2008 Bus Trouble

Hey Everyone!

I am writing from home.  I got in about 7:00am this morning (Monday) and hadn't had any sleep.  Let me explain.  The last blog I wrote I was recapping the year of 2007 and I was writing from the bus as we were traveling home.  We were in Yukon, Oklahoma Saturday night and we were heading straight home which would have taken us over 24hrs if the bus hadn't broken down.  We were expecting to arrive home around midnight Sunday or would it be Monday?  Hmmmmm.  Anyway, we got to Hickory North Carolina, which is about 4 hours away from the East coast where we live.  Then all of a sudden the transmission stopped pulling the bus.  So we pulled the bus over and let it cool down from climbing the mountains the we just went across.  We started back and it would go for a very short distance and then stop pulling again.  Well, this was about 10:30pm and of course everything is closed.  

So we called a few of our friends and one of them told us to get it to the nearest bus place, which would be in Greensboro, NC 70 miles away.  We knew we had to get it towed and I think I am in the wrong business.  The wrecker guy charges $200.00 per hour.  Let's just say he road out of there with a months worth of pay!  Ouch!!!  Anyway,  we had to get home so we called around and a good friend of mine, Glenn West, who I traveled and sang with for 3 years as apart of the Lumber River Quartet was home and said that he would come and get us in his bus.  Glenn got there just as we were getting towed to the place.  So we will be using their bus this coming up week to do our concerts.  Thanks a bunch Glenn!  Fortunately, they were taking this week off.  So it worked out great!  

McCray and Rayburn were still with the bus making sure it was to be fixed.  It is going to cost over $12,000.00 dollars to get it fixed.  We can't complain though.  It has been a great bus with very little major problems.  The transmission was a good one but it was time for a new one I guess.  When you put as many miles as we do on a bus, somethings bound to go out!  But we were fortunate that we were closer to home than being stuck so far away.  

So now after a few hours of sleep, I will be ready to start my evening! lol!

Until next time.....

Jerry