Wednesday, October 9th

We are not getting the Dimetrodon back today. You can thank global climate change and/or the liberal weather machine. The fixed the leaks, then noticed the engine had developed a “tick” that they said is due to a bad riser, but they want to contact the manufacturer before trying to fix it cause they don't want to void the warranty. This wouldn't be a problem except the manufacturer is based in Florida and Florida is kind of in the middle what in past times would be called a once-a-decade natural disaster and is now called Thursday. No idea now when they'll actually get through. I did get a base plate kit and had ATC order a tow bar, wiring harness, and supplemental braking system. The base plate looks like it should be straightforward to install on the Jeep; it doesn't require any welding or even drilling any holes, so I should do that myself this evening without any unforeseen complications.

Update 9:03pm: The installation did in fact require some drilling. And it was slightly more complicated by the very annoying plastic rivets holding the plastic front wheel wells to the plastic front bumper. I couldn't remove them without breaking them, so hopefully I can find a good way to securely re-attach them, preferably without requiring one-time use plastic rivets. Fortunately, there is a Fleet Farm store just across the street from the hotel, which in Iowa means a 15 minute walk. I was able to walk over there just before they closed (I had already taken apart the front bumper, so didn't want to have to reverse that to drive) and buy a nice drill and bits. Hopefully I should be able to finish the installation without further complications tomorrow. I still only got 5 hours of sleep last night cause dogs woke me up early asking for out, and then I didn't get back to sleep. Maybe I should just get used to running on 5 hours of sleep.

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