Julie's outlook of the weekend

[julie at menloparkrandd.com (julie@menloparkrandd.com)]

Up at 4am to catch a flight at 6:50. Get to the airport and the girl at the desh said the plane was grounded, but she could get me to Charleston by 7:30pm. ACKKK
After a bit of wrangling got me on a one stop flight arriving an hour earlier.

The weekend was pretty much as Dave relayed to you and I did drive away with a "new" car :)

Once on 95 the car ran well, taking my time learning the clutch and steering. Then the car shuddered. It felt like the fuel pump dying. No drop in electrical and after a few drop outs, smoothed out. Then again at a 1/4 tank. God no!!!!

I filled the tank and added some dry gas and ran another tank through, but every once in a while, it started and stopped.

Some where in NC, I started to hear a bell tinkling in the rear of the car. "Tools... Thats it!". A while later looked back to see the top of the PS strut about 4" higher than normal. At first I tought it was like a bouncy bunny, but Jill said it was a rocc, it couldn't be a bunny. So... Ok how about a bucking Bronko? The consenus was that was appropriate.

The cars shuddering smoothed out till Washington, then in stop/start traffic, started to act up again. ARRRGGGHHH (I said this a lot)

Once past THAT point on the trip it became smooth sailing. 13 hours later, I missed a turn and started towards the GWB (George Washington Bridge). Damn it. At 1 am sunday night the traffic was backed up for miles, the car shuddered and stopped, then refused to start. I pushed the car off the side of the road and waited a few minutes. It started up and I moved the nose of the car back into traffic. Only to stop again.
I pushed the car AGAIN (with the shoulder bruise to show for it) and looked around under the hood. A hissing sound from the radiator bottle and no fan spinning.

A tow truck pulled over to ask if I needed a tow, I told him it was an over heat, and what was the hold up in the traffic. The responce? "Its always like this". Damn again (Actually I said a lot more but don't want to offend you dear readers.)

The next lanes over were moving to the lower section of the bridge, so Jill and I drove over the concrete median (aware of the popped strut) and peeled out. Once in motion, I figured the engine would stay cooler and long enough to get home.

I reached Albany, 40 minutes from home when my eyes started to act up. It felt like twitching, spiraling. I could not see the truck in front unless I looked at some thing else to get control. Jill was asleep in the PS and not much help.A thnder storm started up in the distance and dropped hard a mile from the exit.

Soon, 16 hours later and 980 miles under the gun, I pulled in to home. Ahhhhh. 4:15 am and I normally got up at 4:30 to go to work. As I sat at my desk, Jill asleep in her bed, I wrote a note to Dave about our safe arrival and thought of the hot shower and going to work, when I realised that I was just staring at the monitor and weaving back and forth.

I set the alarm for 8:30 and crashed. 90 minutes later awoke and prepped for work.

Not that I can beat Cath for mail, but this HAS to be the longest mail I have ever sent :)

The car?

1987 MKII in Porsche Red with 16v body kit. Black and grey interior (riced out by the PPO, not Dave by painting bezels red. Blech...)
2L 16v with a long ACN transaxle. Ohhhh the thoughts as I rolled along such a LONG road... Back to 16v goodness! Yeee Haaa!

Before I go to bed. Many thanks to Dave, Lori (a GREAT cook. You have to try shrimp and grits or boiled peanuts), Grace (who let us use her room), Ben (for helping with wrenches) and Leeann for the wonderful dance during rest periods. 

Night folks!