The Midwest is a very different place if you have spent most of your life on the East Coast. It has a lot of the same things, like Wal-Mart's and Outback Steakhouses, yet somehow different. Driving through Missouri and Kansas is nothing like driving up and down the New Jersey Turnpike, and the weather out here is so unpredictable. When it rains, it pours! And, just like the rest of our events, the weather was not on our side. We got rained out about two hours into our show at McCarthy Blue Springs Nissan, but it didn't seem to discourage the Heartland Xterra Owners Club. We had a nice turnout for their club, and the dealership seemed pleased with the idea of sponsoring HXOC. Members will now receive 10 - 15 percent off all parts and service at the dealership, and the sales guys will kick a $200 commission to the club every time they sell a car and they mention HXOC recommended them. It will hopefully prove to be a great relationship for everyone!

After we toughed out the rain and wind for a while, we headed out to Tuttle Creek, just outside of Manhattan Kansas. All we were thinking was, "how hard could the terrain be? Kansas is flat!" We were in for a surprise! After wheeling for just a few hours, we managed to submerge one of the member's trucks, and the DX truck broke a motor mount while climbing an obstacle. A chain reaction of events happened after that, including overheating and shorting out our winch cable against the alternator, causing all kinds of electrical problems. It was a short end to a fun day, but we all made the most of it and enjoyed some dinner in town and then drinks around the fire later that evening.

DX still had a problem though. Busted motor mount, trailer to pull, next destination, California! We were fortunate enough to have our friends at Expert Offroad once again come to our rescue. They have another shop located in Topeka, which was only about an hour from where we were wheeling. These guys were on a hunt for the parts we needed to get us out of there. If we went anywhere else, we would have been there for days, but they got us fixed up and out of there but Monday afternoon. This is twice we have been patched up by them, and we owe Expert Offroad huge thanks for being there for us!

Now that we are back on track, we are headed through Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada to the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. From there it is straight through to Riverside California, where we will be hosting our next event at Spencer Low Racing, along with the Southern California Club Xterra. The truck is having a hard time pulling the trailer up and over the mountains, so cross your fingers for us. The air conditioning all of a sudden does not work either. Hopefully we won't arrive in Riverside on a flatbed!