At least LuLu didn’t explode. That’s what I’ve been telling myself. At least I didn’t blow myself up. I say that with a smile. Not because I’m happy that LuLu caught on fire, but I do find it comical that this is my existence. That “I didn’t explode today” is the bar. And hey, we got a good story out of it.
Up until this point, I’d driven LuLu 3 times. A standard 4 times. But I was presented with an opportunity for a full photo shoot at no cost to me (other than gas and travel time, of course). It’s these moments that, at least for me, we just have to do it. We have to make it work. I was going to take LuLu out of town, 2 hours away, the 4th time I’d driven her.
We were headed to Colorado Springs for our photoshoot. My sister recommended I try shifting from stop at an incline before I left and I’m really thankful I listened to her. The practice helped me quite a lot. I only stalled out twice!
The drive to Colorado Springs was very pleasant. I skipped the interstate to avoid the hassle of people getting upset that we were going slow. She’s a 4-speed so she doesn’t go very fast. Me either, LuLu. Me either.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget this next moment. It had been cloudy and overcast the majority of the drive. I had a bluetooth speaker, gifted to me by my sister, playing music. We were just cruising down the highway. One Love by Bob Marley came on and the sun finally came out. Then, the oncoming car flashed me a peace sign. Is that what joy feels like? I think that’s what joy feels like.
I made it to Springs. We had our photography sesh. We then headed back to our mutual friends house. She made cookies and dinner and she was so welcoming. But not in that fake way where you feel like you’re overstaying your welcome. It was really great. I did have work the next day, though, so I didn’t stay too long (and I also wanted to get out of the city before it got fully dark).
I made it about half a block.
At the top of the block (it was at a small incline), LuLu died. Just petered out. I assumed this was a me issue, not a LuLu issue. You know, shifting and all. But then I couldn’t get her started again. I tried a few times but I’m always so nervous about flooding the engine, that I decided to just coast backwards to park and wait.
When I tried again, nothing. I tried again, still nothing. But this time I smelled what I thought was gas. I assumed I flooded it so I stopped, turned her off, and waited. The last time I recall anyone saying anything about flooding their engine it was probably my dads old truck in 1996 and I was like 7. I have no idea how long you wait or if you have to do something else if you’ve flooded it. I figured I’d wait a few and try again.
Except…the gas smell was not going away. I rolled down my window. Not better. I sat there with my head out the window because it was so bad. For whatever reason, I turned around and the entirety of the vehicle was filled with smoke. I grabbed my purse and bolted.
I did not want to explode.
This should be a “Choose Your Own Adventure Blog”, shouldn’t it?
- Wait for the smoke to pass and check the engine compartment
- Call 911 for a fire truck
- Try to start her again
Maybe that’s my future. Anyway…
I walked down the block and, after several unsuccessful attempts, finally reached my mom. She connected me to a friend. My biggest fear (other than LuLu literally exploding) would be that if I opened the engine compartment, it would cause a backdraft and make things much, much worse. And then she’d explode.
I told him what happened and he told me to just open the engine compartment to take a look and that it would be fine. So I did. Tentatively.
And the engine was on fire.
He told me to put it out. I was still worried about it exploding but I asked him if I should just use the fire extinguisher. I did not want to risk accidentally setting ablaze anything I tried to smother it with. But here’s the thing – its dark and I’ve never used a fire extinguisher.
“Just pull the pin and push the button”
Right. Pin. There was no pin. Literally. 0 pins.
On this particularly model, the “pin” was actually a black plastic neck that I thought was for mounting it. I figured I could rip it off and either it would work or I broke it so I gave it a shot. Except then I couldn’t press the button.
Fast forward a few desperate minutes and one moment where I almost blasted myself in the face with a fire extinguisher, and I got it. Technically, the carburetor was on fire. I sprayed it and it was out in an instant. Kind of impressive how effective fire extinguishers are.
Can you imagine what you would do if someone knocked on your door and told you their car caught on fire? I can’t. I’d have to ask my friend because I obviously went back to her house to calm my nerves and figure out what to do next. Yes, I opened with “LuLu caught on fire”. I decided to have my family come pick me up and deal with LuLu later. So me, my friend, her fiance, and her friend the photographer all sat down and watched John Tucker Must Die.
That a wild first trip it was! I got home at 2:00 am. Its currently 11:00 am as I write this and of course, its snowing. Still deciding best next steps to get LuLu home (again). There’s three things I learned this trip – if you have a carburetor, always carry a fire extinguisher; never underestimate the value of community and the joy it brings; and finally, sometimes you just have to be thankful you didn’t explode.
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