If someone were writing a novel about a woman my age RVing solo, and put in all the unusual experiences that came my way, readers may say ‘yeah right’ with rightful skepticism. Let me take a moment to show you what I mean and review the journey before I add the latest!! First she traveled all the way down to the furthest point in Louisiana and got chased out by a hurricane. The reader might think ‘yeah, right’. A bit dramatic. 🧐

Then as the woman is traveling south in Texas, she doesn’t experience just a blowout, but her whole darn tire blows off her RV AND sets the ditch on fire, no less! ‘Whoa. That’s a bit of overkill and drama’. But then add that she gets towed to Corpus Christi over the Christmas holidays, and the RV dealership lets her stay in her RV at no charge, at their dealership, for a month! ‘Yeah . Right’ 🤔

After everything is fixed, she spends time camped on the beach and then she’s able to get into a beautiful State Park with full hookups and a lake. Wonderful. Oh, but now comes the Storm of the Century! A Polar Vortex! And everyone is plunged into cold, ice, and high winds. Let’s add that the whole state is without water & electricity !! But not her park, surprisingly! So she soldiers on through it all!! 🙄 ‘ C’mon! That’s a ridiculous situation! ‘Yeah.Right!’.

Then she was planning to leave the park and camp on San Padre Island for the next week. But her intuition said that might not be a good idea. So she was able to find sites to stay on at the park for another 5 days. ( That’s a ‘yeah right ‘just in itself!!) That same afternoon, after she moved to her site, she went into the nearby small city to see why her ” check battery light” was on. She stopped at a Napa dealer and the truck died then and there in the parking lot!! Nothing! Cue AAA and towing! YEAH, RIGHT!! ( I can think of a few things to add to ‘yeah right,’ but out of deference to the readers, I will not!! 🤬 ) 😂

Unfortunately, as you all know, everything is absolutely true! Sad! Whoever is writing this story, stop with the disasters and put in more pleasant things!! Now I’m praying I get home in one piece and I’m alive and healthy!!🙏

Details, Details

You know me, I like to include the details for further reference, so feel free to skip the details if it gets too much. 😏

So how did this last ‘adventure’ come about? As I had mentioned above, my check battery light came on the evening before this happened. So after I moved sites, I drove around a little country Park in the middle of nowhere (thank goodness the truck didn’t die there) and then drove into Mathis, Texas. Mathis is just 4 miles from the State Park and has a population of 4,826. It is also 36 miles from Corpus Christi. But this little town has it all! An HEB grocery store, a Sonic, a Dairy Queen, an O’Reilly’s, General Dollar, Napa, Cruisers Sports Bar, ( the only bar in town!!) lots of little restaurants, numerous churches, their own Police department, Fire department and school. So it’s pretty well established.

I was going to stop at O’Reilly’s so they could check the readout. As I drove in I saw a Napa dealership and turned there first. I figured if I needed a battery, they would more likely have one in stock. Plus their sign also said they do trucks. Well it did end up being the best place to stop! Both guys were Hispanic, one was probably in his mid-30s the other one probably in his fifties. The younger guy was the one who helped me out. He actually came out and checked the charge on both batteries. Instead of being 14 volts they were 3 Volts!! And there was a smell like burning wires. 🤪 (I noticed that on my drive to Mathis.) He asked me if I could start up the truck and all of a sudden I couldn’t even use my remote to unlock the door! When I got in I turned the key & everything was dead. It died just like that! Right there! He brought around his truck, left it running and attached jumper cables. Had me try to start it again. Nothing lit up and not a sound! It appeared as if it would be the alternator as the batteries were not being charged. He was amazed I was able to start the truck to come in and that I came in on battery power alone. There was nothing they were able to do. They did have a battery for me but that wasn’t going to do it.

And THEN the fun began! At this time it was 4:30p.m. I discovered my phone was only a quarter charged because it wasn’t being charged in the truck like I thought it was. I was able to contact AAA and they got the word out for a tow truck and found a Ford dealer/service center in Corpus Christi. My phone was almost dead, by then, so I went inside the Napa store. They disconnected a sign inside so I could plug in. 😊 They closed at 5:00 so they locked up but let me stay inside while they did paperwork . Thank goodness their paperwork took an hour! I had the old charging cord along so it was barely charging as I was talking on it.

I got the number of the Ford dealership and called down there to let them know the truck was coming. I got the Enterprise number from AAA so I called there but I could not arrange for a car yet, as I did not know when I could pick it up. It then became a mute point because they all closed at 5:00 p.m.! I called my son, Mathew, to see if he could arrange for a motel near this dealership. With some possible hotels in mind, but before booking, we tried to make plans for transportation from the dealership to the motel. They did have Uber and Lyft so maybe that would work. But we couldn’t go any further until we knew when the tow truck would arrive.

