Big Country Little Car Tour II, Day 3: Madison WI
I won’t lie; I spent a lot of yesterday gazing fondly at my stuff. Occasionally, I would touch some of my stuff, or greet it. “Socks! What’s up, guys?”
I spent the rest of yesterday napping; catching up on A&E reality programming (Cory of Hoarders, you handsome man, scrape that mess off your chin right now); writing; eating abhorrent snacks (well, abhorrent to most; I heart Combos); and waiting for Dain to call.
Finally, Dain called. The good news was that he can fix it; that the meltdown wasn’t the fault of the cruise installation; and that I have the love of friends and family. The bad news was that the part he needs to replace the control computer module whojackatron is nowhere near Madison, and it could come Friday, or Monday, he didn’t know, which kind of fubared my itinerary; also, it would cost a bunch, and also also, he could give me one free day on a rental, but they didn’t have any Smarts, so I would have to drive a Tahoe.
Just kidding! I got an Aveo, but seriously, it pulled up and I quavered to Abby, the kind Enterprise rep, “But it has FOUR DOORS, dude!” Abby: “…Re…ally, dude?” I know it’s ridiculous, but you get used to looking out the back windshield and having the world right there, not a seat and a trunk away. Plus, the backseat is full of danger! (Video SFW.)
Still, I had a car; Minnesota beverage service could now resume as scheduled. I went over to Campbell, parked forlornly in the entrance to the service bay with bug carcasses smearing her nose, and got the tomato costume out of the back. I patted her top. “Bye, Cam. Be a good girl and do what Uncle Dain says, okay?”
Dinnertime. I drove into town proper, to Plaka, which reader Erin awesomely recommended (for breakfast, true, but tzatziki waits for no man) and managed to parallel-park without incident. Muscle memory must have kicked in from the Shadow era…although the car is closer in size to the high-strung teenage Jetta I used to drive after Shadow, Black Betty, but the only memory of any kind I retain from that dark time is of screaming at the car that she could just get her nose back into joint right now, young lady, or she could forget about parking in the shade with her friends for the rest of the summer, while my mechanic, Mike, who saw me so often that I think we’re married in some cultures, snickered into his sleeve. …Wait, I also remember Mike using basically a troll hammer to get her goddamn sun roof to close. Bitch had issues, don’t get me started.
Anyway: dinner. Killed it. Best spinach pie I’ve had in a while. To and from Plaka, I listened to the Brewers on the radio, and I heard Rickie Weeks get hurt, which sucked, but I also got to hear Mr. Bob Uecker refer to an 85-mph baseball as “stately,” which rocked. I talked to my parents from the parking lot and watched a sunset try to happen under a blanket of storm clouds, and then I went upstairs and stared at my map and worried.
I’ll update the itinerary shortly; in the meantime, thank you again to all the locals of various cities who’ve chimed in with suggestions, offers of help, or just commiseration/welcome. Best Nation there is.
Tags: Big Country Little Car Tour Bob Uecker Campbell Hoarders
Um, Combos are the best?
Love the combos. Cracker kind only, though. Not so big on the pretzel variations.
Pizzeria Pretzel Combos are proof that God loves me and wants me to be happy on road trips. Especially when I alternate them with Skittles or Starburst. Perfect salty/sweet dichotomy. At least until my stomach eats itself.
Holy cow! Those jalapeno cheddar tortilla Combos sound A-MAZING, I don’t care what that Revolting Snacks person says. I have a strict “can eat Combos only on road trips” rule and now I’m almost tempted to plan a long-ish drive just so I have an excuse to try those tortilla ones.
Ewww, Combos… so grainy! But, you know, I have a soft spot (hew!) for braunschweiger… to each their own.
Sending big-time hippie healing vibes to Cam!
Weeks is out for 2-6 weeks (yeah, the joke was made) with torn ligaments in the ankle. Be thankful you didn’t see it live–it was extreme.
“that Revolting Snacks person” is actually me; don’t let the (attempted) parody of food-writing convince you that I don’t like Cow Tales et al.
“Troll hammer,” hee. Also, Combos: so alarmingly yummy, and yet so disgusting. At. THE SAME. Time! Don’t tell anyone I eat them.
Love me some Uecker. Had never heard him call an actual game until a few years ago, when I started my subscription to MLB Radio Online, which I thought would be a great thing to have on in the background in the afternoon at work. I came to find out that the NL Central played most of the afternoon games, so I wound up hearing a lot broadcasts from the Cubs, Reds, and the Brewers. Love hearing him call a game. Not only is he really funny (perhaps a bit more low-key than in Major League), but he’s a pretty smart play-by-play man, too. It was rough not to hear him for almost three months when he had his heart operation last season (probably rougher on him, though).
Hope the delay isn’t too long, but it sounds like you’ve got a good network of people to keep you occupied. Enjoy the rest of the trip!
Combos! woohoo! I’m with Natalie on this one. Pizzeria pretzel combos are great snack food, but I think Jinxie is right too. For Road Trips ONLY.
“like Cow Tales et al” —my caffeine level is seriously depleted. I read that first as “at all”, then as “eat all”. C’mon, morning Pepsi, work with me!
Ah, Bob Uecker! He sealed a place in my heart with the Miller Lite commercials in the eighties. “I must be in the FRONT row!!!” God bless him!
Wishes for safe and inexpensive travels for you and Campbell!
Cracker/cheddar combos are my downfall. Along with Twix & Bugles. I, too, try not to get them except in gas stations on road trips. I don’t like the pretzel ones, though. Too salty.
Ugh, good luck, hope the part comes in today.
The delayed car parts made me think instantly of Clooney batting zero in the public market: http://youtu.be/Tw_YryVgLOg
Safe and speedy travels to you and tiny Cam!
Aww, pizza pretzel Combos! That was pretty much the only thing they had in the vending machine at the outdoor pool in N. Canton, Ohio, where I learned to swim. So they are synonymous with summertime for me. Got them recently on a road trip (natch) and felt about 6 years old again.
Heh. VW sunroofs. Living in Oregon now, mine leaked and collected so much rainwater, that anyone sitting in the backseat would get drenched during a hard turn, even on a “dry” day. My current little no-frills Aveo has no sunroof, no air conditioning, no cruise control, no CD player, no nothing. Which means nothing can go wrong!!! Love it! :)