The Prius died!

We got up very early this morning and cleared the King George RV Resort gate before 0800. Had a fantastic drive down to Sarasota. The motorhome literally hummed right along without a hitch. Had a fierce quartering headwind (10 knots gusting to 20 knots) Stopped about 40 miles short of Bradenton for diesel at a Flying J.
Had to go to the "Big Boy's" pumps since the RV side was full right up. The pumps for the over-the-road trucks are rigged with high-volume delivery and a satellite pump to let you fill both saddle tanks as fast as possible. I don't use the double pump method, but I do open both fuel fill tubes to prevent an airlock and get the tank filled. The high volume and satellite pumps are the good side. The bad side is that the credit card reader asks a couple of questions I wasn't prepared for. I didn't know my "Unit" number and guess the "Hubometer" is the odometer you see in the wheels a semi's trailer. Had to ask the RV'er next door.

Back to the main story; after we got to the resort and settled in, we took the toys off the Prius and went exploring. About two miles from here is a big Walmart with a very nice parking lot. We needed the lot to push the Prius into a space. The car showed a big red warning symbol along with several others and literally went into limp mode until we got to the parking lot. And when we stopped to back into a spot (makes it easier to tow) that was all it had. No reverse, no more drive, neutral only and then IT WOULDN'T SHUT OFF!
To recap, we're in Bradenton, Florida on a clear, windy, Sunday afternoon, on the first day of a 5-week trip, and the Prius died!
Toyota Customer Service very helpfully offered to tow it to the nearest dealer for $55.00 cash only or $100.00 credit! They have no record of the extended warranty I bought along with the car. Declined the offer and called the Good Sam Club. They got a roll-back wrecker to us in 23 minutes. Kyle, with "Top Gun", put the Prius back on our camping spot and will be back to get us in the morning.
Here's the big takeaway information from this adventure. Always have an emergency road service. Good Sam will take care of any vehicle we own or borrow at any time, including the motorhome. Always carry a copy of any after-market warranty you purchase in the vehicle!
I called my great neighbor, George, and had him get into the files and find the warranty information. That make twice that he has had to get a document for us. Good neighbors are really a necessity of life!
In fact we have another pair of neighbors that we just met here! The folks on the spot next to us volunteered to take us to get a rental car. Ken and Bonnie are driving a very nice Winnie from Lancaster, PA.

The kicker is that after about 10 minutes in the Walmart parking lot, I was able to shut down and restart the Prius. Still has a "check engine" light on, but moves in drive and reverse, so maybe the repairs won't be too bad.

I'm still a backer of Toyota. This has been a great car. I've had it for five years and 71,000 miles with only very minor problems. If this one is fatally wounded, I want another Toyota Prius. Hopefully, this one will last until I can get a plug-in or fuel-cell version, but if not, a new gold 2010 will do!