The Van Broke Down

Howdy,

Welcome to the 4 new subscribers from this past week - heck of a week for you to join.

Caroline, my van, broke down.

This piece is a bit longer than usual so that we can fully dive into the whole ordeal. Photos from the road are included throughout.

She broke down in Illinois.

After leaving Evansville, Indiana, I made my way north to stay with my friends Adam & Grace who live in Watertown, Wisconsin.

I planned a stop in Illinois to break up the drive between Indiana and Wisconsin.

The Planet Fitness I had planned to park at in Illinois had all the signs of a bad spot to stay overnight - poor lighting, no other cars to blend in with, potholes everywhere, unlevel surfaces to park, no cameras, and vacant storefronts around it. 

I had seen a Walmart 5 miles back from where I had come from, so I turned the van around. I pulled into Walmart and saw great lighting, lots of other cars, a flat parking lot, cameras, and businesses in all of the storefronts around me.

Just one issue. I saw a sign that said "No Overnight Parking."

I was exhausted after a long day of driving and running errands, but I was going to have to keep searching. I shut the van off to go inside and use the restroom before continuing the search.

When I came back out of Walmart, Caroline wouldn't start - not what you hope for at 11 pm on a Friday night.

My 1st hypothesis: it's the battery.

Earlier that day, I had adjusted the settings on my fridge. It didn't seem like a coincidence that my van wouldn't start just a few hours after I had changed the level of the electrical draw on the house battery.

Now, I had previously installed an isolator between the car and house batteries during the van build process to prevent something like this from happening, but I began to second guess my own work from this past winter.

If I drained the car battery, it wasn't a big deal because I have a portable battery jump starter in the van.

I shut off the fridge, hooked the cables up, and turned the key. Nothin'.

Now, I'm laughing at myself because I think there are 2 user errors: 1. I might have drained my own car battery 2. I can't even get myself out of it.

The weird part is that my headlights, interior lights, and radio show no signs of a lack of juice.

I try to turn the car over once more, and it goes! Then you hear the engine getting choppy. Finally, you hear the vehicle putt out.

It doesn't seem to be electrical. It seems like the engine isn't getting fuel.

My 2nd Hypothesis: it's the fuel pump.

It's now 11:30 pm on Friday evening. I call AAA. I tell them what's up. They say they can send someone out to verify it's not electrical.

A nice guy named John comes out around 12:15 pm and tries to jump the van. This 45min response time for a jump is drastically different than my experience with AAA towing services later on.

Within 3 minutes, John concurs that it isn't the battery. Instead, it seems like the fuel pump has failed.

It's a bit of a relief to hear that he supports the 2nd hypothesis because now we're at least getting closer to the root of the problem.

John and I hang out for a bit and exchange stories. Sometime later on I look at him and say "Well, this van ain't goin' anywhere," thank him for coming out, and send him on his way. 

The best plan is to sleep in the van Friday night, ignore the "No Overnight Parking" sign (sorry Walmart - couldn't move if I wanted to), and call mechanics in the morning to find a place to tow it to.

I created a paper towel throwing game in Walmart because I was bored as heck lol.

Chicago-area mechanics didn't have availability. 

It's now Saturday morning. I call 20+ mechanics in the Chicago area.

None of them can service the vehicle for days, if not weeks. That's not going to do.

I call AAA again to verify that I have a 200-mile towing radius with them. They confirm. They even say most tow truck drivers let you hop in the cab with them during the tow.

I open up my maps. Watertown, Wisconsin - my next destination where my friends live - is 113 miles away. That'll do.

I find a mechanic who can diagnose the vehicle in Wisconsin on Monday. 

I start packing a bag of clothes and get my work backpack together. I'm ready to roll.

Before getting the tow, I was even able to have coffee with my co-worker, David. We had originally planned to have breakfast near his house in Chicago on Saturday morning. Since I could no longer get out to him, David was kind enough to come to me.

I then call AAA on Saturday afternoon to request the tow service.

My co-worker, David, and I outside of Walmart with the van before grabbing coffee.

AAA took 24 hours to send the tow.

I spent Saturday night in the van while I waited for AAA.

I was fine because I had access to food, water, and restrooms + my van's solar was fully operational so I could charge my devices. 

At no point was I in danger given my access to basic necessities - mostly was just bored.

With that said, AAA's representatives didn't care about my situation or have any idea when they could send help.

They were angry at me for calling back periodically to ask for updates. One guy even hung up on me. Interesting customer service for an organization whose whole business model is dependent on being a lifeline for people when they're in a pinch.

It was annoying to wait, but we made it through. Sunday afternoon, they sent a tow truck my way.

Caroline got loaded onto the truck on Sunday afternoon.

Carl got me to Wisconsin.

My AAA customer experience was poor, but my tow truck experience was incredible.

Carl the tow truck driver got Caroline secure on the bed, then we hit the road for our 2.5hr trek north. We traded stories about our upbringings - mine in Pennsylvania, Carl's in Illinois - and how it influenced what our future goals are.

The tow with Carl flew by as we talked about the places we've been and the people we've met. He got me to the mechanic in one piece.

Many thanks to Carl for taking care of Caroline and letting me ride in the cab!

Adam & Grace are providing me with shelter.

The friendships I have in the midwest are rooted in the west, and these folks have saved my tail a couple of times now.

Four years ago, I arrived at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Emigrant, Montana for seasonal work. I called the main office to let them know my car couldn't make it up the forest road to get to the ranch, so the office sent down someone to pick me up at the base of the road.

Adam Stefanik arrived in a 4WD vehicle to take me up Big Creek Rd to the ranch. He was the first person I met at Mountain Sky and the person who first showed me the ranch. 

Four years later, Adam came and picked my tail up once again to take me from the mechanic to the new home that he and Grace just purchased together.

Here's what's crazy: five people - Adam, Grace, Mir, Marty, and Emilie - from my time at Mountain Sky now live in Wisconsin. If you're gonna have a tough go in an unfamiliar place, it helps to have friends around.

The mechanic identified the problem as a fuel pump connector issue, so Hypothesis #2 was close.

I'm now hanging out in Watertown until the van is fixed. We're just waiting on the delivery of the part, then I'll be back on the road.

Mountain Sky folk - Adam (holding Roscoe, the Australian shepherd), Marty (holding Pacha, the corgi), Emilie (near Pacha), and Grace (near Roscoe). Not pictured: Mir, who I'll see in Green Bay when the van is ready.

Recap

Locations this past week: Evansville, IN -> Orland Park, IL (where I broke down) ---tow truck--> Watertown, WI

Where we stand with the van: the mechanic diagnosed the problem as an issue with the fuel pump connector, not the fuel pump itself.

• Good news: the repair isn't as expensive as I had thought

• Eh news: the part won't be here until later this weekend or early next week

• Better news: I can help Adam & Grace paint their new home/take their dog on walks to earn my keep around here in Watertown

10 Positive Takeaways:

1. I broke down in a safe Walmart parking lot

2. No one from Walmart bothered me about overnight parking (even after being there for 2 nights)

3. I had access to the essentials throughout the entire weekend

4. I broke down within 200 miles of Adam & Grace

5. I made a new friend in Carl and learned all about the state of Illinois

6. The van is being worked on and will be ready this weekend or early next week

7. Roscoe (Adam & Grace's dog) and I are becoming good buds

8. Watertown, WI has a great coffee shop/old book store with a cool vibe

9. I'm not sleeping in the van amidst a massive heatwave throughout the US

10. Mountain Sky is forever

Thanks for reading

My steed will be back on the road in no time,

Josh

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