When I initially called AAA, the recorded message stated that one could no longer ride with the tow truck driver because of covid-19! Well now what! When I asked the spokesperson however, she said you could still do it in Texas. Now that’s a mixed blessing but one I would take! As for rental cars, I was trying to go through Enterprise, because they would pick you up. Well, yes and no! I found out they only go within a 10 mile radius! 🤯 And I’m 36 miles away! (The Service Supervisor at the Ford dealership said they should take that off their ad! I agree.) Besides that, all the rental vehicles are out because people are having their cars repaired and/ or serviced after the Storm, so I’m on a wait list. Doesn’t this just get better and better? So there was no way to arrange for me to have a car if I went down to Corpus Christi and got a motel room. And anyway, how long would I be away from the cats? In addition, I have absolutely nothing with me to stay overnight as everything’s back in the RV. I also realized I would have to contact the State Park because I don’t have this site for more than two nights. (They do make arrangements when something like this happens, but they need to know.)

The Tow Truck

I received the text that the tow request had gone out at 4:45 p.m. It was already six by the time the Napa dealer closed. I began waiting in my truck. Then I decided, if I did ride in the tow truck, I better get something to eat. Sonic was just three places away but I had no appetite. So I walked over to the HEB grocery store and I got these items with the motel room in mind. That was still the plan at that time. Don’t judge me!!! 🤦 A ham sandwich from the deli, a big box of popcorn, bananas ( the produce department was all stocked! It was amazing!) a serving of cheesecake and a bottle of wine with a screw off cap! 😂

Back to the truck. Now it was getting dark. Now my phone was dying! I wouldn’t know when the tow truck driver was coming! 😱 Before the Napa guys left, they informed me that the two- posted sign in the driveway had an electrical outlet. So here I am, standing in the semi dark with my cord plugged in to the post in the parking lot. Feeling more and more like a vagrant!! Thank God it was warm and I just needed a jacket! So I’m still making phone calls to Matthew and other places. And I’m starting to get worried because now it is after 7:00 p.m.! My son told me to go back over to the HEB grocery store and tell him what the situation was and plug in over there. I agreed. So over I went and I found there were plug ins outside by the pop machines. And it’s all lit up and there’s music. 🤪 So I stand there charging my phone while people are driving past and walking past for groceries. It was steady. Now I was a vagrant here! 🤦 So as it is getting later, I began to realize that all the plans to go down to Corpus Christi with the tow truck driver, and wait by the business (which will be closed at 9:00 p.m. ) for an Uber or Lyft driver to take me to the hotel was no longer a good idea! And I was running out of options! How can I get back to my RV! ?

I called AAA again! I reiterated that it was dark, I was alone, I am 71 (I am finding sometimes that is a real advantage to say) and I needed to get towed! She checked on the tow and was able to elevate it to the highest level of importance. But still had no idea when they would be able to arrive!! Now it is creeping toward 8:00 p.m. . and I didn’t know what time the grocery store was going to close.

This was the scariest time, because I really was out of options.. Everything I had thought of revolved around the tow truck getting there at a decent time. And that was not going to happen. So my last resort? Call the police!

The Police

Here we go again! (The police and I in Texas are getting to know each other way too well.) 😬 But at least this time, I was calling them! So I got the Mathis Police department. The female dispatcher listen to my problem. She said she would talk to her supervisor and get back to me. They would not be able to transport me because the city would be without police coverage at the time they did so. (Now that’s a small town!! 😅 One officer on duty in the evening!! ) But they had contacted the county Police department. It turned out they would be able to transport me to my RV as soon as the officer finished up what he was doing nearby. Relief!! I think I waited another 20 minutes but it seemed like forever! I was tired of standing and finally sat in one of the motorized carts that was out there!!

Bless her heart, one woman saw me standing there and asked me if I needed a ride. 💖. I thanked her and told her I had a ride coming. I wonder what I looked like to people. 🤔 I know I was getting wind blown and a bit disheveled!! 🤪 The dispatcher called and said the officer was on his way. I asked her to have him pick me up at the truck in front of Napa so I could recover my groceries. I no more than got back to the truck when the officer called and asked where I was! He must have literally come in right behind me!! So he swung over there.

We had to go through some formalities. Since I left the keys to the truck under the windshield wiper for the tow truck driver and the dealership, he wanted to make sure the truck would not start if somebody got them. I reassured him it was dead! He did state that he would alert the local police to check it periodically until the tow truck came. 👍 Then I had to give him my name and address but I did not need to show him an ID. And he asked where I was being transported to and if I knew the site number. Since I just changed sites I wasn’t sure. Then I got to go into the back of the patrol car! 😯 I had my mask on and so did he!

