Too much excitement
Trip Start
Mar 04, 2009
1
5
Trip End
Mar 18, 2009
Tyler,
Texas,
United States
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The next morning I got an early start. I had plotted a different route home so I could avoid the kamikaze log truckers around Nacogdoches. The new route would take me further East on I-30 and then down to Tyler, TX., through Palestine, and a stop in Marquez. Don't ask me how I found Marquez, because as it turned out it didn't happen anyway. Once I got onto the US hwy at Mt Pleasant, TX I slowed to 55, and rolled the windows down. Then as I got close to Tyler, actually Tyler's loop road, the Excursion lost all power. I was approaching the intersection, and the engine stopped. Then I had no power steering! I came to rest, first in line, at the red light. Shit!!! I tried to start the engine and it just cranked, but didn't start. No check engine light, not a damn thing! No coughing, sputtering, clanking, or smoke. Just dead in the water.
I put the flashers on, and got out my cell phone hoping for 4 bars of service. I talked with my emergency road service, and boy was I glad they were there. The human on the other end took all of the information about the Excursion and the trailer down, and put me on hold. I watched traffic go around me on both sides for at least two lifetimes, and she came back on. She told me she was sending two tow trucks - one for each - had notified the local Ford dealer they were going to get some business, made a reservation for me and my trailer to stay at a local RV park, and lastly had notified the local police that I was disabled in the middle of hwy 271. I could breathe again, yea!
While waiting for the tows I looked in the rear view mirrow and saw the reflection of flashing lights behind me. The reflection was off of the traffic now being warned they should pick another lane. Later, the policeman walked up and we had a nice chat. He liked the trailer, and asked where I had traveled from. About then the tows arrived, and hooked the Ex onto one, and the trailer behind the other. As the Ex was pulling away I was wondering how long it would be before she came back, and how much this whole thing was going to cost me. The driver towing the trailer was a good ol' boy who couldn't get himself out of high school fast enough - his words. At least he had learned how to drive a tow truck, and when we got to the RV park I found that he also had learned how to back up with a trailer in tow.
The RV park staff was nice, and I thanked them for finding room for me. The lady said I was lucky because they were expecting a crowd later in the week. Being Monday, I told her that I had every hope of being gone very soon. Well, the slot where I was parked was nice and wide, but it was not level. Being level is critical for trailers, and we always carry leveling blocks with us just for this purpose. Ok, the blocks were in the back of the Excursion with the other stuff. So, I could not extend the slide out on the trailer. I didn't care because I was safe. I was in the process of setting up camp when a guy walked up and wanted to chat. Turns out he was a Viet Nam veteran, and so there was a bond of sorts between us. After learning that I had no transportation he volunteered to take me to get groceries. I had no idea how long it was going to be, and I was low on beer, so I agreed. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, because good fortune just doesn't keep on forever you know.
The guy at the Ford dealership called. He had pulled all of my warranty stuff from the computer, and said that they would get to it as soon as they could. I told him that was fine - I now had an ample stock of beer - and to call when he had found out what was wrong. He called the next morning to tell me the Ex was in the bay, and they were going to run a diagnostic check on it. He would call me after it had been done. Well, my imagination had been going full blast since this saga had begun. I had seen all of the other places I had come from realizing how much worse this whole thing could have been. Dead on the two lane streets of a small town I had driven through, on the highway where there was no shoulder, or any where with no cell service. I also thought well they're going to have to replace the engine- two weeks - or they were going to void my wattanty because of the exhaust modifications I'd made to the Ex and it was going to cost me two fortunes. Yes, I'm a worry wart, and my wife has taught me to see that glass half full - so I won't be disappointed when it really is. The Ford guy calls me about 3:00 and tells me that it's ready to go. He assured me that I had heard him right. He went on to say that they had to replace an oil pressure regulator that did something, something, something. Then he said, "All work is covered by your warranty." I could have kissed him right there over the phone. I left the dealer the next morning; just paying the $100 deductible. Tom's luck just doesn't last this long, but it really had.
It was 11:00 before I left Tyler heading for Bryan, TX. All the way there I counted my blessings, and there were a lot of them. Got to Bryan, spent the night and got home early the next day, Thursday. Whew, home and in one piece.
But wait there's more. Friday, still trying to get settled back in I get a call from the Ford dealer back in Tyler. Ok, the other shoe is fixing to drop. This lady said she was reviewing my paperwork and noticed that I had purchased an additional warranty which did not call for any deductible. She said that I shouldn't have been charged the $100 deductible because this new one over-rode the original. Did she really mean she was going to be sending me $100, egads yes she really did. Wow.
Then the other shoe fell and slammed to the floor. Being a good, retired, accountant, I had monitored my bank account while I was on the trip. I had not looked at the account for the last days of the trip, and the two days home, but I had a general idea of what I had in it. I checked it this morning, and saw I was a bit short. I opened the account, and yes almost $1,400 is gone! I look at the detail, and there is this charge from Pay Pal. Not mine!! Crap, crap, crap!! I log onto Pay Pal and open my account. They have a different contact phone number, and a mailing address in Maryland!!! Crap! I call their 800 number so I can talk with a human. The lady heres what I have to say, tells me my account has been hacked into, and they will initiate an investigation. She says I should get my money back in 2 - 30 days. Violated, f**king violated. They assure me that my bank account # can't be accessed from the web site; I can only hope.
I'm not leaving home again for awhile. I need to re-charge my good vibes. Not to mention how wonderful My Precious looks to me. Good to be home.
