After a nice goodbye with Josh and Anna, our roommates in Oklahoma City (more on them later), we pulled out of the driveway at 9:37 AM. Making three left turns instead of a right to avoid some cars in the road (at Char's request), we hit the Interstate and headed West.

It went fine for several hours. Even Pi was (sort of) quiet.

Then, it all went SOUTH. Fast.

Cell phone coverage is scattered in rural New Mexico. I did manage half a call with Leah who got a Q1 on her checkride today (YEAH!) and a brief call with the in-laws. My phone coverage with USAA for my insurance claim and AAA for towing was not as good.

Cruising down I-40 at the breakneck speed of 55 MPH, a large truck tire suddenly appeared in the middle of my lane. (I think they pop out of the ground in New Mexico.) Because I had just had some trouble with the trailer swaying, I wasn't about to swerve out of the way and flip Tons of Fun into the ditch. So, I slowed a bit, then hit the thing head on. That's where the fun started. I pulled over to inspect the damage because it sounded like I hit an angry moose.

That ripped a hole in my front bumper. More like a giant crack, really. "Well, that sucks," I thought, but I thought it was just cosmetic. Then I turned the car back on and every light on the dash was blinking angrily. It turns out that the car wouldn't shift anymore and the 'AT OIL TEMP' light kept flashing and the 'CHECK ENGINE' light stayed on.

The goal was to make it to Albuquerque this evening and stay at a campground just west of the city. Well, we made it to Albuquerque, only we're parked just east of the Subaru dealership at the local Roach Motel. And, we kept 30 miles off of our car as it was towed from Podunk, NM into the big city.