2010 a Canaan Odyssey

"I'm sorry Chris, I can't do that." was what my van was telling me on the way to Ohio.  I've had my van for all of a year and 2 days and it picks my biggest trip of the year to fail me.  Needless to say when the "Malfunction Indicator Light" came on my dash, I was already at the point of "No S*&t".  The transmission decided to drop out at 70 miles an hour on I-75 - on a Sunday no less (not to mention it was the 13th...).  So after a night in Berea, KY and helpful people at the Dodge dealership in Richmond, KY and the wonderful people at the Enterprise Rental Car place in Winchester, KY we were in business again. 

Now, let me spell this part of the trip out to you.  A - stranded on side of road with 14 year old son, FOUR dogs and a van packed to the gills.  B - knowing my car would not even be looked at until Monday.  C - trying to figure out how to get the dogs to a hotel without them getting hot.  D - trying to figure out how to get to Piqua, Ohio the next day.  Well, Greg the tow try guy of All-State towing was awesome.  He gave me suggestions for a hotel, and then he took us there and helped unload the van and the dogs - keep in mind the van was on the back of a flat bed tow truck during the unload.  The dogs were great and have been real troopers.  Greg then deposited my van at the Dodge dealership in Richmond, KY. 

We spend the night in Berea, KY and await the verdict on the van.  Of course, not an easy fix on the van...  And of course, the closest rental places didn't have anything big enough.  Thankfully, an Enterprise about 30 miles away had something and was willing to pick us up.  So, we get everything ready to go, load the rental van, take the driver back to Winchester and then drive to Richmond to the dealership to get the rest of the stuff out of my van and into the rental.  After 3 loads and unloads, we finally reach Piqua, OH and get settled.

6/15/10 - Amanda Pough arrived first, followed by Annette Israel, Roy and Donna Dodson have been sighted moving in as well.  First task for the week is the meeting of the Breed Standard Revision Committee.  This is a task that I take very seriously and look forward to getting to work.

Please enjoy some photos from our first two days of this odyssey.

Unloading my van	Into the Rental Van
Flooded Baseball Fields in Troy, OH	Great Miami River over it's banks in Troy, OH
L to R - "Carson", "Gibson", "Kate" with "Vala" on top	"Carson" & "Kate" tugging the loofa toy
"Gibson" having his turn with the loofa	"Kate" and "Carson" working on their bones