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09/16/2009: "Alaskan Vehicles"

I knew before I came up here that I was going to need to get my truck "winterized". Granted, I'm from the northern US, but "winterization" is not usually too much of a big deal, beyond making sure your battery is good and you don't have really slick tires. Up here, its a tad more involved.

First, we have the engine block heater. Then a battery blanket. Oil pan heater. Making sure the antifreeze is rated to -60, and you have de-icing windshield wiper fluid. Sealing the underside of the vehicle (which should probly be done anywhere it snows). And the cord sticking out the front of the vehicle to plug in the heaters.

The cheapest place to get all of this done is the Car Care Center on post. Which, being the cheapest place, and a whole bunch of people getting back from deployment, and this is the end of the major PCS (people moving around the Army) season, and people who got here earlier but have been procrastinating, they're a little booked up. Until the middle of December. Don't think I can wait that long.

So, I had to bite the bullet and go off post. I was warned ahead of time that it would cost about twice as much, but I'd rather have that than a dead truck. So, I managed to get that done this morning. When asked, I said that I did not have an engine block heater. When I went back a few hours to pick up my truck, they told me that I did, saving me about $200.

Yay for magically appearing equipment. And bonus points for an honest mechanic - I'd have never known the difference.

Speaking of equipment...

Yesterday I got my stuff specific to here... Everyone else got at least a shopping cart full, sometimes two, of stuff. I filled up one rucksack. Granted, I still have a ton of stuff from New York, but I was expecting a little more. Even the guys issuing it were a little confused. But, because of the mission of this unit, apparently I don't need all that stuff - fine by me, less I have to keep track of.

So, I'm really close to getting a place to live. The place I really want is taking a while to do the paperwork. From what I've heard, that's about normal here - things move a little more slowly. Everyone's really friendly and helpful and everything, there's just not a sense of urgency/importance/time-sensitivity. Which I wouldn't mind too much except that I have a timeline that I at least need to have a signed lease by. *sigh* I hate having to bug people.

So, I also had to get an emissions test. Had to pay for the stupid thing and everything. And never having gotten one, I though that the emissions your vehicle puts out would actually be tested. Oh no, they just hooked up to the computer to see if the computer thought everything was working. Apparently as long as each component tests good, your vehicle can't possibly be spitting out anything evil. *shakes head*

-Amanda