The Modern-Day Wagon Train

(aka The Road Trip from Hell)

06/21/2024 – 07/05/2024

The last two weeks were filled with so many emotions. Joy, happiness, excitement, sadness, fear, fear like I’ve never experienced, anger, apprehension and appreciation. You see, late last year our youngest son, Jefferey and his girlfriend, Jess started talking about moving out of the Pacific NW. After a lot of research and scoping out potential areas, they settled on the area around Little Rock, Arkansas. Benton, Arkansas to be exact. We told them when the time came, we would come out and help them with the move. Our trip is called “The Modern-Day Wagon Train”.

Planning the Move

Over the next couple of months, we began talking about the logistics of the move and the route we would take. Jefferey wanted to stop and see some sights along the way. Enter Mom and Dad… let’s go through Montana, get some Huckleberry Shakes. Dip over to Rapid City and see Mt Rushmore and then swing through North Platte to see the World’s Largest Trainyard. Then before we get to Arkansas, we can stop in Kansas City and get some BBQ. Sounds like a great road trip, right?

Logistically, how were we going to get there? Jefferey has two, maybe three vehicles (he was still hoping his semi-tractor would sell before the move), Jess has one. Would we rent a truck and tow the Durango or would we trust the Durango to pull a trailer? Why wouldn’t the Durango pull a trailer? Well, we have to go back to December to answer that one…

Trail Fun Gone Bad

When we were visiting the boys for Christmas we took the jeep and Durango out for a little trail ride hoping to get up into some snow. As we headed out, Jefferey thought it would be fun to ride through some mud puddles. One of the mud puddles got the better of him and killed Dora (the Durango). Water got up into the engine, it hydro locked and bent some internal components. Dora was towed back to Jefferey’s house and there she sat for a few months while he thought about what he wanted to do with her. Replacing the engine was crazy expensive and finding someone to do a rebuild was difficult. So, Dora sat.

 One day in March or April, Jefferey decided to go out and try to start Dora up. Lo and behold, she started up and ran. He began driving her around town a little, testing her out. No trouble at all. Bill and Jefferey replaced the fuel injectors during our visit in April and it was decided then we would use Dora to haul a trailer.

A few weeks before we were scheduled to move, a “check engine” light came on. Seems one of the injectors was misfiring. Jefferey took it to a mechanic and he advised that it would not lose any pressure and we “should” be fine driving it to Arkansas. Should be…

Time for a Road trip

Now here we are. Bill and I put our home into a storage lot in Watkins Glen, NY and found a nice kennel for Kona to stay for two weeks. We drove to Rochester NY and got on a flight to Portland, via Atlanta (but not before playing a little Pong and PacMan at the Arcade Game Hall of Fame display at the Rochester airport ).

FYI flying standby is an adventure in itself. We almost didn’t make the flight to Portland. The flight load looked real good when we arrived into Atlanta but then things went south. The empty seats were getting filled and we were falling down lower on the list. We were sitting at the gate looking for other options when by some miracle our names were called and we were the last two to make it on the plane. I told Bill, “I hope this is a good omen for how the rest of our trip goes.” Famous last words.

Packing the Trailer

We made it to Portland and Chris met us at the gate, which was a very nice surprise. Over the next two days, we had a nice visit with Chris and we all helped get the last few things packed and loaded into the trailer. And Durango…and Passat…and into the cab of the tractor. It seems when we thought we were getting to the end more items appeared. LOL Where is it going to go? Sadly, we could not get everything in and some things had to be left behind. ☹

Round ‘em Up and Move ‘em Out – Day 1

Monday came and it was time to say goodbye to Chris and to Jess’s mom, Teri. Over the weekend I experienced feelings of excitement and sadness. I was excited for Jefferey and Jess and this new chapter in their lives. I was sad because now Chris is alone. He has a great circle of friends and for that I am very grateful but his family has left him. This was not part of the plan! When we started our Full-Time RV Adventure, I envisioned us traveling for 3-4 years then returning to the PNW to pick-up life with the boys. Someone else had a different plan for our family and I’m praying part of that plan is bringing Christopher back east to be closer to all his family (parents, brother, grandparents, aunts & uncles and cousins).

