Short Version of a Long Story

by Gary
(Brownsburg, Indiana)

This is the story of our vacation January 2010.
Gary and Beth
Brownsburg, IN

Plan: Fly out Saturday morning January 30 from Indiana to get to Mobile, Alabama, where cruise ship leaves on a 5-day cruise at 4PM. Must be on the ship by 2:30PM Saturday.

1. Friday January 29 10:45PM: USAirways calls to say our flight is canceled due to winter storm hitting Charlotte, North Carolina.

2. Checked weather radar, highway cameras and forecast for area of travel.

3.Despite the stormy weather forecast we decided on...
ROAD TRIP!!! 720 miles on Interstate 65 the whole way. Well, it wasn't snowing in Brownsburg.

4. Left Brownsburg at 12:11AM

5. Started snowing about 2 hours later in New Albany, Indiana.
Snow covered roads slowed the progress.

6. 8" of snow in Nashville, TN. No traffic, no snow plows, the car works great in the snow.

7. Daylight just after Nashville. Nearing the Alabama border there is not as much snow but freezing drizzle causes extremely slick roads. Had to drive 35MPH.

8. Nearing Huntsville, Alabama, ice road changed to wet road and we started to BOOK!

9. We did the math and realized we had too many miles to go and not quite enough time.

10. While listening to a program on the radio, we became aware that Mobile is in the Central Time Zone! This is a one hour gift!

11. 60 miles North of Mobile (exit 57) the motor just stopped dead.

12. We coasted down the exit and into the driveway of a BP gas station.

13. A person working at the BP said we could leave the car there for the time being.

14. Gary went to the phone book to find transportation to Mobile, rental taxi, whatever. Beth walked around the BP asking strangers for a ride to Mobile.

15. Charlie and Betty, customers in the BP store who had stopped to go to the restroom, after sizing us up, said they were going on the same cruise: Carnival Fantasy.

16. Betty said, "Get your bags, let's go! We locked up our car and left for Mobile with Charlie and Betty.

17. We called our daughter Carrie back in Indiana and asked her to inquire on the phone and internet about getting our car serviced.

18. Carrie called back and said, "Don't worry about a thing". She found a Chrysler dealer nearby and arranged for them to tow the car and fix it. (The dealer made a key)

19. In Mobile, we boarded the ship just in time and had a beautiful cruise to Mexico.

20. Thursday after the cruise Charlie and Betty drove us to pick up our car at the dealer.

21. We drove home straight through and got to our house a little after midnight.

22. We are going to church twice a day for the next couple Sundays.

23. We can't wait for our next cruise!

Note: It was the timing belt.