Crash Brandicoot Strikes Again

Five days until we hit the trail and this happens:

This is Home Base's car.  She hydroplaned on wet pavement during a sudden traffic stoppage, clipped an SUV in front of her as she tried to avoid him and ended up taking out about 20 feet of wooden fence next to the highway.  

After ensuring that she was ok with nothing more than her pride hurt, I started trying to figure out what we had to do to get this fixed (or at least started) before we hit the trail.

A new exit on Route 100

It's weird.  When I think back at all the other vacations I have gone on, this one seems to have constant pitfalls and obstacles that keep jumping in front of us that I don't remember happening with those other vacations.  I take each issue that is before me, figure out what needs to be done and get it done.  It seems that we won't have any restful lulls before we start this Quest.  It is like we are already being challenged and we haven't even passed our first white blaze of the Quest yet.  My stress level remains high.

So, Home Base will have a few more adulting lessons to master soon, like arranging the repairs and paying the deductible.  Luckily she will have two other vehicles to use until she gets her little red Aveo back.  Hopefully it is repairable, otherwise, she will be using those two vehicles for the next six months.  There is no time in our schedule to go car shopping.  

I guess the half-full way to look at this is that it happened before we left and not some time after.  Geico has a great app and I have used it before to unlock my truck and get a tow, but I found that I was easily flustered trying to submit this claim in the comfort of my home computer room where I have great wifi and a nice desktop to use.  Luckily a couple phone calls got everything moving in the right direction.  

Hopefully, everything will be figured out (but not complete) when we fly out next Tuesday.  Until then, I avoid walking under ladders, letting black cats cross my path or open any umbrellas inside the house.  

Those damn Tentacles keep reaching for us, but we cut them off like Sam did when Frodo was being pulled into the lake outside Moria by the Watcher.  We soldier on.  Doing what we have to.  To prepare for all that needs to be prepared before we start our Quest.  

Sam saves Frodo.  Book illustration by artist John Howe.