Not a good day one

by Duf Anything and Everything

I had hoped to be on the road by 7am, we were in the van maybe 15 minutes after that, no big deal.  Well just as we were ready to back out of the driveway Ali noticed her phone was getting an error retrieving email from my server.  I looked at my phone and had the same error, shit.

So I told Ali I would run inside and look at the server quick.  Well by the time I got done fixing it “quick” turned out to be an hour and a half.  We didn’t leave the house till close to 9, damn it.

The 500 mile drive, once we got going, went well.  The van drove nicely (averaged 16.5 mpg on first tank), the AC was blowing good and cold and the late start of the trip was nearly forgotten by the time we approached our hotel exit.

Ali drove the last couple hours of the day.  As we turned off the highway on to the exit ramp where we are staying the van felt weird.  All of  a sudden it started wobbling.  I hopped out in the parking lot of the hotel and had Ali drive it around so I could see if there was anything obviously wrong.  The front wheels looked more or less ok but there was definitely something loose/broken in the front end that was causing the wobble.

We did have one stroke of good luck, the La Quinta is literally right across the street from a GM dealer. I limped across the street with the van to see if they could save me.  Although my heart sank when I saw their hours posted as CLOSED on Saturday I found out they actually were open on Saturdays.

I explained to the guy at the service counter our situation. I said I really need some help in getting the problem identified/fixed.  He said they open Saturday at 8AM, I should come back first thing and they will see what they can do.

So now we are stuck with a big pile of unknown.  I have no idea what they will find is wrong, maybe wheel bearings, tie rods, who knows…..  Depending on what it is we could be further delayed by parts availability.  All I can do is hope for the best.

We were supposed to meet up with my dad tomorrow in Tennessee.  The chance for that is all but vaporized at this point.  Best case scenario is we manage to get back on the road later in the day Saturday.  Worst case scenario is we are held up here in Macon, Georgia until Monday or Tuesday. 

Man I hope we get lucky…..