02 May 2010

Are We There Yet?!

We knew there'd be four of us in the car...
Sara Jean's Nephew and his sig. other were coming with us...
Half a day driving, four folks and two small dogs in that space. Clothes, makeup, toiletries for two women in the trunk. (We guys brought two T-Shirts and a pair of cutoffs each, along with a toothbrush and change of underwear. Guys take up no space at all.)

So we had to pack the trunk carefully... it'd be jammed.
But first, since we just might have to unpack the trunk to get to the spare, (heaven forbid!), let's check it and make sure it's okay, okay?
And it's flat.
No problem. I grab my air bottle and inflate it. Back in its hole, we start the packing process.
When we're finished the trunk is FULL.
I mean full like we ended up taking stuff apart and packing the pieces in whatever nooks and crannies we could find.
FULL!

Now for the inside of the car...
Coffee. Munchies. A few bottles of water. Pillows. Blankets. Maps and other incidentals in case the GPS fails.
This car is REALLY packed and ready to go.
Load 'em up folks, let's get on the road!

I put the key in the ignition and turn it.
Nothing.
And I mean like no "clickety-click" like I talked about in the post below.
This brand new battery? Dead.
D-E-A-D dead!

Now what?
The idea of unpacking this car is sickening.
It's the only car we have with a working air conditioner.
We gotta take it.
We pull nephew's car over and jump it.
I unlock the house, go into the garage, grab the battery charger and put it beneath my knees in front of my seat.

And we're off!
Two stops for fuel. Two more stops for potty breaks for doggies and passengers.
One stop for Krystal hamburgers just after crossing the Alabama State line.
We don't turn the car off.
It runs for 12 hours without being shut down.

And we're here. We're fine. The dogs are fine.
Our bed here felt...
Is there a more superlative word than wonderful?

No oil so far but of course it's the talk of the town and all the Mom & Pop merchants are shaking in their boots. Condo managers are saying cancellations are coming in hot and heavy.

I just hate the thought of this beautiful sand bein' oiled down and all the animals that are gonna die.
I still can't get my mind around it.

1 comment:

THIRDWAVEDAVE said...

Glad you got there all in one piece. But, why did you have the ladies ride in the trunk? I bet they didn't like that at all.

Cheers!!