In Branson at last!

Well..... they say things come in threes. I hope we are done with the near misses with the trailer. On our Montana trip a couple of years ago, the air stem broke off on one of the trailer tires. I found it when we had pulled over to have lunch. The service guy said we couldn't have been driving on the flat more than a couple of minutes because the tire was not damaged (and neither was the trailer). Last year on the Michigan trip, a tire on the trailer was worn out on the edge to the point of being through two steel belts, and it was starting to separate. Found that one as we were preparing to pull out for the day. Turns out it was from a bent and twisted axle that we got as a souvenier on the Alaska trip. Finally, last Sunday, as we were pulling in to our parking spot in an RV park in Wichita Kansas, the guy parking us said one of the trailer tires was leaning at an "odd angle". BOY, was it ever! The outside bearing had "gone away" and the hub and rim had gotten hot enough to melt the plastic hub cap in the rim. I had looked at all the tires 35 miles before at a rest stop. We probably had less than a half a mile left on that wheel at highway speeds, and that would have taken out a good chunk of the right side of the trailer. Fortunately, the axle wasn't trashed (but I don't know how it survived). Still, with the cost of on-site maintenance, a new brake drum, 2 new backing plates with all the brakes mounted, and labor, it was $876. Better than losing a wheel at highway speeds I guess.

We drove from Wichita to Chanute, Kansas to visit my cousin Gary and his wife Lorraine. We only stayed there a day and a half. Then we drove to Branson, MO, in rain all the way. Fortunately, all our plans here are indoors. We plan on seeing several shows, and then Sunday we will drive to Cotter, Arkansas where we will stay about a week, to fish and see the fall colors in the area. No pictures yet, but from all appearances, the color will be great, unless all the rain knocks the leaves off. No telling what the White River conditions will be with all the rain. Will post later when we have some pictures from Cotter.