In the Fast Lane

I hadn't intended to talk anymore about cars, but I just can't resist this story.

So today Prima Donna called me. She was on her way back home from Ogden so she could get the plates for the Honda Civic she drove off in yesterday, leaving plates, registration, everything laying on my desk. Anyway, she was near West Valley when she informed me that a light had just come on and she thought it was the oil light (remember, not reporting that problem before ruined her other car).

I figured if it had just come on she was probably fine to drive it the few more miles home and then we could put some oil in and all would be well. Moments later she called me again. A bunch of other lights were on and she was losing power. I told her to get off the freeway.

She did.

Right out of the fast lane and into the left emergency lane.

Of course it was nearly 4:00 and rush hour traffic was already whizzing around her. She was getting pretty nervous (as she should be!). Twiz and I had been over to the community college working out some kinks in his registration so he agreed to go with me to save her. I immediately called our mechanic who hopped in his vehicle to help with her rescue.

Problem was that she didn't know exactly where she had parked. We made the first pass through the 7200 south exit and we couldn't find her. So we decided to go for the belt route exit. We finally saw her then, but she was directly across from us and we couldn't get to her.

As we got off the freeway for the second time, Twiz suggested that we better not ignore our own flashing fuel light or we would be in the same spot that she was in. We quickly found a Maverik and got back on the road. Our huge circle was now taking us all the way to 5300 south.

Prima Donna texted me that the mechanic was with her, but she was only marginally less nervous. An Incident Management truck had also stopped, but decided she was in good hands and left again.

When we pulled up behind her, she inched her way along the wall and climbed into my car. Now for the hard part. Even with our hazards on I didn't feel safe going from parked to the fast lane before someone smashed into us, but somehow Twiz managed to get us home.

A tow truck pulled the car (that we purchased yesterday, remember) to the shop and we are now waiting on the verdict. I'm guessing alternator.