Check Engine

Williamsburg VA
Day #12

A few days ago the 'Check Engine' light (idiot lights, my dad called them)  lit up on the Jeep.   To me that would mean, lift the hood and declare, "Yup, the engine is still there!"


The car is running fine, my thoughts are, that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it...', but Jim does not think that way.  Every time he looks at the dash, all he can see is that damn light, mocking him.  So today he was at a local Jeep dealership at 7:30 am to have them plug it in to a computer to find out what the sensor is sensing.


I don't trust those things, I mean, why do we need a computer to tell us that something is wrong, when everything is working fine?  Heck, the low tire pressure sensor has been going on and off for two years, they have tried to fix it for two years and finally gave up.  People have been driving cars for years without a tire sensor...remember when we could figure that we had a low tire all by ourselves?   The pulling to one side, hard steering or the thumping was a dead giveaway!


I also don't trust that computer that decides what you need to replace...and it's never cheap.  I'll bet it's programmed like a slot machine.  The 'lucky ones', the winners gt an all clear.  The* losers* get to replace a sensor for a few hundred dollars...   What the heck is an O2 sensor anyway?


When the screwing was over car was fixed, we headed a short distance down the road to the Yorktown Battlefield a national park.   We have the National Park Senior Lifetime Pass (I guess they don't worry about losing TOO much money, not going to use it for THAT many more years) which allows us free entry to all National Parks and monuments. If I remember right, it was only $10.   I'd advise anyone who travels to pick one up!


The drive to the battlefield on the Colonial National Historic Parkway, a extremely beautiful 23 mile road that is part of the National Park system.  Most of it is canopied by the huge trees lining it.

Move one step to the right....

Something NOT made in China!

At the visitor center, we saw a film on the Revolutionary battle, artifacts and we went along for part of a tour.  Jim is the history buff and enjoys this sort of thing way more than me.  All I could think while watching the film was how stupid they dressed for battles.  I mean RED coats and WHITE tights?  Well, why not put a bulls eye on your back?  And really, white pants to crawl through the brush? And that was before Clorox or Oxy Clean! 


However, the last couple of days, learning about the politics of that period at Williamsburg and the battle at Yorktown, I am reminded how important freedom is and how many suffered for it.  I also was unaware of how important the French were in helping us win at Yorktown, some say they were the deciding force in Revolution. 


My heritage is French!  I wonder if any of relatives were in that battle?  Who knows if any of them were  a LaCroix or Hamel?  Could be...