So much for that plan (Anyone in Walla Walla?)

[+AndrewRJ]

Well as some of you had known I was in the midst of a joint challenge run. Everything was going well and I got a lot done and saw some amazing sights, when my check engine light came on.

 

I was about a mile and a half from Table Rock Lookout when it happened. I checked and realized that I had blown a head gasket. So I was able to coast down in idle for almost 10 miles untill I had cell service and call a toe truck. So close to getting all those high caches.

 

So now I am in a hotel room in Walla Walla waiting for an estimate of how long my car will be out of commission. Needless to say my vacation is over and I will be going home tomorrow via a rental. I still hope to make it to the campout.

 

Anyone here in Walla Walla want to go caching tonight?

[+Ambrosia]

I'd love to go caching with you, but I'm not in Walla Walla.

 

Hope things work out for you, Andrew. (hug)

[+WeightMan]

It seems like a bad time to be traveling. I just spent two nights in Ritzville waiting to get my car fixed after the water pump went out on hwy 26 while trying to pick up some pages for WDC. The good news for Andrew, Walla Walla is a bigger town and parts are easier to get than in Ritzville. I think I lost a full day due to waiting for parts.

[+Bluesman63]

To bad It's a work night and I'm 30 miles away. Strange, I usually have cell service along most of that ridge line. Sorry to hear you made it that far up and didn't reach the lookout.

[+AndrewRJ]

To bad It's a work night and I'm 30 miles away. Strange, I usually have cell service along most of that ridge line. Sorry to hear you made it that far up and didn't reach the lookout.

It was a long shot at best. I have Verizon and it said I was in the extended network with no bars so when I did try to call I couldn't connect even though it tried.

[+hydnsek]

It seems like a bad time to be traveling. I just spent two nights in Ritzville waiting to get my car fixed after the water pump went out on hwy 26 while trying to pick up some pages for WDC. The good news for Andrew, Walla Walla is a bigger town and parts are easier to get than in Ritzville. I think I lost a full day due to waiting for parts.

....and then there's jolandy, trying to get to the Perseids event....

 

Well here's hoping you all had a great time at Col Bob's... for those of you who drove on highway 12 around 8:30 Saturday morning you probably all drove past a white neon stranded at the side of the road about 15 miles before Aberdeen.... yes that was us....

 

My 'Check Engine' light came on and I had barely finished explaining to Jo that these lights never mean anything and are just a conspiracy to make you take your car into the shop when the engine died. My timing belt disintegrated and after a 2.5 hour wait for a tow we ended up spending the night in Olympia and having to get a ride back home today as they couldn't get the parts to fix it... now I'm just hoping the engine didn't internally break which apparently can happen on this kind of engine.

 

So sorry to hear about your car troubles, Andrew, and yours too, Weightman. Hopefully, my 3 caching-related flat tires in the past year have innoculated me for the near-term.

Edited August 15, 2007 by hydnsek

[+AndrewRJ]

I wish it had been a tire, I had a spare. It looks like the repairs will put me back about $1500... and cut my vacation short. I am more upset about the last part. This was my first real vacation in about 2 years.

[+Lookout Lisa]

To bad It's a work night and I'm 30 miles away. Strange, I usually have cell service along most of that ridge line. Sorry to hear you made it that far up and didn't reach the lookout.

It was a long shot at best. I have Verizon and it said I was in the extended network with no bars so when I did try to call I couldn't connect even though it tried.

Bummer!! I'm so sorry

 

I know what a little car trouble out caching is like... can really ruin your day if you let it. Sounds like you were lucky, actually! Maybe time to just kick back and do some grape tasting?

[+Bluesman63]

Verizon like all the national carriers only hang out along the highways in this area. Pretty much worthless in the Blues. I have Unicel which is regional and have towers everywhere including one at the top of Bluewood Ski Area nearby.

 

Sorry to hear about your head gasket blowing. Hope you get to make another trip up that way. The Skyline road is rough, slow, and dusty but a very beautiful drive. BTW, I see you logged my Griffin Peak cache. The area across from the gravel pile is a favorite place of mine to camp and watch the sunset from the ridge.

