Today was the day! I got up at 0530, it was -10 degrees, the M1008 was waiting in the driveway, with no heat.... I went out and after cycling the plugs, it cranked up and died, crap! Turned the key back to start and it fired up again and smoothed right out. That is okay, I did not want to start this morning either. Let her warm up for a few minutes while I took the dogs out, Sir and Bud were expecting to go and were pretty disappointed when I let them at home.
I was running a little early, so 45 mph was my cruising speed. I stopped just east of town to check on a car in the ditch, a white Grand Am. KHP had already marked it. Then a few miles later there was a blue Ford Tempo. Nobody home there either, I saw on my return trip it had been marked since I left by KHP.
Driving across the Smoky Hill, Saline, Solomon River Basin before sunrise... I could make out some deer along the edge of a wheat field and two coyotes working a creek, hoping for a rabbit or mouse I would presume. I passed Abilene a little before 0700 and could not help but to think about Thomas Bear River Smith.
Thomas J. Smith - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just east of Abilene on Jeep Road is the ****inson County Poor Farm or Poor House. It is funny how the mind wanders when there is not much going on. I had to wonder about the people who lived there and the times they endured. I always thought it was a Poor House, but was not sure, so when I got home, I did a little Internet Search. There is not a lot out there, but enough to know the building and I did find a little history. Our Saline County Poor House is now St. Francis Boy's Home. I think ****inson County's has been converted to a private residence.
RURAL HERITAGE
A string of semi-tractors passed me... hauling sand colored generators sets! How ironic.
At Chapman I thought about the BOD and Indian Hill, of course the now famous Chapman Tornado.
Station's Along The Buterfield Overland Dispatch "1859-1870"
Chapman, Kansas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rolling into Geary County, the Troopers were stopping semi-trucks. I rolled through Junction to Ft. Riley. I looked at the Atomic Cannon.... I read once where there was only three left. This article says 28 were made.
The Atomic Cannon
Anyway, rolled north on 18 and into the service gate at Riley. The little gal working the guard shack was dancing as I dug out my billfold to get my ID. She saw the edge of the blue Kansas ID and said that was good, waved me by. There is no way she could have checked the photo, name or anything, maybe she remembers me and my M1008 from previous trips? It was very cold.
At 0745 I rolled into the GL lot. Robert's pickup was there and the perimeter gate was open, so I rolled in and tried the door. It was open!
I got to meet the new gal, Becky and she was some kind of friendly, really nice to talk to. She took the copy I had printed off and she used it to speed up finding their copy while I signed in. Robert took me back to the generator, I backed up to it and bumped the hitch. Hook up was a breeze, plugged in the lights, hook up the safety chains, locked the hitch down, inserted the cotter key, folded up the stand and headed for the GL office. Robert was waiting in his heated Toyota forklift, not that I blame him.
I signed out at 0803, pulled across the road and tied the generator cover down. Normally I jack up the trailers and give the tires and wheels a spin to check for loose bearings or noise. My check was a little shorter at -6 degrees. I rocked them back and forth, grabbed my lug wrench and made sure at least four were tight on each wheel....
I hopped in the cab and headed home. That thing tows beautifully! I ran a little under 50 mph coming home, stopped a couple of times to feel some really cold hubs and backed it into the driveway. She can set right there until the owner comes to get it or until the Kansas Rally, when I will want my M105 out from behind it.
I did not lift the cover all the way up to investigate, but what I saw looks good. I hope the trip to Illinois goes as smooth as mine did! Glad I could help and I enjoyed the trip. Glen
