We noticed the VW battery seeemed to be discharging after each day of towing - and for two days we had to get a jump to start it. So, we decided to skip the Natchez-Baton Rouge route to New Orleans and head a little further east to the only VW dealer in the area in Jackson, MS. As we had suspected, the battery needed to be replaced. The old battery was original with the car when it was made in 2006. And as in most compact cars, things needed to be moved under the hood in order to replace the battery.
We finally got on the road for New Orleans about 1:00 pm. It is a straight 3-hour drive from Jackson down I-55 to New Orleans and we wanted to check in at the Good Sam camping site today before 5:00 pm. About an hour or so south of Jackson near Boque Chitto, MS (not particularly near anything) we heard a loud crashing noise (sort of like the refrigerator door opening and everything falling out on the floor). Judy got up to check and quickly determined the front window over the cab had blown out. We are not sure why, but the window just shattered and the glass exploded into what seemed like a thousand pieces. Luckily, the curtains over the window contained most of the glass chards. It was a real suprise to say the least.
We got off at the next exit, parked along the side of the road and tried to figure out what to do next. We called the Good Sam Emgerency Roadside Assistance number and after awhile, they figured out the problem didn't fit the criteria for emergency assistance. While cleaning up as much glass as we could and still contemplating how to address the problem, an elderly couple stopped and asked if they could help. They recommended we try a glass repair place in Brookhaven, a small town 5 miles north of where we were. We gave the shop a call and they said to bring it in. We made it there in about 15 minutes.
We got there and the people were fantastic. It is a family-run business and they went of their way to help us. They were able to replace the shattered window with tinted pexiglass and it looks as good as new. We were back on the road by 6:00 pm. Since we missed our 5:00 pm sign-in at New Orleans, we decided to stop for the night in Hammond, LA, about an hour north of the city. The official sign-in at the Good Sam RV site in New Orleans is 9:00 am to 1:00 pm tomorrow, with the first event (the welcome and orientation briefing) at 2:00 pm. We should be able to get there in plenty of time, barring any more crises.
We cannot say enough about the friendleness and willingness to help by the southern residents we have met so far. The people at Brookhaven Glass were especially nice and went out of their way to help us out of a very difficult situation. In thinking about it, we were actually lucky it happened where it did, where people were willing and able to help and the issue was resolved with a semi-permanent/permanent fix that should get us through the trip. It could have been worse.
It has certainly been an eventful day!
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