Okay, so most of life's experiences are double-edged. Bad things happen that bring about good things and vice versa.
So here's the deal, tonight we drove through a thunder and lightning storm as big as all Nebraska. Seriously - for over an hour we had maybe twenty or thirty feet of visibility and lightning striking all around us. I wasn't worried. I felt weirdly calm through the whole thing and just kept plowing along through the rain-soaked interstate.
About five minutes before we pulled into the hotel (Lincoln's very fine Holiday Inn Express), the battery light flicked on. By the time we pulled under the hotel awning, smoke was coming out of the grill of the van. I popped the hood and had a look - the alternator belt was moving but the alternator was not. Hence, the smoke.
So, I'll spend tomorrow morning investigating a couple of nearby auto repair places and hoping it won't take a million years to get this done.
So, bad news - broken down in Nebraska, the never-ending state. Going to be out quite a bit of money. Will have even less time to prep for classes starting on Wednesday.
Good news - my family is dry, safe, and comfortable when we very well could have broken down in the middle of nowhere in in the midst of a gargantuous storm. If things have to go wrong (and they do because that's how this mortal coil is designed to go), it's pretty fabulous that they went wrong the way they did.
I will keep you posted.
6 comments:
Man, talk about being "carried throgh the storm"! Sorry about the van & the $$ repairs. Maybe the extra time will have everyone feeling better for the rest of the journey?
Sorry you are stuck in NE, kiss the ground for me while you are there.
Sheesh. Not cool, but glad you are safe. I think my husband is missing the mission perhaps....
Hope the van isn't too expensive, man. Best! of luck with all that stuff.
I am sorry about van, flu, Nebraska, and all things negative, but I have to admit I am finding humor in your alliterative (sp) titles, and the whole Clark Griswold-ish turn of this trip. This could be it, MSB, the plotline for the novel ! You just need a raccoon to show up, and you're set !
Glad you're all okay. Can't believe I'm going to be driving this route (again) in a few short months. The charms of Nebraska and Wyoming indeed cannot be understated.
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