07/26/25 - Hollister, MO - HAD TO STOP - We had a scare yesterday in the Ozarks on the way to our campground at Table Rock Lake near Branson, MO. The transmission on our Tundra pickup truck started to go out while pulling the Airstream through the Ozarks. For awhile there, we didn’t think we were going to make it and that we would be stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Today I got up early to see if the truck could make it to the closest Toyota dealership in Springfield, MO, 45 miles away. Luckily it did and they quickly confirmed that our transmission needed to be replaced after 430,0000 miles. What to do? Spend the big bucks and buy a new truck or spend the big bucks on a replacement transmission: no good alternatives here. Elected to go with a used transmission which would take about ten days to obtain and install. Again, what to do? We need to be in Des Moines, IA in four days for the National Senior Games. No problem, they could rent us a Tundra and let us tow the Airstream with it at a very economical daily rate. Wow! Problem solved. How do you spell R-E-L-I-E-F? On the way back to the campground, saw this incredible view and had to stop to take it all in. I thought it was of a windy river but actually, this is a pic of Lake Taneycomo: kind of like where we live where it’s often difficult to differentiate between Lake Travis and the Lower Colorado River. Love days like this where you have no idea how a difficult problem will sort itself out when you get up in the morning. Life is good.
