Wednesday, 11/17/21 — Bernalillo, NM — Awoke out of a pleasant dream
I awoke out of a pleasant dream in which I was shooting the dogs that wouldn’t shut up right in their stupid little faces, only to discover that sadly it was just a dream and they were all still quite alive and barking. Somewhat disappointed I got out of my tent and surveyed my surroundings. A semi-private KOA tent site fenced on three sides, with a picnic table and tree and fake turf and electric and water hookups. RVs all over the place, including a Jayco I immediately despised for flying that big middle finger in your face of a Thin Blue Line flag. I didn't usually stoop to using Kampgrounds of America but my transmission situation was starting to make me feel like I should find something a bit less primitive near a big city, just in case. Also, I really wanted a hot shower.
So after finally coaxing my car up and out of my gravel turnout campsite in Taos Ski Valley the day before (it took a few tries), I'd driven all the way to a Midas auto shop on the north side of Albuquerque, in a town called Bernalillo. There were 4 Midas shops in the ABQ area so I figured if the first one didn't have time to diagnose my car, I'd just work my way through the rest until one of them did. Unfortunately, the nice man at that very first Midas I'd pulled up to promptly informed me that they didn't diagnose transmissions—as in not just their Midas shop, but Midas shops in general, didn't do transmission work. Fortunately, he was kind enough to refer me to a nearby transmission specialist so of course I immediately drove there… only to find a sign on the door that it was closed for a week due to covid complications. As I was sitting there in my car wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with this situation, a man emerged and asked if I needed anything. I told him about my transmission issue and after apologizing for being closed down he referred me to yet another specialist nearby and so of course I immediately drove there… only to find them closed for the day.
This was right about the time where my brain said to itself, You know what fuck it, we're just gonna cough up the dollars and pay for a campground with WiFi and hot showers and a laundromat for a day or two until we figure out what's next.
And so that's how I'd ended up driving to the Bernalillo KOA and walking into the main office to pay for a tent site and after assuring the nice woman at the front desk that yes I'd be perfectly fine with the weather tonight—"You know it's gonna get down to 32, right?"—the first thing I'd done was to take my first hot shower in nearly a week and oh my gods if there is a heaven that's got to be about what it feels like, and the second thing I'd done was to watch a pair of cops harassing some poor guilty till proven innocent bastard over by the campground entrance as the red and blue lights of the mass surveillance state went flashing into the terrifying night.
…
I awoke out of a pleasant dream in which I was shooting the dogs that wouldn’t shut up right in their stupid little faces, only to discover that sadly it was just a dream and they were all still quite alive and barking. Got out of my tent and made coffee. Drank coffee and took another shower. Drove back to the last transmission specialist from yesterday and walked in. Auto Works. A crazy shop with shit scattered everywhere and the walls plastered with yesteryear's beer posters and pinups. The nice man inside listened to my rambling transmission tale while looking at me like I was some kind of alien asking about affordable warp drives, and then informed me that he hadn’t worked on a Subaru in 25 years and wouldn’t be able to help me, so I left.
Frustration,
anxiety.
I drove screaming east through Placitas and up some random dirt road into the Cibola National Forest and went raging aimlessly into the Sandia Hills for a good long while till the frustration and anxiety dissipated.
Returned to KOA.
Writing.
Drinking.
Walked to Kaktus Brewing Co next door and continued writing and drinking.