Now How Do We Get Home? - part two of the Vacation Nightmare!

8-21-26

So we went to bed around 5 am. Got up at 10. We all slept like rocks in terrible beds! The forecast wasn’t looking great for the week but that’s normal for the Florida beaches!

With the truck parked and it being Sunday, there was nothing we could do about it. But enjoy the stormy afternoon while most of us just stayed in. I actually was relieved. After 24.5 hours of fearing death, I needed to just take a break from stuff. People. Things. Just like we welcomed rain and traffic for the trip down, I welcomed storms and clouds on our first day of our beach vacation. Sigh.

So since we had time, we had discussed what we would do in certain potential scenarios. But we really didn’t know what was gonna happen. So there wasn’t much use in coming up with plans. But our thoughts were laid out like this.

See if it can be fixed. How long will it take? If it’s too long to wait, do we rent a car? Leave the truck? Ship it home? Stay a couple more days. I fly home and leave everyone else? We didn’t know but we knew we’d figure it out. We were just still relieved that we were on the beach and safe. And that creepy ghost road was all behind us.

No one was open until Monday. So Sunday was just a chill day. Nick had researched some transmission places, when they open, where they’re located. One he found which is a nationwide chain, was Amco.

Monday I got out on the beach before everyone else woke up. At some point Nick walked down to the beach to let me know that he’d called Amco, and as long as he got the truck to them by 1145, they’d have a diagnosis by 230 and they’d get the truck done by Friday end of day no matter what it was. We were due to leave Saturday morning.  So off he went to deliver the truck and then we waited.

230 rolled around and he still heard nothing. We were trying to be patient but it’s hard when you’re stuck 5 states, 1000 miles and one broken truck away from home.

If it were the bypass valve as we’d assumed it was, we knew the price would be horrible. But we also knew that they knew they had us by the balls. Even if we didn’t say we were on vacation, you can hide the plates!! So we had no idea what this would cost. A new transmission could be 6-8 grand. Maybe more. Who knows.

After a little time in the beach between storms and watching the phone, they finally called. It was indeed the bypass valve. And they said that they’d have the part by the next morning, they would replace the part and flush all the transmission fluid and add new. Which I was super thankful for as I knew those high temps were very damaging to that fluid.  And the cost? $1700.  And it would be done Tuesday. Yes, the very next day.

Yeah… that’s a lot of damn money. But, it could have been so much worse. If we’d had to pay for a new transmission and gotten a rental car and had to ship the truck home. Blah blah blah. Could have been soooo much worse! So finally, we were able to chill. Know we would make it home safe and all was just fine.

We picked up the truck about 4 on Tuesday afternoon!!! And then ran to grab more beer!!

Wednesday morning we planned to take the truck out for a drive on the interstate. I got up early, went to the beach, and found that the waves washed up the big spots of tiny seashell pockets onto the shore. It’s what I’d been looking for since we arrived. Finally, we got to spend time searching for seas shells, especially Wentle traps, just like Nicks mom did for years. It finally felt like a normal beach vacation. That afternoon, we took the truck out for that long drive (not that we needed more time in a vehicle) on the interstate just to make sure all was working ok. And it never got over 190. Phwew!!

We knew we’d make it home just fine,

But then…. What did I do earlier in the week while all other things were happening? I agreed to something that I should not have nor ever thought I would. We did a deep sea fishing trip Thursday. I have never wanted to go. I am scared of the ocean. Really just water in general. But Tuesday the trip was planned I had a couple beers in me and agreed I’d go. The next day I woke up with total regret and fear. He signed us up. It was paid for. I was committed. And that morning I woke up I knew I’d made a mistake!!!!