Plans Go Awry

Everything started out great yesterday with a nice, leisurely breakfast. There is a Thousand Trails campground nearby - Gloucester, VA. - that we have been hearing about that we didn't know existed, and have been anxious to see. Yesterday was a good time to go see the park to see if it might be an option for us to stay awhile when we finish here and before heading out to our next destination, wherever that ends up to be. Anyway, we headed out at around noon and stopped at the office to check on mail we were expecting. When we got back in the car, we heard this loud sound coming from the steering wheel when it was turned. I got out, lifted the hood, and sure enough, our power steering fluid was all over the side of the engine compartment where the power steering fluid tank is located - and the tank was empty.

We drove the Jeep back to our site to figure out what to do. Of course, call the road service. We dumped the AAA road service in favor of the Good Sam Club road service back when we hit the road because it was more RV friendly with its benefits. They responded quickly and located a place in Kilmarnock, about 10 miles from here where we do our shopping and where the Walmart is located. Anyway, they came with their truck within the hour and loaded us up:

It was the first time since we bought the Jeep over 6 years ago that we had to have it towed away for repairs.
We followed the tow truck in our truck:

The repair shop did their analysis and, sure enough, the power steering pressure hose broke. He informed us that this hose costs $188 and with labor to install it, the bill would be $333. Sheesh! I verified the cost of the hose by calling a Jeep dealer and checking with their parts department - they charge $196 for the same hose so we are getting a deal! :) I can't imagine what makes this hose so valuable.

Our Jeep will be ready by the end of the week since they had to order the part first. It's a good thing we don't need to go anywhere as we start work again today (of course, we still have the truck to use). This was one consideration we made when we decided to keep the Jeep back in Orlando. It is still cheaper than buying a new one and the Jeep has been very kind to us. Let's just hope this doesn't start a trend.

That's about it for our exciting conclusion to May and the Memorial Day weekend holiday...