Rules of the Road, Part 3: The Mechanics of a Road Trip
The final installment of a dozen rules discovered while on a summer road trip
I may have failed to mention one factor of our road trip this year—truck trouble.
At least it wasn’t trailer trouble—Because this year, we made sure we were prepared for our road trip.
Every year since we purchased our trailer, we’ve had an issue with one thing or another—a faulty propane line, water siphoning out of the tank, or the refrigerator not working properly. One after another—and sometimes more than one—we have to deal with camper issues. Unfortunately, we don’t always know there’s a problem until we’re on vacation.
My husband, being a handy kind of guy, can usually fix the issue. Like the time we were headed to Alaska and the siding on the front of our trailer came loose and flew up like a dress in the wind. He got out his cordless drill and some fancy metal screws, smoothed it out, fastened it down, and we were back on the road in nothing flat.
But sometimes we have to call in a professional to help us out. This spring, we decided to hire someone to deal with a list of niggling issues in our camper before we left on our trip. He came out to our house, determined what was causing the problems, got the parts, and fixed everything. Done! We were thrilled.
Getting ready for a road trip
So then we took our truck to the shop so it would be ready to go. After all, we planned to travel a few thousand miles. Best to make sure everything was copacetic (Word of the day. I got it from my brother. It means “in excellent order.” You’re welcome.) before we hit the road. Done. We might have winced a bit at the price tag, but hey, keeping vehicles running well takes a certain amount of maintenance. And a certain amount of credit available on your credit card.
And then we set off.
You know how your truck likes to stall when you make a right-hand turn, but when you take it to your mechanic, he can’t find anything wrong? And it doesn’t happen again until you’re in the middle of nowhere? In 96-degree heat and pulling a camper trailer? On a weekend?
Yeah. That.
Oh, and then the power steering fails.
Yep. That, too.
First, we pulled out some tools and tried to fix it. Then, we limped along on curvy roads until we were both exhausted. Him—from gripping and yanking the steering wheel in an attempt to drive without power steering. Me—from gripping the door with one hand and the seat with the other. And gritting my teeth and holding my breath while Google Maps led us thru a neighborhood on single-lane roads, and the digital voice kept saying “In 100 ft, turn right”—just because it was the most fuel-efficient route. All the while, there was an excellent (straighter, wider—SAFER) highway we could have taken just a few miles further up the road. Google may be smart, but it’s not necessarily wise.
Finally, we got to our campground and set up camp. Then we plopped into our camp chairs with some cool beverages, trying to unclamp our jaws and fists.
When Monday morning came, we started making calls.
We climbed back in the truck, left the camper at the campground, and very carefully made our way to Franklin, North Carolina, where we found a shop willing to fit us in that afternoon. They worked late to diagnose the problems—there were more than one—while we sat in the waiting room. They let us know what the issues were, how much they would cost to fix, and warned us that getting parts is not as easy as it used to be. And they didn’t stick it to us, price-wise, even though we were at their mercy. They even checked back with us a couple days later, just to make sure we weren’t having any more problems. Altogether, they took extremely good care of us and my husband’s truck.
I may or may not have disowned it.
Thank heaven for good people in unfamiliar places
The experience reminded me of a different road trip we took when our kids were ‘tweens and teens, and we pulled into New Jersey a few hours later than we hoped. As in: after midnight.
(This was PSP. You know—pre-SmartPhones—when you had to find your own way using directions supplied by the hotel when you called to make a reservation.)
When we left the interstate we could see the sign for our hotel. We followed our written directions, but once we’d made a few turns, the hotel—and the sign—disappeared! We drove up and down the street a few times looking for it, took a corner, then another, and then stopped at a gas station to fill up.
A man of Middle Eastern descent drove a taxi up to the pump opposite ours, and my husband asked him how to get to the hotel, showing him the address. He pointed down the street, then paused. He looked at our Colorado license plate, my husband in his cowboy boots, and our Suburban packed to the gills and overflowing with kids and suitcases and camping gear. Then he shook his head and, in hard-to-understand English and hand gestures, indicated that we should follow him.
More than a little concerned about just where in the city he might lead us—we were in New Jersey in the middle of the night for goodness sake—I dug out some cash. We’d pay him for his time and miles just like we would if we’d all piled into the taxi’s backseat, of course. But that sweet New Jersey man kindly led us straight to the hotel, gestured to the entrance and sped off, leaving me with my cash in my hand and the realization that he’d gone out of his way to help strangers, expecting nothing in return.
Rule 9: For the most part, small-town business people are a lot of hard-working, honest people who care about doing a good job. Trust them. They’re professionals.
Rule 10: Don’t ever think there aren’t a lot of people out there willing to go the extra mile to help another person, without expecting to be thanked or lauded for it. They’re out there, even if you don’t recognize them at first.
Navigational error
While we’re traveling, we love to listen to audiobooks. They make the miles fly by. It’s great just relaxing and getting lost in the story and enjoying the sights.
Until you suddenly realize that you have just taken an exit you didn’t mean to take.
You know, there you are, driving along, listening to murder on your audiobook, wondering if the bad guy is going to step out and shoot the detective. Suddenly there’s a sign and the road splits and you’re now headed to Mississippi instead of North Carolina.
Blame it on the audiobook. Blame it on the fact that you’re surrounded by other vehicles, and you’re just kind of swept along toward a destination you did not choose.
It’s so easy to let that happen.
You’re in the right lane at first, on the highway you’re supposed to be on, minding your own business. You’re obeying traffic laws and watching people whiz past in their hot little cars. It’s obvious they don’t understand just how powerful and deadly the force of momentum can be.
Then you get comfortable, going along with everyone else, allowing your attention to be captured by your current mode of entertainment. Trusting too much in an app on your chosen device to tell you when to stop and when to go, and what turns to make. Then it’s too late, and you’re blocked in on all sides, and there’s no way to pull off, to get out and away from the stream of people headed to God-knows-where.
And you, too, fall victim to momentum.
Luckily when that happened to us, we found a place where it was safe to pull over, put the truck in park, and reconnected with a map. Then we turned around and headed in the direction that would take us to our chosen destination.
We survived.
And as far as we know, we didn’t hurt anyone. We’re hoping the people who were following us got to the right place.
“We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road…” -C.S. Lewis
Rule 11: Pay attention to your own route.
Don’t be swept along by the current tide down a road that leads in a direction you don’t want to go.
Don’t expect anyone to follow you, just because it’s the way you choose.
It might be lonely, it might not be as convenient, and it might cost more money.
Rule 12: It’s okay to pull off of the road for a while to determine whether you’re going the right way.
Make sure you’re using the right map.
Been on a road trip lately? Discover anything new? Or did you stay home instead, because you have to work? Did you have a chance to help a traveler?
Going on a road trip soon? Where are you headed? Got a map?
Share your story in the comments section below.
