We used to be nervous when one of our vessels was hauled and lifted by straps on a travelift and then set down on blocks. But seeing our Bird Buggy ignobly hauled  by cable onto a roll on town truck was nerve racking.  The Bird Buggy was chained onto the truck bed front and back. If we though putting the R/V on the truck was hard to take following the tow truck in our rented car and watching it bounce around and lean as the tow truck took corners was gut wrenching!


We made it to Freightliner in Apopka after making a wrong turn and seeing the seedy side of Apopka. We waited for almost four hours before a mechanic could check out the Bird Buggy.  He came, hoping by moving a few solenoids and fuses, that he could get us back on the road immediately.  No such luck.  Next a computer was hooked up to some place under the steering wheel of the Bird Buggy.The computer took its sweet time analyzing the problem. The results was a failed immobilizer.  Was there one in stock?  Of course not, so for three days we camped  out in the Bird Buggy in a Freightliner garage waiting for the part to arrive.  Not much different than being in a shipyard!
The bird watching was definitely limited, although we woke one morning to the cries of Sandhill Cranes much to our amazement.  Other birds in the area consisted House Sparrows, Eurasian Collared and Mourning Doves and American Crows.

Our good friend and neighbor Larry suggested that my next book be entitled "Birding American Truckstops".
We did have a nice respite with cousin Dan Whiting who lives a half hour from Apopka. He provided us with nice clean showers and we dined at a fabulous Thai  restaurant nearby.
Thanks to Preston, the Sprinter mechanic at Freightliner, we finally were underway with the hopes ,as our friend and fellow birder Hal suggested, that the "road is smooth and the exhaust is at your back."