I'm totally ready for some dull moments. I went to the oasis yesterday afternoon, anticipating watching birds forage on Fairy Shrimp. My son was down there and had sent me numerous photos of a Common Yellowthroat and Northern Waterthrush gorging on the shrimp.
Not long after arriving, I was happily photographing the action as best as my poor abilities would allow. I got the yellowthroat and waterthrush gobbling up shrimp until I wore myself out.
I later learned that the waterthrush I photographed was a Louisiana Waterthrush and the one Lee had photographed was a Northern Waterthrush. Crazy! The Louisiana is more rare for here.
At daylight this morning, I was determined to give all the trees a good watering. The plan was to nap afterwards, and then go to Alpine. Staying awake driving to town mid-afternoon is very dangerous for me without a nap first. I was pleased with how smoothly everything went. My son went to town around midday, but I assured him I could carry on alone. I was glad I was able to take a short nap. Sometimes I'm unable to sleep when I have the trip to town ahead of me. All good.... until it wasn't.
I got about five miles down the road when my pickup died. 100° outside. End of AC. Luckily, I was able to coast to the blacktop road, which was ever so slightly downhill. There, I got an unreliable bar of cell service and managed to call my son and husband. While I waited the two hours for my son to get there, a friendly neighbor shared his AC vehicle with me. I felt horribly guilty for all the work I cause my son. Seems like my care is a full-time job for him. They're talking like I need to get realistic and not go to the oasis so much. I think I just need a newer 4X4 vehicle, but either way, I'm continuing to go maintain feeders, and at least help with watering.
My pickup is an old 2011 Ford Ranger with over 200,000 mile on it. A couple of months ago the fuel gauge wasn't working, so the garage put in a new fuel pump. To do that they had to remove the gas tank. All seemed to work fine until a week ago when I filled up the tank after returning to town from the oasis. It only held half as much as usual. Weird! Then I started smelling gas all the time. Weird! And the breakdown today was the result. Somehow, I think something went wrong involving the gas tank. We shall see!
5 comments:
Cool. Wonderful photos and experience.
Nice array of new birds! Going to the Oasis brings you joy, gives you purpose, and keeps you moving. I say get a new(er) 4x4 and keep going!
Yes, stopping isn't an option for me. The mechanic found the problem. Something about the fuel line. I'm fine with keeping on with my current pickup for now. At some point I may decide it's time to replace it, but this is the first time I recall it breaking down like that. As for getting stuck in the arroyo a couple weeks ago, I'll make sure that never happens again.
Glad you found the fix to your truck. My car has 235k. It is 2018 model. I hope to see it reach 300k. Hopefully a trip to the Oasis will add a few miles soon!
Have an awesome day!
Good for you! A trip to the oasis might cause your vehicle to age prematurely! LOL
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