Once we got into Massachusetts, we noticed the car didn't sound right. Gary investigated and found it to be beyond his expertise so we decided to turn around and head to our mechanic in Berlin about 150 miles north of where we were.
Our mechanic, Dougie, figured it out right away. A nut had come loose on the rocker arm causing a domino effect but no major damage. Phew! We climbed back in and set off once more with Simon and Garfunkel in the 8-track.
We made it to Holyoke, MA and stayed in a Howard Johnson's with a Cracker Barrel right next door. We'd never eaten at one before and were quite disappointed that we couldn't get a beer and wine. My steak was excellent, though!
We left bright and early this morning but still ran into lots of commuter traffic. Luckily, we are in no major hurry so we just puttered along as best we could.
We've been stopping every couple hours and the GOAT is surprisingly comfy so it's been an enjoyable journey so far. I've taken a few pictures with my phone but haven't had much success. I did get this one I thought was kind of cool. The sky was awesome with the virga. (That's a new word I learned today! It refers to moisture raining out of clouds but evaporating before hitting the ground.)
I loved how the sun was reflecting on the car when we stopped at a rest area. Every time we do, Gary checks under the hood to make sure everything is as it should be.
And, tonight, we are in Winchester, VA watching the Red Sox in the World Series.
...to be continued
