Today has been a bit of a hairy day. My AC failed about 70 miles south of Dallas. It was very hot getting to my truck builder's house to look at the scout and take photos of it and find out what to do about the AC problem. It is 5 30 PM, and I'm still in Dallas. A friend of the builder's came to the house to try to get it going again, as it has a slow leak in the compressor itself. This a bit like South Africa, from what I've read online... People don't know how to work on your vehicle or don't have the tools/parts to fix it, so you have to alter your plans to keep the trip going. The problem is the car uses R12 for freon, which is outdated and impossible to get without a license. I had to go with the man to a store to buy the freon, which costs about $32 a can. The man's freon license was expired but he managed to get it anyway. We came back to the house to put it in, and the AC function still wouldn't kick in. He checked everything, and the entire system seemed to be getting current, but he couldn't get the compressor to come on probably because of a bad switch in the dash or something. We had to lose the $30+ can of freon that was still attached to the AC charging system, and I took the other can back to the store. I feel like I'm finished with this car!
It was 7 30 PM when I decided it was time to get going from Dallas, as my plans have changed. I need to make up for lost time by driving overnight to avoid the heat during the day until I get to Ohio. Since it is past 10 PM, here it is. I made it through some lightning and rain. I had to wipe the windshield, since the AC doesn't work. As of now, I'm in Texarkana about to cross into Arkansas.
It has been a hot drive! As soon as the AC failed, I pulled the car over at a rest stop and moved the ice chest to the front right seat so I could take my new bandana that I bought at the store on Friday and use it to keep me cool. Outside heat doesn't bother me; it's inside where it gets VERY HOT, something like 120 degrees? I've been dipping into the ice chest to wet the bandana and patting my face, wrists, and laying the bandana on my lap to help me stay cool, as the wind dynamics for ventilation (windows down) is horrible, sending my too-short-to-be-tied hair strands flying in my face. Instead, I left my window cracked just a bit, enough to feel the air hit my forehead. I was sweating the whole time! I noticed that I didn't have to cool myself down as much once the sun had set. The less often I have to do this, the longer the ice will last.
