Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2021/10/27

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Subject: [Leica] Not the best trip we have been on.....
From: photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman)
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2021 05:57:47 +0200
References: <DM6PR04MB5403533E12DA07EF83E98D5BB8859@DM6PR04MB5403.namprd04.prod.outlook.com>

Sorry to hear all this. Car trouble can indeed ruin a trip. But the most 
important part is your last sentence.

Cheers,
Nathan

Nathan Wajsman
photo at frozenlight.eu

http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
http://www.greatpix.eu
http://www.frozenlight.eu

YNWA




> On 27 Oct 2021, at 03:59, Aram Langhans via LUG <lug at leica-users.org> 
> wrote:
> 
> Hello fellow photographers.  So, the short story is we are back at my 
> father-in-law, Bob's house, three days after we left.   So, here is the 
> rest of the story.
> 
> We got to our half way stop in an RV park in Bakersfield on Saturday and 
> spent the night.  Then we headed out for Yosemite. The weather was not too 
> bad but I knew they were expecting pretty bad rains in Yosemite Sunday 
> night but we would be already camped.  So we are on our way in and past 
> Oakhurst winding through the trees.  It is raining but not bad.  The fall 
> color starts to get really nice so I am anticipating a great trip.  We get 
> to the area where the fire hit a few years ago and it is misty/foggy with 
> these spindles of trees reaching skyward and a beautiful wet undercover of 
> reds and yellows of the dogwood.  Just spectacular. Of course, Bob is in 
> his GIANT 5th wheel so we have on place to pull over.  A little past that 
> really nice spot is a place he can fit, so I say lets pull over and he can 
> get in our rig and go back about 1/4 mile to a few small turnouts.  Well, 
> he is packing up and Margie sees some steam under our van.  I though we 
> just hit some water and it was evaporating from our exhaust but then it 
> filtered inside and smelled a bit different.  I spun around to a asphalt 
> area, put it up on some leveling blocks and crawled under to see 
> transmission fluid running out from between the engine and transmission 
> and it was HOT.  I checked the fluid level and it did not seem low, so, we 
> waited a bit and turned around.  It was running just fine. It was mostly 
> downhill back to Fresno and we were hoping we could make it may that far 
> or further to a campground and regroup to see what we could do.  It was 
> still running great.  Never noticed any problems.  Well, on the outskirts 
> of Fresno it started to shift a bit hard when we took of from a traffic 
> light but no slipping.  Found a campground and I we were about 1 mile from 
> the exit when a horrible screeching noise started so I pulled over and 
> just as I stopped it jerked.  I checked the fluid level and it seemed to 
> be fine.  I have a hard time reading the tranny fluid levels.  I added 
> fluid anyway and went to get back on the road to get off at the exit but 
> it would not budge.  Locked up.  Well, a few phone calls and a tow truck 
> was suppose to be there in 45 min.  The freeway was busy and scary as cars 
> and trucks went screaming by at a million miles/hour. About 1.5 hours 
> later still no truck even after a few more calls to AAA.  Finally a CHP 
> officer stopped to see if we needed help. He offered to call AAA and did 
> as Margie was also talking to an agent.  Margie was told there have been 
> lots of calls due to the rain and flooding and we have been skipped over 
> three times. Well, I guess the CHP had more weight because when they 
> called AAA we had someone there in about 15 min while our AAA truck still 
> was not there.  Anyway, we had no idea were to go, so asked and he towed 
> us to the Dodge dealer since he knew they had a place for a Sunday night 
> drop-off.  A late night sales person said we could sleep in our van and 
> Bob could leave his 5th wheel along the street for the night.  Filled out 
> the forms and after dealing with street racers and a uncooperative 
> security guard, left with Bob and spend the night at a Walmart.  Next 
> morning we went back at 7:00 through rain and flooded streets and were 
> told they will not work on it because it is too old and they can't get 
> parts anymore. Gave us a few tranny shops to contact so we did and all 
> said it would be about  month before they could get to it.  After much 
> debate we decided to have it towed back to Bob's in SoCal and got that all 
> arranged.  So, skipping that long story, we made it back today after 
> spending the night in another Walmart in Victorville.
> 
> So, today I looked up Jasper remanufactured trannies for a price and 
> called a few local places to see how long.  We expected to leave the van 
> here and rent a car to drive home, them come back in the spring to picked 
> it up, or have it shipped home.  Much to my surprise we found a place on 
> Jasper's preferred list that will get the tranny and install it next 
> Tuesday.  WOW!  So, that is what we are doing.  A little over $4K.  Almost 
> the price of a Q2, but well worth it.
> 
> So, NO PHOTOS OF YOSEMITE OR THE DRIVE IN!  Saw it on the news today.  5+ 
> inches of rain, beautiful colors and raging falls by autumn levels.  But 
> safe and sound and her to tell this story.
> 
> Aram and Margie
> 
> -- 
> Aram Langhans
> (Semi) Retired Science Teacher
> & Unemployed photographer
> ?The Human Genome Project has proved Darwin more right than Darwin himself 
> would ever have dared dream.?
>   James D. Watson
> 
> 
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In reply to: Message from leica_r8 at hotmail.com (Aram Langhans) ([Leica] Not the best trip we have been on.....)