April 7, 1997
Awoke to the rumbling thunder of a helicopter overhead. I was told later that we are under the flight path of a hospital medivac service. What a starter... better than coffee.
Called our new friend Carol and A.J. to use their phone again. Need to linkup with E-mail and Dickel folks. Carol drove right down and picked me up. Returned to their home and went online.
While online Renee from the Dickel folks popped on with a chat box... we passed info back and forth..... technology is great.
Returned to the KOA camp and joined in the dismantling of the front brakes of the Chase Truck. The right front brake has been squealing something fierce ever since we came down the Hwy 93 grade...
Turns out, the inside disc brake pad had disintegrated and threw off the padalmost entirely. Took the spent pads up to Checker Auto Parts of Kingman to compare with a new set. We took Oscar for the parts run and almost caused a traffic jam due to folks stopping to see and wave... We ducked into the parking lot and hid between a pickup and a Volkswagen.
Returning to the camp, we decided to take a different path. We ended up in a sandy field chasing a jackrabbit about fiddle neck and desert grasses. Alas, we did have to repair the Chase Truck, so we abandoned the bunny and headed home.
We repaired the brakes and then turned to Oscar.
To access the underside of Oscar, we set the loading ramps onto the Chase Truck and drove Oscar onto the ramp. We greased the bearings, replaced the jack shaft to transmission drive chain, and adjusted the engine to jack shaft chain.
One of our camp neighbors came up with his wife; Kenneth and Rita Rimington of Sandy, Utah. Ken saw what we were doing and joined right in. He re-primed the grease gun (air-bound) and helped with adjusting the chains.
I was just reaching for some moly grease (that's short for molybdenum - it's a metal element added to grease) when he told me to hold up for a moment. Ken returned with two cans of Brody Open Gear Lubricant. He told us he uses this stuff on his Tinbaler (huge metal compactor on wheels). The lubricant is packaged in a pressurized canister with a nozzle for applications.... great stuff.
Ken told me that it protects metal and is great for chains and open gearing. Well, applied the foamy graphite stuff and got it all over the chains and myself. Believe me, this stuff sticks to anything.
Fired up Oscar and drove about the streets of Kingman. The lubricant actually smoothed out the operation of the chains and gearing.... Ken was right.
Higbee and Ray went shopping, Bill went off to play miniature golf and I hit the rain locker. Ken was right..... this stuff adheres to anything. I scrubbed and scrubbed for days....
Hamburgers and Jalapenos in escabeche.
A.J. dropped by to take us off to the VFW. We followed him to his home and jumped on the net for this update. While at A.J.'s, Oscar met Sgt. Bilko,the M-37, ammo carrier.
Off to the VFW..... will call in tomorrow from Holbrook after passing through Flagstaff.
Later, folks...
The VFW was closed due to no one showing up before 2000 (8:00 pm). A.J. said he knew "Just the spot." So off we went following him across Kingman.
We arrived at a place called the "Longbranch Saloon". The exterior blended in with the rest of the rustic sights near Historic Route 66; weathered wood and a gravel parking lot. Once inside, I saw a man stooped over behind a counter; kind of like a booth.
This guy, never did get his name, was setting up for a Karaoke contest. A.J. settled right over to the bar and flipped through the Karaoke book for songs to sing.
"You gotta be kidding A.J.", I said. "You don't expect us to do this, do you?"
He laughed with ruddy cheeks and red hair. "Naw, this is something I like to do." Higbee, Ray, Bill and I glanced at one another and raised our eyebrows.
Before long the place began to fill with folks from all over. Some were local, some were from as far away as Las Vegas. Some were dressed to the teeth yet most were in casual clothes. All were open, warm and friendly.
The bartender, Vicki S., was amused with our adventure yet thought we were crazy. She was sorry the saloon kept no Dickel on hand and was heartbroken when we told her she would have received an "Oscar Shot" (special edition shotglass). Vicki cleverly kept bowls of salty popcorn coming our way until we had to wet our whistles.
In walked Jim K. of Kingman. He's 68 years old, short sandy hair, and ready to win the Karaoke contest. This guy is a character...
He said, "The past few years, I've been lightening my load." He looked over his half-lensed glasses and laughed without blinking. "Including a couple of people."
I laughed and shook my head.
"I'm doin' it for me now." He added and slapped the table.
Ray motioned for me to come over to the bar and look at the Karaoke book. I began to stand, Jim caught me with his voice.
Then there was Matilla B. of Kingman. Identified herself as the "Saliva Sucker of the Universe (a dental hygienist)".
John C. (Legs, the Pepsi Man) and Jill S. flipped through the Karaoke book, both of Kingman. Later Jill got up and sang like a bird... I heard a voice from the past...."Brenda Lee".
Greg D. of Las Vegas belted out "The Letter" while wearing Harley Davidson T-shirt and ball cap and black tennis shoes. The folks in the saloon broke into heavy applause when he finished the song.
Jim, the 68 year old, was always in the background leering at the girls and making odd gestures to whoever would watch... funny.
Gabrielle M. of Kingman and Matilla wanted to be photographed with Oscar.
Cody D., Cindy O., and Penny D. were having fun and joined in for photographs.
Legs, the Pepsi man came over to me and drug me to his table. He pointed out another that had entered with an official uniform. Kerri H. of Kingman had dropped by after work with her Walgreens name tag still pinned to her blouse. Legs insisted we take Kerri's mugshot, so we did. Good folks havin' good fun.
Jim popped up again with a joke I failed to comprehend and disappeared into the shadows laughing loudly.
A.J. got up to sing and really did a good job. He beamed a boyish smile and bowed to the audience.
We left for the KOA; morning would come soon enough and we have to make up a day.
All of us on the Oscar crew enjoyed Kingman. The people are warm and friendly. The traffic is sane and the pace is slower than we are used to. One can see history all around you in Kingman.