I got the preliminary estimate back from the photos I sent in. I was not sure if I could get the hood closed if I opened it so I took photos without doing that. I got it to the body shop so they could get pictures as well, but they did not open the hood as well for fear of it not latching. The body shop I am going to use is a “preferred” shop for my insurance company so they can add on what they need to the estimate to get it back the way it was. They said it would be 5-8 business days to fix it so I have to rent a car (dumbass me overlooked getting rental insurance). I cannot wait to get it fixed.

After I went to the body shop, I needed to get an oil change – and that meant lifting the hood. I told them that if there are any loose parts to just toss them. They did put a part from the air intake on the floor so maybe they were thinking it could be reused – don’t really know. I needto stay on top of my oil changes & service appointments so I can keep my warranty intact.

However, the service advisor walked over and sat down by me in the waiting area, to which I replied “uh-oh”. She said they got it opened, but the hood will not latch completely so it is only held down by the safety latch because the hood and hinges are bent and that meant no highway speeds. The safety latch is a back-up to the main hood latch in case it fails or the hood is not fully latched. I told her I had a tie-down strap in the truck and I would secure it.

When I opened the hood for my first look inside I found quite a bit more damage, but honestly, this little truck is pretty damn tough for hitting an adult deer at 55 MPH. The radiator was bent because the support for it got demolished on the passenger side. This support also supports the hood latch. I was able to get it secured and safe, but there was another issue.

There is a warning chime if the hood is not fully latched and, of course, it is NOT so the thing chimes constantly while driving since I could not get it to latch either. There is no way to work around the sensor without possibly voiding my warranty. I will just have to tun off my hearing aids while driving; I have a stress test for my heart this coming week, and that is around two hours away. That means I get to deal with the noise for four hours – all the way there and back. No matter where I drive for the nexgt two weeks I have to put up with the chime and that sucks.

It may not look like the damage is that bad in the picture, but all that plastic on the front end is broken and there’s quite a lot of damage inside. Looking at it, there are some new things I have never seen on a vehicle before – some louvers which help with cooling, heating and aerodynamics. Oh, and the lighted black chrome grill ornament. My Avalanche was a 2003 with most options on it; my 2026 Tacoma is not a base model or top-of-the-line and it still has more accessories than my Avalanche did.

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The weather has been very hot (in the 90s and one day was 97° F) but at least today was much cooler. We are now getting into the dry season and that is bad news. There are fires all around here and the air quality is not very good so those of us with respiratory/cardiac issues really should stay inside because of the health impacts.

The smoke is just horrible and there is very low visibility because of it along with warnings for poor air quality (an AQI rating of 93). It has gotten worse all day and the next three days it will be progressively worse, with tomorrow’s AQI being 190 and the next few days 161 & 146. I talked to someone earlier who has lived in this area for 25 years and they have never seen it this bad. It is some of the worst smoke I have been in, but I remember being in Washington and you could not see across the street it was so smoky. I had to close up the trailer today because of the smoke. I wish I had gotten to it sooner as my trailer smells like a burning forest inside now. When things calm down I will get it aired out. With the smoke and the heat I cannot even open the windows up to cool the place off at night.

Meghan is back out on a fire and will possibly have a busy next few months with the way it is looking. That means I won’t be able to get the trailer out much, but with the traffic still heavy, and a lot of other campers out, it is just as well. She was back for a few days and it was really good to be back out in my trailer. I am still looking forward to traveling – just not sure when that will be just yet.

I got my annual Montana State Parks pass yesterday so now I can at least get into those for a few hikes and camping when I can. I waited until the 1st day of the month so it expires end of August 2027 – a free extra month!

If I can only get back outside at some point to use that free month…

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See you next time.

Shawn