Entry 6
I'm going to make this a relatively quick post. Mostly because I am 'sneaking' on a computer while I am waiting to get news about the RV.
We're still in Clinton, OK. The nearest RV center is Oklahoma City about an hour and a half in the wrong direction. We should be seeing the Grand Canyon today instead of the locust infiltration and inside of an RV repair shop. I had no idea the first sign of the apocalypse was "broken down RV" THEN the plague of locusts. Who knew?
This morning at 8:30am CruiseAmerica called me. I missed the call and called them back. They were sending out a tow truck to tow the RV to an RV shop. The tow shop then called me and said they would have a truck out to pick me up in an hour. We rushed to get everything out of the RV (we have an amazing amount of food and crap already gathering and multiplying in the dark cabinet corners) and threw it in our rooms, then I called the hotel and said we'd be here another night.
Two hours later I still hadn't seen hide nor hair of the tow truck. My cell phone rang. The tow truck dispatcher sent the tow truck to CLAYTON, OK not Clinton. It was about 2.5 hours away in the wrong direction. Sooo... they sent out another tow truck and he arrived around noon. I had on the *wrong* dress to climb up into a semi cab. You need a mighty big tow truck to haul an RV! So I changed quickly, left everyone at the hotel to get laundry done and organize the volumnus amounts of 'stuff' we had hauled into the hotel room and off I went with the tow truck driver. We went maybe three miles to a 'diesel' repair shop. He left me off here at Challis Diesel Service:
I kept myself collected and talked to the owner of the repair shop. He was very kind and he let me sit in his office near a fan. I am sneaking his assistant's computer right now while he 'fixes' the electrical system on the RV.
I have no idea what is going to happen next. I was feeling really frustrated by the whole thing... but then I had a wave of "everything is going to be okay" pass over me and now? Other than sneaking on the computer? I feel okay with things. I realize it is all going to be okay. I don't want all this to ruin our trip. I thought about just renting a large van or SUV to finish off the trip, but it is over 4K to rent a car one-way from OKC. So, that is off the table.
I am going to trust that cruiseamerica is going to do right by me and my intrepid campers.
When I know more, you will know more... but I know many of you want to keep in the loop of what is happening.
Originally? I'd be posting pics of the Grand Canyon right about now... not the RV with the hole in the roof and electrical problems and the plague of locust at our hotel. *laughter*
But these are the things kids remember. The laughter. Finishing the puzzle we started last night. Last night, Mads wanted to sleep in the queen sized bed with me. I said okay. About halfway through the evening, she started making 'anxiety' noises in her sleep - enough to wake me up. I reached over and patted her hair and she calmed down and stopped whimpering.
For me? That is what this trip is about. Forging those bonds that matter. Loving my bffC. Laughing with Nix in the evening. Loving on Gman and watching him grow up and try new things. Being the only boy, we were walking from the pool yesterday and he said, "It's hard being the only boy on this trip." And I said, "That just means I get to love you even more because you are special." He threw up his hands in the air, but it made me smile.
That is what this trip has been about from the beginning - no matter what happens with the RV or with this experience. No matter if we see the Grand Canyon, Disney, Seattle... I know in my heart and my soul that it will all be okay.
Because this trip? Is about love. Not about destination.
Happy Trails,
MaryKate
ETA: I want to take a moment to truly thank Ray Challis, his helper (Tony?) and wife. Ray especially took the time to make sure the RV was as good as he could get it before I left. I went to Challis Diesel to get my RV fixed, I left having made a new friend and someone with a heart as big as his smile. Thank you Ray... for calming me down, for going to bat for me to get a replacement RV and realizing that it wasn't going to happen and making sure you did the best you could by me and my friends to keep us safe for the rest of our trip. <3
-MaryKate
No comments:
Post a Comment