Friday, January 4, 2008

Tom Tom...so Wrong Wrong!!!




So, one of our comedic adventures happened just before we were to "reach our destination" at our resort in Vermont.  After 5 hours in the car and hungry children, we were so anxious that we were only about 5 miles away from Mountain Green Condos at Killington.  Yay, the sausage leek risotto that we had prepared to have the first night was ready to go as soon as we got there and it was getting so exciting to finally get there and eat our delicious food. 

Anyway, the turn for Hadley Hill Road came up on us too quickly, so I took the next turn to be able to turn around and go back.  Once I got turned around, the TomTom (GPS Navigation) suddenly suggested a different route, but I ignored that since it added time (hahaha) and went back to the original route.  We turned up Hadley Hill Road and it was winding and foresty (as you would expect around a ski resort) and the road was getting smaller and smaller.  I should have really known this wasn't going to get us to our destination when the road turned  from pavement to macadam and got one car width narrow.  Yikes!

Ultimately, the route had us going right up a driveway and through (yes, through!!!) a very charming New England Colonial house with Christmas wreaths and candlesticks lit up in each of the windows.  Surely this couldn't be the right way, but could the road curve around the long driveway at some point?  The answer is NO!  Well, the driveway was snowy and narrow and had a drop off to a creek on one side and a huge bank of snow on the other.  As I gingerly backed the car down the snowy driveway,then suddenly the tires slid toward the bank, I think, because I have this disorder called the giggles and whenever anything is serious or someone is hurt, the disorder kicks in and at that point everything is a blur because we were all laughing so hard.  We were officially stuck.  Evan got out, surveyed the situation and directed me to do a few maneuvers that were fruitless.  I got out and looked and saw the predicament we were in and it really didn't look that bad, but for some reason, the car would just not go and the tires spun and spun. (ICE!)  At this point I am lamenting our minivan and missing the days of our SUV, which not only had 4WD, but also AcuraCare which is like AAA.  We were in trouble. Evan headed up the driveway to ask for a shovel from the people in the house that kept looking out the window. (And this is all happening with Curly's BBQ sandwiches wrapped all over our car, mind you!!!)  Evan came back with a shovel and proceeded to dig. (My job was to keep laughing, because that is what I do best!)  Then he would give me commands to turn the wheel this way and put the van in this gear and we would slide a little more into the bank. Yeesh! The nice man in the house finally came out with a flashlight, another shovel and ready to save the day.  Then after many futile attempts, Mike the man, said, "tow truck time!"  Darnnit, we were defeated! Our whole family headed into their warm, inviting home and spent the next hour with a random couple that thought they were going to have a quiet night at home with an industrial size bottle of Scotch and a warm fire.  Sue the woman, surveyed the situation and swiftly ran upstairs and brought down a board game to keep the children at bay.  She and the kids played an involved game of Mousetrap until the Tow Truck arrived an hour later.  It was an interesting deviation from our course, but it's the journey, not the destination and that's one journey we'll never forget!

9 comments:

esmith2112 said...

I have to second Liz's ability to get the giggles. She was laughing so hard that I was certain she was headed for a non-automotive accident.

Dani said...

I absolutely love that fact that throughout the whole situation you just laughed and giggled! That is the best. What a fun momento to add to your great ski trip.

NY Barney Family said...

WOW -- crazy fun adventure! One to definately remember!

jenafeldman said...

That is so funny! I love that the couple were so sweet and helpful...you are lucky they weren't a pair of crazies!

Kyndra said...

I have witnessed your GIGGLES before! I can totally imagine you in this scenario. Such a good story though.

tenacious d said...

You picked a good house to get stranded at. Having a great sense of humor or sense of the absurd makes things more of an adventure, not a trial.

Allison said...

that's when you know what kind of marriage you have. good thing you guys have the giggles disorder in times like this.

Laura B. said...

I am totally there with you on the nervous giggles. I'm useless in stressful situations because all I can do is laugh!

Lynita said...

Great pix to go with the adventure! At least the people were nice and not crazy! I often laugh when things go wrong, it makes me feel better...the downside is that it usually enrages my hubby!