Virginia

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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.

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Day Seven

Walterboro is a nice little historic town with an ‘Artisan’s Center’ where local artists exhibit their work for sale. I decided on a later start Friday so I could visit this place which only opened at 10.

While I was really impressed with the craftsmanship and originality of most of the pieces, nothing really caught my fancy except some jewelry I bought for my catsitter as a thank you.

I then took off, determined to make it to the vicinity of Fredericksburg, Virginia, that night.

Even with this in mind, I took it fairly easy all day, stopping often. Somewhere in North Carolina I saw a sign that said “WIGS! Exit 40!” and I eagerly followed them to a fantastic wig outlet where I bought the hair of my dreams for a truly low price (about 4 times less than what I would have paid at a shop here). I regret not picking up some shorter wigs. Doh.

Using my trusty motel guide, I decided to stop in Ashland, just before Fredericksburg, where I stayed in a cruddy but okay Super 8 Motel.

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Day Three

Day three made me the most nervous. Since I had reservations in Savannah that night, I had to make it there, an eight hour or so trek. I was also uneasy about the hotel I would be staying at the, the Holiday Inn Midtown on Abercorn. I’d booked the hotel through priceline.com, my first experience doing so, and had gotten a ludicrously good deal for a fairly prime Savannah location–40$ per night, including taxes. So, I really wasn’t expecting much.

The day did have a great start–I left Virginia in a lightweight cotton skirt, bare legs, sandals, and a tee-shirt!

The drive turned out to be very easy and I loved ticking off states I’d never been to before–North Carolina, South Carolina, and, at long last, Georgia! I stopped at the welcome centre there and asked for a map of Savannah so I could find my hotel. Why I didn’t Google Maps myself directions ahead of time, I have no idea. I’d thought of everything but that! The lady at the information counter did have a map, and knew exactly where the Holiday Inn is located, so she gave me super clear directions. I found the hotel without any problems.

When I stepped into my room, I was so relieved–it smelled good, which is rare for a hotel room. I liked where it was located; at the back of the motel on the second level, so I knew it would be quiet. The bathroom caulking needed updating but, otherwise, the room felt nice and clean, a real bargain. I wound up being beyond satisfied with my stay there. priceline.com is great!

Up until I got to the room, I’d been raring to go in my Savannah exploration and thought I would take a bus downtown. But once I got my luggage up to my room, I realised that I was beat, but in desperate need of exercise.

I decided to hike down to the Publix, a grocery store, to get a gallon of spring water. It was a surprising tough walk for its shortness; Savannah was HOT and very sticky. After the winter we’d endured, I relished this heat and humidity and couldn’t help turning my face upwards to drink in as much of the late day sun as possible.

Once I dropped off the water at the motel room, I decided to go up Abercorn a bit to see what restaurants were available in the mall area. There, I found an authentic Mexican cantina, where I over indulged on Corona beer, margaritas, enchiladas, burritos, and nachos. Vacation had truly begun!

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Day Two

Sunday morning started out a tad creepily. As I began to load up the car, a guy pulled up and started to chat me up. I ignored him as best as I could until he began to really speak to me, asking me my name and where I was going. I told him flat out to leave me alone and he finally left. My radar was screaming by this point and I rather regret not mentioning the incident to a police officer parked at the Dunkin’ Donuts down the hill.

I had breakfast at the Dunkin’ Donuts (AWFUL coffee; Americans need Tim Horton’s and/or more Starbucks!!!), then I tanked up. I was on the road much earlier than planned Sunday morning.

My friend values her privacy, so I won’t go into details as to exactly where I was heading in Virginia, but I will say that a good part of the easy drive to her area was on a fairly rural route. I arrived much earlier than planned, at noon. The motel offered free wi-fi, so I decided to play a joke on her and email to announce my arrival instead of calling as planned. It worked; soon as she saw my ‘guess what?’ subject line, she assumed that I wasn’t going to make it. This was a valid assumption. I’d had to bail out of visiting her at least three times before. Last time was Katrina’s fault.

But, I was there! At last! She didn’t waste anytime getting to the motel.

Even though we had been friends a long, long time (five years at least, isn’t it?) we had never actually met in person or spoken to each other! So I was a bit nervous about our first face to face meeting. I didn’t need to be. We had a most splendid afternoon and evening. We gabbed and gabbed and gabbed some more, she introduced me to Cracker Barrel restaurants (which caused an instant addiction to their mac ‘n cheese and hush puppies), and we exchanged presents. The day was exactly what I’d hoped it would be and I’m so pleased that, this time, our plan to meet came to fruition. I know you’re reading this, so let me say that I adore you even more now than I did a week ago, not something I thought could be possible!

I had a very good night at that motel; it was very quiet.