We made it. 8 days, 3660 miles and the best false start ever to commemorate our very own "Vacation" Chevy Chase style....
We picked up the rental car friday night, and drove it home to pack. After loading our "loaner Grand Am" we bedded down early in anticipation of a glorious 464 mile drive from Seattle to Missoula Montana...our first stop. Waking at 5am, smiles on our faces, we bade goodbye to our two worried looking cats, and headed out the door. My wife cozied into the passenger seat...arranged her lotion, cameras,"VooDoo Vic, the travelling doll, and various other trinkets, and with satisfied look in her eyes, motioned her readiness to go. I (being the geek of the family) took one walk around the car to inspect as if a pilot preflighting for a transcontinental flight in an experimental aircraft....the tire, right rear, was as flat as it could possibly be. I stood there looking at it, as if my disapointment would somehow fill the tire miraculously. Even my hardest sigh didnt inflate it so much as one psi.
Wife out of the car, into the house to further confuse the cats who know when a trip is much too short. A quick call to the "texas landmark" rental agency yields the following information: "Sir, we can send someone to put the spare on for you, it will be two hours...or you can repair the tire, and save your receipts. Or, sir, just bring the car back and exchange it." Luckily, I had some fix a flat in the garage and figured that would get me to a gas station where I would have the tire fixed.
Jamming the fix a flat into the dead tire gave just enough pressure to go the 1/4 mile to the 50 cent air machine at the local 7-11. Filled her right up, and she held! In spite of the now visible roofing nail that was in the tire, we headed for the garage. "Wait a minute" it was 5:30 am. No self respecting garage would be open yet, so I decided to trust in the "fix-a-flat goddess", and make haste to the start of our trip. Surely, it would hold until Missoula....I restarted the engine and got on 405 headed for 90 to Missoula. Another heart stopper. "Bing bing bing.....red light on, bing bing bing...your oil is low said the horrible message. I almost jumped out of my skin...making the decision right then and there to return the car immediately to Alamo Car rental at SeaTac Airport where we would exchange this little lemon for a better suited car.....My wife nodded in absolute approval, so off to SeaTac we go. Ahh, no problem I thought...a quick exchange at the airport, and we would lose an hour tops off of this glorious trip we had planned. No problemo! "POW...HISSSSSSSSSSSS" Less than three miles into our revised itenerary....the fix-a-flat Goddess changed her mind....no more air for you! The tire returned to its lifeless state at 70 miles per hour, forcing us to a grinding halt at the 124th street offramp in Kirkland...."&%$$##" was my only reaction as we coasted on the rim into the AM PM Minimart parking lot....yes, this is going to be a good trip....
I will post more from our fun trip in a bit. I hope you will all enjoy reading about it and seeing the pics on the website soon.We saw a lot in a little amount of time. Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devils Tower, Wall Drug, Badlands...and the list goes on. (Note to Moderators Mark and Bob...I did look up Mr. McKinnon in Wallace Idaho....I dont think he is around anymore, but it appears there is a Harvey and Mrs McKinnon who have taken over his house, and made it much less than a work of art....I was sad.)