Cars: What Would We Do Without Them?

So my husband and I drove up to see my parents Saturday instead of Friday because he had his work schedule changed from Sun-Thursday to Mon-Friday. About halfway home my lights started to get really dim, then the speedometer and all those gages went to zero and the heat went out. Then we were coasting. I let it coast until I could see a mile marker in my very very dim lights then I pulled over to the side. Here in montana cell service is sketchy so when I checked my phone we were out of service. So I climbed onto the roof and stood on the roof rack as I searched for service. I got a bar for a second or two before it went away several times. So my husband and I walked until we got enough service to send a text to my brother. It only took about 100 feet or so when I got a bar. I texted my brother and told him to call mom. Right after that I got another bar so I could call mom myself. I told her we broke down, what mile marker we were at, and what had happened because my dad spent most of his working years as a mechanic.

About an hour later my parents got there and my dad looked at my car. He said the alternator was shot and he removed it to take with us. My parents drove us the rest of the way home and spent the night with air mattresses. (my mom had figured they'd have to spent the night so she threw in sleeping bags and air mattresses when they left the house). The next morning my dad took apart the alternator and cleaned it us a bit and got it to work enough to get the car home. So my husband and dad went back to the car with a full battery and got it home. My parents left after that.

Monday I called the auto parts store and had them order me a new one, which arrived today (tuesday). Last night I had my husband take off the old alternator and show me how it's done. My husband has a few people who car pool with him to work so I couldn't use his car, so today I put the old alternator in my back pack and rode my bike out in the cold and rain to the auto parts store 3.5 miles from my house. Then rode back with the new one (they give you a discount if you bring in the old one and switch it for the new one. I still paid $140 for it. ouch). When I got home I put it in and started the car up. And it worked like a charm.

Now that that's all over I can resume working on my cookbook.