Tuesday December 12, 2023
After a pretty good sleep in Grand Island, we were up early and on the road at a pretty good time. Ian and Kimball had slept on their new backpacking mattresses on the ground, and they both did well -- although Ian’s asthma continues to be a problem for him.
The drive from Grand Island into Wyoming went really smoothly. The kids and Betty slept most of the way, and we just churned out a lot of miles. The kids each have a phone that has a few movies downloaded onto it. So there are times on the road that we tell them it’s movie time, and they can watch what they want. But after a couple of hours, we have them turn off the phones so that we can chat.
One funny conversation we had during this part of the drive was about family nicknames for the trip. Kimball is easy -- he’s called Mapas because he loves following along on his phone and letting me know the directions. Anahi is The Invisible Woman because she sits in the very back, puts in her headphones, and kind of disappears. Ian is Wheezy and Alicia is La Torre de Control (The Control Tower) for reasons that will be obvious to anyone who spends time with us. Betty is Aceititos (the oily one) because she’s always rubbing these essential oils on her head to help with headaches in the car. The kids also call her Crunchy (like granola) because she is generally into health and wellness and drinking green juices and such. And River is The Super Sniffer because she always tells us when it’s stinky in the car. I’m El Pacificador because I spend a lot of time stepping in when people start bickering.
As we moved into Wyoming, the sky became overcast with these pillowy clouds that made us feel like we were driving under a quilt. But as we drew closer to Cheyenne, we climbed higher and higher, and the clouds got lower and lower, and they lost their definition. At a gas station several miles before Cheyenne, a cop told us to be careful because there was a big patch of freezing fog between us and Laramie. We thanked him for the warning, and headed on our way.
The next hour or so were truly harrowing.
The fog started just after we left that gas station. It quickly became so thick that we could hardly see 20 or 30 feet in front of us. It formed droplets on the windshield, like rain, but it was filthy because of all the trucks. When I tried to clean the windshield with the wipers, the wiper fluid froze instantly, and I couldn’t see a thing. I cranked up the heat on the defroster, and after a terrifying minute the ice melted and cleared. I was so grateful to be driving in the big Sequoia with four wheel drive. I told the kids to put on their movies, and then Betty and I worked together, peering into the fog to try to see what was coming up. It was intense.
It was such a relief to drop out of the mountains and into Laramie, where we were greeted with incredible views of the surrounding mountains.
By then it was lunch time, so we stopped at Walmart to get some crackers and cheese and salami and fruit. If you have never been to the Walmart in Laramie, let me tell you it is truly something else. The kids couldn’t stop telling me how amazing it was, and I was kind of in awe as well. It’s huge and bright and just feels ... fancy. Whoever is in charge there is doing a bang-up job.
We had to make a quick potty stop at a rest stop just outside Laramie. It used to drive me crazy when we would have to stop for the loo just after a long stop for food, but I’ve come to just expect it. It’s just part of the deal. This time I took advantage of the time to snap a few pictures. I’m so glad I did because this raven was working the camera, and this mountain was begging to be photographed.
After that we swapped drivers, and I taught a seminary lesson to the kids. In our church, the high schoolers attend a class called seminary in which they study scriptures. Inside of Utah, seminary happens during the school day, and the students are released from school to attend. Outside of Utah, seminary happens at 6am every school day. In order to make sure that they are all able to graduate from seminary at the end of their four years of high school, Betty and I were called as seminary teachers for our kids. So as Betty drove, we all had a great discussion about the Book of Revelation. The lesson for today was from Revelation 2-3, and it dealt with the idea that God “knows [our] works,” the good and the bad. We all know that He watches us, but too often we can come to feel like we are always disappointing Him. But in Revelation 2:19, He says “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works.” I think it’s good to know that he appreciates the good things that we do.
Now for a word about our vehicle situation. We currently drive a 2006 Toyota Sequoia. It’s the second in a row that we’ve had. Our first was totaled when Ian and I were hit while driving on the freeway and we rolled. We were so thankful for how well we were protected during that accident that we decided to get another one.
Well, this Sequoia now has 290,000 miles (we actually crossed that milestone today!), and it’s starting to show some of its age. A few days before we left on the trip, I took it in for an inspection, and they told me that it needed a new rack and pinion and cv joints. They strongly recommended that we not take it across the country without getting those things fixed. We didn’t love the idea of pouring a bunch more money into a vehicle that we were going to need to replace soon anyway, so after a panicky day of trying to find a new vehicle in Hillsdale, we decided to say a prayer and hope that we would make it to Utah.
So on the road in Wyoming, I called our good friend Moroni (he used to own a dealership in Pleasant Grove), and he recommended we take the Sequoia to LKC Automotive and Towing (also in PG). I called them and spoke with Lewis, who after hearing my story about the Sequoia said he would take a look at it, but that he was pretty sure we would be driving away from Utah in a new vehicle.
It wasn’t the news we were hoping for, but we set an appointment for the car to be checked out tomorrow.
Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we reached Utah. I was sad not to see the mountains, but so happy to be back. It’s been over two years since we’ve been out here. I love Michigan, but there is just something great about being home.
It was such a joy to pull in front of the house and give Mom and Dad a giant hug. My sister Annie was there to greet us as well. There is nothing quite like the embrace of family after so much time apart.
As we tucked everyone into bed, the kids started up with the most common question on this trip: What are we going to do tomorrow?
Hours on the road: 13
Miles traveled: 815
Total miles on the trip: 1,600