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| It was fun to sit by the firepit with Tom’s sisters, spouses, and other residents in the RV park. |
Yesterday, we had to return the rental car to the Phoenix Airport we’d rented in Las Vegas on November 28th. I drove the rental car while Tom drove Margie’s Cadillac. The drop-off went smoothly.
On our way back to Apache Junction, a 35-minute drive, the Cadillac suddenly started acting up, and then…it was dead. Tom managed to get the car to the shoulder while we sat there trying to figure out what was wrong.
We don’t have AAA or another roadside service. Why would we when we’re always traveling outside the US? Plus, in the past seven years, we haven’t had a single rental car breakdown. (Thank goodness).
Tom tried a few times to restart it to no avail. Were we out-of-gas? How could that be? Margie had informed Tom that the gas gauge wasn’t working, but she had kept track of the mileage using the odometer to ensure she’d never run out of gas. She felt comfortable we had plenty of fuel until the re-set odometer read 300 miles.
We were pretty far from an exit ramp, making it too long a hike for Tom to take off on foot to buy fuel. Cars were zooming past us at a high rate of speed. Then, I remembered there was some roadside assistance through our Visa credit cards.
I called the number on the back of the card, was on hold for a considerable time, and finally was referred to another number. Over 40 minutes passed until I reached the correct department and was told we’d be hearing within minutes for a service vehicle to assist.
The cost for the service would be $69 if we were out of fuel and another $69 if the car had to have the vehicle towed under five miles, more if over. We requested the service vehicle come prepared with fuel, and we’d see what transpired when they arrived.
In all, we’d been sitting there for an hour, waiting. Much to our surprise and delight, a car zoomed past us but stopped on the shoulder and backed up to reach us.
A kindly man offered to take Tom to a fuel station, where he purchased a gas can and fuel for a total of $17. It took about 15 minutes for them to return while I waited in the car. The kindly man drove him back to the car.
Once the fuel was loaded into the car, much to our relief, it started. At that point, we realized that perhaps the remaining fuel that Margie thought she had in her car had evaporated while she was away during the off-season. Tom gave the man who stopped a $20 bill and the gas can from keeping. He hesitated to accept, but Tom insisted, grateful for the assistance.
None of that mattered. I called and canceled the order for service, and we were on our way to a gas station and then to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. From there, we shopped at Fry’s for items for a light meal to serve when the sisters and husbands visited last night after the gathering at the firepit.
Once again, we had an excellent evening as we continued to enjoy our time in Apache Junction.
We’ll be back with more tomorrow!
Have a fantastic day!
Photo from one year ago today, December 12, 2018:
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| Zebra on the veranda! We knew we had to be very cautious not only for our safety but for his as well. If we startled him or told him to get down, he could have broken a leg on the slippery tiles. Instead, we tossed pellets on the ground near the bottom of the steps. For more photos, please click here. |