Well, just when I thought the truck drama was over, it’s not! We were making great time heading home for Thanksgiving after an amazing performance last night at the Renaissance Theatre. We were moving along, stopped for some Starbucks at Tamarak (big travel plaza on the West Virginia Turnpike) in Beckley, WV, topped off the diesel fuel so we could cruise on home without any problems. Then we started down Sandstone Mountain – also referred to in this part of the country as “Seven Miles to Hell.” It’s a 7% grade for about 7 miles with very few turns. Turns can be good on long descent grades because they help slow you down. When you have these long, straight grades, it’s very difficult to keep your RPMs down, even in a lower gear. That means you have to use your brakes but you want to use them carefully.
We were 5.5 miles down the descent when I sensed that the brakes weren’t holding/slowing all that well. I was trying to maintain a 35 mph speed but, just before the “runaway truck ramp,” I realized that we were in serious trouble and the truck was not slowing down! I pushed on the brake pedal but nothing happened. I put all my weight – both feet – on the pedal and we still were not stopping. It’s a good thing we were already moving around 30mph but that’s still fast going down this steep grade. I pulled the emergency brake while keeping my full weight on the brake pedal and just yelled, “Everybody starting pray – we NEED to stop NOW.” The truck slowed and we were off the road without crashing into the truck ramp – all four wheels smoking like a chimney! David and Kylie got the chocks under the trailer wheels and the emergency triangles on the road quickly.
We were off the road for only a few minutes when the WV Courtesy Patrol pulled over to check on us. We let the brakes cool down for about 45 minutes, then started the truck to let the air pressure build back up again. I put the truck in reverse and pulled the brake so we could pull the chocks. But, when I put the brake back on, we started to roll forward. They weren’t holding!
Johnny, the WV Courtesy Patrol dude, called a mechanic for us. I talked with the guy – Glenn – and he came with a service truck. After checking the brakes and making a few adjustments, he tried it out – and the brakes STILL didn’t hold! He looked at me and said, “It’s a miracle you got this thing stopped.” Yes, it was a miracle indeed! He called his tow truck and we were looking for a hotel for the night.
So, as I write this, we have checked into a Sleep Inn in Beaver, WV only a couple of hours from home. The truck is sitting at a repair shop and they won’t start working on it until Monday morning. I’m going to rent a car in the morning and we’ll all take off for home. I’ll check on the truck on Monday afternoon and drive back here to pick it up.
Oh well, so much for sleeping in our bed tonight. I love the glamorous life on the road!