The Modern-Day Wagon Train is all lined up and it is time to start our journey to Benton, Arkansas. We got a much later start than we intended and our goal was to make Spokane. Bill was in the lead position, followed by Jess towing her horse cart, then came me in the loaded down Passat and Jefferey taking the caboose position looking out over all of us in his semi-tractor. Giddy-up!

A Few Short Miles Into The Trip

We barely made it into Oregon before we had to pull over and fix a broken ratchet strap. A short 10-minutes later we are back on the road and heading east through the Columbia River Gorge. I am feeling apprehensive and praying to God that we have a good trip and everyone makes it to Arkansas safely. I pray the Durango holds up and I pray there aren’t any issues with any of the other vehicles.

After a couple of hours, I finally settled into the drive and start to enjoy the scenery and the tunes on the radio. Every once in a while, I’d get nervous as I’d watch a semi pass Bill and see the trailer sway. Sometimes that sway got pretty nasty, at least from where I was sitting. Bill always managed to get the trailer back under control, though. We made it to Spokane safely. Thank you, Lord.

Sways and Passes – Day 2

Everyone is in a good mood and we are ready to get on the road. Our goal today is Hardin MT and we have two big passes to cross in Idaho and Montana. We are all a little anxious to get across the passes and feel if Dora can pull these passes, then we are going to be okay.

As we are driving over to get fuel, Bill has a very bad experience on the freeway. The trailer swayed pretty bad and he came within inches of side-swiping the trailer of a semi. Fortunately, I did not see this as Jefferey and I got caught at a light. Jess said it was not pretty and when Bill gets scared, you know it was bad. Bill and Jefferey decided it would be a good idea to get some sway bars for the trailer. (Personally, I thought there should have been sway bars on there already). Anyway… we found a Harbor Freight and spent a couple of hours in the parking lot installing the sway bars.

Finally, we are on the road and putting some miles behind us. Dora pulls 4^th of July Pass just fine and we take a break at the top of Lookout Pass to let everyone cool down a little bit. But we did it! We got across both passes. I start to relax now as we coast into St Regis and stop for huckleberry milkshakes. Here, we decided to just drive on to Missoula and get some rest. I think the adrenaline was starting to wear off and the late nights were catching up to us. We were all tired.

A New Day – Day 3

After a good night’s sleep, everyone was anxious to get on the road and make up some time so we could see some of the sights we planned on. If we can get to Buffalo WY today maybe we can still stop and see the trains in North Platte. That is the hope. Me and God have another long talk and then I give Dora a little pep talk. She’s gotten us this far; it should be smooth sailing from here. We only have one more large pass to get through.

First Scare

Off we go! Once again, I’m feeling good and relaxed. I am enjoying the ride along the Clark Fork River and looking at the gorgeous Montana mountains. Next thing I know, Jess is riding in the emergency lane… at 60mph! Scared the crap out of me!! She gets back on the freeway like nothing happened. We get down the road a little bit, my nerves are back under control and I give Jefferey a call. “What the heck happened??” He said she was reaching for some baby wipes. WHAT?? No, we don’t do that. We had an understanding, if anyone needs anything, anything at all, we pull over. Period. Jefferey and I spent a few minutes on the phone calming each other down and everyone starts to relax… again. I have another little talk with God.

Shortly after, we pull off to refuel and I go thank Jess for the gray hair she has added to my collection. I tell Bill what happened because apparently, he did not see anything. I reiterated to him, if you need anything at all, pull over. You cannot take your focus off the road, especially towing that wobbly trailer. Promise? Promise.

