Vacation Fun?

Vacation Fun? … So far I’ve not discovered anything that I might need and didn’t bring.  Yeah!  However, the morning after we arrived in Lake Havasu we went out to the car and “Betty” didn’t open her trunk, her doors, or start her engine … oh, oh.  This is not a good start I think.  A call to AAA brought a truck and a jumpstart for the engine and shortly thereafter a trip to the local garage resulted in “your battery is borderline okay but the alternator is shot” … shot to the tune of over $400 … oh, oh.  But we’re about ready in a couple of days to embark on a trip to Oatman (waaaaaay out in the boonies) and don’t want to get stranded so we go ahead and bite the bullet.  Three hours later “Betty” starts right up and off we go. 

  Off to Oatman … , we decided to take the scenic route on Historic Route 66 … after all we are on vacation and we do like roaming around … a long, winding drive through the desert with rocky mountains jutting up from the parched earth.  It was a nice drive but not like any Route 66 we’d been on before.

We arrived in Oatman and were completely surrounded by nosey burros who were very well behaved … no nibbling or poking in your pockets (they must be well fed) but they were very friendly and liked very much having their ears scratched and we obliged. 

Funny thing was when I went to get out of the car after George had already closed his door I couldn’t get my door to open and I couldn’t get the power door locks to work … hmmm, strange.  George opened my door and off we went to explore the little town … very quaint, very conservative … neat. 

A couple of hours later we were back at the car and presumed to be on our way, but “Betty” seemed to be having some difficulty … very rough idle and she didn’t want to keep idling.  Up went an instant prayer – “oh God, there’s no garage …”  Since I talk to God on a very regular basis I know He knew I didn’t mean any disrespect … it was an actual plea for intervention.  And He did … the battery finally started to charge (thanks probably to the new alternator) and we made a slow exit out of town with a prayer that we would not end up stranded who knows where with iffy or no cell phone service. 

The next hour and a half provided to be a beautiful drive … again continuing on Historic Route 66 through gold mining country and some  of the steepest and sharpest mountain turns we’ve ever driven on.  It was totally awesome in a very barren, rugged sort of way and neat to think that we were someplace that many do not ever go to or see.  And fortunately the battery held a charge.

Upon arriving in Bullhead City we decided not to take any more chances and opted to install a new battery … another $100 … hmmm.  Well, that’s two repairs we won’t have to make when we get home … I consider that putting a positive spin on things.  After all, God is in control of everything that happens to us … better Him than me. 

Now we’re enjoying a few days of R&R and some fun with the slots.  We’ve managed to lose $10 and had a couple of hours of fun doing it. 

Obviously we’re not big gamblers … money is too hard to come by and we’re instilled with the Puritan instinct from way back when.  But playing like a couple of kids on the penny slots has brought us a bunch of chuckles.  And bringing George some much-needed down time. 

Happy Day, Ann