plans vs reality: part 2
Apparently up here in the north, there is a thing called “snow” and when it falls, it collects on the ground, and stays for the entire duration of cold weather. This “snow” as it is called can be quite a hindrance as it covers everything, and must be forcibly moved to get it out of the way. Being from Texas, this is an entirely alien concept to both April and myself. So, long story short - the camp site that we were going to stay at tonight was snowed in (four feet), as are every camp site in the area. After learning this news, we re-prioritized our goals and decided to drive to Boise, Idaho tonight and then into Portland tomorrow, where we can stay with April’s friend Maggie until Wednesday.
On the way from Twin Falls, ID to Boise, our “check engine” light came on. I stopped the car like a good driver and checked everything under the hood - all the hoses looked fine and the fluid levels were all fine, apart from the oil which was a little low. We were due for an oil change anyway, so I added a quart of oil and continued on the way, planning to stop at a Jiffy Lube in the morning to get it taken care of. About an hour outside of Twin Falls (9:30pm), the car starts decelerating and slowly comes to a stop. We still have battery power but when trying to start the car, it revs but does not turn over. We called upon the graces of the good god AAA (pronounced “triple-A” not “ah”), and were rescued from our roadside fate after about an hour by Art the towtruck guy. So our car is now in the parking lot of the most reputable garage in town and we are yet again staying at a motel. Hopefully we can get the car fixed (again!) tomorrow and be in Portland before bedtime.
February 13th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Sorry to read about the car. I hope it isn’t the timing belt, as mentioned in a previous email.