Disappointment in Albuquerque
We realize that we still have some catching up to do regarding our visits to Mesa Verde and Santa Fe. However, there are far more pressing issues at hand. If you aren't already sitting (which begs the question, why are you interneting standing up? Oh right, smart phones. DUH), we suggest that you do so.
Prudence is in big trouble. She needs a heart transplant. If we are going to acknowledge that she is an automobile and not the human we consider her to be, one might say that she needs a new engine. How close-minded. I'll brief you on the details just so you can get an idea of the emotional rollarcoaster we've been on these past few days.
Prudence started making funny noises as we arrived into Santa Fe late last Friday night. We’d made our first spontaneous trip change and decided to leave Mesa Verde a day early so that we could spend more time in New Mexico...ohhhhh, if we only knew. So innocent and naive we were. Chelsea conjectured that it might be the exhaust, having had experience with that in the VW Jetta she drove in high school. Exhaust?! No bigs. We could at least make it to New Orleans and have her looked at when I’d be spending a week cooling my heels at Jazz Fest. She wasn't entirely wrong. But, my, what a baby problem that was once we opened the Pandora's Box of ailments our poor Prudence was suffering from.
Prudence in her first round of surgery :[
We must give our utmost gratitude to Park Ranger Steve in Jemez Springs, NM who heard us coming to his campground from a mile away and offered to take a look at our girl. This is when the gravity of the situation started sinking in. Oil in the coolant tank? Exhaust leak? Oil spewing into the engine from God knows where? OH GOD Prudence, we take it all back! We take back every joking, disparaging remark we made about your lack of power. Please forgive us!
Steve, our Park Ranger in Shining Armor!
And this was hardly the end of it. I'll fast forward to many days, mechanics, hundreds of dollars, and smelly, broken glass-ridden budget hotels later to our current and most major diagnosis: she is only running on 3 cylinders, two of which are only at 80lbs. We've been told we need a new engine. This was not in our budget and is particularly devastating as we had her “thoroughly inspected” before leaving Los Angeles. Maybe all the mechanics there are just TV show mechanics and don't ACTUALLY know cars. Anyway, I digress.
My mom and George have shown their commitment to keeping this trip afloat by paying to ship Prudence back to Los Angeles where we will search for an engine and somebody to install it. However, this endeavor will costs thousands... AKA more than we have.
We have been writing this blog for you all, which we hope (ok, fine, KNOW) you’re enjoying. We’re getting the sense that as we progress, people are falling in love with us, our trip, and our dear, Prudence (see what I did there? Tied in her namesake).
We are hoping, wishing and praying that this is not the end of the road, proverbially and literally. As of now, we are planning a fundraising week for Prudence (and our trip) which is roughly slated for the end of May. We will be conducting soccer-style fundraisers, which we will diligently blog about, as well as some online treats to draw attention to our “cause.”
All of this, of course, comes with the perspective that there are tragedies aplenty happening right now on our earth, most recently with the tornados in our own US of A in the South. We do not intend to overshadow or trivialize these causes by asking for the generosity of our friends, family, followers and fans. We are just hoping that our trip may bring some joy and light into the mix, at a time in history which seems quite dark. Unfortunately, we can’t do that on our own.
As a sign of our commitment to make this trip bigger than our own enjoyment, we pledge to donate a minimum of 1 day per week spent on the road to volunteer for various causes across the country. Further, we will re-route our trip to include Alabama and Mississippi to assist with the relief efforts in the aftermath of the tornados.
We realize that this is a long shot, but desperation calls for drastic measures. We hope that somebody, although preferably, many out there are willing to help 2 girls (and 1 bus - BLAM!) have the trip of a lifetime. If not through donations, then through advice and referrals for how to make this baby right again.
If you'd like to contribute towards the repairs/our trip, please find the "Donate" button at the bottom lefthand corner of our blog. If you have something specific you'd like to finance (ie a tank of gas, a night of camping, something cray like skydiving, money towards the engine transplant, general donation, etc.), please let us know. Just send us an email along with your donation to 2girls1bus@gmail.com. We will do our best to shout you out appropriately!
We promise to reward donations with postcards from the road, shout outs, tweets, and most importantly, further entertainment from the two of us.
This is an adventure that must continue. As my Uncle Pat eloquently stated, we “must finish this trip. The world needs to know.”
We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
With hope and premature gratitude,
Bonnie, Chelsea, and Prudence
www.twitter.com/2girls1bus
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ReplyDeleteMama/Saint Beth loves reading your entertaining blogs, but is mighty uncomfortable with the plea for donations. Prudence is my responsibility to bring back to life, and don't you worry, I will be stalking for life those lousy LA mechanics who claimed she was good to go!! Ok? Ok!
It was distressing to hear of Prudence's dire condition. I hope she will recover in knowledgeable and loving hands.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your options for continuing the trip?