The Drive West part 02 (how my car was condemned...)
Sunday December 10: St. Louis, Missouri ---------> Denver, Colorado (time: appx 12 hours)
I got a better start out of St. Louis then I had the day before leaving Savannah. After waking up, chatting with Jamie and her family over breakfast, loosing and finding my keys, and unsuccessfully trying to charge my ipod on Jamie's computer I was able to leave by 11:30am. Jamie decided to be even more sweet than she normally is and give me a bunch of old cds that she didn't want anymore. One of these was the Arcade Fire and oh my gosh can I just please say how thankful I was to have the Arcade Fire playing on my stereo again? Reminds me of winters spent at TWC in Michigan. The drive was pleasant if not flat and boring. Ok it was flat and boring but tolerable. I really like driving during the day because I can at least see what is around me. I love checking out the terrain ESPECIALLY when I have never driven through it before. Once I passed Colombia, Missouri I was out of any area that I had ever been. I was so excited to start the trek through territory unknown to me. I later found out that Kansas was really no big deal. haha. I did see a few shooting stars that night though and finally entering the sea of lights that was Denver was exhilarating. Let me provide an account of one experience I had at one of those few and far between gas stations:
part one: walk into gas station and get something to snack on for the long road ahead
part two: meet 50 something year old man at counter who is wearing pants with a GIANT rip in the top of the butt... realize that the man is not wearing underwear
part three: watch as the cashier who apparently knows the guy scolds him for being indecent. Pay and leave after the woman offers me some advice on a topic of which I can't even recall.
What the heck!? haha.
By the time I got to Denver I was exhausted. Abigail, who I was staying with, has many cats and dogs and their presence was like therapy for me- especially her dogs. Alaska is freaked out of other animals so she and I eventually shut ourselves in a room and slept the night. I was woken up pleasantly by the smell of breakfast the next morning only to find my friend Drew from Savannah downstairs. I had forgotten that Abigail said that he was also in town yet on his way out. It was great to see him and catch up for the 30 mins or so before Abigail had to take him to the airport. Drew is a cool kid. He was out there visiting Abigail and skiing Colorado. Lucky guY!
Later in the day I decided to get that darn plug in my car fixed so I could at least have my ipod for the last leg of the trip. I took the wagon into the Subaru dealership and left it there. 15 minutes later I was back at the dealership because they called me and said I had to come in and take a look at something that they found. Next thing I know I am standing under my car looking at the salt rust on it from the Michigan roads it has been driven in for the last 10 years. The entire dealership was so freaked out by what they called "rot" on the undercarriage that they were convinced that I was going to die the next time I drive the thing because the bottom would fall out or some bologna like that. They told me that they refused to work on it because it would be pointless for me to put any money into such a terrible piece of crap car and that they are condemning it. They say that they have not condemned a car in like 10 years and mine is the first. I was tottally put on the spot. I could not for the life of me believe that I was standing at a Subaru dealership hearing that my car is condemned when all I wanted to know was if they could fix the outlet. I wanted to faint... I still had EIGHT HOURS to drive before I was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I could NOT believe that could be happening to me right now.
Later in the day I decided to take it into a Midas for a second opinion. The guys at Midas, although also reacting to the rust but in a more humorous way, told me about how cars out east and cars out west are taken care of and let go differently because of what the different regions use to get rid of the snow. In Michigan salt is used to melt the ice and snow on the roads and the result of that is a torn up undercarriage. They explained that people out West aren't used to seeing that and that everything is fine with the car. They suggested a few repairs but didn't even come close to condemning the darn thing. I was so pissed. What the heck was wrong with those people at the dealership?! I think their exact words were "this car is not drivable. Get a new car." I was like um.... I've been driving it for the past 25 hours without a single problem other than the fact that the outlet doesn't work. What the heck. So basically, aside from the added stress, all worked out ok and I was off for Utah early the next morning. Thank the Lord for Abigail and her supportive family. Aside from them Denver freaks me out like, whoa. I do miss their dog... Alaska sure doesn't though. Did I mention that Denver freaks me out?
