Big Yellow Truck Gets Hot Wired in New Jersey!

Yes, in true main-stream-media style - I know how to lead with the sensational headline!
"Thousands Could DIE from flu PANDEMIC - more after this message..."

Today is Mother's day, our tenth day on the road in the Big Yellow Truck. We left Gettysburg after a speed tour (please see the previous post), we hit the road intending to make Hartford, Connecticut, about 340 miles.

At about 6:00 PM, we stopped for gas in Boonton, New Jersey. That's when I realized we had a problem. After getting gas (you don't pump your own gas here, they pump it for you - it's the law.) The truck wouldn't start. It wouldn't crank, wouldn't "click"...nothing. We pushed it away from the pump and into a parking spot in front of the minimart. I went inside and asked a pretty young woman for the address so I could call Triple-A for a tow. That's when the locals took over.

She said, "There's a mechanic right up the street. I take my car to him." I asked if the towtruck driver would know where he was. She paused and then called to a customer - "Do you know Romi's?" Long story short, within 5 minutes, the man had called the garage and was giving me a ride up the road to talk to the mechanic.

On the road, Dominic told me he was a local boy, a retired cop who specialized in explosives and forensics. He said he was called in to investigate the first World Trade Center bombing. We walked in to Romi's and introduced ourselves to Lee. Hearing the situation, Lee packed up some tools, closed his shop and drove us back the the Hess Station.

In a few minutes, he had spliced a wire to the starter so we could start the truck by touching the wire to the battery. With the truck hot wired, we were ready to hit the road again. All thanks to the extraordinary kindness of the people of Boonton, New Jersey.

I won't tell you what it cost. Let's just say it was a very kind and fair price and it was done with a handshake. If you're in the area, I can recommend you call Lee Wiseman at Romi's Auto Repair, 726 Myrtle Ave. Boonton, NJ (973) 263-9521.

The news in this country can make you beleive that things are horrible and getting worse. As I told Lee, I'd been meeting and talking to good people all across the country. Lee said, the "news" sucks. That is the consistent message I get from the people of this country. The news sucks. Lee and I agree that things just aren't that bad.

We made it just east of Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday night. We're heading for Bangor Maine on Sunday.