Observations of a town called Cordele and a new radiator


Cordele, Georgia seems just like any one exit town along I-75 in central Georgia. Multiple gas stations along the freeway exit including Raceway, BP, and some of the other chains known throughout the rest of the country. About 3/4 mile in from the freeway is a Walmart located close enough to the center of town to draw business yet still conveniently located enough to get knowledgable travelers to stop for an air-conditioned stroll to get out of the car and buy a few more things that you have no idea how they will fit in the car. All of the standard fast food restaurants are on that main road, Wendy's, McDonalds, Burger King, even Sonic and Church's Chicken. The road leads into the heart of Cordele where there is still some green lawn in front of the renovated courthouse and city offices despite the drought of 18 inches below average annual rainfall. We found this out by one of its residents, who we would surely not have met for a reason other than the circumstances that brought us together on Friday afternoon.

Leaving Atlanta on Friday, I looked at the BP a lane away and too late to merge then glanced down at the fuel gauge figured half a tank would get us to at least Macon and maybe even Tifton, so I thought that I would keep going. Well, traffic and rain meant that gas was needed in Cordele as well as bathroom breaks for Mommy and Michael who seem to have similar sized bladders.

We pulled off and I spotted a Raceway and a BP, realizing that Bathroom cleanliness was probably worth the extra 10 cents I would have to pay for my tank of gas, we pulled off at the BP. I got the gas going when steam started coming up from under the hood. After being alerted to this fact, I quickly reached into the car to pull the hood release. Apparently, it is located where the below the fuse panel cover which I found first and have yet to put back on. The steam had that distinctive eye burning sting and smell that comes from antifreeze, in this case shooting out of a crack on the top of the radiator spraying directly onto the manifold. The amazing thing is that no Super soaker could have sprayed such a continuous and steady stream only to be instantly vaporized by the manifold.

Realizing what it meant, I finished putting gas into the car and went inside to ask for a phone book. The Kind lady at the counter asked me what I needed, so I told her, a place to replace the radiator. She made a call to a shop that we NEVER would have found with out her directions, and we drove the car over there. It was fortunate that we got there when we did. It was 4:45pm; they were willing, after some persuasion, to stay to finish the job. At 6:05 pm, we left with a new radiator, a change of antifreeze, and a lot less money in our checking account.

So, what I have observed about Cordele, it didn't matter where you went, there were gnats everywhere. Also, it is not a bad place to breakdown. We are just glad it happened when something could be done and that we still got home safely.