[+hydnsek]

I wish it had been a tire, I had a spare. It looks like the repairs will put me back about $1500... and cut my vacation short. I am more upset about the last part. This was my first real vacation in about 2 years.

Yikes!! Sorry on both counts.

[+WATreasureHunters]

Sorry to hear about your car troubles. Although it didn't happen during a caching trip, we recently blew the tranny on our 2000 Grand Caravan. No caching trips for me until we decide if the $3000 repair bill is worth it, or do we bag it and start fresh. Good luck!

[+Prying Pandora]

I wish it had been a tire, I had a spare. It looks like the repairs will put me back about $1500... and cut my vacation short. I am more upset about the last part. This was my first real vacation in about 2 years.

Bummer, Andrew. What rotten luck.

[+TotemLake]

Bummer on all counts. I take it this is why you won't be able to make French Peak.

[+klossner]

we recently blew the tranny on our 2000 Grand Caravan.

I was coming home from Southern California when the transmission in my 1993 Grand Caravan self-destructed on I-5 thirty miles south of Sacramento. A pin snapped, blew out the case like a bullet, and all the oil evacuated -- the entire back of the van was oily. When I called roadside service, the guy couldn't find the cross street in his database. I had to convince him to call up maps.google.com and type in my latitude/longitude.

 

It was Saturday afternoon, all the garages were shutting down, and the kids had to be back in Portland Monday morning for school. We ended up paying $1500 for a nine-hour tow truck ride. Then the good news: my recent transmission rebuild was still under warranty. The work had been done by an independent shop who cared about their integrity, and they rebuilt it again at no charge.

 

There are some caches in the Mt Shasta area I didn't get to do. Maybe next year.

[+W7WT]

After getting a new crown from my dentist, I came down to find the front of my 2000 Land Cruiser all crushed in. Some lady trying to park

across from me hit the accelerator instead of the brake and jumped the curb and come down on my vehicle. Her insurance gave me a very nice rental car that we used to snag some counties in SW WA and along the Columbia River. I now have the LC back after over $6000 her insurance paid. Looks good but we are going to the SE WA and then up to Steven"s & Ferry counties a week from Sunday. Will drive the LC but need to be careful of the new paint job. No back roads or gravel roads for a while. LC looks good and didn't get any structural damage. So I feel lucky. Dick

[+AndrewRJ]

Bummer on all counts. I take it this is why you won't be able to make French Peak.

actually I am already commited for that weekend.

 

Here is the kicker of this entire story. I have a work truck that I drive except when going on big vacations. Since I was going to be gone for the week I told the office to have it taken in and check out an issure that was mentioned durring my last oil change on it. Turns out I had a bad transmission and they are now having to replace that.

 

What a week! I really hope to be at the campout.

 

Also I spoke with the repair guy. The check engin light came on because of a problem with the Emmision Control Modual, not the fact that I was in the process of blowing a head gasket. So I actually caught the more serious problem before it could do any real damage. They are going to machine the grouve out of the head and I may have my car back on Friday of this week.

[+WeightMan]

Bummer on all counts. I take it this is why you won't be able to make French Peak.

actually I am already commited for that weekend.

 

Here is the kicker of this entire story. I have a work truck that I drive except when going on big vacations. Since I was going to be gone for the week I told the office to have it taken in and check out an issure that was mentioned durring my last oil change on it. Turns out I had a bad transmission and they are now having to replace that.

 

What a week! I really hope to be at the campout.

 

Also I spoke with the repair guy. The check engin light came on because of a problem with the Emmision Control Modual, not the fact that I was in the process of blowing a head gasket. So I actually caught the more serious problem before it could do any real damage. They are going to machine the grouve out of the head and I may have my car back on Friday of this week.

Now that is good news. Hopefully this will not cost as much either.

 

I am home now and my car is back in the shop. My AC isn't working and the water temp gauge is not working. It read on the peg, full hot, all the way home, but I knew it was fine.