Towards the end of
summer we knew it was time for a change. New York had been home for the
last nine years, and Nina, aside from being a native New Yorker (with
mind enough to avoid another New York winter), had some business in Los
Angeles. We visited once or twice to get a feel for things and finally,
in October, made the move.
Our plan was for two vehicles. Nina
would have a nice car with heated seats, headlamp wipers, airbags —
something reliable, safe, and sleek. And I would have an ugly, rowdy,
broken ol' Ford Bronco — manual steering, manual brakes, manual
transmission, just the way Ford intended.
I found it on
Craigslist while still in New York. It was ugly, rowdy, and in Las
Vegas. Lyle sent me pictures and facts and we messaged back and forth
for the next two months...
Friday 1:00pm
Finally
commit to buying the truck, make the call, Lyle wants cash? Eh, no
desire to travel with $5000, and no local bank yet = only option is a
cash advance in Vegas against the credit card(s), though the banks
close around 1pm on Saturday, it'll have to be an early flight in the
morning ($130)
Friday 9:00pm
Drag Nina to the ATM to pull cash ($1000 each)
Saturday 7:15am
Airport shuttle is forgetful, ride a ethnic minivan "taxi" instead ($35)
Saturday 8:15am
Young guy traveling alone with no luggage and a cheap ticket purchased the day before = Royal Treatment from Airport Security
Saturday 10:55am
Arrive in Vegas, pull the first crank in sight ($1), no luck, Lyle arrives in his pickup
Saturday 11:15am
Cash advance machine isn't working at the bank
Saturday 11:45am
Different
bank, different problem: the teller needs approval over the phone,
holds for 25 minutes, finally speak to the credit card rep directly,
question and answer, all account details are inaccurate, transaction is
authorized anyway ($3000 + $10 + 3% + 22%APR)
Saturday 1:00pm
See the truck, drive the truck, buy the truck — it's a ROWDY one — fuel the truck ($40)
Saturday 2:30pm
Throw the loose parts in the back, fire it up, don't forget to unlock that emergency brake, there she goes :)
Saturday 4:45pm
Arrive
in Baker, CA (dead-center of Death Valley and bustling home to the
world's tallest thermometer) about 100 miles later just as the sun
drops, no top, no heat, no tunes, freezing and hungry
Saturday 5:00pm
Eat a BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger at Bun Boy while shivering inside a souvenir Bun Boy sweatshirt to warm up ($32)
Saturday 5:20pm
Hop back into the truck, something sounds funny, bad feeling, dart over to 76 to fill up, gas trickles out the back ($3)
Saturday 5:30pm
Truck won't start
Saturday 5:40pm
Call Lyle for advice, leave a message
Saturday 6:00pm
Ask
passerby Nathan if he can start an old truck, he tinkers while his
3-year-old nephew and wife and wife's sister entertain themselves in
the back of his truck, pop into the 76 Convenience Store for jumper
cables ($10), fuses ($5), and a can of Coke ($1)
Saturday 7:00pm
Drive
to the next town over — 60 miles — to get a cheap part at AutoZone,
better get two just in case, drive right back, optimism pervades ($22)
Saturday 9:00pm
Install the part, no luck, spirits crushed
Saturday 9:25pm
Sheriff pulls up, "That your truck, son? It'll fetch a pretty penny in Mexico. I saw it sitting here and noticed it ain't registered."
Saturday 10:00pm
Attempt
to push-start the truck, sister-in-law (very pregnant, kind of smoking)
takes the wheel, push push push — BOOM — the engine fires!
Saturday 10:05pm
Flip on the lights, engine chokes, excitement dies, ALTERNATOR!
Saturday 10:15pm
Lyle
calls eager to help but it's too late, too dark, too cold, and it's
been a very long day, he'll head out first thing in the morning
Saturday 10:20pm
Nathan and family leave with many thanks (destination Palm Springs, 3+ hours away), still smiling
Saturday 10:25pm
Pray for vacancy at the Bun Boy Motel, back to the 76 to actually book a room, "Smoking or non?" ($64)
Saturday 10:35pm
Warm room, cold water, sick stomach, and Matthew Broderick on HBO
Sunday 7:00am
Lyle calls, AutoZone is opening later than usual
Sunday 11:00am
Lyle arrives in his pickup, no alternator but a new starter instead, it's checkout time
Sunday 12:15am
Starter
is installed, no luck (big surprise), drive to the next town over AGAIN
— 60 miles — to buy an alternator and wire terminals, then drive right
back, pessimism pervades ($77)
Sunday 2:30pm
Install the parts, no luck
Sunday 2:45pm
Time
is ticking, Lyle needs to be back in Vegas for work by 6 and Nina's
reel is due the next morning, jump-start fails, push-start works,
rumble over to the other end of town (half a mile) to the sole
"mechanic" in Death Valley
Sunday 2:55pm
Dozens
of abandoned vehicles collect dust in the blazing sun, the mechanic
smiles — sure seen this before, they don't build em like they used to,
gotta love them old Ford trucks, etc — and may be able to fix it, may
not, but not til tomorrow because he doesn't stock many parts, his two
kids from two VERY different women are having a great time in the dirt,
one with a gritty funnel to refill the coolant in a hopeless RV, the
other with a plastic duct for dad's late-model Mustang, both with
sweaty cans of Fanta from their own vending machine
Sunday 3:15pm
Time
hasn't stopped ticking, second mechanic arrive, has a similar part in a
working vehicle somewhere, takes his damn time going to get it
Sunday 3:30pm
Third mechanic crawls out from under the RV, a few front teeth, hair pulled way over, sad blue eyes, heat-wrinkled face, "That truck'd be mighty popular down in Mexico."
Sunday 3:45pm
Install
the part, no luck, time to make a decision: Leave the truck right there
-OR- pay them $600 to tow it to Vegas -OR- roll the dice, point it at
Vegas, and hit the gas
Sunday 3:55pm
Second mechanic says $120 for the part, "not a chance", rip it out, time to ROLL THE DICE
Sunday 4:05pm
Push-start
once again and the race begins, Bronco in the lead, but not much juice
to keep the plugs firing, wow that sun is setting fast, call jetBlue to
secure a flight, not much for service out here, call drops, try
Northwestern, sorry, phone is dead
Sunday 5:00pm
Fuel
warning glows on the pickup, better catch that Bronco to say so, Lyle
motions forward-forward-forward, not a drop of gas around here
Sunday 5:30pm
Bronco
battery starts to frown, pickup engine starts to cough, and believe it
or not, there's Nevada — can't miss it — first exit is in clear sight,
pull off quick, ROLL into the station, fuel the pickup, swap the
batteries, Bronco fires up, pickup needs a jump, Ranch Chicken BLT from
McDonald's with hot BLACK coffees — TO GO! ($17)
Sunday 6:00pm
Las
Vegas, bling bling bling, dump the truck in the driveway, Lyle promises
to fix the truck and haul it out next week, rush to the airport
Sunday 6:30pm
All out-bound flights are booked, waiting lists three pages long, glares and stares, "not a chance", one open seat for a sudden $390, or leave in the morning for $120 instead
Sunday 7:00pm
Counter
to counter, no options, sleeping at the airport can't be fun, call
Greyhound, hold, counter to counter again with hopes for a different
teller
Sunday 7:20pm
Luck
strikes, different counter, different teller, same age, different sex,
a magic opening on the 9pm to LAX — it's MILLER TIME!!! ($135)
Sunday 10:15pm
California, it's so nice to see you again — I never thought you would feel like home
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