Awesome tow truck driver makes my day slightly less sucky

[XCashier]

Yup. Somebody stole disabled children's bikes. Scumbags.

Scumbags indeed! Sadly, Phoenix does have a very high theft rate. I hope you were able to report the theft, though I'm not optimistic about you getting the bikes back. Sorry.

Also, it only cost me $32.28. That's a far cry from the original estimate of $250.00, and a much needed financial break. I was freaking out pretty bad yesterday.

Glad the mechanic was able to help you! I hope the rest of the trip goes well.

I second the sunscreen and lots of bottled water, mostly for desert reasons. But unless things have changed a lot in the past few years, Phoenix has very heavily chlorinated and hard tap water.

I don't know if you have time or are interested in this sort of thing, but the Arizona Renaissance Festival is going on now. And it's a very good, very big Ren Faire. I really like the falconry demonstration. And the turkey legs.

[mathnerd]

Well, the mechanic failed to find the real problem. I got to Yuma and started having trouble. I let it cool and then started looking at it again. A couple Georgia rednecks stopped to help. Thank goodness for rednecks. This time, the radiator fan wouldn't come on and I'm not seinf evidence of water flow through the radiator lines. That was not a problem a few days ago. So, it is now rigged so the fan runs continuously. I am simply going to baby it the rest of the way. I'm now chilling at a fast food place in El Centro, CA. There's another good place to stop right before I get to the mountains, and I plan on stopping there for st least an hour. From there I should be able to make it the rest of the way.

[Jester]

Scumbags indeed! Sadly, Phoenix does have a very high theft rate. I hope you were able to report the theft, though I'm not optimistic about you getting the bikes back. Sorry.

It's worse than that. Her hotel was in Maryvale. Yes. Maryvale.*

The bikes ain't coming back, and a report would mean squat.

I don't know if you have time or are interested in this sort of thing, but the Arizona Renaissance Festival is going on now. And it's a very good, very big Ren Faire. I really like the falconry demonstration. And the turkey legs.

Shit, it IS the Ren Fiaire time of year! Killer!

*For those of you not familiar with Phoenix and its environs, suffice it to say that Maryvale is not the worst part of the metro area, it is one of the worst parts, and I would probably slot it at #2 overall for Places You Don't Wanna Stay in Phoenix.

[mathnerd]

Eddie has more than likely travelled his last mile. I got about a mile away from my destination and had to be towed the rest of the way. The important thing, however, is that we are here and safe.

[Seshat]

YAY for there and safe!!!!!

[Teysa]

Glad you made it there after all that. Hopefully things will go better for you now.

[MoonCat]

Glad you made it! Sorry about Eddie

What a bummer the bikes were stolen. People will take anything that isn't nailed down, and if they can pry it up they'll take it too. I've heard of several thefts around here of things like wheelchairs and other equipment that belonged to disabled people. Talk about low-down thieves.

[Jester]

The thing about the bikes is that mathnerd ended up staying in one of the worst areas in Phoenix possible, not that she had a choice, what with the dogs and all. So the bike thing didn't shock me all that much.

For those of you familiar with Phoenix, she was staying in Maryvale, at 51st Ave. and McDowell.

Yeah. Maryvale. Yeah. Ugh. Short of South Phoenix, it doesn't get much worse.

Next time she gets to Phoenix, hopefully I will be living there, and I'll get to show her the awesomeness that is the East Valley, especially Tempe, Mill Ave, and Four Peaks Brewery.

Fuck Maryvale.

[XCashier]

The thing about the bikes is that mathnerd ended up staying in one of the worst areas in Phoenix possible, not that she had a choice, what with the dogs and all. So the bike thing didn't shock me all that much.

Yeah. Maryvale. Yeah. Ugh. Short of South Phoenix, it doesn't get much worse.

As someone who lived in Phoenix for the first 37 years of her life, I can verify this. Maryvale is awful, worse than awful. South Phoenix is only slightly worse. Mathnerd, I am sorry about the theft and the car breaking down, but am glad that nothing worse happened and you arrived safe at your destination.

[mathnerd]

Thanks. I'd originally booked a hotel in a different area, but with the car problems, I was delayed getting into Phoenix by a day. That was literally the last available hotel room at any of that chain's locations when I needed to switch days. I'm pretty much stuck with that chain because of the big dog. While many hotels claim to be pet friendly, all but La Quinta put limits on the size of dogs. Baxter is a 150lb Mastiff.

And Jester, if/when you move to Phoenix, you can expect me to visit within a week or two. I won't pounce the day you move, since I'm nice enough to let you get settled in, but the following weekend, prepare for a visitor!

[Jester]

I was telling my bar manager, who lived for many years in Phoenix, about mathnerd's travails. And when I told him "...and her hotel was at 51st Ave and McDowell...," he basically just made an "oh shit" face. He kinda knew what was coming.

[mathnerd]

Yeah, well, it's not like I had a choice, and considering I taught for nearly ten years in Overtown in Miami, it really didn't seem all that bad.

[Jester]

Didn't say you had a choice, kiddo. But yeah, don't think you'll be staying in Maryvale again anytime soon, huh?