I’m going to start by saying there’s some good people out there and there’s some unfeeling, coldhearted ones. Yep, it’s been one heck of a week as we dropped off our Defender to get fixed, picked up a rental car, BBQ’d in the rain, got a Texas license, had to switch campgrounds with a compact rental car, picked up our Defender, and left Texas.
Dropping off the Defender – this went smoothly. Enterprise came and picked us up from the garage to go and get our rental. The shop messaged to say we’d left a backpack behind in the parking lot – mine of course with my laptop and all the other important things in it, and we were able to go get it. Plus they promised to have it fixed as soon as possible given our camping situation.
Picked up the rental car – this did not go smoothly, not even a little bit. But this is where we met some good people. See, Enterprise has a policy against customers with out of state licenses paying with a debit card for their rental (I tried and failed to get a Texas license when I was in Nacogdoches and haven’t gotten around to trying again in Dallas yet). Not all Enterprise locations follow this rule though as I’d just rented a minivan, with my debit card, to drive down and pick up the same truck I just dropped off at the garage which necessitated me needing the rental car in the first place. This Enterprise in north Dallas did follow the rules, however, and refused to accept my debit card as payment. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t walk over and sit down in the corner and wipe away a few tears as I worked to figure out a solution to getting a car.
My brother who lives nearby was out of town and my mom who lives with him doesn’t have a license. A rental car is just about my only option unless I want to try to get an Uber to take me and my four children back to our campground which is about 45 miles away. Yeah, I didn’t really see an Uber as being an option.
Thankfully, about 10 minutes after sitting in the corner of the office trying to find another rental car business nearby, the branch manager comes up and says there is a way they can rent to me since I do have a military ID, I just have to provide references. She’d just spent the last 10 minutes on the phone with her supervisor trying to find a workaround so I would be able to leave in a car right then. Praise the Lord. So thanks to this amazing woman, we got our rental car, using a debit card, and made it back to our campground.
BBQ’d in the rain – once my brother and his wife came back from their out-of-state trip, they came to visit us at our campground as we’d made plans to grill for dinner. Shortly after they arrived, I was regaling them with the tale of our trip to Wal-mart earlier that day and our attempt to beat the curtain of rain as it moved across the lake towards our campsite. As I said this, I pointed out the bridge in the middle of the lake we used as a reference point and realized there was yet another wall of rain headed our way.
Meanhwhile, my equally awesome and ah-mazing sister-in-law helped me move the table and chairs inside the tent so the kiddos could stay out of the rain and eat once the food got done. Luckily, I had pitched up our tent under the shade of a few trees, so the grill and my brother did not experience the full effects of the downpour once the wall of rain reached us although they still did get quite wet. The food was delicious though!
Got a Texas license – my drivers license expired back in 2017. Being overseas, I didn’t worry about it because Illinois defers the expiration dates of expired licenses for military members and their dependents. When we first started this trip back in Florida, I double checked to make sure Illinois still did this and found their laws had changed and now I would need to carry a card detailing the circumstances under which my license’s expiration date would be deferred. So, I did what I needed to do and got this exemption card.
However, after spending nearly 2 hours providing different proofs of military service and transfer orders, certain Texas Department of Public Safety employees refused to accept the deferral and told me my license was only valid if I was driving in Illinois and if I wanted a Texas license I would have to retake both the written and driving tests. Umm, no thanks. I respectfully decline. Now that we’re up near Dallas, I figure I might as well give it another shot at a different DPS location.
Totally different story at the new location. First, I’d forgotten the insurance card for my vehicle and the employee at the door offered to print it off for me for my appointment if I just emailed it over to her. Second, the employee issuing the license didn’t even begin to question the deferral. Just said, “Yep, no problem.” And voila! After only about 15 minutes and several picture retakes later (boys for some reason think it’s hilarious to attempt photo bombs), I had a Texas license.
Had to switch campgrounds with a rental car – North Texas British, the shop fixing my Defender, let me know within 48 hours the repairs needing done and a rough time scale of when they’d be finished. This exceeded the seven days we had booked at the campsite, so I went up to the office to extend our stay. Turns out they don’t allow tent campers to stay beyond 7 days. I explain my circumstances and offer to move the tent if it’s an issue of it being in the same place for too long. She comes back after talking with the owner and reiterates it doesn’t matter if we move the tent, tent campers can only stay for 7 days, but they would allow me one more night, but nothing more. That still doesn’t help because I need at least two. Well, this sucks and I almost break down in tears again. How am I supposed to move an entire campsite with a compact car when it was unloaded from a giant SUV?
Awesome and ah-mazing brother to the rescue. He offered to help me move campsites after he got off work and could empty his truck of all his tools. Enter awesome and ah-mazing sister-in-law who found a campsite at the same lake just 25 minutes or so away from our original site and got it booked for me. Seriously, I love these two and wish we could live right next door to them forever. I mean, imagine the free childcare I could get. Just kidding, I’d live next to them just because they’re awesome and ah-mazing, the free childcare would just be a bonus.
Picked up our Defender – ah, North Texas British you let me down. I had such high hopes in your abilities, but alas you returned my Defender to me with a faulty gauge and said, “It’s reading about 20 degrees too high, so you’ll be all right as long as you don’t go over 120 degrees Celsius.” Really, that’s the best you can do? I mean I’m grateful you fixed my u-joints so I wouldn’t have to, but couldn’t you fix the temperature gauge too? Turns out hybrid imports with engine swaps make it difficult to match parts. Oh well, guess I’ll just be paranoid the entirety of our road trip as I hope 120 degrees is actually 100 degrees and the gauge doesn’t break any further causing the engine to overheat.
Left Texas – that’s it Texas, we’re out of here. Take your 98 degree weather with 95% humidity and harass anyone who has made this last week more difficult for us. Meanwhile, I am grateful for those people who went out of their way to help us and who eased my burden.