Second Scare

And we are off again… I am back into the drive, scenery, tunes, yada yada yada and what happens next??? My husband about loses control of the trailer. I watch with horror as the trailer is swaying so bad there is smoke coming from a tire. Jefferey moves his semi into the passing lane to keep traffic back. We are both anticipating the trailer flipping and taking Bill with it. I’m screaming “Dear God, No!” and near tears. And then just like that, I swear the angel that has been assigned with keeping care of us, reaches down and places its finger on that trailer and stops it from waggling. Bill gets control and continues down the road. Meanwhile, I’m fighting back tears and trembling. What happened? He was looking for his glasses. So much for promises…

Dora Blows Her Gasket

Dare I say we settled in again and the drive was going smoothly? We’re about 4 hours into our drive and feeling good. Looks like we will make it to Buffalo WY tonight. WRONG! About 10 miles out of Big Timber, MT Dora had all she could take and blew a hole from the top side of her engine. She is toast. My heart breaks for Jefferey.

If you want to find a bright side here, Bill and I have a membership with a very good roadside service, Coach-net. They have come to our rescue a couple of times now. Today, they rescued us again. In a BIG way! This roadside service covers us and any vehicle we happen to be in; our own, rented, borrowed, whatever. Bill called them up, they were able to locate us on GPS, contacted the local highway patrol and procured a tow truck. The highway patrol called us to make sure we were okay and Coachnet called back several times to check in while we were waiting for the tow to arrive. Great customer service! I highly HIGHLY recommend Coach-net if you own an RV.

Waiting

While we were waiting for the truck to arrive, I played several games of Go Fish with Weston, we made phone calls to the family that was following our progress (or lack of) and we just sat and shook our heads and talked about the next move. Jess was able to reserve a box truck and the plan was to tow the trailer with that.

A little while later, everyone was kind of doing their own thing and just keeping to themselves. Jefferey came out and sat on the tongue of the trailer by himself. I told Bill, “I need to give him a hug”. He asked, “Can I come too?” Or course! So, we walked over to him and I said, “You look like you need a Mom hug. And if you don’t need a hug from your Mom, your Mom needs to give you a hug.” Then we sat and talked a little.

A Blown Tire

The tow truck finally arrived. I think we waited maybe 90 minutes, which really wasn’t that bad considering where we were (in the middle of no where). He got Dora loaded and the trailer hooked up. Bill told him, the trailer was heavy and we have only been travelling about 55-60MPH. Tow truck guy takes off and he starts running 65MPH and 15 minutes down the road a tire on the trailer blows! GREAT!!

We pull into the emergency lane… again… Jefferey sets up his hazzard triangles…again… and the guys get the tire changed. The Modern-Day Wagon Train is back on the road and 90 minutes from Billings. Tow truck guy is now driving 55MPH.

A New Plan – Day 4

I feel like I should mention here what a good sport Weston has been. Every day we talked about getting to the hotel and swimming. (kind of his reward for riding in a car all day) And up until now, we either arrived too late to swim or the hotel we booked did not have a pool. So, after breakfast and before check-out time I took Weston to the pool while his mom exercised the dog and got their stuff packed up.

Our new plan was to pick up the box truck, hook-up and hit the road. While Jefferey, Jess and Bill went to get the truck, Weston and I went to Walmart to restock the cooler. As we were in the checkout lane, I got the call… the box truck was not going to work. The ball on the truck was not the size needed to pull the trailer AND it was not interchangeable. What now?

Team Meeting

We all met up at Olive Garden to brainstorm. I called several other truck rental places with no luck. Jess and Bill called car rental places to possibly secure a pickup with a tow receiver. No luck there either. Bill and I even took a ride out to the airport to scan the rental car lots. Saw several trucks that would work but they were not available for one-way rental. They even looked into having the trailer towed to Arkansas. Super expensive. Jefferey was perusing Craigslist and Marketplace with the thought of purchasing a vehicle to tow the trailer. He found something that might work and set up a time to go look at it.  We checked back into the Howard Johnson’s and Weston got some more time at the pool.

