October 4, 2021 - Trip Down the Natchez Trace Parkway Ending in Tour of Mansions in Natchez, Mississippi

Sunday morning we left in Homer for a trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi. While driving through Nashville to get to the parkway we were hit by torrential rains with water overflowing the curbs and culverts everywhere. We plowed right through it along with the other traffic. The rain stopped about ten miles from the parkway. We were at a stoplight and saw smoke coming out of the front wheel well. Upon pulling over and checking it out it was clear that the passenger side front brake caliper had locked up. I pulled into a nearby "Booster Fit Club" parking lot and I got online searching for brake repair places. Good luck on a Sunday afternoon, right? Here is a picture of Kelly in Homer while I'm calling for help.

I found an outfit called "Brakes To You" which was available on Sunday. I say "available" because they are not a shop but rather a mobile brake service. This was great because it meant we wouldn't have to be towed somewhere. I called and the earliest they could get a technician out to us was Monday at 3 p.m. - almost 24 hours! He then called back and said a technician could be here by 11 a.m. on Monday. I got permission from "Booster Fit Club" to spend the night on their lot and made the appointment. Here is a picture of Homer on the lot. Luckily we had a level spot to stay.

2:30 p.m. one day until 11a.m. the next day is a long time to just sit in Homer.  Luckily we were in a good area but there was absolutely nothing around but condos and forest. We finished listening to our audio book to help pass the time and out of boredom we went to bed early. Sleeping was fitful for both of us all night. The area was really quiet until about 2:30 a.m. when a train came through on a track literally 200 feet from where we were parked. There is a crossing there so of course he had to blow the horn several times. Here is a picture from the track. You can barely see the roof of Homer just over the wall next to the sign.

We were up at 6:30 a.m. and turned on the generator to charge the batteries and to make coffee before the place opened. Apparently Sunday's Boost employees didn't leave a message about our staying on the lot because at 7:30 a.m. a Boost employee came out and knocked on the door. He was very nice. I explained our situation and that I had talked to the personnel the night before. An hour later another Boost employee stopped by to see why we were parked there. He was quite nice as well. After his visit I walked up the hill to take some pictures from the train track. I was literally on the track when the crossing guards came down because a train was coming. Crazy.

I then walked up the hill on the other side of the parking lot to take pictures of the finished condos and some currently being built. They are $350,000 and up with a two car ground level garage and two stories above. Here is a picture.

At 11:00 a.m. the brake technician showed up right on time. He quickly got to work, jacked up Homer and checked the brake caliper. He could tell that it had gotten hot but it was now working as it should so he didn't have a lot to suggest. He said he could throw parts at it but didn't really see a reason for us to spend that money. He said getting stuck might have been a fluke or there may be something wrong with it that would take a much closer examination to find. I thought driving through all that water may have caused it, he didn't think so. He pointed out that the wheel bearing was leaking a little which could cause that wheel to run a little warmer. They don't fix wheel bearings. We paid for a $75.00 (plus tax) service call and he was on his way. We decided that it was not worth the risk to continue our trip down the parkway because it is an isolated, scenic 200 mile drive. Any reoccurrence of the problem would certainly require a tow and much more expense. We decided to head back home, which was all interstate driving. By doing that we could stop periodically and check the wheel for any sign of a problem. We made it home with no problem. Upon pulling into the driveway the passenger wheel felt just a tiny bit warmer than the driver's side, which could be the bearing. Yesterday I made an appointment to get the wheel all checked out. 

Some trips just don't go as planned.