Thelma: Day #12 – Reno 911: Mini Meltdown
• Number of miles driven: 297
• Amount of money spent: $115.83 ($62.84 motel, $31.54 gas, $7.00 breakfast, $14.45 dinner)
• Best pic: Mini in trouble
• Song of the Day: The Edgar Winter Group’s Free Ride
• Number of days the engine light was on: 7
• Number of cars that stopped to assist me: 1
• Nighttime abode: Sacramento, CA (only 2 hours form home!)
Yes, you read that right. The engine light was been blinking at me for the last 7 days — since Missoula, MT. But I checked and there were no mini dealerships within 5 states! Besides, the light was only yellow (not red).
It turned red, though, when I tried to get back on the freeway after making a pit stop in Reno. Basically the car lost power on the moderate incline of the freeway on-ramp and I was able to easily pull off the road.
I get free roadside assistance from Mini and it’s still under warranty, so they had a tow truck there in 54 minutes to take me the 2.5 hours to Sacramento – the nearest dealership.
So I waited by the side of the road, working on my suntan and sipping my ice tea. A Nevada Freeway Service patrol truck stopped to make sure a tow was on the way and that I was hydrated in the nearly 100 degree heat.
I actually don’t think it was such a bad way to end the trip. I mean, I was heading in that direction anyway, and I got to hang out and swap stories with Tom the tow truck driver, who is quite the philanthropist. I interviewed him for an upcoming UnCommon People story – so stay tuned!
As mom said, I always manage to turn lemons into lemonade!
I’ll be on my way home tomorrow and will post a Road Trip Re-Cap on Saturday, lisitng my favorite places and what I learned. Be sure and check it out!
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Read the first post in this series: Thelma without Louise: An American Adventure
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 and is filed under North America.