College Park

I found a great deal with Hertz for the rental we needed for the week: The Managers Special EV! I signed up(for free) as a Gold Member to get J as a second driver without a fee! Ironically they didn't want to see his license 🧐

The shuttle train from the airport was packed. We got to skip the Hertz queue of 60 people and go to the Gold queue, of 2 people. She directed us to go pick any EV! Turns out taking the 30% discount for the special was worth it. Tesla or Chev Bolt 🤔? I checked the battery charge levels. I wanted something below 75% so I wouldn't have to return it full 👍. As we waited in the car line to checkout we needed to play with the system to understand it.

We thought we'd top up the battery and headed for the nearest supercharger which had open spots. By the time we got there it was full and a queue! Plan B, drive north to drop off our sun shade (from home) at the factory which needs warranty work. They will mail it back for us.

OMG! Freeway construction detours were impacting traffic flow and the GPS didn't quite get it either. Needless to say it challenged our patients and relationship too! 🫨Thankfully we weren't in a rush. 😵‍💫

After the drop-off we found a supercharger. We didn't feel like hanging out in the car like most people were doing. A few blocks away was a thrift shop which we walked to. In this car nation, we were the only ones walking in this suburb! 🚶🤣 The selection was impressive, but not exactly what I was looking for. I settled on a new running outfit 🏃👍.

Charging was complete and it was back to the airport to pick up Dad. Ironically the quickest route was right through downtown, sigh.

Upon arrival at the airport, we learned how unorganized the vehicle flow is. One sign says something, and 50ft ahead the info changes! People kept changing lanes 🤯, which explained why it was going so slow. When we finally got closer to the building J got out and walked to get Dad. I spotted them at the curb when I finally got there and we loaded up quickly. My new walking shoes are not driving shoes, as they were hurting my Achilles after a few hours. Time for driving thongs 🩲, er, I mean flip flops 🩴 😅.

Birmingham here we come!Read more