Taking The Tent Down In Amber and A Few Other Tidbits

Because we were without internet service last week, we did not get to show you pictures of the tent coming down in Amber, Oklahoma. We had to load the trailer differently that day because we were picking up a lawnmower in the Tulsa area and we had to have room in the trailer to put it in and be able to strap it down.

I was in the trailer before 6:00 that morning trying to get everything arranged that could be arranged and envision all the rest and try to map out a plan. Most everything loaded as planned and only a few things required changes midstream.

I am skipping ahead for a moment. Bro. Jimmie Radcliff met us near Sapulpa with the lawnmower.

This is what it looked like once it was in. 

You can see the car is loaded all the way forward. It is only a few inches from the cabinets. The pulpit and other tent revival stuff that loads in the front is divided between the lift, the bus, inside the car and the things you see strapped in the back. 

To compensate for the extra weight in the front, I loaded the tent about four feet further back on the lift. It worked. Everything road like a dream all the way to Elco and home.

Now, back to the tent take down. We had our last service Sunday morning and then began taking the tent down about 11:35.

The Amber folks worked so diligently and soon the tent was down, everything was packed away, the bus was moved, the trailer was moved, the car was loaded and the train was hitched up to ride.

We were ready to hit the road way before 1:30, even with some visiting thrown in. I was so glad to get on the road that early because we had a long way to go and a short time to get there. That seems to be a reoccurring theme in the last few weeks, does it not?

Do you remember a week or so ago when I told you about taking the tent down in the cold in Colorado Springs? Folding the tent at 47 degrees was like trying to fold a plastic milk jug. You can do it, but it is not easy and does not look good.

Well, we did not have that problem in Amber 10 days ago. No Sir! It was 45 degrees warmer in Amber and the tent folded like a warm towel out of the dryer. It was no problem at all.

With the great workers, it was folded good and quick too. It really helps when the church folks have done this with us before, even if they do not remember exactly what role they played the last time. Doing it the year before sparks memories of the process as they see it happening again and they can jump in.

Here are a few of the pictures that Odie snapped that afternoon as the tent came down in Amber, Oklahoma.

I told you on our weekend post last Monday that we drove about 250 miles after we took the tent down in Amber. That included two working stops for a total of about another hour.

Monday we drove another 365 miles to Elco. The first 67 miles was interstate and then about 15 miles of freeway that was limited access like an interstate. We averaged 70 MPH on that leg and then then the fun began.

The next 177 miles from the east side of Springfield, Missouri to the east side of Poplar Bluff, Missouris was sloooooow going. It is all four lane roads, but it has lots of curves and hills up and down. It is a beautiful drive in a car, but in the BoggsMobile with the tent trailer, it is a mess.

I could not stay at the speed limit on most of the curves and many of the downward grades have curve going down the hill or at the bottom of the hill. That means I am crawling by the time I reach the bottom and I have no way to pick up speed before I start going up the other side.

I am sure I used a lot of fuel and I averaged about 50 MPH the whole 177 miles. It was loads of fun, but at least it was not raining and it was not windy. Thank God for that.

We made it and that is what matters. 

Thank you for stopping by today.

Davy