My day started waking to the sound of rain pounding the Lance Camper roof. The Greenwood Campground in Woodford, Vermont was a spectacular place to build a campfire the night before. Thick evergreens directed the wood smoke upward to a small, star-filled opening in the canopy. It is a great benefit being off grid. Never needing to plug into shore power affords one the luxury of parking in some amazing locales and this was sure one of them.

Making my way towards Albany, New York for a Dick’s Sporting Goods Hunting Tour stop, I noticed the temperature inside the truck matching the 58 degree outside temperature. The second thing I noticed was that my heater was blowing cold air. As the ride continued, it only got colder. Thank goodness for the heated seats. I soon realized that the radiator in my Ford F350 Super Duty had sprung a leak. Amazingly, with just 400 miles left in my 3 Year/36,000 mile Ford warranty the radiator was shot. Really? Ford can’t make a radiator last more than 36,000 miles? What is up with that?

Thankfully, I found a Ford Dealership in Albany, Orange Motors, and they hooked me up.  I was out in under 3 hours with a new radiator thanks to Vince, Bill and Paul. What a great group of guys.

The good news is that in just about 8 months I’ve visited 41 of the 49 states slated for the 2008 Tour. Things are going great. Less than good news, I’ve a truck that couldn’t make it to all of them without stumbling. Not much Super Duty in that. Oh Well.