After distributing several care packages to the homeless, we started our long drive out of Vegas on Saturday, June 2, 2018 The city was searing hot at over 100 degrees.
There was a heavy sound every time Edmund stepped on the breaks. He told me it was time to replace the break pads and to have oil change but since we’ve been busy, he was not able to have those things done. As a precaution, before any planned out of town trips, vehicles must be checked. Or even with no scheduled long drives, vehicles must follow preventive maintenance schedule.
Our first stop over was in Barstow, California after 150 kilometers or roughly three hours thru Interstate 15.
We stopped for lunch. Inside the train-looking building were several eateries like McDonald’s, Panda Express, etc. After lunch at Panda Express we transferred to Starbucks on the other side of the street.
While we were parking, the sound coming from the breaks became louder and scarier. We were still 10 hours away from our destination and we were worried about the safety of our vehicle.
There was an auto repair service beside Starbucks. I suggested to Edmund that maybe we should have our vehicle checked before we drive again. He said wag na lang daw. I was worried we could lose our breaks.
After driving for two and a half more hours, we safely reached Bakersfield, a city 150 kilometers north of Los Angeles. Bakerfield is a popular stopover for travelers and is known for natural gas and oil production.
We exited the freeway and looked for an auto repair shop.
Good we spotted a breaks and transmission signage. We made a U-turn. The owner/mechanic told us we would not make it to our destination because the sensors and breaks were already pfffft! Thanks God we got here safe and sound. Thanks God we found this auto repair shop. It was a weekend and buti na lang they were still open.
Breaks and transmission repair shop
They didn’t have the necessary parts compatible with our vehicle but after half hour of calling all possible suppliers in town, they found the right parts.
We thought of spending the night in Bakersfield and just hit the road again in the morning but since the sun was still up at 7 pm, we decided to drive all the way stopping twice for gas and dinner at Popeye’s.
We left Vegas at 10 pm and reached our destination at midnight. Tired, exhausted, rayuma, but thankful we were safe.
