Exit 220

Driving on I-65 today on my way to Muncie, IN, I had to pull over for gas. The rental car agency--Enterprise--gave me a vehicle with less than a half of a tank in it. They said that the only locations that have to fill the tanks full, are airport locations. I wasn't too happy about this policy because my plan was to try and by-pass any Chicago rush hour traffic, since I had a 4.5 hour drive ahead of me. This was also on the heels of the car I reserved for 2pm, not being at the rental location until closer to 3pm. I had a bad experience with this location once before when I rented from them this spring. They gave me a car that had a trunk load of dirt in it and a smoke filled interior. I tried to switch the vehicle out, but the Enterprise "customer service" people just kept hanging up on me because they said they could not help. They said that all rental car companies are franchise locations, and I had to deal with the location directly. My self-resolution was to keep the windows open all night to air out the car. The manager at the location did offer me a discount on the rental and gave me a 50% off coupon for a future rental, which came in handy when I was on vacation in AZ last month. It was a business trip/vacation, and we were there for 10 days. A full price car would have cost over $1000. The coupon made if less than $500. I thought it was a fair resolution, and decided to give the location another try. Giving me a car with barely any gas, and being an hour late with my reservation was not a good way to repair the relationship. While I was waiting, the manager told me how rental agencies are suffering in this economy. I've concluded that if that is the case, they should consider stepping up their service to their customers. I had put in another reservation for a day trip to WI next week, but I think I am going to try and see if I can get the same or better rate at another location. My patience, whether it's because of my age or because of the fact that I travel so much, is growing thin.
When I stopped for gas, I got off at exit 220. It's the Fair Oaks Farm exit. They have a BP gas station and a Subway there, so I figured I could kill two birds with one stone (well, three really--potty break). As I was considering the exit, I remembered the last time I was at that location. I actually thought about looking for a further exit because of the memory. It was at Fair Oaks Farm that I was basically told to turn around and come home. This was 2 1/2 years ago when my father was in the hospital. We had decided to attempt to head to Florida for a pre-planned vacation because we thought my dad's admission was a simple case of pneumonia; something he would get a course of antibiotics to work through his system for and head home. Not the case, as it turns out.
I decided to get off at the exit anyway, even though it reminded me of something bad from my past. A lot has happened in the 2+ years since I'd been in that area. My kids are two years older (I guess we all are older), I've changed jobs, we've been to Denmark and Italy, we've repaired two broken relationships, have had remodeling work done on the house, new landscaping in the yard, Cyndi got a new car, I graduated from Northwestern, I've lost weight, and many other things. Life has gone on--good and bad--and as I pulled out of the BP parking lot, and headed away from Fair Oaks Farm and back to the interstate, I was glad I decided to get off at this exit. Maybe it's nothing or maybe it's a small sign of growth. Maybe.