Déjà vu

From now on, I might put a "Gone Fishing" sign out for the month of June. 

Last June, the engine to my truck blew up. Almost a year to the day, something else on my car died. I still don't know what happened, but I was lucky to find one thin sliver of dirt to get it out of traffic while I waited for the tow truck.

Had my vehicle lasted another minute, I would've been sixty feet up in the air on an overpass. Have I ever mentioned my phobia of tall bridges? I cannot tell you how happy I was I trusted my hunches and pulled over before the truck died completely.

But because someone dropped the ball at AAA, it left me stranded on the side of the road for five hours. (Don't think for a minute they're not going to hear about it either.)

At least the truck is at the dealer. I'm anxious to hear their diagnosis.

All I know is that I was driving home from a baby shower (2 hours away) when the air conditioning died. A few miles later, so did the rest of the car. It could've been the alternator, the water pump or even a blown hose. Greg (thank God!) was still in town. He managed to drive out and meet me so I didn't have to wait for the tow truck in the dark all by myself.

I meant to spend the evening relaxing and visiting everyone's blogs. Instead I was on the side of the road in Dallas in a not-so-good part of town, watching the sky go dark. It was almost midnight by the time we got home.

Today will be nothing but errands and shopping to make up for the lost weekend. Greg has to leave, but he wants to talk to the service department first to see how long I'll be car-less.

Needless to say, it was a stressful weekend, and it's not over yet.

Have you ever been stranded? How long did you have to wait before help arrived?

Comments

Dru said…
I've never been stranded due to a vehicle, but have been stranded waiting for people when I had no access to their phone number and it truly pissed me off.

Glad Greg was able to meet you and hope you're not car-less long.
Andrea Coulter said…
Ack five hours? That is awful. I once had a tire go flat on a major highway in the rain. I pulled over and had AAA deal with it--no way I'm changing it myself with cars whizzing by at 70mph five feet away (it was at night too).

When i was a kid I remember a vacation where we locked the keys in the car and AAA took like six hours to get to us b/c they didn't have anyone in the area. Other than that my stranded stories thankfully number zero. *knocks on wood*

Glad to hear you are okay though! Hope everything gets fixed soon.
Raelyn Barclay said…
{hugs} Maria. Glad Greg was still around, that you're okay, and that you won't be car-less for too long.

Stranded, hmm, a couple come to mind.

One was when I was a kid. We were returning home from spending Christmas in Canada with family and got caught on a bridge in a snow storm. (Some bozo didn't have chains and has slid sideways blocking the entire bridge.) I can't remember how long we were stuck I just remember the only thing to eat in the van was fudge...let's just say I still can't eat fudge to this day.

Another was when my boyfriend at the time ran out of gas. We managed to coast into a gas station but it was in such a rural area and so late the station was closed. Before cell phones, LOL, and the pay phone was out of order. That was a four or five hour event that ended when a county sheriff pulled in thinking we were teens "parking."

Fun times ;)
Mike Keyton said…
Glad you're safe.

If it had happened a few days earlier - say June 22nd - it would have been 'The Longest Day.'
Sarah Ahiers said…
that sucks. I los my alternator once on the way to school. I'd almost made it, too, and then got stuck in front of a bank until my dad could show up
J.K. Coi said…
Wow that sounds scary! I remember getting a blown tire on a highway in another country! I was SOOO lucky that just as I was trying to figure out what to do, an ambulance passing by saw me and the paramedics helped to change my tire and showed me where I could find a shop that was open on a sunday morning.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: That's happened to me too. And you're right, it's when you have no way to contact them that it gets really aggravating.

Lynn: I think you get more tired doing nothing (and in the sweltering heat) than if I had worked all day.

Raelyn: Your experiences sound worse--especially the snow storm.
Note to self: Don't send Raelyn fudge. :)

Mike: Sick minds think alike. That's exactly what I thought too. LOL

Sarah: When it dies, it dies. I tried once more to get mine started. It would start, but it was so sluggish I was afraid of burning it out. At least it was a work week and you weren't by yourself.

JK: Now blown tires are scary. I've seen too many people lose control of their cars after a blown tire.

Thank goodness someone was able to help you with the tire and direct you to a shop. There are good Samaritans everywhere.
That sucks. Hope you get it fixed soon.
Unknown said…
Last summer (oddly, around this time as well) or poor six year old Kia blew a rod through the oil pan as we were taking Sithboy into soccer.

Plus side, we got a new car out of the deal. :D

On a different note, your word varification for this post is Fuggly. :P:P:P Just thought that was funny.
Cate Masters said…
Ugh, five hours! How awful. Lucky that Greg could keep you company.
We were once stranded on the turnpike, but the state police saw us and radioed for a tow truck.
Hope the truck's fixed soon.
Maria Zannini said…
Barbara: I've had better weekends. :)

Darke: I've got to admit, at least Kia and Hyundai have excellent warranties.
Ref: Fuggly
I resemble that remark. ;)

Cate: Believe it or not, there was some sort of accident on the overpass I didn't attempt to enter. The cops were there, they put out flares and diverted traffic. They offered to get us a tow truck, but we told we'd already called for one. Four tow trucks passed us by to help with the accident on the overpass, while we waited on 'ignore me' island.
Karen C said…
I had a tire blow out on my way to work one morning. It was about 5:00AM on a busy interstate. I was lucky and was able to pull off to the side of the road without mishap. Found that the flashlight didn't work. Found that I couldn't get the lug nuts off because Hercules had tightened them to begin with. Only had a pager, no cell phone. Pager kept going off and I'm thinking "don't they know that I can't call anyone with just a pager?" Waited about 3 hours - daylight- before someone stopped to help me. I didn't blame anyone for not want to stop in the dark - too many bad things can happen. Got a cell phone right after that incident.
Diane Dooley said…
Aw, Maria. What rotten luck!

Last time I got stranded(rental vehicle blew up) I, um, hitchhiked and left that piece of crap smouldering on the side of the road.
Ugh, this sounds so frustrating. I'm always afraid of getting stranded, especially since I'm usually with my three kids and know ZERO about cars. Glad all is okay now:) FYI, my URL has changed and is now www.lindsayncurrie.webs.com

Have an awesome day:)
Maria Zannini said…
Karen: Your story reminds of the one time I had a flat in a terrible part of town at 5am. I called AAA and they sent someone over in less than 15 minutes. I was unlucky this last time.

Diane: You hitchhiked? Holy moley, woman. I'm not that brave. I walked five miles once when I was stranded. I would've made good time if it hadn't been for all the people trying to give me a lift. Less than a mile from my house, someone I DID know stopped. I let him take me home the rest of the way.

Lindsay: It's a whole new ballgame when you have kids with you. And it adds another layer to your stress level.