Things can only get better!!

[Lifemagician]

Half way from son's to daughter's, I get a phone call.... I have left an important piece of luggage back at son's. Now what??

Had a lovely lunch with daughter and children before making a speedrun back up the tollway (I-87 > I-90) to Newton. Next morning I am on my way again.

Twelve hours later, after having had a most enjoyable day and a satisfying dinner.... my keys are nowhere to be found! Have invoked St Anthony, but I guess he too, is still searching. I do have a spare, but not spare photos of the grandchildren, which were on there. :(

As I said, Things can only get better.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Sorry to hear of your recent "rough spots" -- but sometimes it those unexpected delays that bring us unexpected discoveries and I hope it works thusly for you today and this week.

Mark

[Tony J Case, Super Genius]

Heh - at least you knew where you were going. This wasn't a road trip, so it's only marginally on-topic for the forum, but last year I went to Paris over Christmas. Had the hotel all picked out, and had directions to there from the airport printed up twice. Once to keep on my person (in a folder with some other notes about the city) and one in my luggage as backup.

So I'm at SeaTac, half an hour before departure, and I put the folder down somewhere and forget it. I don't notice that it's missing until JUST as I'm boarding. Whoops - annoying, but that's what the back up is for!

So, fast forward 12 hours in a pressurized little metal tube. I get off the plane, watch the luggage coming out of the carousel with the reader board above showing "Flight 19: unloading". After half an hour, it suddenly switches to "Flight 19: Complete"

Um, where's my bag?

So I check with customer service, who tell me that my bag is still in Belgium and will be coming on the next flight. So not only do I not have instructions on how to get to the hotel, I don't even have a clue what it's called or contact information or anything. Just EXACTLY how I wanted to start off my trip!

Well, through some resourcefulness of the agent and myself, we did manage to figure out where to go. And my bag showed up a couple of hours later, delivered to the hotel. So it all worked out in the end, but man was I on the verge of freaking out!

[Mark Sedenquist]

So not only do I not have instructions on how to get to the hotel, I don't even have a clue what it's called or contact information or anything. Just EXACTLY how I wanted to start off my trip!

That's a great piece of advice -- and I can imagine how nuts you felt at that point. I did something similar a few years ago -- I arrived in New Orleans after a red-eye expecting to check into my hotel early and sleep a few hours before my first press briefing. When I arrived at the hotel, I realized I had left the booking notice someplace -- and they had no reservation for me. Turns out I had REMEMBERED wrong and was actually booked at a hotel about a mile away.... I was not a happy camper!

Mark

[Lifemagician]

Yeah, I want to shout it from the rooftops... the elusive keys have been found.... along with the photos of the grandchildren.

And where were they?

It got cold after leaving Stanley, so in Shelby I got out my polar fleece jacket, and there in the pocket....................

Lifey who has no idea how they got there

[Southwest Dave]

Oh boy !

Sorry, couldn't help but chuckle to myself, but at least they turned up ! :-)

[I think something similar has happened to us all at some point]

[PNW Judy]

I've often thought a device like the clapper where, when you clap, an alarm goes off to help you find your keys, would be a good invention.

Glad you found 'em.

I recently lost my key/remote (all in one, not detached from each other like most cars). How? I was walking the dogs and thought my pocket was too shallow to keep my key safe so I tuck it in my bra. Then I realize this isn't very safe either and remember that the little container on the leash for doggie-doo-doo pick up bags has an extra little pocket for things like a key. But I get distracted and forget to move it, and didn't even think of it again until I got back to the car with no key. That was the end of that key. It could be anywhere in the 25 acre field we criss-crossed all over. Even a clapper-device wouldn't help with that.

Oh, man, Tony! I'm glad you found your hotel and didn't have to curl up on the floor at the airport. :)

[Lifemagician]

14th June, 2009

By now I have driven well over 70.000 miles across North America, on my four visits, with not so much as a flat tyre. So I guess I was due for it!

This morning, six miles south of Delta Junction AK, driving on Hwy 2 - Alaska Highway - the engine of the Dodge suddenly cut out. In vain I steered as far as I could, off the road and out of danger, but the shoulder was narrower than my vehicle.

After the initial trying to restart, panic and "now what?", I got out my AAA card - quietly said a prayer of gratitude to my friend who gave it to me - and made the call. Never before have I been so grateful to see that there was phone coverage.

While on the phone to the lovely lady a State trooper came by and enquired what the problem was. When I mentioned that I was low on fuel - but by no means out of fuel - he asked where I had been and went on to suggest that I possibly had contaminated fuel. He managed to restart the engine and I was on my way again.... for less than 2 miles, when it cut out again.

The same lovely lady at the AAA went on to arrange a tow and wanted to know exactly where I was; the nearest intersection, etc. On the Alaska Highway there ain't no intersections! Neither was there a milepost within sight. I kept telling her I was now about 4 miles south of Delta Junction on Hwy 2.

And then it dawned on me... I have a GPS. This invaluable little gadget showed that I was 64 degrees north and 145 degrees west. It may be a pretty useless gadget at times, but right at this moment it paid for itself twice over. It became the most valuable tool in my disabled camper.

The AAA follow up was fantastic, just to update me (it will be about 2 - 3 hours) and to make sure I was OK.

The towtruck driver called as well, a friendly chap who had to come from Fairbanks. When he heard that Fairbanks is where I was headed, he suggested he may as well take me all the way.

He had a great sense of humour too. When he asked if I was alone, I responded by asking if he felt we needed a chaperone. It was good to have a laugh.

I settled down to wait, made a cup of tea and something to eat, and then buried myself in my book. Most of this time it was raining, and I was comfortably seated on my mattress, with the rear of the car open.

It was around two hours later that I heard the tell tale beeping of a truck reversing. It was now more than three hours since the problem started. As releaved as I was to see him, it is a heartbreaking sight to see your mode of transport loaded on to the 'stretcher' to be taken to car hospital.

It was well over 100 miles back to Fairbanks, and almost three hours till I finally got to my accommodation, the GoNorth Hostel in Fairbanks. Chatting with Walter, my driver, he seemed to think that it sounded more like a fuel pump than contaminated fuel.

So here I am, in Fairbanks, thankful that I did not end up in Delta Junction. Tomorrow, Monday, I will find out what the damage is... what it will all cost. Meanwhile I am working out my finances to see if I can still afford to get to the Arctic. And until I hear tomorrow, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

The one thing which really surprised me about this experience is, that of all the dozens if not hundred cars which passed during more than three hours, only five (besides the trooper) stopped to enquire if I was alright. Well, two stopped, and the other three I waved on and signalled that I was OK.

Lifey trying to remain positive in Fairbanks

[Southwest Dave]

Hey Lifey,

I got my fingers [and everything else] crossed for you that it's something easily [and cheaply] fixed.

Dave, struggling to type while fingers crossed ;-)

[glc]

Lifey, if you are planning on going up the Dalton, you need at least 2 full size spare tires and the ability to change them. Due to the possibility of snow and ice even in June, I'd question the wisdom of trying to drive that minivan up there, you should either take a tour or rent a suitable vehicle. The odds of flying rock and gravel damage are pretty great, and you will be sharing the road with large trucks that won't slow down for anything. There is virtually NO communication on that road, and services are extremely scarce.