Mon 25 Feb 2008
Stuck in Ocala
It almost made it home. Just south of Chattanooga the alternator started to fail. I replaced the battery in Atlanta and limped along until it was dead. The alternator then failed completely just north of Ocala where I rolled into this repair station. The engine had begun cutting out, so I rolled down the nearest exit ramp, lurched around the corner and coasted to a stop in a vacant lot. I looked up and saw “Auto Repair” on the building next to me. Sort of like dying and finding yourself in heaven, but not so much.
I thanked my good fortune for landing at a repair place, and this repair place thanked their good fortune that some money rolled in off the highway right to their doorstep.
When I finally got home just before midnight everyone was excited to see the car. Best of all, Andrew surprised me by clearing out the other half of the garage, so we parked it inside for the night.
