I decided that after my hike out (12 miles) I would call my friends in Marysville and see if I could drive up (8-9 hours) and visit until Sunday, at which time I would drive back to the east side and hike up to Sixty Lakes on Monday. The plan worked beautifully – I hiked out in 6 hours (need to shave off an hour!) and called my friend, who had no problem with me coming in late that night. Around hour 8 of driving (its night time and I am less than an hour from Marysville) a belt in my engine makes a loud shriek and I smell a burning scent. Fearing it was my car, I discovered that I was right at the turn-off for a rest area and pulled over, at which point steam billowed out of my engine. After much ado, AAA towed my car to a repair place in Colfax and my friends picked me up there (late at night). The next morning the repair place called me up and said that to fix my car (the water pump had broken, freezing up the belt and causing it to snap) would cost around $2000 – or more than I paid for the car in the first place. Discussion with my parents ensued, and they decided they would drive up to Colfax (14 hour drive) and tow my car back to AZ, where Dad would fix my car at a fraction of that cost. The downside: my parents’ plans for the weekend go out the window and I have no more car for the rest of my time in CA. Anyone know anyone in Fresno who would be willing to drive me to Cedar Grove on Saturday or Sunday? (I’m serious here)
In the mean time I am having a great time being clean, having clean clothes, and hanging out with my friends here in Marysville – basically taking it easy amidst the car issue and trusting that I will somehow make it back to Sequoia Kings National Park in order to get to work in time.
No comments:
Post a Comment