Day 1
We left Provo around 2 and headed down to Monticello to visit and stay with my good ole' buddy Oliver. Monticello is a beautiful place. We celebrated Dantzel's birthday (Oliver's wife) with a watermelon cake. Then we went to a lookout to watch the sunset over Canyonlands National Park.
Day 2
Monday morning we relaxed a little and headed out around 9 because it was only a 6 hour drive that day. Driving up over the continental divide was beautiful. But somewhere around Vail my check engine light went on. Keep in mind, almost all of my earthly possessions were in this little ford escape. It had been struggling to get up over some of the mountains, but I figured that was normal.
That night we stayed with some of Bec's friends in Denver. After dinner and before the water balloon FHE, we had the engine code read - transmission problems. Earlier that day while trying to make conversation on the drive I had turned to Bec and said "Worst case scenario, it is my transmission and I have to buy a new car. What kind of car would I buy?" Those words turned out to be prophetic...
Just outside of Vail, CO
Day 3
The day started out going to a couple of auto places to try and see what the actual problem with the transmission was. By about 10 am or so we got our first diagnosis: $2-3,000 and at least two days before it would be ready to drive across the country. Ouch. We were on a time crunch, so we decided to get a second opinion. The second place said $2,600 but could have it ready the next day. That's when it was time to make a decision. In the mean time we had looked into uHauls and other rentals but nothing seemed that doable. The decisions were: Fix the car or not? If not, rent or buy a car now? If I buy a new one, which car? And what do I do with my old car? I had a couple hours to make those choices.
There were more little blessings and miracles that occured to get everything to work out than I can probably remember. One is that the second auto shop had a string of used car dealerships right down the street. Another was that Bec's friend, along with her three young kids, followed us around all day making sure that we were taken care of. I decided to sell the car to a used car lot and found a Chevy Blazer down the street that had a good insurance package that gave me some peace of mind driving across the country with it. So, by 6pm I had sold my car, cashed the check, bought a new car, and transferred all my stuff from one car to the other, and we were on the road again! One last blessing: the guy that bought the car from me was a saint. He heard my situation and showed some sympathy - so he actually gave me the check for my car and let me drive it to the bank, cash the check, go to the other dealership, transfer all my stuff, and then drop off my car two hours later at his place. He was heaven sent. Not many people would have trusted a stranger to do that. I think it helped that we were wearing BYU shirts.
Waiting for the first diagnosis
Test driving the Blazer
Moving to a new home
Saying goodbye to Red
The view of the sunset as we drove away from Denver that night
Day 3.5
You thought day 4 was next, right? Nope. To make up for the day in Denver, we drive all through the night. We left Denver at 6pm and made it to Nauvoo the next morning at 10am. Sorry no pictures. But it was dark, and we were driving through Kansas, so you aren't missing much.
Day 4
Nauvoo! I had never been. And I was so tired, I am not sure I can count this one. But it was a blast. We spent mot of the day there and then drove to St. Louis that evening and visited the Arch.
A couple favorite quotes on the Trail of Hope...
This band was awesome.
I liked this. Just seemed too picture perfect. Small town in the midwest, hanging clothes out to dry next to the corn field..
Cartage Jail.
This is the door the mob shot through, you can see the bullet hole on the right side
St. Louis! Sorry I don't have any good pics of the Arch.
Day 5
We drove almost all the way to Durham the next day, stopping in Nashville for a couple hours to get food (Hattie B's, best fried chicken I have ever had) and see some sights.
Day 6
On Friday morning we had just a couple hours left and we made it to Durham by about 10 am. Here are a few pictures of my apartment and Duke.
Cameron. Can't wait to be here for a game.
Walking between buildings on campus is amazing.
My home.
My other home.
Where I sleep.
What I look at before I go to sleep
1 comment:
Love all the pictures and the stories! If we send you more drawings will you put them in your cubicle?
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