This afternoon I had an appointment with the
dentist – I had to submit to a temperature check first off – I was fine at
97.5F; I had to have my blood pressure checked – I was told I was doing fine;
especially being at the dentist, which would elevate anyone’s blood pressure 😉
Spartan Dentist foyer; most of the furniture has been removed due to covid.
There was a LOT of poking, prodding,
examinations, ect. … but NO ACTUAL WORK was done: again, I was told a “cleaning
has to be done first.” This is my 2nd appointment. Exactly WHAT is
going to get DONE, WHEN? My mouth has been examined twice. I have been charged
twice for doing nothing more than opening my mouth. I have been sent home twice
with papers telling me how expensive “the work” will be – but I’d like some
ACTUAL WORK DONE before I fork out anymore moolah. Just sayin’. It is going to
be expensive, but I do not need dentures and the dentist says the most
important thing is to make sure the foundational teeth bone “is stabilized” to
head off the need for dentures in the future. I don’t know; it seems to me the ‘most
important thing’ lately is bilking me for money I feel had been unfairly forked
out: if I spend big, I want WORK DONE – not yap flapping. I’m paying for a
dentist, not a shrink.
I’m scheduled for another appointment next
Thursday.
I felt my blood pressure increase walking to
my car with papers in hand.
Anyway ...
Leaving the dentist’s parking lot, the car
started screeching. So, I looked at the dash to see what was happening. All
I saw was a yellow triangle flashing: no notifications. So, I checked the dash
doodads and they all seemed to be where they should be – the screeching apparently
did not concern them. The screeching got louder, and a thumping started; the
back tires kinda locked up. I thought, “What on Earth?” I pulled over
and got out and checked my tires (they were okay) – I squatted down and
looked under the car again (saw nothing out of the ordinary). I got back
in the car and started moving … immediately the screeching started again – and yellow
triangle was flashing: no notifications.
I stopped the car again – the screeching
stopped when the car stopped. I started the car – the yellow triangle started
flashing in step with the incessant screeching. I checked everything: windows (all
closed); all the dash apps (everything seemed normal); all doors –
including the back hatch (all closed). What the heck was going on? I
decided to take it into Dick Hannah Toyota in Kelso. Again. I was just
there for the windshield; Dick Hannah is becoming my second home.
As I was headed towards the Allen Street
Bridge, the left back wheel started shaking and seriously locking up. Then the
thumping got real LOUD – at one point it sounded like the backend came
undone. I thought, “Oh shit. I must have seriously done something I
can’t see to the underside, Sunday; on that horrible mountain road.” I was
pretty shook-up at that point and was wondering IF I would even be able
to get to Toyota. I passed a little white pickup sitting at the
stop sign across from Burgerville and zipped into a wide spot at the edge of
the blacktop. I was praying to God I hadn’t damaged the wheel axle. If the
muffler was hanging, I could drive it lurching to Toyota … if the axle was
broken, I was screwed: it would have to be towed.
As I was jumping out of the car … to check
the back end one more time … I saw, out my peripheral vision, that the little
white truck had pulled in behind me and the driver was exiting his truck. He
asked, “Are you okay? Are you having transmission trouble?” I glanced at
him while glancing under the car; again – and said, “I’m okay. My car is not
okay.” He said, “I know – I heard it when you drove by. Do you think it’s
your transmission?” I replied, “I don’t know what’s wrong with it but it’s
starting to scare the hell out of me. I don’t know what a bad transmission
sounds like, so I don’t know if that’s the problem or not. All I know is it
behaves when it’s standing still, and goes crazy when it’s on the move. I was
on a badly rutted and potholed mountain road last Sunday and the backend hit
pretty hard twice. I hope I didn’t damage the undercarriage. The racket is
awful, and the back wheel feels strange.” He said, “I’ll look it over
for you.”
