P'burg and (Almost) Back

Oil leak fixed, we gassed up to take Ludwig on another shortish highway run and met another ACVW. This guy had just pulled his "wife's" (you guys with your justifications for driving chick cars) Ghia out of his garage after it'd sat there all Winter. We chatted briefly and I was reminded just how ludicrously small KGs are, inside and out.

Ludwig powered over Georgetown Pass (aka Flint Creek Pass) and down into Philipsburg where we thought we'd check out the local thrift store. The windshield wipers have apparently given up the ghost (again), so we Rain-Xed the windshield. 

We promised Esmé a playground awaited her in P'burg, but it was thundering and sprinkling so she was, perhaps wisely, wary of being out. Or maybe she just thought I was gonna put her in jail.

The drive back over the pass into the Warm Springs Creek valley was uneventful until a few miles outside of town when Ludwig started having a terrible rough running fit. I managed to get him into the SafeWay parking lot about twelve blocks from our house. We thought we'd give him a rest so we went inside for victuals.

But when we came back out, he still wouldn't start. He's always had a hot starting issue (it's a wiring thing), but I thought we'd waited long enough. Unfortunately, the standard clutch popping went unrewarded. Defeated, we walked home. Hey! At least he didn't leak any oil!
I went back that evening after E was in bed and he fired right up. But what was that terrific stumbling that'd driven us to the grocery store in the first place?

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Next: It gets worse.