Some Guys Have All the Luck

But not us. At least not while driving on long trips. Who knows? Maybe we do. After all, we never would've seen Jarome, ID if it weren't for our fuel pump going out. And there's the time the police officer magically appeared to help us after saying a quick prayer on the side of the freeway just north of the Alpine exit... in the rain. There's the fun tow truck ride we got in Manderfield on the way down to Duck Creek, and then the enjoyable 4 hour convenience store visit in Cove Fort when the van died completely on the way back. In all of these break-downs we were able to get help soon, have just enough cell service, be close enough to population, or manage to have beloved relatives come to our rescue. And so it was this weekend as well when our relatively new, relatively reliable van broke down on the way to Las Vegas. What am I most grateful for? Could it be that our little Go Phone had reception so we could call our bro. in law to make sure the car could make it all the way? Or was it the portable convenience store that was only 100 degrees inside instead of 110? The fact that this little town of Glendale was the last and only town between where our air conditioning went out and the city of Las Vegas over an hour away? Maybe it was sitting, nursing the baby at a table that directly faced a shelf with empty spray bottles---the only solution to our plight. Or remembering the tv report about sweat lodges and people fainting from not being able to breath the steam that prompted me to roll down the windows every so often for relief from the spray bottle mist. I'm not sure, but I'm very grateful for mechanics in Beaver, Jarome, Cove Fort and Las Vegas who were more than willing to take our van and our money and get us back on the road.

And there must be something said for the convenience store owner who yelled at me for letting my kids walk out the store with candy in their hands when we were outside on the payphone frantically calling rental companies and relatives trying to find a way home. Or the woman who drove like a maniac into the parking lot at Glendale and then got out and yelled at us about almost hitting our toddler (because her foot couldn't find the brake?) There's the extra charge for towing us and providing transportation for the kids. The money for all the repairs made prior to our trips, then during the trips, the three new fuel pumps, the money for hotels and motels (the kind that say "you're getting the last room, so we have to charge full price), the money to tow our van to the junkyard and of course the new charge for a new air compressor and all the labor at the dealership. What does it cost to have all these things? a few thousand dollars. But all the experiences, exploring inconsequential towns you normally fly by on the freeway, meeting people who either criticize you or take your money, and getting to make the drive later and point out all of the places you are now so familiar with? Priceless.