Then this happened ...
5:00 on a Thursday afternoon in the high desert of New Mexico our car died 30+ miles outside of Taos ...
We had one bar of AT&T service and 9% battery power on the cell phone ... just enough to contact Honda Roadside Assistance. A tow truck was dispatched. We were told it might take a while.
So we waited. And reflected on how we had gotten into the mess we were in. How the LOOSE GRAVEL signage on 84 leading into the Sangre de Cristo mountains the day before had portended a bit more than the quarter-sized ding we got in our windshield. Apparently the gravel storm kicked up by an 18-wheeler going 65 mph in the opposite lane had punched a hole in our radiator as well.
So it was that our decision to cross the bridge ...
over the Rio Grande ...
and then take the long way back, turned into a travel saga.
At least we had nice scenery to while away the hours (three of them all told) although it was concerning that a storm appeared to be gathering on the rim ...
Fortunately, the storm never made it to us, but a tow truck from Espanola did ...
While driving us back, the driver regaled us with tales of his car repossession adventures (which included getting shot), recommended what turned out to be a great car repair place in Taos (which was closed at 8:30 pm, but fortunately had a night drop box) and then brought us safely to our B&B.
The rest is a story for another day ... or two or three.
Ha. Something like this always happens.
ReplyDeleteRight? Fortunately, there were enough silver linings to make the trip memorable in a (mostly) good way.
ReplyDeleteoh my! what an experience! I would have been a tad nervous stuck out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are ok
Susan - thanks ... we were fortunate that it all worked out. What I neglected to mention was the portable iPhone battery charger that I stuck in my stitch bag at the last minute. We were able to get the phone to 40% power, which relieved a significant amount of angst. The charger will be a must-have for all future trips.
ReplyDeleteI would love to visit Taos but I reckon it will be in the next lifetime!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a story! I'm grateful it turned out so well. You remind me of a story from my teens, where our friend wanted to drive my boyfriend's 1965 Ranchero while we were waaaay back in the hills...so, we dropped the tailgate on hopped on - dangling our feet off the back. She'd barely gone a trace or two when in trying to brake, she realized - we ALL FOUR realized that she did not know how to work the temperamental brakes AND she was turning the wheel while going backwards!!! YIKES! In a moment she came to a stop with the undercarriage resting on the berm on the side of the road and our feet now dangling over a deep ravine! Ha. Since this was 1977, thus no cell phones, the guys hiked out for a tow truck, while we stayed behind and took photos on her new camera using the auto timer. They Finally came back with a foxy tow truck driver, who easily pulled us right out. lol Oh to be young and dumb! Again, glad you were safe in that beautiful country and thanks for bringing up an old memory.
ReplyDeleteMo - we loved Taos, but our return journey took us back to Santa Fe where we found yet more to love
ReplyDeleteNancy - I’m thankful that our adventure was far less perilous than yours!
What a bummer! Your near inability to communicate makes me want to spring for one of those unfolding wallets that can use the sun to recharge a phone.
ReplyDeleteLiz, this is a great story, what Nigel Peake calls a 'tiny adventure". i've never been to New Mexico or Arizona, it's possible if i get there i may never leave--as long as it's a place that gets cool at night. (i hated my year in Dallas, which did NOT get cool at night).
ReplyDeletei love that you were there...saw that sky
ReplyDeleteVelma - I confess to not being much of a open-window sleeper (mostly due to allergies), but there was a (noisy) room AC unit in our Taos B&B, so we found ourselves enjoying an open door at night to let in cool air.
ReplyDeleteGrace - you were very much on my mind as we watched the cloud-play along the rim
Dee - there's no question we've become dependent on our iPhone as there are no longer maps in our car. Since we frequently encountered "No service" in both New Mexico and Colorado, I learned to snap screen shots of directions in case the GPS bugged out on us.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Our tow truck driver commented that we would have been without service had we actually made it down into the gorge before our car died. Lucky us to have broken down with one bar of service!
Oh Liz - that was quite the adventure. Amazing country but a bit scary to be stuck there - how about the hole in the radiator!?!?! Wow. Glad it had happy endings tho. Go well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fiona ... "go well" has taken on new meaning
ReplyDelete