Being cynical, crusty and suspicious is my defalt setting; I stoically expect the worse and work up from there. So when the connection from the tailpipe to the muffler fractured on the Element, I figured a lost day spent in a muffler shop or dealership and around a $300 bill. I "McGivered" the tailpipe up with a hanger, but knew in the dark recesses of my mind, that it would fall off the the most inopportune time. While reviewing the situation under my car, a guy from the Culligan Water Softener store I was parked in front of came out and offered his assistance. What we came up with was for me following him to a business that welded and repaired farm equipment on the outskirts of McCook, Nebraska, the town I was in. An hour and $35 later I was back on the road, my exhaust system spot welded together. What really got fixed was my "faith in humanity". You can't put a price on that. Made my breakfast at the Fresh Seven Coffee in St. Francis, Kansas and the endless fields of sunflowers in eastern Colorado that much more enjoyable.
Freeway exits that communicate fuel/dining/lodging options are by their very nature, indespenable. What I don't get is why there are no ...