Well now. There is a bulletproof clear plastic partition between the front seats and the back. Surprisingly there was a small square that was totally open. I guess by a good 6 to 8 in square. The seats were regular black seats which surprised me. (And I’ll tell you why later.) In the back, obviously, you cannot roll down the windows and you can not open the door once you’re in. I didn’t look, but it’s pretty standard that they don’t even have the handles or controls installed in back. I told him this will be interesting as I have claustrophobia! He said, well it won’t be too far so hopefully it’ll be okay. I then asked to take his picture, and he was very accommodating 😊.

I had to take my picture in the back of a squad car, too ! I don’t look like I’m going by choice do I??!! 😂 ( I thought the picture had already been taken and looked away .)

We had a nice conversation on the way back and it was only 4 miles so it went quickly. We discussed the past polar vortex. He said on one of the roads he was called to, there were six jackknifed semis within a mile of roadway. Apparently they would come right over the top of the hill and the wind would blow their truck right off into the shoulder. He had work for 15 years in Nebraska! So he knew about snow and ice. After we pulled back to my rv, he said he would come with me and make sure I got in okay, which he did. And right after I got out he gave me his card. And he also chatted with me for a little bit by the back door and indicated if I could not get a ride to Corpus Christi they’d see what they could do. Wow!! I told him I really appreciated that and I would see what I could do as well.😊

BOY DID IT FEEL GOOD TO BE HOME!!

It was around 8:30 p.m. when I got home. So I had been waiting, standing, sitting, waiting making phone calls since 4:30 in the afternoon. 4 hours!!

The tow truck driver contacted me at 10:00 p.m. that he would be arriving in an hour! Can you imagine if I was still waiting there?? (That’s the highest priority??? SIX hours?? Thank goodness this did not happen on the side of the road somewhere. I think I would have called the police a lot sooner then.) The driver kept in touch with me pretty well, and arrived at the dealership at midnight. He found the gate to the fences around the dealership were locked and he couldn’t get in. (A lot of places are fenced in in Corpus Christi) He told me he could tow it to their impound lot which was also fenced and locked and it would be okay. He would then bring it over in the morning. As we discussed that, somebody came out and unlocked the gate. They must have an overnight guard there. And it’s a good thing they knew the truck was coming.

Truck Update

After talking with the Napa dealer and my son, Nathan, (my mechanic 😊), the consensus is that it might be the alternator. This allows the car to run and charge its batteries. And my batteries are not charging. I looked them up online, and I also called back to the Napa dealer, and they are not cheap for a diesel truck!! ( Picture $3-$400!) And the alternator is also under a number of pieces that would have to be removed. Can you see the labor?? $$$ I’ve been in touch with the service department today. They are still going over the truck, as they believe some wires were also burning and needed to be found. Good Lord!! That may be in addition to replacing the alternator. ( Pack rats left their nest in my engine compartment in Arizona last year. They are notorious for chewing on wires! 😵) I made it clear to the service department that my son takes care of my truck and it’s important they talk with him about what the problem is and what needs to be done. They were very receptive to that. 👍 And Nathan was open to doing that, thank goodness! 🤗

Contacted Enterprise again today and no cars were available. Still on wait list. But since I don’t have a ride into town yet, it’s not a problem. The dealership also tried to arrange a car for me, but they are all out as well. I suppose after the Storm, everything that was supposed to be done last week is heaped on top of the regular schedule this week everywhere.

Remember when I said I would mention how the back seats of police cars have changed? My last experience in the backseat of a police car, was about 25 years ago when I was at Madison University. One of my classmates got very ill and the closest ride was a police car. I rode in the back with her and the seat was all plastic. Hard , molded plastic . Much easier to clean off vomit, blood, dirt etc 😜

Good News

Well let’s end this update with some good news and pictures. Shortly after I left on my trip, in October, I spent time in Louisiana. I met John and Dee at one of the campgrounds and she showed me how to cook their traditional dish. At the time her daughter was pregnant! I wrote quite a bit on this website about our time together.

Well as of January 1st they had a new granddaughter!!

I thought she was just darling!!! Look at that expression at 2 months old. And those eyes. And then it gets better with her big sister holding her. 🤗

I love Emberly’s eyes. And look at those eyebrows! I’m jealous because I have none!!

It was so good to hear from them!! I don’t think there’s a better way to end this update then with their sweet pictures.

To be continued…