the car, and so declined.
When he had loaded the bikes and we were back in the car and I was driving away, Scott said, "Guess how much the total was for all the work they wanted to do."
Hmm... Well, they'd estimated $275, and dealerships always try to up-sell you, so I said, "I'll guess $2,500."
"Nope," Scott replied. "5,800!"
WOW!
We now have a sheaf of paperwork detailing it all. This on a car that just had an oil change at Wood a few months ago and everything on their 27-point checklist came out green. (Like stoplights, you know; green is good, yellow is questionable, and red needs attention.) Concerning the timing belt cover issue—after Andrew's TWO timing belt catastrophes, anything TB raises a red flag in our family—Scott called Eric, who also has an Armada. He said, "Yours is seeping like mine; it's no big deal. You don't need to do it." So, we are not concerned, and it seems that although we only contributed a total of about $300 to his cause, Mr. Edwards is doing jost grett! = )
Sweating and worn out, Scott directed me to drive back through the warehouse district along the same roads we'd ridden – to Leach RV!!! It seems he had called someone at another place who didn't have the part, but who recommended Leach RV! The guy also gave Scott a possible workaround if the part didn't work or couldn't be located. Turned out Leach RV had the precise part for $23, so that was a score. Hopefully it would work.
Ravenously hungry by now, we located the head of the Wabash Trace Nature Trail and found not only the trailhead, but a nice playground, and a lovely picnic pavilion including this mural.
Ready to eat his salad before heading out on the Wabash Trace
The Wabash Trace Nature Trail (a.k.a. the "Wabash Trace") is 63 miles long, running northwest to southeast from the big city of Council Bluffs, Iowa (population: 62,021) on the Missouri River to the tiny hamlet of Blanchard (population 52) at the Missouri border. Our goal over several days was to bike the whole thing, basically north to south. The challenge was that, much like going kayaking, we had only one vehicle, which meant we had to drive from our campsite to Point A, bike from Point A to Point B, turn around and bike back to Point A, and then drive home.
In this close-up of the mural map, our campsite is at the yellow star down by the key. That first day, what with the drive to Edwards Nissan and our sweltering ride out to Lake Manawa State Park and back, we were pretty wiped out, so we only biked on the Wabash Trace from Council Bluffs to a spot in the trail about 3.5 miles out (red arrow) before turning around and returning to Thomas. The trail is SUPER nice!
I drove us home, where the part worked and SCOTT FIXED THE PUMP!!! I am unashamedly not a rugged outdoorswoman, and oh, what a luxury it was to finally be able to access our fresh water tank! We feasted on leftovers, and I must say that cleanups are much easier with hot running water.
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