Law and Government

by

I Think I’m Officially Cursed

I am sitting at a repair shop in Petersburg, VA, where I had to get towed only 45 miles from my destination. I am now 60 miles from my destination. Without any warning whatsoever on that final stretch, the needle on my odometer went crazy and I had no control over the rig except to pull over, put her in neutral, and turn off the engine. Everything seemed fine from the cab and walking around outside, but there was a strong burnt smell inside the study.

It was not a good place to be stuck, on a very rural road with no shoulder. I knew I was done for so I looked up automotive services on the GPS and called the first place that had the word towing in the name. They couldn’t help me so they gave me the name of another company that also couldn’t help me but was able to give me the name of a third company that was able to help. It took about 45 minutes for him to arrive. Just before he did, I saw a police car stop behind Miranda. I hoped that he’d been sent by the towing company, but I decided to be careful and start off with, “I’m sorry. I know this is a bad spot.” I forget what he replied but his tone will remain seared in my memory. He was just so, so, so kind. He asked me if this was my first time away from Alberta traveling with the rig and I said that, no, I’ve been fulltiming for four years and traveling all over. He replied, “God bless you!” It was amazing to meet a law enforcement official who was so enthusiastic about my lifestyle choice. Thank you, officer.

But I digress.

The mechanic says that my rear axle is broken. He’s only done a cursory assessment, but this is going to be a huge job.

He advised me that since I drove almost 4,000km without incident and had this happen the day after I got rear ended that I talk to my insurance company before having him take anything apart. Because of the time zone difference, that might not happen till mid-day tomorrow and then it could be a few days to get an adjuster out here. Meanwhile, I can rent a car and go spend some time with my friend, but I won’t be able to breathe until I know if I am paying for this out of pocket or not.

If I have to pay, and the mechanic says that at first glance I’m looking at $2,000 to $3,000, then I’m at a loss. I’ve been through a lot in the last four years and I have always dealt with these matters myself, but now I have to admit that I am stuck. If you haven’t bought any of my e-books yet or have a friend who would be interested in one, I’d really appreciate some sales right now. There is also my Early Bird RV Show Seminar that is available to download at whatever price you feel is fair. This would mean so much to me. Right now, I can cover the repairs and get back to Canada, but my holidays with my friend would be shot. Having a little extra in the bank would mean that I could spent the next few days tooling around Virginia with her, providing you with exciting reading material (huh uh), instead of sitting in the rig and at her place utterly depressed.

The time zone difference is going to make tomorrow morning very trying as I might not be able to get hold of the motorhome adjuster until noon. The good news is that the car insurance company will be paying for a rental car for at least a few days. So I can leave Miranda parked here and take off in the rental car to visit my friend. We have tickets for an event Thursday night and it looks like that will still be able to happen. My current location is noisy, but the mechanic made sure I was level, and the work will be done right where I am, so there will be minimal bother to the cats. If I wasn’t waiting on the insurance, he would start first thing tomorrow and I’d be on my way Friday, but the whole insurance thing could make this drag on for a bit. I may have no choice but to pay out of pocket and hope that the insurance will reimburse me.

Now, I have otherwise had an amazing day of travel and I will be putting together a blog post with pictures of the good parts of yesterday and today.

by

Ready to Pull Out

It’s still much too earlier to get a hold of the insurance companies today and I was given the go ahead to leave Beckley, so I’m leaving. Web reviews for Glen’s Towing, who got my car off the turnpike, are very negative. All I can say is that they don’t seem very organized and their towing prices seem crazy, but they have absolutely no problem with my taking off without paying the towing bill and without having heard from my insurance company. I imagine that’s probably because they have some rights to my car now and could recoup that way, but I appreciate them not being hard asses about this. Paying that towing bill wouldn’t kill me, but since I won’t ultimately have to worry about it, why pay now only to get reimbursed later?

Jody reminded me to grab the license plate off the car so I don’t have to pay for a new one. I don’t know if my new toad will be plated in Alberta or not, but it’ll be nice to have that plate if I do reregister in Alberta.

My plate registrations are due this month. Guess I’m saving on the car, huh?

One thing I forgot to ask the adjuster is if I should be contacting BMO, which holds the loan on the car, regarding the crash. I imagine that any monies I get from the insurance would go to BMO first to clear the loan and I’d get whatever is left over, if anything. One thing that is in my favour is that the car is in great shape and has low mileage on the odometer, so there is a chance that it will get appraised on the higher end of the scale.

Well, I’m off to see if I’m right that traveling without a toad will be a lot less stressful

by

Safe Arrival of My Passport

(not my passport, but a reasonable facsimile thereof)

I had a notice this morning that there was a piece of registered mail waiting for me at the post office.

It took me a minute to clue in and realise that, hey, my passport had arrived! Other than the fact that my picture looks like a booking photo after I’ve had a hard night of criminal activity, all is good with it. They even returned my old passport!

The simplified passport renewal process has been a long time coming and I am delighted that it lives up to its name.

by

Passport Update

Thanks to the wonders of tracking numbers, I was able to confirm that my passport application arrived safely in Gatineau on March 2nd, two business days after I sent it off, which is perfect. Had I been in Calgary, I would have expected it to be one business day, but from Lethbridge two days is okay.

I just logged into my online banking account and learned that my application fee has been processed. They do not charge the fee unless the paperwork is in order, so it looks like I will be getting my new passport in time to leave on schedule! I continue to be very pleased with the simplified passport renewal process. It’s not often that I say, “That was painless!” after going through a government process!

 

by

Simplified Passport Renewal

Getting a new passport on the road was a daunting prospect until Passport Canada finally came up with a simplified passport renewal form that doesn’t need to be signed by a guarantor. Had this not been the case, I would have had to renew my passport super early in November of 2010, when I went to Montreal.

With March fast approaching, it was time to stop ignoring my daily reminders to get my passport application in. I finally filled out the forms last night and they were a breeze, what with not having to list practically every address I’ve ever had. Cost: $87.

This morning, I went to a nearby camera shop, McBain Camera, and had my photos taken. This was super easy; the website had information on how to dress (dark clothes, no jewelery, no makeup). I was literally in and out in under 10 minutes. Cost: $16.

Finally, I went to Shopper’s Drugmart to Xpress Post the documents, my old passport, my payment information, and my photos. Cost: $17.

As long as everything is in order, I can expect my passport to arrive the last week of March or the first week of April. Keep your fingers crossed!