December 13, 2009
Peoria, AZ
...are subject to change! We're pretty much all set to head out, with one key exception. The cover for the front of the Range Rover isn't back from the manufacturer yet. It was supposed to be shipped Thursday from Southern California, and should have arrived Monday. Well, I got an email from Fed-Ex with the tracking number and found that it was actually shipped out late Friday afternoon and won't arrive here until Tuesday.
So, after getting fussed about this, I needed to break it down. Was I ticked off that they didn't ship it when they said? Sure, but there's nothing I can do about that. While I'm at it, I might as well be perturbed that they had the thing since mid-November and didn't do anything with it because it was too dirty to work on (or was it that they just wanted to charge an extra $30 to have it washed?). And I could be ticked at myself for not following up with them sooner, knowing that nobody gets back to you any more and you have to be a "squeaky wheel" to get anything done. All valid points, but also water over the dam, under the bridge and out to sea.
Next, I thought about how we'd be once again relying on good neighbors to handle another package for us while we're away. This happened the last time we were gone, and all that does is create stress all the way around. And this package will be bulky and heavy; the cover weighs over 20 pounds.
Finally, I settled on what the real issue is: we have the cover to protect the front of the Range Rover and we really shouldn't tow it without the cover on. We learned this last summer, when I decided to start using the cover one day too late on our trip north, and we got some rock damage. Now, all that incidental damage was fixed during the repairs covered under insurance after the great hedge calamity, so we should be thankful for our good luck and remember to always use the cover from now on. (Full disclosure: We had the cover for several years but didn't use it because it's an extra step to put it on and take it off, and we had the dings in the front of the Rover to show for it.)
So, this was another one of life's reminders about lessons learned. In this case, I learned last summer not to be a slave to a plan. For all intents and purposes, it'll be very easy to change our plan and leave on Wednesday, one day later. We can cover the same distance in three days as we would have in four (I had two short 6-hour days planned anyway), and all will be fine. It took me all of 45 minutes to update my map files so the GPS will track properly, and we can use the extra time today to stage a few more things that'll go with us in the garage and kitchen, which will make loading easier.
There, it's all rationalized and I feel better. Rod and Bob would be proud. Now, it's off to Best Buy to get the newest version of the mapping software (might as well put the time to good use!)...
4 comments:
Love the plans made to be changed :-)
Question is why not push the arrival date out a day and enjoy the journey?
Drive safe and wishing you both a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
David asked me what our backup plan would be if Rogers Pass was closed when we went west to Revelstoke. I asked him -- "what kind of plan, if it's closed we'll stay where we are in Banff since we can't get through" -- his response -- "well that's a plan".
I too fret when I cannot do things on my pre-thought-out schedule, even though most of the time (these days) the schedule doesn't matter a darn to anyone but me.
What do you mean we can't get there from here ??!!?? Calm, calm, relax, deep breath, more calm ...
Marlene is really proud, that you could reschedule your schedule and that you will have left overs for meals on the road. What more could you want? Oh yeah, good weather! Have a safe trip..
Rod: "Question is why not push the arrival date out a day and enjoy the journey?"
Well, getting to Alabama is kinda like you getting from Iowa to Arizona: this time, it's about the destination as opposed to the journey. :-)
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