We raised jacks in Summerdale and gently headed north, constant worrying about the cracked surge tank. We pulled over after the first 40 miles to check my epoxy job and found a small leak still found it’s way through the repair. We decided to stop for a couple nights at the Montgomery KOA. There, I slathered on another round of epoxy over the leak and hoped for the best. I ended up calling a couple of “nearby” Freightliner shops, hoping for good news on the needed part. To shorten the frustrating story, Freightliner required I show up in person and pay for the part ahead of being allowed to be placed on a wait list (they would not take credit card payment over the phone). We decided to try for the Beaumont (TX) Freightliner shop since we were headed for Livingston anyway. They had no ETA on the part, claiming their parts manufacturer was having “tooling issues” precluding them from mass production of that part.

So from Montgomery, we made it to Red Bay. Another look and I STILL had a tiny leak in the coolant tank. And, another round of slathering epoxy. This was a 6-day stopover and MS Solutions took care of our fixes on the coach lickety-split. After the 6 days, it was an overnighter at the River Walk Casino in Vicksburg, MS, then in to Beaumont, TX to order/pay for the Freightliner part. We continued and arrived at our final destination in Livingston, TX, Rainbow’s End Escapee Park (and  HQ). It was there that we settled in for at least a one month’s stay while waiting for the part to fix Rosie.

I probably described this many years ago upon our first visit to Livingston, but just in case you missed it… Livingston is a town of 5,000+/-. Real restaurants are limited, but fast food abounds. There is a Walmart (oh boy!), real grocery stores are limited to a Berkshire’s and an H.E.B. If you want to go to semi-civilization it is about an hour’s drive anywhere, Conroe & The Woodlands being the nearest. There is very little outdoor activity in Livingston; no nature trails, bicycle lanes/trails are basically non-existent, and very little area for public use around Lake Livingston other than the small Lake Livingston State Park. Needless to say, our Livingston stay was not noteworthy. 

After a month with our thumbs firmly inserted into our posterior regions, we decided to limp back to Beaumont and set up at the Beaumont Elk’s Lodge to wait on Freightliner. A quick check-in with Freightliner and we were told the “expected shipping date” was November 1. So here we sit…