Loaded nearly every tool I own, 5 sheets of plywood already cut into widths for shed footer concrete forms, all the “stuff” for the RV, a few hundred dollars worth of food, two sawhorses, two dogs, and a wife into the van for the long trip north. Went about 50 miles until the tarp protecting the plywood on the roof started flapping in the breeze. Four stops and a half roll of duct tape later, the tarp was secured… and then a severe pounding noise started emanating from on high. Stopped again. Nothing amiss. Pounding resumed as soon as we did. Stopped again. Nothing amiss. Was the roof rack so severely overloaded (answer: quite likely) that it was about to part company with the car?!?!? With that thought in mind, we finally made it to the Baltimore Harbor tunnel (a one hour trip that had taken two looooong hours). Entering the tunnel, the pounding stopped. Very strange! Started again as soon as we left the tunnel. Very, very, strange! A large truck passed us; the pounding almost stopped. Tail-gated another truck (purely in the name of science); the noise almost stopped. Finally, Chree suggested that cross-air currents had something to do with what we were hearing (and feeling through the roof liner), a much happier thought than that 200 pounds of plywood was about to fly through someone’s windshield. Continued on to a pit stop on the Jersey Turnpike. Stuffed a couple of rags between the tarp and the roof in the area where the pounding seemed most severe. Underway again, the noise was completely gone. Many traffic slowdowns later, we finally reached Fran & Frank's house (Chree’s parents) in Connecticut, 8 ½ hours after leaving Virginia… a trip that normally takes about 6 hours. A nice walk and some adult beverages soon took the edge off the fanny fatigue.
27 March 2010
Loaded nearly every tool I own, 5 sheets of plywood already cut into widths for shed footer concrete forms, all the “stuff” for the RV, a few hundred dollars worth of food, two sawhorses, two dogs, and a wife into the van for the long trip north. Went about 50 miles until the tarp protecting the plywood on the roof started flapping in the breeze. Four stops and a half roll of duct tape later, the tarp was secured… and then a severe pounding noise started emanating from on high. Stopped again. Nothing amiss. Pounding resumed as soon as we did. Stopped again. Nothing amiss. Was the roof rack so severely overloaded (answer: quite likely) that it was about to part company with the car?!?!? With that thought in mind, we finally made it to the Baltimore Harbor tunnel (a one hour trip that had taken two looooong hours). Entering the tunnel, the pounding stopped. Very strange! Started again as soon as we left the tunnel. Very, very, strange! A large truck passed us; the pounding almost stopped. Tail-gated another truck (purely in the name of science); the noise almost stopped. Finally, Chree suggested that cross-air currents had something to do with what we were hearing (and feeling through the roof liner), a much happier thought than that 200 pounds of plywood was about to fly through someone’s windshield. Continued on to a pit stop on the Jersey Turnpike. Stuffed a couple of rags between the tarp and the roof in the area where the pounding seemed most severe. Underway again, the noise was completely gone. Many traffic slowdowns later, we finally reached Fran & Frank's house (Chree’s parents) in Connecticut, 8 ½ hours after leaving Virginia… a trip that normally takes about 6 hours. A nice walk and some adult beverages soon took the edge off the fanny fatigue.
