Days 13 and 14: On the Road Again, Sort of...

I have plenty of pictures from the last few days, but I'm still working on getting them uploaded. The reason I haven't done much posting is that our time has been occupied by repairing the tent camper. When we were getting ready to leave Sioux Falls the tent wouldn't come down. Upon pulling apart the bench and step that cover the pully/crank assembly we discovered that the cable had jumped the spool and was caught in the gear. Cranking up the roof with the cable caught in the gear had frayed the cable badly so it would need to be replaced.

First we tried Spader's, the RV place immediately next to the KOA where we were staying. They wouldn't even look at it and referred us to another RV dealer about 12 miles away. NorthView Campers, Spader's directions didn't even get us properly there, did what they could to help. They didn't have any cable on had, but they shortened the cable a bit and put it back together.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough cable to let the top come down all the way. We picked up a couple of ratchet straps to hold the top down and when we got close to our next destination we stopped at a Lowe's to get a piece of cable. Again, an unfortunate circumstance, as they did not have the correct type of ferrule. On our second attempt we got a working fix, but it was late, so we all spent the night in the RV.

Currently we are using some prudently placed 2x4 boards as a safety until we can reinforce the ferrule.

Even with fixing the camper we found some time to visit Truman's home. Truman was a unique president as modern presidents go. Born a farmer he kept a sign on his desk with which most people are familiar, "The Buck Stops Here." The part that is not is well know is that the back of the sign read, "I'm from Missouri," a reminder of where he was from and where he would return when his term ended. Unlike many other modern presidents the Truman's lived a relatively simple lifestyle. They were far from impoverished, as President Truman's wife Bess's grandfather, George Gates had made a small fortune milling flour. Of course, his presidency is also controversial for a few reasons, not the least of which is the use of the atomic bomb against the Japanese.

The Truman library has some excellent exhibits. If you are ever close to Independence, MO, I highly recommend a visit. The kids even got to make campaign buttons.

After walking all over Independence, MO, to see the sights we had worked up quite an appetite. We stopped at a place called Dave's Bakery & Deli. They had good sandwiches, but, although, the baked goods look delicious, we decided to pass and get back on the road.