The long trailer

I know, what a strange title for a blog post…but it’s fitting and let me tell you why.

So,  we went on a vacation, not a long one, but one to central Idaho to meet up with the real Andre (you’ll meet Andre in another blog posting) and her family as well as visit Sagle, Idaho, the town Cheyenne was living in when the whole story started.

This trip had been planned out by our spouses since January. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. The original plan was to meet up with Andre and her family in Dworshak State Park. Camp and fish for the week (just to be clear, the boys fish, I watch). They had a trailer and we were going to tent it…and thus the real story begins. *whines in the background* I don’t like to sleep on the hard ground anymore.

So about a week before the scheduled trip my hubby decided he wanted to go to the wonderful RV store nearby…Camping World. The name itself should say enough. It’s like Campers/RV’s on steroids. Seriously. They have acres of motorhomes, trailers and everything imaginable as far as the eye can see…and sales people waiting at the door ready to pounce the moment you enter.

They also have free popcorn and water…which kind makes it like a drive-in cuz they drive you around the Camping World grounds in golf carts while you munch on your popcorn only to get kernels and such stuck in your teeth that will never come out (yes, that’s a story for another time)!

Anyway, we view several used trailers with nothing really standing out and depart…no biggie. I’d planned on sleeping on the hard ground, was actually looking forward to having a branch and or rock wedged in by back for about a week…

You see, my hubby isn’t a spender…so imagine my surprise when a day, yes, I said a day before we are about to depart he purchased a used trailer. Of course my initial reaction wasn’t, “Who are you and what did you do with my husband?” My reaction was, “I don’t know who you are, but I like you, and I’m going to keep you, just don’t tell my husband!”


So the deal was that they’d have it ready to go by 10 a.m. the following morning so we could leave on my husbands “trip schedule” and all would be right…never believe it when they say “sure” so easily.

So…we finally departed Camping World by 4 p.m. only to arrive at home and literally toss everything into the trailer. It’s about 98 degrees outside and I’m sweating like a pig by the time I finally sit down in the truck, ready to relax and let the hubby take over. We hit the road by 5:30, pumped, sweaty, but yet excited because we wouldn’t have to sleep on the hard ground anymore! *happy dance*

We had a few hiccups along the way, the first being that the trucks “check engine” light came on while driving up a mountain pass, the elevation, 4600 feet… Yeah, that’s loads of fun because I was the one on side of the road with the huge drop off.

Now, mind you that it is 10 p.m. when the engine light comes on (and yes I can still see the huge drop off, I have superior night vision, which will come into play later on in this story). The service for our cells were at zero. And all I can say is thank God my oldest knows about engines! All those years of shop class and his training as ISU to be an aviation mechanic has finally come back around to us! *high fives self*

By the time we made it down the backside of the pass and stopped at a local gas station, my son came to the conclusion that it probably had to do with the oxygen sensor on the truck…one crisis averted.

The second smaller hiccup came when google maps told me that it’d take us 2 1/2 hours to travel 78 miles to the campsite. I scoffed, said goggle maps was crazy…until 2 1/2 hours later we finally reached the entrance to the campgrounds. *grumbles, stupid Google maps*.

This is where the third, and biggest hiccup of the trip started…

It’s now midnight, the small, narrow road leading into Dworshak Campground is dark and windy and steep, and when the signs say to take a hairpin turn at 10 mpg, they mean it. *shivers from the memory of white knuckles on the dashboard*

The truck is quiet as the hubby makes the drive down the steep grade…while our oldest son is in the background behind his dad giving him suggestions to help ease the load on the trucks engine…and strongly suggested that he didn’t downshift until they knew for sure why the “check engine” light came on.

We finally make it to the bottom when my hubby finally stops the truck…okay, he glided through the Rangers station till he could finally stop again. Smoke is pouring out from the wheels…the brakes were actually glowing red. *wishes I’d thought to take a pic at the time, I’d have been sooo cool!* So, after waiting for a few moments we depart trying to find our camping spot…and then the real fun begins.

So my “job” is to be the navigator of sorts. Have you ever tried to read a sign at midnight that was no larger than say two feet tall, it’s background was dark brown and the white print wasn’t that large, and you’ve never been to this campground before that contains NO MAPS? *yes, I have super night vision, but only when I want to!* Anyway it didn’t go so well for me. Here’s what our conversation looked like…

Me: “I think we missed it…”

Hubby: “What?! How can you miss it? That’s your sole job! You’re supposed to read the signs!”

Me: “I can’t read in the dark, especially when you’re driving too fast!”

Hubby: “That’s your one job!”

Me: “You need to turn around!”

Hubby: “How the heck…”

Well, you get the point. By the time we finally found the right campsite, turned down the squeaking jacks and entered the trailer only to find out that the electrical wasn’t working…I knew someone was going to die that night, and I was putting my bets on the hubby. Images of a pillow accidentally finding it’s way over his head popped to the forefront. And yes, I did go there, but seriously I’m just kidding!

No one managed to die, but the next morning wasn’t really any brighter. We discovered that the technician at Camping World, who had generously wound the trailer cable around the hitch, combined with the hairpin turns…well, it caused the trailer brakes/electrical cable to get severed. Honestly, it was a miracle that we even made it down the road to the ranger station. So, not only did the wiring for the electrical/brake cable get sliced, it also shorted out a few fuses in the trailer thus rendering it powerless.

There is a bright side to this story, we drove into town the next morning to get fuses and whatever other tools my son needed to make the repairs and returned to a functioning trailer. And most important of all…no one needlessly died. 🙂

Stay tuned for Part II