Cool McCool's Garage

Go big, or stay home.

Remember just a couple of days ago when I had everything ready, and any possible contingency planned?  Whatever can go wrong will, and in this case it was hitting the brakes on the pickup, trailer in tow, at the end of our road, and having go right to the floor.  Nothing.  Zip.  Nada.  Happily, nobody was coming in either direction on M-43 and I took the intersection at about 24 mph.  Trailer brakes alone are not enough to stop both, I guess, although it did slow down a little bit.  In retrospect, it couldn’t have happened at a better time, a mile from home.

 

I got the rig turned around in the party store parking lot at the end of the lake, nobody there either, and went back home, where I got stuck in the driveway with the trailer COMPLETELY blocking the drive.  Some ashes from the wood stove let me get away from the trailer, and being to big and too old to just set down and cry, I did the only thing a guy could do to save the day…

 

I got the ’51 Pontiac wagon out, took the load leveler hitch brackets off the tongue of the Spartan, backed the car up to the trailer and hitched up.  Everything looked good to go, and I headed for Detroit, all of my eggs in one basket.  No problems, although the car doesn’t have wipers, but it does have brakes, the proper wiring, and a brake controller, so I figured it would all work out, despite taking the wrong exit and getting lost in Mexican town. 

 

Once I got to Cobo and made my grand entrance, the show organizers were so enthused about the wagon being used as a tow car,  they asked if I’d show it, and I agreed.  Kathryn came to my rescue and drove from her home in Ann Arbor to pick me up, and I rented a car today to drive back and forth, as their other car is at the airport (Dean drove to the airport for a teaching gig somewhere and left his there).  Census is down somewhat at work, and so I took a “sick” day so I don’t have to drive back to work tomorrow, then back again (with the rental AND Kim’s car) to get the whole rig back home on Sunday.   technically, I am still a little sick about the whole incident yet.  I am dreading replacing all the brake lines (and probably fuel lines a shot as well) under my old pickup, but it’ll have to be done.

 

Trailer Queens rock!