1Pint
07-10-2006, 22:45
Well, I was all psyched up for my first look at the infamous Harper's Ferry and only my third look at a piece of the AT.... so....
I rallied some friends and loaded them into my car and began the 5 hour drive. Okay, would have been closer to 4 hrs, but it was a holiday weekend and the stateies were everywhere. Go through a tunnel in PA, around a bend and then wham! Cop in the center decides I'm his target and with flashing lights and laughing (very quietly) friends, I'm off to the side of the road to receive one ugly speeding ticket. I'm kicking myself for the wasted money (the trip just doubled in cost) and my increased insurance rates and my friends are giving me grief - afterall, only an idiot gets a speeding ticket on a holiday weekend when it's KNOWN that the freeway is blanketed with cops.
Not 10 minutes later, my oil light begins to flash on and off. A minute after that, my engine light comes on. Oh, this is not good. We see a yellow emergency call box, pull over and check the oil. Sure enough, dip stick is dry. Hmmm. That's funny 'cause I got the oil changed the night before we left and I know I saw her put the oil in before I pulled out of the garage. So, a service truck gets called. It takes two of my friends back to the shop while we wait for the actual tow truck to come back for my car. The highlight of the tow? PA still wanted my $7.00 toll. Not kidding. Couldn't they have just given me the "You're so screwed and such a loser, we're giving you the pity pass?" I mean, come on, you can see my car on the flat bed of the tow truck I'm riding in. Does it look like this is how I intended to spend my 4th of July weekend? No. I should have been upset, but all I could do was laugh. While we were waiting for the truck I had joked to my friend that at least I'd saved the toll fee. Boy was I wrong.
But wait, there's more.... Back at the tow place, they examine it, tell me I'll probably need a new engine and send me to the local dealership. Dealership was kind enough to make a rental car available until their service department opened up on Monday. Unfortunately, the dealership dude notices my insurance card expired on the 23rd. I hadn't put my new one in my wallet. (Can you see the bonehead theme in this story?) So I have to call the national number and ask them very nicely if they would pretty please fax proof of insurance to the dealership. After a long time on hold and a promise for a return call from someone who's actually authorized to do that, it's done and I'm transferring all the lugguage (no ultralight for this weekend gig) and I'm headed back to the tow place to get my friends who'd passed the time watching Annapolis on their portable DVD player (like I said, not UL).
We were about 6 hours later than we expected getting in to Shepherdsburg and Harpers Ferry, but we were laughing most of the time. I mean, what can you do in a situation like that except laugh? And, the engine problem did help me forget about the speeding ticket for awhile.
End result? we lost out on some hiking but I now have some great pictures of my car up on a tow truck and my friends waving happily at me as they drove away. And I was able to pick up the intimidating AT map that keeps unfolding and unfolding and unfolding. So, a successful trip afterall.
Okay, I know this can't be the best story out there... let's see what you've got.
I rallied some friends and loaded them into my car and began the 5 hour drive. Okay, would have been closer to 4 hrs, but it was a holiday weekend and the stateies were everywhere. Go through a tunnel in PA, around a bend and then wham! Cop in the center decides I'm his target and with flashing lights and laughing (very quietly) friends, I'm off to the side of the road to receive one ugly speeding ticket. I'm kicking myself for the wasted money (the trip just doubled in cost) and my increased insurance rates and my friends are giving me grief - afterall, only an idiot gets a speeding ticket on a holiday weekend when it's KNOWN that the freeway is blanketed with cops.
Not 10 minutes later, my oil light begins to flash on and off. A minute after that, my engine light comes on. Oh, this is not good. We see a yellow emergency call box, pull over and check the oil. Sure enough, dip stick is dry. Hmmm. That's funny 'cause I got the oil changed the night before we left and I know I saw her put the oil in before I pulled out of the garage. So, a service truck gets called. It takes two of my friends back to the shop while we wait for the actual tow truck to come back for my car. The highlight of the tow? PA still wanted my $7.00 toll. Not kidding. Couldn't they have just given me the "You're so screwed and such a loser, we're giving you the pity pass?" I mean, come on, you can see my car on the flat bed of the tow truck I'm riding in. Does it look like this is how I intended to spend my 4th of July weekend? No. I should have been upset, but all I could do was laugh. While we were waiting for the truck I had joked to my friend that at least I'd saved the toll fee. Boy was I wrong.
But wait, there's more.... Back at the tow place, they examine it, tell me I'll probably need a new engine and send me to the local dealership. Dealership was kind enough to make a rental car available until their service department opened up on Monday. Unfortunately, the dealership dude notices my insurance card expired on the 23rd. I hadn't put my new one in my wallet. (Can you see the bonehead theme in this story?) So I have to call the national number and ask them very nicely if they would pretty please fax proof of insurance to the dealership. After a long time on hold and a promise for a return call from someone who's actually authorized to do that, it's done and I'm transferring all the lugguage (no ultralight for this weekend gig) and I'm headed back to the tow place to get my friends who'd passed the time watching Annapolis on their portable DVD player (like I said, not UL).
We were about 6 hours later than we expected getting in to Shepherdsburg and Harpers Ferry, but we were laughing most of the time. I mean, what can you do in a situation like that except laugh? And, the engine problem did help me forget about the speeding ticket for awhile.
End result? we lost out on some hiking but I now have some great pictures of my car up on a tow truck and my friends waving happily at me as they drove away. And I was able to pick up the intimidating AT map that keeps unfolding and unfolding and unfolding. So, a successful trip afterall.
Okay, I know this can't be the best story out there... let's see what you've got.