10/21/07
In order to tell you about today, I must first tell you about another day. When JJ and I first arrived in Florida we made several stops at various branches of the Brevard County Library System. These stops were intended to prepare us for our first "big" stop at the Renaissance Senior Citizens Center at Curry Ford Park in Orlando, Florida. Moreover, to tell you that story I must first tell you another story. Now I know it is a cardinal sin to digress and twice as bad to digress multiple times but in order to tell this story properly, such is necessary, so bare with me.
As the person that located and argued for the purchase of the coach we now reside on, I take some responsibility for the coach itself. After deciding that we were interested in the coach, PVS contacted Motor Coach Industries (MCI), the original manufacturer of the coach and contracted them to inspect it before we purchased it. They found a few small issues that would be expected on a used coach that hadn't been used much over the last couple of years. Before departing for Orlando, I scheduled to put the bus into the MCI shop located in Orlando. At the time, I was told that the repairs could be done in one day.
After arriving in Florida we drove to Melbourne, FL where the bus was in storage, picked it up and drove it straight to MCI in Orlando. We didn't get it back for two and a half days. One of the repairs to be performed included having the oil changed. In spite of the extra day and half originally quoted to perform the work, they did not have enough time to change the oil. No worries, we had the following Friday off and scheduled to bring the bus back to MCI as we would still be in the area and could than get the oil changed. Now, an oil change on a bus includes a lot more things than just the motor oil. It includes the diesel/water filter, water filter, oil filter, fuel filter, etc., etc., etc. Unfortunately, on our way to the Renaissance center on Thursday, Oct. 11th, the bus died about five miles away. It was dead. Five hours later we had been towed back to MCI. The fuel filters, the same fuel filters that were to be replaced the week before, and rescheduled for replacement the following day (Friday Oct. 12th) were clogged. A rather simple problem, but one that can bring a bus tour to a screeching halt if not tended to in a timely manner. Thus, we did not make it to the Renaissance Center on our originally scheduled date. Concordantly, have had some time today, we decided to go back. Unfortunately, as we have quickly learned, stops on a bus tour are not very productive if not properly promoted. Needless to say, we did not have a great turn out. We saw a number of folks, but not near as many as we could have. However, all is not lost, we did our best to make up for our blunder and can now look forward to wildly productive days in the future. With that, I bid you adieu until next time.
Jonathan Arnold
National Bus Tour Coordinator
Project Vote Smart
