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Second Story Van
Wed., Jul. 23. 2003 1:37pm EDT
O.K., this is probably the only chance I will ever get to say this, so I had to start this weeks newsletter now: I am typing this newsletter to you from inside the bands van, which is currently chained atop a flatbed, heading down I-35 (just passed mile marker 135) in Kansas.
Im sure Karl will be posting photos to the website. The concerts at Sonshine 2003 in Minnesota and LiFest 2003 in Wisconsin went great. We drove as far as Cedar Rapids IA that night.
Things were looking fine as we headed down the highway Sunday, but we started having problems near Cameron MO, and had to stop for the night to wait for a repair shop to open. They finally fixed our thermostat after 11 a.m. CST, but we had more van troubles as we continued down the road, so we had to stop in Liberty MO to get our radiator replaced. That process took a few more hours (not to mention several hundred more dollars) and we pulled in for gas.
After we finished filling up and paid for the gas, we pulled away from the pump without removing the nozzle from the van, which broke the nozzle, spewed gas and cost us another $119. However, this allowed us to get another 70 or 80 miles down the road before our van started making a horrible noise. It appears that we either threw a rod, broke the fan clutch or messed up the timing chain. By the way, our drummer, Bill, wants you all to know that his brother-in-law thought this is what was wrong all along. So we had to chill in the hot Kansas sun by the roadside while we waited for AAA.
And thats how we got here. Were on our way to Emporia KS right now, which ironically is where our concert will be on Friday. Unfortunately, we also have concerts on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bastrop TX and Brownwood TX, so we still have to figure out a way to get us, our luggage, and our equipment there in time.
Right now, we would just like to ask for your prayers. Were all taking this in pretty good spirits, but its definitely going to be a financial hardship (our van has created a few of those recently), and we dont want to miss out on any concerts on top of that. Your prayers are greatly appreciated, and thats not hype. God hears your prayers on our behalf, and we greatly appreciate them.
Well, we just pulled into the service station. I think were still in Kansas, Toto!
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