On the Road Again!

Dinah & I have finally started our summer travels, driving away with 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a kitten on Monday, 16 July.  We spent our first two nights at Valley of Fires Corp of Engineers campground in Carrizozo, NM.

This bird, with it's mate, shared our campsite shelter

Sunset at Valley of Fires

On Wednesday we headed out for Amarillo, TX, but shortly before getting there a dashboard light indicated a transmission fault. We limped to Walmart, got out the Allison transmission manual, and determined that we had an "Output shaft speed sensor" failure.  Fortunately for us, Julian's Transmission Repair, Inc, an Allison repair facility, was nearby and we arranged to visit them the next morning.  The transmission's computer decided it was not safe to shift, so we drove the 12 miles to the repair shop in first gear.  The lead mechanic, David, immediately went to work, and in an hour or so we were on our way. The part (which looked like it was worth about $20) cost $85 and the whole bill was under $200.  But to put that in perspective, on the way out of town we filled the tank with diesel, and that cost $250!
Next stop, the Corp of Engineers Canadian Campground at Canton Lake, Canton, OK. A nice place, but with 100+ temperatures, and lots of prickly things to get stuck in the dog's fur and our sox and shoe laces, we mostly stayed inside, hitting the road again on Sunday morning.
We passed a lot of dry brown corn on our way to Neosho, MO where we spent last night at the Stage Stop RV park.

Our green car after being towed a couple of miles on a dirt road, and visits by a local cat, and even a bird

 We expect to stay put today, then head toward Carbondale, IL tomorrow.