They told me this would happen! I just didn't think it would happen so soon! My teenagers AND my 8 year old road in a DPS car our last night of our spring break vacation! UGH! Don't worry...it's not what you think. For those of you that have been following our blog for awhile, you know that the Schroeder's are the "Travelling Disabled." Personally, I think it only happens when Cactus is travelling with us (SHHHH...but don't tell him that!).
After my daughters' high school tennis team won the Texas state 3-A tennis championship, we loaded up my Escalade with 2 adults and 4 children, ranging from 8 to 16 years of age, and headed to Destin, Florida - 9 hours away. Could we see out of the back of the car? NO! Oh, did I mention that the only man was Cactus, so the other 5 people were girls; and everyone knows how girls pack. We decided to stop in Orange, Texas on the way and get up the next day and complete our journey.
We arrived in Destin late in on Sunday afternoon, unloaded the car and headed up to our condo. The weather in Destin was cold and windy. Our condo is on the 11th floor, so it is BRUTALLY cold pushing our overfilled buggy from the elevator to our door at the VERY END OF THE WALKWAY. The reason this is important is when we got to the door, my "keyless" code would not work. UGH! Apparently, our owner's code is changed every year and we were notified via e-mail of our new code. Well, we all know how good technology can be. I NEVER received the e-mail. We are standing on the walkway and I am trying without luck to get hold of my management company. I could not get to a LIVE person and after many attempts, I finally was able to leave a message. They returned my call quickly and we entered into the warmth of our condo. This did not go over well with Cactus. That's for another blog.
The next six days were FABULOUS! We went shopping, eating, walking, shopping, eating, walking...the girls laid on the beach - even though is never got over 75 degrees. On Wednesday, we all went deep sea fishing. Everyone had a great time and we caught a bunch fish. Most were catch and release, but we were able to bring home about 12. Our wonderful guide filleted the fish and put in baggies for easy transport.
We decided to make the 14 hour drive home all in one day, instead of breaking it up over two days. So Sunday morning, we closed up the condo, loaded up the car (still could not see out the back), and were on the road by 8:30. This would put us back in Abilene about 11:oo p.m. Not bad.
SCREEEEEECH!!!!! I knew things were going too good! Suddenly, the ABS light came on as did the stabilitrack light. This can't be good. I pulled out the car manual and read up on these two functions. Supposedly, as long as the BRAKE light does not come on, we should be okay. Still not convinced...I called Cadillac and talked to a technician. He reassured me that we should be okay. We just won't have as much control for quick stops and wet roads. Luckily, it was sunny. We were still 12 hours away.
We stopped in Arlington for dinner and this is when it all fell apart. The rumbling noise had been getting increasingly louder. When I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, I told Cactus that it felt like the steering was pulling. We finish eating and head on down I-20. Rumbling along. In Weatherford, the rumbling got so bad, that Cactus thought maybe we had a flat. He pulled over to check...no flat! That's one for the team. We headed out (slowly, because we couldn't get much speed), made it about 5 more miles and I decided to update my Facebook status with "I think I can...I think I can."
Suddenly, Cactus says he lost the power steering. We limped off of the highway and I called Cadillac roadside assistance. They called a wrecker, but the wrecker only had room for 2 people. Remember...we have 6! A DPS trooper stopped and said he would take 2 of us and another trooper buddy would take 2 and then the other 2 could ride in the wrecker.
Elle and I road with Trooper Jeff. He opened the front door for Elle and she told him, "I am not allowed to ride up front!" Good girl! He told her that it would be okay this time. She loved it! He let her shoot the radar. She "tagged" one going 90 mph and told Jeff to turn around and catch that car. Katie and Caroline road with Trooper Carson. He was telling the girls about the drug bust he did over spring break. Hopefully, it scared the pants off of them. Thanks, Carson!
We arrived at the hotel and the wrecker service was nice enough to bring my car, unload it, let us unload our stuff, load it back up and take it to the dealership. I had talked to our dealer in Abilene and he was nice enough to send a wrecker with a loaner car and pick up our car to be fixed at home. WHEW! That was a godsend. We are in the clear...or so I thought. The loaner car arrives on the wrecker, but the driver had left the key turned and the BATTERY DIED!!!! Then, he couldn't find the key to the tool box with the jumper cables. We finally went across the street and borrowed some from the Sears. Off we go!
Finally, we pull into our driveway at 3:15 on Monday afternoon. So...our 14 hour drive only took 30 hours! All I can say is...travelling with us is an adventure; just ask our "adopted" daughter Caroline. However, it did not scare her off too much...she wants to go back to Destin with us in May!
Keep Gabbin', Gigglin', Grinnin' and Limpin'!
Gabbin' Gal Erin