He checked the back tires – said they were
fine. He got down on the blacktop and looked underneath – said everything
looked okay. He checked the dash and said he didn’t see anything there. He said,
“I have an app scanner in my truck, that might help.” He went to his truck
and got his scanner; he plugged it under the Highlander’s dash and we waited
for the readout. He explained what the scanner was doing and showed me what was
happening. He is a mechanic.
Good Samaritan.
He had a scanner that would pinpoint the exact issue. He didn’t find any; and was worried enough to thoroughly check the car over before I drove away.
The scanner didn’t show that anything was
wrong with the car. We were both mystified. WE BOTH HEARD THE CAR’S RACKET!
He said, “this is a mystery; where are you headed?” I told him I was
headed to Toyota in Kelso if the car would make it that far with out exploding.
He said, “Toyota is quite a way off from here. Everything checked out – and
that is weird. Let’s see what happens when you back up.” So, I backed up (nothing:
silence and free movement: no yellow triangle/no screeching). He said, “Go
forward.” So, I moved the car forward (nothing; silence and free
movement; no yellow triangle/no screeching). I didn’t know if I should be
happy or seriously worried. He motioned for me to roll down the passenger window
– I did. He said, “We have a mystery here. We both heard what we heard. The
tires seem okay. I didn’t see any damage underneath. It seems to be behaving at
the moment – hopefully you will get where you need to get and have it checked out.
Make sure they lift it and look underneath. Have them do a thorough checkout.”
I said I would, and I thanked him.
Then I took off with a hope and a prayer.
The car behaved all the way to Toyota.
I prayed the entire way across Kelso ...
I was shaking by the time I pulled into their
maintenance cubby. I really wanted Bob with me. I told the girl what had happened and she took Bob’s key
fob. I went into the lobby to wait. I waited 3½ hours to be told “can’t find
anything wrong”:
Bob would have been able to describe the noise to everyone's satisfaction.
Spartan Toyota foyer due to covid.
Toyota Maintenance Shop checked the car thoroughly: inside-outside-underneath-rotated tires. FOUND NOTHING! The diagnostics and chechout was covered by Warranty. Thank God.
I couldn’t believe what I was being told.
I know what the car sounded like.
I know what the car felt like.
It is a mysterious disturbance.
But I know the guy speaking to me thoroughly
checked the Highlander out – he showed me the diagnostic paperwork; he drove
the car for a ‘make sure’ drive … and then did it again to satisfy me and assuage
my concerns. I am glad I did not damage the car on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest roads last Sunday ... and I know I should be glad there was nothing found today that needed fixing. And I am: kinda. It was scary though - an explaination would have been welcomed.
I just left it in Elohim’s hands at that point, and drove home.
When I got home, I decided to drive to
Skamokawa and get Supper at the Duck Inn - the car behaved. The mysterious disturbance remains a mystery. The Captain’s Platter I ate there a
few weeks ago was good, so I thought I’d repeat that again tonight: I did. I
also decided the day called for a beer … so I ordered a non-alcoholic beer to
drink with my fish supper – it’s not actually void of alcohol, but it is very
weak in alcohol and will not intoxicate. That works for me since I am now a
solo lobo doing all the driving:
Brought half home to eat later on ...
I had 1: I know how to self-discipline; but O’Doul’s is nonintoxicating beer. It’s basically flavored water. Totally safe on every level.
Driving home, along the river, I saw a
sailboat (couldn’t find a spot to pull over and capture the frame); a
tugboat, and a ship. I don’t like water … but I don’t mind watching boats move
through them. I know – I’m a weirdo 😉
Tug pushing a barge on the Columbia at County Line.
Ship anchored off Willow Grove.
Close to home, I passed the spot where Doug
died 24 years ago. Seeing the memorial kinda put my day into perspective:
cars can be fixed – death is final. There’s no fix for that …
Linda faithfully tends Doug's Roadside Memorial; Linda is the only 1 left out of her entire family. She is ‘the baby’.
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