Second Jedediah Smith Trail 1824 — 1826

Day 2: August 23rd, 2010 Pittsburgh (Mine)

Helen has to get some things done in the morning. So I have plenty of time to get myself ready — and to cure my headaches with plenty of Ibuprofen. Therefore I prepare my breakfast before taking a shower. First, I put three eggs in the pan and prepare two toasts and have some coffee with it. Then, things are slowly getting better for me. Finally, I take my shower, which slowly brings me back to life.

Then I check my emails. Next, I try to figure out what happened to my mobile phone and call the support number. There, they explain to me, that they can do nothing without my 4 digit PIN. But somehow, I am not able to remember that I ever had one. Anyways, all my paperwork is laying back home. I am really wondering, if I will ever see my balance again…

Therefore I write an email to my parents if they can check what I have back home. Just to be sure, I also call back home. I still have an old AT&T phone card, where I don’t know the balance. It’s 5 minutes International and 21 minutes USA — and this one does not expire!

Until I have finished everything, Helen is already back. We quickly have a sandwich. Then we hit the road just past noon. Around 1pm we arrive at Bradys Bend Underground Storage. There is again a new lady at the reception. But with my contract, I have no issues to get my truck released. The guys from the mine are currently in a meeting. So I must wait a little bit. The rest of my balance will be kept as deposit for the end of September. I also must agree on a drop–off time for the day I return my truck. I say around 1pm to 1:30pm and if something should change, we can always set up a new time one day before.

88 S10 Blazer, Mine, PA

I return to Helen’s car. After a short waiting, Paul already shows up and takes me back to my truck. He still remembers me. I quickly connect my battery and close the hood. He looks at me really in disbelief and I just say, that I am an optimist. All in all, I have a new battery installed last year. Just before, I take two pictures of my truck, one with flashlight and one without. If I remember correctly, there is still the same truck sitting beside my car like last year, when I dropped my car off.

Then I drive out of the mine. Hopefully it has stopped raining. This would not be great when pumping up my tires. But I am lucky and it has stopped raining! I get my pump out, then I start with my usual routine to pump up my tires. Starting front left, rear left, front right and rear right — but what is this? I hear a sizzling sound. Is my pump hose leaking?

Suddenly, I have the whole vent in my hands and the tire slowly goes flat. There has been broken the whole brass part with thread! This is something, I have never seen before!

Now I must change my tires, there is no other choice. So I get my car jack out and look for my lug wrench. If you store in two cars your stuff differently, it takes some time until you find it. After searching for a while, I have everything what I need. I put the jack under my truck and — sure, I have now a lift kit installed. Now the car lift does not fit anymore! Awesome!

There is no chance to lift on the axle, because the jack has an elevation in the middle which usually fits in a whole at the frame. But I also find a reception at my lift kit carrier and so I am able to lift my truck there. This indeed really works!

The first tire is changed pretty fast. Then I continue with the next one. There, I already have a bit more routine and tell Helen, that there is no need for her to wait longer. All in all, it will take a while until I have finished this task. After a little bit of hesitating, I am able to convince her to drive off.

When she has left, I also change my both front tires. I don’t want to drive with mixed tires, especially as the storage rim has not enough room for the lift kit. Around 4pm, I am eventually able to leave the mine. To my surprise, I am able to find my way back home without any issues.

After 7 miles, I quickly gas up at a BP, which is at the moment super busy. And behind me is already someone waiting. Damned, I wanted to clean my windows. There is almost nothing to see to the side! So, I just drive over to the parking spots and get the wiper. The guy behind me looks at me questioning and asks, if I have forgotten something. No, I just want to clean my windows and I didn’t wanted to keep him up this long.

Eventually, my windows are clean and I drive on without taking any wrong turn. Unfortunately, my GPS battery runs dry after half of my distance. And I have not yet connected my backup battery in the car, because I was not able to find the screw. Therefore, I continue driving without my GPS. This also works pretty well. Only the entrance to Helen’s property was a bit difficult to see. From this side, I am not used to approach it. And this old Chevy Van is no longer parking up there. This was always a good landmark for me.

After my arrival, I put my working clothes on first. Then I drive over to Walmart. There, I walk first to the radio and television area and ask about my mobile phone. The guy is really trying hard to solve the problem and calls a lot of people from the T–Mobile support. Finally, he figured out that everything is fine with my number and my account, but my SIM expired — what?!

Never before I have heard this story! Because of this, I must now buy a new mobile phone and then I am able to transfer my balance to the new SIM card. Well, he also wants to support me in the registration procedure. I buy the cheapest phone for $20, then we start working. After an endless waiting at the support line and a couple of connections, we reached the point again, where they would need my PIN. Unfortunately, I don’t have it. So he tries it with my passport. But he is not able to get the customer data and therefore is not able to transfer my balance. The only thing I can do now is driving to the T–Mobile shop at Ross Park and do the transfer by showing them my passport. Great! Okay, I already bought the phone. Now I can only hope that I may receive my PIN. Then I am able to proceed from there by myself.

I say thank you to the guy. He was busy almost an hour with my problem. Then I walk over to the car supplies. I take an oil and air filter and engine oil with me. There I buy again the ones for extended mileage in the hope, that everything will be fine.

Then I drive on to David. In the meantime, he is already back home and I am able to talk to him. He still has a meeting later. To me it sounds like he is a member of the local council, if I got everything right. I put all my boxes in the garage and start with my car jobs.

First, I start with an oil change, which works extremely well with my new oil drain plug. Only the engine is still so hot that I almost burn my fingers when changing the oil filter. Just before, I change the air filter and take a look at my new radiator. The inlet looks very small. I compare it with mine and this is true, it is way smaller — which starts an uncomfortable feeling in my body. And then the next shocking moment: The inlet is at the other side, exactly where all my additional parts for the automatic transmission reside. Oh no, have I ordered the wrong radiator?

This is something I must check immediately back home. I fill in my new engine oil, mount the oil filter back on and then I am driving back. At David’s house, I make a brief stop. There is only Lisa at home. But we will meet a couple times for sure before I leave for my trail. Then I am driving back home.

It is already half past seven, when I am back. Helen had dinner yet and suggests that I should drive for dinner right now. We can drop the car at my dealer after this. So I quickly wash myself, then I am driving over to Lone Star in Cranberry. This is very close — and almost empty! Accordingly fast, I receive my dinner. My server is also great. She only made a mistake on the Pepsi without ice. But she immediately brings one without ice. I tip the usual 20% (something I must still get used again), then I am driving back.

Just before 9pm I am back and we drive immediately to my Chevrolet dealer in Wexford. There, I fill out the form and drop everything with my paperwork in an envelope in the night mailbox. Then we drive back home. Around ten, I am already laying in bed.