AAA Vista Service Towing

Cross country road trip out west. Our vehicle broke down on rt 90 at sunset. Called AAA. Vista towing was there within an hour and 15 minutes. A lot sooner than expected. Gabe was our driver. He went above and beyond to help us. Gave us info about a garage and places to eat and play while waiting on car.

In Central Washington it can get very hot in the summertime; often over 100 degrees. Which is another way of saying that it’s a bad time for your water pump to break.
Tragically, while minding my own business driving across the Evergreen State this event occurred; culminating in a steam-​filled haze marooned at a Conoco gas station. Through AAA, I was placed in contact with Vista Towing. They’re one of three towing companies based in Moses Lake and if you’re stranded in this part of the state along I-​90 between the Columbia river and Spokane, you have a decent chance of meeting them. They have three different trucks that are typically fairly busy on the weekend.
The driver was professional and quick, towing me back to Seattle. I can tell you that the towing costs are $ 3.50/mile. Fortunately a AAA discount reduced the miles I would have to pay. I also learned a few other things, such as: how easy it is to melt your car just leaving it running, scrap metal prices for junk cars and the difficulty of towing motorhomes.

A Camping Catastrophe:
I decided to go camping in Eastern Washington. My choice location was Vantage but once arriving, realizing there were no people here due to no current concerts playing at the Gorge my friend whined and we decided to continue East on the hunt to find another spot.
Stopping in Moses Lake, I asked around about any camping spots and people began suggesting «the Dunes». Now that I think of it, sounds a bit ominous. Eh… at the time, we thought it rang rad so we began our adventure.
First, I got my car stuck in the sand. Yes, suddenly I became THAT girl who got her car stuck b/​c she was out of her element and wasn’t thinking straight. I blame the heat. We were rescued by a gnarly older couple who were both helpful and entertaining in ways of wit I’d never witnessed the likes of. I wanted to adopt them but alas, we moved on.
Decision: the desert + the heat + the noise of quads + the jealousy ripping through us of not having quads = UN-​want of camping at the Dunes. We took the bumpy, dirt road outta there and that’s when the poo hit the fan.
Losing power, I stopped my car and turned it off. We were stuck. No one was passing us on this little road in the middle of the desert. I laughed nervously. Ahem, several times. For hours, I turned my car on, was able to drive a mile, started losing power, put er’ in park and turned it off. Hours of this strategy landed me at a randomly placed Conoco right in front of I-​90.
Turns out, I have fabulous friends and due to everything being closed after 5pm on Saturdays in Moses Lake (FYI), I had no option but to go home [all the way back to Seattle-​3 hrs away] and come back to get my car. I left my car at Conoco and journeyed back home.
The following day, I started calling Uhaul places due to a friends suggestion for cost efficiency. Luckily, I happen to dial their Regional office. The girl on the other line was super friendly. I’d had no luck in finding any Uhaul places with a Truck and Dolly for towing my car from Moses Lake back to Seattle but within minutes, she had me hooked up with a reservation for exactly what I needed 1 exit away from where I was broken down. RAD!
On the way back out to Moses Lake to get the Uhaul and pick up my car, the car I was in died. There was a flat tire and a power issue. [This is where more fabulous friends come into play and rescue me on I-​90 and take me the rest of the way to Moses Lake.] Knowing that due to the tiny set back, I wouldn’t arrive at Vista before they closed I called and begged, bribed and badgered them into staying open for me. It took a while, there was some calling back and forth but they came through.
AAA Vista Service Towing is the best place in the world, or at least the best place in Moses Lake. They were swamped with accidents that they were towing for but you’d never even know it by the way they answered the phones and talked to me in person. Bob (the guy re-​opening the office JUST to meet me), called me twice to ensure I knew he was on his way and to make sure I was OK. He even asked me if my friends or I needed anything to drink or eat!!! When he arrived, he gave us all bottles of water that he bought for us while on the way over. The entire experience was positive, polite and genuine. He made extra efforts to show us how to hook up the car on the dolly, connected all the wiring and gave me a discount «because catastrophes like yours deserve discounts». Yes, that was a quote.
AAA Vista Service Towing deserves all the business they can get. Classic customer service, ideal level of professionalism, friendly and intuitive staff and time efficiency at it’s best. The service we received in all aspects from Vista was calming, almost nurturing even. My friends and I left with smiles. The rest of our journey home was peaceful and positive. This turned out to be the best breakdown ever and I have Vista to thank for making this such a smooth experience.