Business Road Trip Nightmare

I've spent a lot of time on the road and the odds of something going wrong will eventually catch up when you log around 50,000 miles per year in your car. The odds caught up with me in late July, 2006.

I was regularly making a trip from my home near Columbus, Ohio to the Knoxville, Tennessee area to conduct inventories in Pilot Travel Centers. As often happened, I got the call on the weekend that my help was needed on Tuesday morning. My car, a 1996 Dodge Intrepid, was in dire need of an oil change and my regular auto-service guy was backed up with some heavy-duty repair work. I decided to just find a quick-change center in Columbus on my way.

I did my laundry and packing on Sunday so I could get an early start on Monday morning. I had been trying to work in a little sightseeing but always ran into delays.

Monday morning was normal. I got up and answered work-related e-mail and tried to get ready to leave. Then, my telephone started to ring. I got one call after another, causing more phone calls, more e-mails and the usual delay to my well-laid plans.

While I was on the phone, I searched for someplace to get my oil changed near I-71 in Columbus. I realized I would have to go slightly out of my way, causing more travel time for my trip. I was finally able to leave home at 11:30 AM and by the time my oil change was complete it was after 1:00 PM. I decided to grab a quick sandwich at a nearby Tim Horton's so I wouldn't have to stop again until I was in Kentucky.

The drive-thru line at Tim Horton's was at least seven cars long, so I went inside to use the restroom and get my order to go. I stood in line behind three people and I finally was able to place my order for a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant. No, I don't want any soup. No, I don't want any coffee. I paid for my order and stood back to let someone else begin the interrogation.

After a few minutes, one of the employees brought me a bag and said "We're out of chicken salad so we made a tuna salad sandwich."

Are you serious?

Trying to stay calm after spending more than 15 minutes inside Tim Horton's I explained that had I wished to eat a tuna sandwich, I would have made it at home instead of ordering chicken salad at Tim Horton's. The employee looked at me and said "So, you don't want the tuna salad?"

After I got my money back, I made a beeline for the freeway. I was hot. I was angry. I was hungry - and I realized that not only had my sightseeing plans been dashed, I also had little chance of getting to my hotel in time to have dinner at the awesome Mexican restaurant across the road.

I started getting excited as I crossed the Tennessee state line. I had made good time and should arrive at my hotel by 8:00 PM - definitely in time for a light dinner and margarita. I was in the left lane, surrounded by semi-trucks all chugging to hit the 70 mile-per-hour speed limit going up the hill South of Jellico.

Then, smoke started pouring out from under my hood. Somehow I managed to hit my turn signal, slip to the right between two semis and miracle of miracles, there's an exit ramp up ahead! I turned on my hazard lights and popped the hood in between the litany of swear words.

"What ELSE can possibly go wrong today?"

After looking under the hood, clueless as to what was happening other than a lot of smoke filling the Tennessee mountain air, I called Triple A. I explained the problem and gave the operator my location - I-75 Southbound, Exit 156.

"I'm sorry ma'am - there's no such exit on Interstate 75 in Tennessee."

"Sir - I am standing right in front of the Exit marker. It very plainly reads Exit 156."

"Are you sure you're on I-75."

After a bit more discussion, I remembered that the exit was relatively new. The operator contacted a tow-truck owner in Jellico who confirmed that yes, there is an Exit 156 on I-75 in Tennessee and he would be to my location within 20 minutes.

I wish I could remember the driver's name because not only did he tow my car to a service center, he also dropped me off at the door of my hotel.