On the road again
It’s time for a report from the cat. It’s been a long day, and it’s not quite over yet. This post is being written on the road … literally, we’re doing about 65 miles per hour, and we’re passing though eastern Pittsburgh. We’re such geeks! Anyway, we got up this morning, did bills, laundry, errands, cleaning, packing, etc. Then we went and got the new rental car. While we’re there they ask us if we’d like a compact SUV instead, for no additional charge. We asked them what the mileage was on it. They looked blank, then looked in the computer, and smiled and told us: 18 miles per gallon. We said in unison “No way!”. Sure our own car has a slipping transmission, but it’s full sized AND we get 28 miles to the gallon (which I thought was pretty bad for a road trip to Denver). So we got a Chrysler Sebring instead. Not as good mileage as we would have liked, but still better than either the SUV they wanted to give us, or our own car.
Next stop was the dealership, which was suppose to call us two hours before with a time-to-completion estimate on our car. But, as usual, they still hadn’t managed to let us know anything. While we were there, we dropped off the loaner rental car, since we had the new one and didn’t need two. Then we popped into service to ask in person. Nobody knew anything. But when they checked the bay, our car wasn’t there, and it had been earlier. So they assumed it had been finished and taken out for a test drive. Lacking critical, need-to-know information, we sat in the waiting room for a half hour until they came to find us and let us know that the car was indeed finally ready. We went out to pay the bill, and found they had charged us for the rental car, which they swore they weren’t going to do. At least they the decency to look embarrassed and took the charge off. But I’m still rather miffed that I had to find it first.
Now with car in hand, we headed back home and finished packing up all the food. Gayle, of course, had to dither over what knitting projects to bring. She is such a girl! In case you’re interested, that’s three sock projects and one sweater. Plus just a soupcon of fleece to spin with a drop spindle (which she’s now gotten good enough at that she doesn’t drop it anymore).
Okay, finally the car is packed, I’ve run back inside twice for the things we forgot but remembered before we got out of the driveway (we remembered something else, but we were 10 miles away, and I was not going back!). Next stop was the bank for spend’en cash, and then Starbucks for a caffeine fix. And finally we were on our way. Of course that put us on the highway during rush hour traffic. Fortunately, most of the HOV lanes around here are for two people, which if you stretch your imagination to include me, qualifies us. So we were a bit delayed, but not as bad as the poor schmucks sitting all alone in their bourgoise-mobiles in the three-lane, glacially creeping, parking lot.
Late Breaking News: We just crossed the border into Ohio! Yeah us!!!!
Ooops, Later Breaking News: Never mind. We misinterpreted a sign. It would seem that the elusive Ohio border is still about an hour away. Sigh!
Late Late Breaking News: We just crossed into Ohio! For real this time. Seriously! You couldn’t miss the sign. It was big enough to have it’s own weather system!
Question: You’re on the freeway, driving down between little hillocks, only slightly raised, not even taller than the car, and sloping away from the road. And the road is plastered with signs warning “Beware of falling rocks”. What’s the deal here? Asteroid strikes? Avenging Angels? Hill Giants? Tired and slightly off-kiltered minds want to know.
Not much else to talk about. We’re glad that Starbucks is omnipresent, and so therefore is caffeine. I’m a strict adherent to the old adage: Better living through chemistry. But only caffeine. I may be a radical, but I’m a tame, boring one.
We’re looking for Highway 80 heading west. That’s our ending goal for the day. Once we find that, we’ll look for cheap accommodations and call it a night. Back tomorrow, same cat time, same cat channel!
On the road again! I can’t wait to get on the road again! Although the wind make my fur stand up on end! I still can’t wait to get on the road again!