Thursday

Update from the repair shop. The critical parts of the engine are open for inspection. The warranty representative paid a visit and hypothesized several ways the engine blow-up could have been our fault. None of those scenarios were supported by the evidence before him (as explained by the engine mechanic). The warranty inspector settled on the explanation that we must have over-revved the engine somehow. This engine is electronically controlled. There is an engine log. There were no over-limit records on the engine log. The Warranty Rep left to file his report. We’re supposed to hear their determination in 24 hours. (Of course they’ll cover it. The engine is included in the coverage we purchased. It’s probably a $25,000 decision for them; replacing an engine. They’re just being prudent.)

A drive through the Utah Badlands



Lunch in Richfield. Dinner in Cedar City. (A photo of Cedar Canyon.)

Here in Utah, we’re dealing with the low-altitude suck. You open a bottle, and air rushes in. So much easier to manage than the high-altitude puff we encounter when we first return to Colorado each year. I have the Exploding Catsup Incident in mind. Judy with both hands on the bottle, unable to control the erupting volcano. At lower elevation, we don’t have to struggle to keep contents in their bottles. We just have to keep from being sucked into each container as we open it for the first time.