Keith drove a rental to Amy & Kevin's to visit and bring back my sweet green car.
Kevin's mechanic got him running beautifully, so that even in blinding snow, Keith made it home.
That's the end of the story, the beginning started in October 2010.
I decided a road trip to Mom & Dad's would be just the ticket, no planes or trains, I wanted the thrill of the black top.
I've been on many a road trip - in the 60's with the family from Panama to Wisconsin in a VW Bus, in the 80's with the kids driving from Louisiana to Winnipeg to visit Mary and her kids, to the 90's in our big bust out of Louisiana in a rented U-Haul to Seattle, Richard & Arlene.
This would be my first all by myself, but I was game and prepared.
Keith got Kermit checked out by the local mechanic, I had my route mapped out, my favorite foods in the cooler for picnics and my lucky charm - Edgar - what could go wrong?
3 in 1 - The Father, the Son and the.... sweetest baseball player the Mariners will ever have!
yummy bologna sandwich, mayo, butter....darn good
Just before the rain came down, crazy hard.
First stop - Livingston Montana - grand old hotel
on the road with the sun rising....
then this...over heated engine - woe is me - called Keith on our newly purchased cell phone - "what do I do?"
Back to Livingston - two mechanic shops and lots of walking around town....
The water pump busted, causing the thermostat to stick or something. With new parts on the engine and old parts in the back floor board ....
I'm back on the road again....taking side roads, tired of the big interstate...
Nebraska
Edgar points the way...
to Missouri...
visiting my brother Jehd & his wife Cheryl
In my short visit they took me on so many rides - the gator, the bass boat,
not this cool old plane,
but yes on their Baby - a very sweet Cessna...
a birds eye view of their home.
their are a lot of trees in Missouri!
I had a great time with them, loved their home and playing card games and eating home made pizza, Jehd's specialty!
On the road again - driving to Louisiana.
Every visit to Louisiana includes stopping by St. Joseph and seeing Mrs. Mac.
Sisters!!
Sisters!!!
and more games!
and of course I visit my family, by brother Ed and his wife Mitzi,
and my sweet Mom & Dad
always a good time!
My bro getting me ready for the road again.
First stop, Shreveport - my "cuz" Kim.
Next stop Amarillo.
No, no, no! Busted down in Santa Fe,
Ominous with the crows circling above..
ends with a tow, me to the hotel and Kermit to the VW place.
While I waited I took a walking tour and
drank....and ate.
Two days later I'm on the road again....
only to break down again - 5 hours after being "fixed" on a
snowy, isolated mountain road with no cell phone service. I wave down a car - a 1950 jalopy for pity sake... his cell phone had service, so I called Farm Tow yet again and waited 2 hours by myself for the tow truck...
it just kept snowing...
Kermit didn't like it!
deja vue
This break down (and if you are keeping track it's number three!) happened on a Friday afternoon, when the town of Durango is shut down for the weekend. I couldn't get anything done until Monday. So in the mean time I happened upon this cool nature trail...
Come Monday, after many phone calls between me and Keith and my brothers and folks it was decided that I would hop a Greyhound home and get a trucking service to bring Kermit back to Washington.
On the bus...
which involved a 6 hour lay over (during the night) in Salt Lake, puking babies, snow delayed buses, missing bus connections because of delayed buses, serpentine belts being lost, and too many stories for a two day trip, that ended happy with a shared ride with a fellow traveler and his wife who picked us up in Ellensburg and took me to Wenatchee where Keith scooped me up in his arms to never let me go again.
OK that was a bit dramatic but it felt like that at the time.
"Nothing but Blue Skies do I see"
So the trucking service didn't pan out, but lucky for us Kevin's family came to our rescue, a friend of theirs brought Kermit with a rented tow thing to their house and their capable hands which brings us back to the beginning where Keith drove to their house for a visit. Next post will be photos of his trip.
It's good to have the VW back. Thanks so much to everyone who helped me out along the way!!
This road trip just called out to Keith and his song writing mojo... "Me and My Beetle Kermee"
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