Linkage, hoses, hotels, and so much more….
Do ya, think you could give me a ride home?
That was the question that the driver for the repair company asked me. They had repaired a leaky radiator hose for slightly less than all the money in my wallet, and I was feeling slightly guilty for getting such a great deal – So I said “yes”. I should have known that nothing good ever happens when you decide to give a total stranger a ride home. Starting the car I should have known that something was wrong. It took about 5 minutes to find N just to start the car. It refused to start in park. I figured that it was just the linkage acting up – I should have known better. So we head off to a gas station where Skippy goes to get cash. I decided it would be a good idea to get out and grab a few packs of cigs for Dianne. I grab the cigs, we both hop back in the car and I start the car – yea, at least that was what was supposed to happen. In real life the linkage decides that this is the perfect place to call it quits. My hitchhiker decides to head for greener pastures and hit the high road. I tried for over half an hour to get the car started. It just was not going to happen. So I decide that calling AAA is a really good idea. Back into the store I go, ask for the phone and call the cavalry. They gleefully tell me that a tow truck will be there in just one hour – not a problem. I am now in a city that I have no clue about, stuck in a gas station in an area that seems slightly less than desirable. Amazingly the tow truck driver only took 2 hours to arrive. In that time I had plenty of time to think about what I should have done differently. Needless to say, I did learn some valuable lessons.
The tow truck driver was amazing. He had lived in Alaska for 10 years and was a wealth of information. He came from the Orlando area, but decided that he wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle. From what he told me, the area that I was stuck in was actually not that bad at all. I was still not happy about the car. We dropped off the car at B&B transmission, and he even gave me a ride back to the hotel. On the way back, he advised me where to fish, and told me stories about the moose that wander around town.
The problem with the transmission was that the linkage was broken, or at least that was what they told me. The work took until early in the afternoon, but was not expensive at all. The new linkage worked great, and I was able to drive away happy. We had now lost 2 days in Anchorage, but were ready to make up for it. The sun sets at around 12:00 and we had some catching up to do. For the next 2 days we were out exploring the city and trying to find a new home.
As it turns out, finding a new home is not as easy as it sounds. I kept telling Dianne that sleeping in the car was a good idea, but she kept yelling and screaming about rooms and showers, and kitchens. You know, all that useless stuff…. So we kept looking for apartments. Alaska has some interesting features. One is the fact that we are almost totally surrounded by mountains, another is that the sun almost never sets in the summer, and the most interesting is that this state does not have any air conditioning – none. That includes ALL apartments. Now some of you may be saying, “Quit whinning – that place is cold”. Yea, lets just see what happens when you have the sun beating down on you for, oh, say 20 hours a day. Things tend to really heat up. And the a/c units are no where to be seen. I found that even most houses are without a/c, or central heat. Yea, I can hear you all now….. “This is Alaska, the last frontier, what did you expect”? Yea, yea, yea, I hear you. I knew that things would be a little different, but no a/c? What kind a place is this!!?? I may have to go a month or two without a/c. Perhaps I should head to a place that knows a/c – like VEGAS BABY!!!! I don’t think so…..
That was the question that the driver for the repair company asked me. They had repaired a leaky radiator hose for slightly less than all the money in my wallet, and I was feeling slightly guilty for getting such a great deal – So I said “yes”. I should have known that nothing good ever happens when you decide to give a total stranger a ride home. Starting the car I should have known that something was wrong. It took about 5 minutes to find N just to start the car. It refused to start in park. I figured that it was just the linkage acting up – I should have known better. So we head off to a gas station where Skippy goes to get cash. I decided it would be a good idea to get out and grab a few packs of cigs for Dianne. I grab the cigs, we both hop back in the car and I start the car – yea, at least that was what was supposed to happen. In real life the linkage decides that this is the perfect place to call it quits. My hitchhiker decides to head for greener pastures and hit the high road. I tried for over half an hour to get the car started. It just was not going to happen. So I decide that calling AAA is a really good idea. Back into the store I go, ask for the phone and call the cavalry. They gleefully tell me that a tow truck will be there in just one hour – not a problem. I am now in a city that I have no clue about, stuck in a gas station in an area that seems slightly less than desirable. Amazingly the tow truck driver only took 2 hours to arrive. In that time I had plenty of time to think about what I should have done differently. Needless to say, I did learn some valuable lessons.
The tow truck driver was amazing. He had lived in Alaska for 10 years and was a wealth of information. He came from the Orlando area, but decided that he wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle. From what he told me, the area that I was stuck in was actually not that bad at all. I was still not happy about the car. We dropped off the car at B&B transmission, and he even gave me a ride back to the hotel. On the way back, he advised me where to fish, and told me stories about the moose that wander around town.
The problem with the transmission was that the linkage was broken, or at least that was what they told me. The work took until early in the afternoon, but was not expensive at all. The new linkage worked great, and I was able to drive away happy. We had now lost 2 days in Anchorage, but were ready to make up for it. The sun sets at around 12:00 and we had some catching up to do. For the next 2 days we were out exploring the city and trying to find a new home.
As it turns out, finding a new home is not as easy as it sounds. I kept telling Dianne that sleeping in the car was a good idea, but she kept yelling and screaming about rooms and showers, and kitchens. You know, all that useless stuff…. So we kept looking for apartments. Alaska has some interesting features. One is the fact that we are almost totally surrounded by mountains, another is that the sun almost never sets in the summer, and the most interesting is that this state does not have any air conditioning – none. That includes ALL apartments. Now some of you may be saying, “Quit whinning – that place is cold”. Yea, lets just see what happens when you have the sun beating down on you for, oh, say 20 hours a day. Things tend to really heat up. And the a/c units are no where to be seen. I found that even most houses are without a/c, or central heat. Yea, I can hear you all now….. “This is Alaska, the last frontier, what did you expect”? Yea, yea, yea, I hear you. I knew that things would be a little different, but no a/c? What kind a place is this!!?? I may have to go a month or two without a/c. Perhaps I should head to a place that knows a/c – like VEGAS BABY!!!! I don’t think so…..
posted by Glenn & Dianne | 11:54 AM
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