A spontaneous road trip to West Virginia turned out to be quite an adventure.
We took the scenic path through the countryside of rolling hills and quaint towns listening to tunes from Brooke's most excellent and fabulous playlist of our favorite music. She filled the car with our favorite hits, the sun was shining and the views beautiful. It was exactly what we both never knew we wanted and needed.
Shops, museums, patio bistros, the lush rolling hills, and floral and fauma, it was gorgeous!
We found a pretty bistro with a view that was picturesque and enjoyed iced tea with fresh mint to go with a piece of Oreo cake.
It felt good to be in nature and we both commented how peaceful and quiet it was in the mountains.
There is so much to do and Brooke was taking it all in making plans for her and Alex to return there for an overnight getaway in a couple weeks.
We decided to go to a favorite spot for dinner and driving through the mountains my battery light came on in my SUV. I asked Brooke to get the owners manual out to read what the warning light is.
She said, "Mom, you're supposed to pull over and stop if the light stays on."
I am not pulling over and stopping on a winding mountain road where there is no sign of life and a high probability of no cellular reception. We were 9 miles from our destination and that is where I would stop.
Of course! If my faithful Jeep is going to have an issue, it's going to be out of state, on a Sunday evening with the next day a national holiday.
We found a Walmart specifically for the Auto department where I could get a new battery. When the auto guy walked out to my car, he said "your car is smoking", I could smell it before I saw it.
Now we have a whole new, much bigger problem and Walmart couldn't help us. The guys in the auto department made phone calls to local garages to see who is open on a national holiday, my option was to tow it about 10 miles away and it would get looked at Tuesday (in 2 days). I'm envisioning not staying in West Virginia, not wanting to drive back-n-forth in a rental car, nor my car being in a shady garage where I don't know or trust if they are being honest.
I have AAA!
A quick call to AAA emergency roadside assistance took 7 minutes to get through to a live person. What if I didn't have good cellular service? What if I didn't have enough battery life on my phone? The AAA person was of little personality and informed me my baseline coverage would get me 3 miles of free towing and I would have to pay $4.00 per mile after that.
I'm totaling the additional miles just to haul it to a garage + rental car + the drive back and forth from home + the cost of what is wrong with my Jeep.
Oh God, I need Your help! Okay, think smart.
"Can I upgrade to another AAA package?" I think the question pained her. Yes, I could.
For $17.00 I could upgrade to the next AAA package with free towing for 100 miles, a quick mapquest for mileage my favorite auto shop at home is 103 miles away! Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!
About one hour later, AAA called back, "I'm sorry, it's Sunday and a holiday weekend, we are having a hard time finding a tow truck who wants to take you over state lines and at that distance to haul you home."
I am pretty positively certain, that detail is not included in their talking points selling AAA packages. What on earth is roadside emergency service for? Anything that is going to happen will be far from home on a Sunday evening with a holiday the next day. Don't forget this started in the winding mountains of WV where nobody would have ever found us.
"I will call you back and let you know if we can find someone to come get you" a AAA attendant shared.
I could see Brooke who didn't know what to do was watching me fearfully and I had an opportunity to make the most of a bad situation. It really is a choice and I had to find the positives.
Grateful we made it to civilization, we had made it and found a Walmart Auto for a quick car assessment, grateful for air conditioning, access to something to eat and bathrooms, we claimed the positives and tapped into wit and humor in our newfound situation.
"Brooke, let's say a prayer they find a single and handsome tow truck driver so we don't die!" "Oh, and not 20 years old either!"
Two hours later AAA called, they found some in Ohio that could come get us in about 20 minutes.
Brooke and I smiled at each other as we were the only car in the Walmart parking lot on the side of a mountain on the far side by the Auto department when the tow truck pulled in and backed up to us and a cute guy got out!
Cute as can be, a school teacher, smart, well-spoken and a great personality, he helps his buddy out as a side job. He lives in Ohio and was down towards us on a call to pick up another vehicle when that call was canceled, that's why he was able to get to us quickly. God had us.
The highway route was 128 miles, our favorite scenic route was 103. He said let's go the scenic route! We stopped for coffee and he offered to stop if we wanted to get something to eat. Fun conversation, constant talking, Brooke text me, "If you don't get his phone number, I am going to get it for you!"
In a topic of conversation, I found out the year he was born in 1989 and I text back to Brooke, "No way, he is 19 years younger than me, 6 years older than your sister!"
What a doll though! It was a pleasant ride, he wasn't going to charge me for the 3 extra miles and dropped us off at home after we dropped off the Jeep.
Our spontaneous road trip turned into quite an entertaining adventure.
AAA coverage is smart to have. Get the least expensive package for baseline coverage. If you need it, you can always upgrade in that moment, but you cannot get towing privileges for a week if you call AAA and sign up on the phone during a roadside emergency.
Say a prayer, find the positives and make the most of a bad situation. Oftentimes, our little ones are watching us and learning how to react. It makes a good teachable moment.
