After a lunch in Kenai with my old friend Tom, I spent the afternoon at Johnson Tire, getting my trailer wheel bearings repacked. The mechanic said the bearings on one side are fine, on the other side the outer bearing is salvageable, but the inner one is not. Of course the grease is dried up and solidified, and the seals are scored. But it can be fixed and I’ll be safer.

I called around to find used tires to fit, but ain’t none in this little town. The old ones are no good but hold air, so I thought I’d wait. Then there was a big hassle trying to get them back on, since they are so much a wrong size… So finally I decided to just bite the bullet and buy new trailer tires for $100 each and not be worried about them all the time. Those old tires had been on those rims for decades and were a bitch to get off. (But when I paid the bill, they discounted the tires 15%, then gave me a 15% fleet discount on top of that, so the bill for everything was $406.) It’s money I don’t have, but it makes the trailer usable.

The mechanic says everything else actually looks pretty good. What a relief that is. The kind young man suggested that I put a post support under the saggy roof when the trailer is stored during the winter to stop more snow damage, which is a very good idea. He also said he’d do work for me on his own time whenever I need help, and much cheaper, so now I have my own (adorable and young) mechanic.

The electric line pulls out every time I turn a corner. I don’t see how it ever did work with this truck. The U- Haul guys did the light connection for me, and it wasn’t cheap. They’re a bunch of Yahoos anyway.

I’m very glad I didn’t sell the trailer. I’d have almost given it away, just to get it gone and out of my sight. Now I’m very hopeful that I can fix it, at least to be decent enough for fun times. It was great that all the workers at the repair shop admired my old trailer! It’s survived all these years, could stand to have some love now (like me).

My dear friend Katie is getting an old trailer too, so we can be “two old women camping together again”, as she says. I can’t wait!

All in all, it was a good day for me. It was also sunny and warm, so that didn’t hurt. I’m so glad all this got done before my friends Sonny and Gloria arrive next Tuesday to stay for two weeks! Now I can relax, and just do painting and cosmetic work on the trailer before I take off for “the woods”. I think my grandson Janek and my dog Cheyenne will be delighted to go with me this summer.

Unfortunately I forgot my camera today, so no pictures!