So yesterday we picked up the RV per the pictures. Not as easy as it sounds. Someone whose name begins with Joe got the route to the rental center off Apple maps. You know the one, they're making fun of it with the joke "a man used apple maps to find a bar and he entered... a drugstore, or maybe a grocery, or maybe a pawn shop". Yes friends, it was a U-haul center.
So I got out my Note II, found the real address and we arrived about 25 minutes late. There were two other rental groups ahead of us and yet, when we get our turn, the RV was not ready. Sigh. We fill out the paperwork and after a few phone calls the RV is brought up and we get the tour of the of everything, the damage inspection, load our stuff and we are on our way. Or are we?
Joe is driving the RV and I follow to return the rental car. But...traffic won't let me out and I get behind. Joe gets on the freeway and looks in his rear view mirror to see papers flying off the roof of the RV. He pulls off at the next exit to check it out. In the meanwhile, I am driving down the freeway looking for him... and I pass him.
I have neglected to mention that I discovered that my phone's car charger and cable is not functioning properly. So what happens next? My phone starts to die. Joe calls when he realizes he has lost me. I can't answer the phone because I'm trying to drive and error messages about being nearly out of charge keep popping up. Can you say expletives deleted? I finally get off the freeway and call him. We agree to meet at the car rental place. The call is the final straw and the phone dies. I am lost in a strange city with a dead phone. Terrific. I can't even call Joe to let him know I'll be late.
I start down the street looking for a shop that might sell a car charger and cable. The neighborhood starts to deteriorate, no electronics stores and no drug stores. I decide to stop in as safe a place as I can find and charge the phone. Guess what? The phone is so dead now that I have to sit and charge it for about 15 minutes before it will start. I get the GPS going and it gets me to the street the car rental is on and dies. I drive the rest of the way by memory. But I'm mad as a hornet when I finally arrive.
I start getting out of the car and what happens next? All of my credit cards, etc. fall out of my phone wallet into the space between the drivers seat and the console. You know the place. You can't possibly get your hand in there. So I move the seat forward and crawl in from the back seat to reach as many as I can, then I move the seat back and get as many as I can. And I do it all again. I finally begin to think I've retrieved them all and I go inside, dump them on the counter and begin accounting for all of them. But the agent wants to inspect the car and close out the rental. Finally it is all done and I get in the RV and we start out.
Joe informs me that he has already discovered that one of the charging ports does not work so we will have to share one. Did I mention that we learned that we are moving this refurbished RV to Denver for someone who has already bought it sight unseen? Stay tuned for more updates on the state of the RV itself.
We creep out way out of town, yes folks, it is now rush hour. We begin to make our way to Prescott, AZ to meet a friend of Joe's for dinner. RV condition update: the steering continues to be very sloppy. Now we know 2 things the new owners should know. We start up a long hill and learn that the engine is NOT HAPPY. She is screaming like a banshee. Can you say a little under powered?
Finally we make it to Prescott and stop at Kmart to get a car charger and data cord. Didn't find those, but did find camping chairs on sale to sit out and enjoy the night sometimes. Joe's friend, Dave, is not home so we go to eat and have a fine meal. Dave calls while we are eating dinner and offers to let us stay at his house over night instead of driving on to Sedona. Bless you Dave! We are exhausted. Dave treats us to beer (Joe) and wine (me). We have a little moonshine at Dan's house across the street. Ooo weee, that took my breath away! We all sleep well. It is a lovely night in Prescott because although it is raining, it is nice and cool. Quite the change to 113 degrees in the shade we experienced in Phoenix that afternoon.
To misquote George Takei "I've had a lovely day...but this wasn't it" The end was quite nice though and the adventure has begun!
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