Worst vacation ever story...arghhh
It all started Thursday July 27th, we left for our camping trip to my home town in Sask approx 4-5 hr drive. We had a check engine light come on in the Tahoe, we are in Lloydminster 3 hours into drive, and get a Ohms reader to check the code. It says misfiring ???...so we keep going. 1 hr later we are on the side of the road, not sure what to do, we are not over heating, but we have no power. We let it cool down, and hope we can continue...it slows way down on all hills. We stopped 3 times, and it decided this one particular hill was too much and it died and started to roll backwards down the hill. We stopped with a portio of our trailer in the ditch. This was 20 min away from my home town. We walked to a farm house, noone but the dog was home. We waited on the road, no cell phone signal, but a few people stopped to give assistance, except they couldn't. However one of them had a phone that worked, I call my dad. He's NEVER home, but fortunately this particular night he was. He came and pulled both the Tahoe and our trailer up the hill and out of danger. We unhooked the trailer and he towed it into town. We tried to follow, but it died again shortly after, he came back for us and towed us into town. Parked us infront of the mechanics, we went to his house and he lent us his other truck, old worn out rust bucket with approx 530,000 Kilometers on it...it needs some work. We didn't make it to the campground, and slept in the town in our trailer. Next morning we talk to the mechanic. We then have to renew the registration and insurnace on my dad's truck...hook up the trailer (very difficult as the hitch was high), and get to the reserved campsite we didn't arrive for. Tahoe report: replaced sparkplugs, as we lost our cylinders on one side, replaced a sensor, and that was all he could do. He towed it to the next town to a GM dealership...45-60 min away. We are supposed to be coming home by then. GM dealership told us our catalytic convertor was also shot, and they need to order from US and 8-10 days our truck should be ready. That was yesterday. Today we got up really early, took the old truck and got the oil changed, had to go to a local welder to get the hitch off and turned so our trailer would ride better...he had to heat it up. Anyways we went back to my dad's to unload his stuff incase he needed it and get stuck in his yard...truck wouldn't shift (standard). We consider our options, called GM to see if we could have a courtsey vehicle, nope. Called a rental place, to rent a truck..outrageously expensive. Decide to stick with my dad's truck. We managed to get it back to town to the mechanic, and he tells us the clutch is leaking. Hydraulic clutch needs lubrication...he said we'd make it but no stopping because we can't shift properly. Plus the brakes are weak....and we don;t have trailer lights. We head for home...we died on our driveway, our trailer is on the driveway a little crooked, but we made it. Now to fix this truck so we can go get ours back. The weather was okay, a few really hot days, and the rest rainy, but the kids still had fun. We are all so stressed, even the dogs, they had to ride in their kennels in the back of the truck all the way home because we had no cab room for them. Glad I brought their kennels. Oh and another thing, we left the cats home with enough food for 1 week...we've been gone for 2 weeks. I did not leave a key with anyone. We had to call a locksmith to open our house for our neighbour to come in and feed the cats more food. I sent the key in the mail express, but I forgot about the holiday. Anyways the cats were okay. Tonight I went and got our mail, guess what was delivered to MY mailbox...our house key. Our neighbour would never have gotten it...she saw our name on it first and tossed it in. They've been waiting a couple days for the key's to come. One cat escaped on them, and they relocked the door...fortunately we know them pretty well and they kept Amy inside their house for the past 5 days. Now in 10 days we get to return to my home town and drop my dad's truck off...first we have to get it running again. Our catalytic covertor ended up being under warranty so that won't cost us. But this has been one very very expensive camping trip. |
|
|
Glad you made it home safe. 
What a lot of crap to go through. Sorry your trip got ruined, but it sounds like you made the best of it. |
| What a nightmare. We go on vacation on the 22nd -camping too - and I hope our so-far trusty car does well! |
| And THAT'S why my idea of camping is the HYAT REGENCY!!!
SO sorry it was such a disaster, glad you are home safe and sound. |
What a horror story!!  |
| I'm sure home never looked so good! What an awful experience.
susan |
Woo hoo! You sure are a camping veteran now! 
That certainly will be a great story to tell around future campfires! Remember it well! (I don't mean to make light of it, but in time, YOU will!  ) |
I'm with Ginny - no camping for me! Although there's still no guarantee that your car won't break down on the WAY to the Hyatt Regency!! 
Glad you're home safe and sound, and that the cats survived!! |
| Im in with Ginny and Chris....my idea of camping is when they dont put a mint on the pillow....
Glad your home safe and sound now though! |
| Hi Daisie,
Egads what a horror story and I too am glad you made it home safe and sound. Must have been pretty scary with the trailor going backwards down a hill...gives me the willies just thinking about it! As for the catalytic converter ...I saw on the evening news those are being stolen out of peoples vehicles due to the cost of "scrap metal " these days. Plaques from graveyards, converters, business metals and such are being stolen. Good thing the cats were fine too! Whew! Marianne and the boys |
| The worst part about all of this is what extra monies we have had to pay...it is like we can never get ahead.
We had to pay for an extra week of camping $140, $115 for groceries had to be restocked(small town higher prices), I had to use the lake's laundromat, $400 for the first mechanic..work and towing of the tahoe. Then $130+ for the dad's truck, $63 for his oil change, $100 to put gas in the truck, $117 to pay the locksmith. So in total we spent out of pocket and extra $1065-$1200 for this vacation...that we would not have if we didn't break down. And now we are home but have to continue to fix my dad's truck (clutch is gone completely now), and still drive back the 5 hour drive to return it and pick up our Tahoe. They said we won't have to pay for the Tahoe...it should be under warranty. But we'll see. The best part of it, it really proves you can survive anything. My dad and I finally have a conection over something, however he can't afford to pay for the repairs on his truck...he has a newer one that he drives. So the one he lent us was just sitting in his yard for months. So it came down to if we need we are welcome to use it, but it is old, tempermental, but he was confident it was still working pretty good...we were not so confident. Who knows he may give us money but we felt if we were taking it we better not take any chances and have the oil change and stuff. It was our gift to him to pay for the insurance and registration for lending us the truck. The actual camping part was good, our trailer repairs held up and we didn't have any leaks. The kids had alot of fun, and it was a beautiful place to be. The staff was very accomadating, even giving us a break on firewood fees and gave me bag's for doggie doo...as I ran out of them too. It will all work out, we are soooo happy to just be home again. But all our vacation time is almost used up, and we had plans for yard work, and garage stuff, and we can't do our to do list we are out of time and now money, and the truck will be our first priority. The Hyatt sounds wonderful. |
| Wow what a crazy trip!
I am sure at some point, later on that is, that you will find this pretty funny. Definitely one of those trip you'll never forget. Glad you made it home ok! I hope the trip to pick up the Tahoe is uneventful. |
| That seemed CRAZZZY!
glad you made it home!!!! |
| OH BOY~ What a mess..
But I'm glad you are all back home safe and sound.. |
| What a nightmare! I feel for you over here! Glad everyone is safe though. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|