7/9/98: Up way too early at 5:00AM so we could head upcountry with Dr. B and Bill J. for an overnight trip to some villages for “house calls…”
NOTE: The free stock photo of an automobile engine above is by Chad Kirchoff on Unsplash
7/9/23: In hopes of squeezing out more from our time in Kijabe, I told Dr. B. that I would go along on his mobile clinic today. Ruth was not able to go along because the rugged terrain would have meant a bumpy ride, and she was still enduring a lot of post-surgical back pain from before our trip started. I knew we would not have the comfort of our own beds for the night but expected an exciting adventure. The trips out to the villages to conduct clinics are open air affairs, and I hoped they would present a lot of opportunities for good photography and for a chance to get to know Dr. B. and Bill J., and a few others, better. After loading up, we all set off in two vehicles, Dr. B in a Toyota wagon, and Bill was driving the Land Rover that I was in.
Unfortunately, just 30 minutes out of Kijabe the truck we were in broke down, and Dr. B. had already gone far ahead. No cell phones in those days, so no way to ring him up and have him come back to help out. It was a rather comical sight, all seven of us guys gathered around the front of the truck, the bonnet (or “hood” for US folks) opened, looking in at the engine as if the answer to what was wrong would explain itself. That was our only hope, because not a single one of us knew anything about engines, aside from checking the oil and keeping the radiator filled! We managed to not burn our fingers on the hot engine while checking the dipstick, which suggested the oil was low. While the rest of us stood around in the oncoming pre-dawn light, Bill walked to the next village and managed to scrounge up some engine oil. When he returned 30 minutes later, the engine had cooled off somewhat, so we poured a few quarts into the oil spout with great anticipation. When he checked the dipstick again, he found that now the engine had far too much oil! I told you that none of us knew anything about engine, right? Well, as you probably know, and as I learned that day, oil thins out when hot. Dipstick readings on a hot engine will lead to a false “low” reading. Bill, still hoping to get things moving, crawled under the truck to loosen the oil pan plug and let some of the oil drain out. Unfortunately, that part of the engine was still hot, and when he wiggled it loose just a little bit, the pressure inside cause the plug to pop out and showered him with oil.
Getting water into the radiator was not nearly as difficult, but neither did it solve the problem of the sick, wheezing sound and lack of power that made us pull over in the first place. We had no choice but to head back to Kijabe, which was, fortunately for us, down-hill from where we were! We hilariously figured that, if the engine completely died, we could at least coast home. When we made it to the mechanic’s shop at the hospital Bill managed to scrounge up another vehicle. But it was much smaller, so someone had to stay back. I felt obliged to be the one, since all I was going to do was shoot pictures and they were all medical personnel. Sadly, my notes reveal that this disappointment added to my sulking demeanor. But looking back on it now, I’m glad that I did learn a little something about checking the oil in the car!