I have never understood Michigan roads. With their crazy Michigan turn arounds instead of traditional left hand turns. But the other day while I was driving I saw a snow plow/salt truck being followed by a pot hole filling gravel truck. Don't get me started on how in the world the gravel you pour into potholes and let the poor souls driving their cars behind you smash down questions. How does that work...isn't that method of filling pot holes how we get pot holes in the first place?
I have a bill I want to submit to you. You see the other day I was picking my kids up at school. Now, some parts of Rochester, as you may know, are still unpaved roads. I find this odd that such a wonderful town doesn't have paved roads but I understand that this was originally a farming community and some folks want to preserve that past. However, I think that the entrance into a school where 450 student attend probably should be paved. Especially if the road leading into the school is paved. But, that's just my opinion. I figured you all have been doing this longer than me. 20 buses a day go in and out of that school twice a day.
So, let me get back to why I think you should pay my bill I received. I pulled into the school parking lot and encountered pot holes the size of small lakes. I probably would have classified these as sink holes. I also encountered other parents trying to leave through the same entrance/exit and of course everyone is trying to avoid the largest pot holes by swerving left and right for 100 yards. Looks a little like the pot hole version of Frogger.
Upon exiting the parking lot with my minivan full of passengers I to have to negotiate the landmines of holes in the ground for fear I will be sucked in by the behemoth sink hole. I make jokes to the kids of my minivan being an old lady and creaking with every bone snapping divot it encounters.
I get to the main paved road, turn out of the school and happily head home. Less than a quarter mile into my travels I hear what sounds like a rock pinging under my car and seemingly flying out the back. I didn't see anything in the road so I carried on.
Turning left 1 mile later seemed like a feat of endurance. I knew something was wrong. I no longer had any power steering control and yet had a car full of passengers under 11.
That night I had to have my minivan towed to a mechanic. The next morning the mechanic delivered the good news (well, it's his good news and my bad). You see...my mechanic makes a lot of money during Michigan Pot Hole Season, errr...I mean Spring. He informed me that my van was in dire circumstances. She had succumbed to the pressures of the pot holes. The noise I heard while driving? Well, that was the rack and pinion system blowing. Thus rendering my steering capabilities useless. And, well...just as an added bonus when the rack and pinion blew it damaged the power steering pump and power steering fluid began leaking. To repair these two things will cost me $1200. It cost me 2 days worth of rental cars and it cost me a lot of precious time.
Also, I guess I'm pretty lucky that I was able to muscle the turn and exit the roadways safely without steering capabilities because had I been hit by another car power steering fluid is flammable and who knows what would have happened to me and my precious passengers.
So, here is my bill for $1200 (plus $60/day for a rental car). I'm sure you won't pay it and I'm sure you don't care. I won't even bother billing you for my time.
Sincerely,
Disgusted by pot holes but thankful to be alive.
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