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea
I got a better start out of St. Louis then I had the day before leaving Savannah. After waking up, chatting with Jamie and her family over breakfast, loosing and finding my keys, and unsuccessfully trying to charge my ipod on Jamie's computer I was able to leave by 11:30am. Jamie decided to be even more sweet than she normally is and give me a bunch of old cds that she didn't want anymore. One of these was the Arcade Fire and oh my gosh can I just please say how thankful I was to have the Arcade Fire playing on my stereo again? Reminds me of winters spent at TWC in Michigan. The drive was pleasant if not flat and boring. Ok it was flat and boring but tolerable. I really like driving during the day because I can at least see what is around me. I love checking out the terrain ESPECIALLY when I have never driven through it before. Once I passed Colombia, Missouri I was out of any area that I had ever been. I was so excited to start the trek through territory unknown to me. I later found out that Kansas was really no big deal. haha. I did see a few shooting stars that night though and finally entering the sea of lights that was Denver was exhilarating. Let me provide an account of one experience I had at one of those few and far between gas stations:
part one: walk into gas station and get something to snack on for the long road ahead
part two: meet 50 something year old man at counter who is wearing pants with a GIANT rip in the top of the butt... realize that the man is not wearing underwear
part three: watch as the cashier who apparently knows the guy scolds him for being indecent. Pay and leave after the woman offers me some advice on a topic of which I can't even recall.
What the heck!? haha.
By the time I got to Denver I was exhausted. Abigail, who I was staying with, has many cats and dogs and their presence was like therapy for me- especially her dogs. Alaska is freaked out of other animals so she and I eventually shut ourselves in a room and slept the night. I was woken up pleasantly by the smell of breakfast the next morning only to find my friend Drew from Savannah downstairs. I had forgotten that Abigail said that he was also in town yet on his way out. It was great to see him and catch up for the 30 mins or so before Abigail had to take him to the airport. Drew is a cool kid. He was out there visiting Abigail and skiing Colorado. Lucky guY!
Later in the day I decided to get that darn plug in my car fixed so I could at least have my ipod for the last leg of the trip. I took the wagon into the Subaru dealership and left it there. 15 minutes later I was back at the dealership because they called me and said I had to come in and take a look at something that they found. Next thing I know I am standing under my car looking at the salt rust on it from the Michigan roads it has been driven in for the last 10 years. The entire dealership was so freaked out by what they called "rot" on the undercarriage that they were convinced that I was going to die the next time I drive the thing because the bottom would fall out or some bologna like that. They told me that they refused to work on it because it would be pointless for me to put any money into such a terrible piece of crap car and that they are condemning it. They say that they have not condemned a car in like 10 years and mine is the first. I was tottally put on the spot. I could not for the life of me believe that I was standing at a Subaru dealership hearing that my car is condemned when all I wanted to know was if they could fix the outlet. I wanted to faint... I still had EIGHT HOURS to drive before I was in Salt Lake City, Utah. I could NOT believe that could be happening to me right now.
Later in the day I decided to take it into a Midas for a second opinion. The guys at Midas, although also reacting to the rust but in a more humorous way, told me about how cars out east and cars out west are taken care of and let go differently because of what the different regions use to get rid of the snow. In Michigan salt is used to melt the ice and snow on the roads and the result of that is a torn up undercarriage. They explained that people out West aren't used to seeing that and that everything is fine with the car. They suggested a few repairs but didn't even come close to condemning the darn thing. I was so pissed. What the heck was wrong with those people at the dealership?! I think their exact words were "this car is not drivable. Get a new car." I was like um.... I've been driving it for the past 25 hours without a single problem other than the fact that the outlet doesn't work. What the heck. So basically, aside from the added stress, all worked out ok and I was off for Utah early the next morning. Thank the Lord for Abigail and her supportive family. Aside from them Denver freaks me out like, whoa. I do miss their dog... Alaska sure doesn't though. Did I mention that Denver freaks me out?
We could be closer than you know,
Chelsea
posted by Chelsea at 9:59 AM
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