11/2/2024
And it comes to a roaring close . . . I left leisurely yesterday morning, knowing that I couldn’t park the trailer until at least 4:00 because my neighbor told me the city is replacing our sidewalks — and they were supposedly up to my house yesterday.
What I didn’t expect was to have to take a slight detour to a spot where I could stop and check the trailer connection. Each day that I’ve taken off for my drives, I have checked to make sure the turn signal lights in the trailer are working. On occasion the left will work but not the right, and then I need to reseat the connector. It was always kind of iffy, not always seating securely. Well, yesterday it decided to randomly disconnect.
As I was driving, I should have known something was wrong because people weren’t letting me change lanes like they usually do, and a giant semi honked at me. Did I check the connection when I stopped for gas? Nooooo. As I was coming down the 91 just before going south on the 55, someone motioned for me to roll down my window and shared with me that a cable was dragging. Sigh. I knew exactly what it was, but had no idea of the damage. I have been across the country and back, and I guess it decided now was a good time to flop off.
I pulled into a large parking lot and inspected the damage . . . Gheez. Half the round plug had been ground off. If I could get that wounded connector to stay plugged in, the left signal worked, but the right signal connection was obliterated. So, I zip-tied the plug into the receiver and off I went, very carefully, staying as much as possible in the right lane so that my missing right turn signal wasn’t needed.
I guess the trailer gods were with me because this happened on the last day, and I arrived home safely. Now that I’m home, I get to do the following: replace the 7-pin connector, replace the 4-pin connector (lost on a previous drive but not critical), replace the battery cover that blew off in the wind, replace the tire cover that also blew off in the wind, replace the black and grey tank valves which leaked horribly, and well, the medicine cabinet is already fixed. All that said, my trailer was a very cozy living space while I was on this journey.
I think I mentioned in a previous blog that my biggest fear was that I would feel lonely on this trip, as that sometimes happens when I’m up in Orcas or even here in Long Beach. However, not one moment of one day did I feel lonely. I’m guessing that a good part of the reason is because I wrote this daily blog – and felt connected each day to you, my family and friends. So, I thank those of you who hung in there with me. It was definitely an adventure I will not forget.
11/2/2024