Tuesday, March 14, 2006


Monday 2/27/2006 cont.

I have Progressive Car Insurance and feel they are a mighty fine company. However, I had a nasty surprise waiting for me when I called my Roadside Assistance number. Seems I added the $14 a year roadside coverage to my vehicle, but not Donnie’s. So unfortunately, there was no free tow to a reputable service station awaiting us. Instead, Donnie asks the lady at the Citgo station where a garage is and gets the phone number for … Tim.

Donnie talks to a nice man on the phone, (who we found out later was not Tim) and they have time to take a look. Tim’s is just up the road. We decided to drive to Tim’s.

Oh, and just to recap, this is around 2:30 p.m. on our first day out. And we aren’t even out of Ohio yet. Our goal had suddenly changed from “let's get over the Rocky Mountains” to “let’s try to make it to Minnesota.”

At Tim’s, we find the guy on the phone, searching for what turns out to be the most illusive transmission in the Midwest - that of a 4.3 L 1996 5-speed S-10 pickup with a standard cab. Who'd have thunk?

“I haven’t been able to find one,” he says after he hangs up, “which probably means we would have to order a rebuilt one which would take two days to get here, so you’d be looking at about Thursday.”

Our worst fears are confirmed. The weight had been too great. We should have been driving in 4th gear the whole way. We shouldn’t have been towing anything. And we certainly shouldn’t have had a boat strapped to the roof driving 60 mph in a windy snowstorm. I love learning life lessons.

“So do you think we could get a U-haul or something?” I ask.

“Yeah, your best bet may be to get a U-haul and trailer the truck to Minnesota. We could even give you a hand loading the trailer into the U-haul.”

That offer he would later live to regret.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

OUCH that looks heavy.

Poor old thing! :) What happened to the boat? Brian was hoping you hadn't sold it! If it makes you feel any better I see the truck every morning (in our driveway) and he's doing okay. I'll say 'hi' for ya!