The Coffmans: Slow and Steady (MO/IA/SD)

The day began around 6 this morning when the first technician arrived at the shop. We heard a car pull into the parking lot, and I peeked out and noticed a man walking towards the trailer. Nathan stepped out to inquire what he needed. The man seemed just as nervous and asked Nathan to stay right where he was. Thankfully, Nathan recalled the names of the shop manager and the salesman he had talked to at O'Reilly. That helped to diffuse the situation somewhat. He went on to explain that we were traveling, and we were just trying to get our car looked at and hopefully worked on first thing this morning. Thankfully, they were able to get the car right into the shop. They ran a test and told us that our water pump was working just fine. We were then told they would need to run a computer diagnostic test that would take at least an hour, so we headed down the road on foot to Bass Pro. We spent time walking around and cooling off in there. (According to the pedometer on my phone we walked just over four miles today.) When they called, we were told that there was air in the line and perhaps a computer issue. They were going to flush the lines completely and then test drive it to make sure the problem was solved. We were elated that the car was going to be an easier fix and less costly than a water pump. We returned, paid our bill, and were finally headed on our way again before noon...or so we thought! Before we could exit Springfield, the engine began to overheat again, so Nathan immediately turned the car around, and back we went. They gladly looked it over again. They decided to try a sensor to see if that would clear the issue. Sure enough! This time we were able to get on the road and keep on truckin'! What a relief!

As we began this leg, we pulled out our US map and began searching to locate the various states on license plates. It's a fun way to pass the time and By day's end, we had logged 19 states and Ontario. Nathan has done all of the driving to this point because of the trailer that we are pulling. I have only driven a trailer twice in my life. The first time was when I went to move my car from the driveway without remembering that Nathan had the trailer hooked up to it. The other time was a few weeks ago on a job site when another contractor requested that I move it so that they could get their equipment through. All I did was nervously move it out of a short drive on onto the street. Well, we changed that today. After purchasing the trailer on our anniversary, Nathan had informed me that he loved me but at some point it would be nice and helpful if I could do some of the driving so that he could rest and we could make it farther in one day. The time had come. He was so worn out. I had promised that I would give it a go once we were out of the heavy traffic and on a straight stretch. He pulled us through to the north side of Kansas City. Then it was my turn. We covered about 600 hundred miles today and I drove about 400 of it. It was not as bad as I had imagined, but it was also straight as an arrow and lightly traveled driving up I-29.

We enjoyed watching the scenery change from flat farmland in the breadbasket of this great nation to the now seeing mountains appear out on the horizon as we follow along part of the Lewis and Clark Trail. In Iowa, we came across the first windmills of the trip. We also enjoyed watching the trains travel across the plains.

By midnight, we finally pulled into Mitchell, SD. Andrew found us a campground and we pulled in and stumbled around in the dark to find a vacant spot. We settled in for another good night's rest as we prepare for the next adventure.