Jefferey said, “We will be on the road tomorrow. Period.” You see, it’s now Thursday night and we have to be in Benton by Sunday. Jess has to report to work on Monday. Bill also has to go back to work on Monday and the temp tag on Jefferey’s semi expires at midnight on Sunday. It is crunch time.

Hoping for a Good Day – Day 5

Bright and early, Jefferey and Bill are off to look at a Tahoe and come back with a Suburban. We all rally, Jefferey, Bill and I head to the salvage yard where the Durango and trailer are being held to transfer everything over to the new vehicle and Jess has a couple of errands to run.

On the way to the salvage yard, Bill got a “check engine” light on the Suburban. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? They plug in the code reader and get an air flow sensor error. Jefferey heads off to the DMV to get the temp tags while Bill and I take care of the trailer and Durango. Once that was done, we all met up at an empty parking lot to rearrange the trailer so the weight is better distributed which will help eliminate some of the sway. Jefferey picked up and installed a new mass airflow sensor as well.

On The Road Again…

FINALLY, we get on the road around 4PM. We make it about 30 miles down the road and… another tire on the trailer blows. SERIOUSLY?? It is now 4:45 on a Friday. As Bill and Jefferey are removing the tire, I am looking for the closest tire shop. They close at 5PM and are about 20 minutes away. I call them up, they will stay open until I get there. Bill throws the shredded tire into the front seat of the Passat and I take off at 80mph (that’s the speed limit in MT).

I made it to Big Sky Tire in Hardin a few minutes after five. As the tire guys are putting a new tire onto the rim, I stand outside and look up to the heavens and pray. Lord, how much more are we supposed to take? What have we done to bring on all this trouble? Please cut us some slack. PLEASE. They load up the repaired tire and I buy second tire and wheel. Now we have two spares.

We all met up at Loves, got some caffeine and the modern-day wagon train hit the highways again. We made it to Rapid City around midnight.

A Busted Axel – Day 6

After a good night’s sleep, we are feeling positive and ready to tackle another day of driving. Who knows, maybe we’ll even get started before two. As we drive over to Perkin’s for some breakfast, I noticed one of the tires on Jess’s trailer was at a slight angle. Am I seeing things? Overreacting? Has it been this way the whole time and I just didn’t notice? With the way this trip is going, I’m not going to take any chances. I tell Jefferey to check the tire.

Well, the weld on the axel broke. There was nothing but sheer luck and God’s will, holding that tire on. How long had it been like that? We have no clue but it couldn’t have been that long. Dear Lord, can we PLEASE CATCH A BREAK? It is late Saturday morning. Jefferey and Bill find a Tractor Supply store that has an axel and we head to their parking lot. Hey, we are getting good at these parking lot repairs. 😊 I have to laugh because the only alternative is to cry.

Is There a Welder in the House?

Turns out the new axel wasn’t the right size. I think it was too big. What are we going to do now? Bill suggested getting the axel rewelded. Jefferey starts looking for a welder. Google showed most of the shops were closed or very close to closing. He started making phone calls and found one that would fix the axel for him and off they went. Meanwhile, Jess, Weston and I hung out in the parking lot. We played more cards, I worked on Chris’s blanket and we chatted and told stories.

The repaired axel is back on the trailer along with a new wheel. It’s 3PM and we are finally starting our drive. Jefferey wants to make Omaha… 9 hours away, without stops.

He’s Testing Us!

It’s a nice afternoon and the drive is going well. Once again, I’m settled in, enjoying the scenery… and you know how the story goes by now. Our wagon leader, Bill, starts slowing down. What’s going on? He pulls off into the emergency lane and limps it up to the next exit. The engine was losing power and trying to protect itself. I am about ready to lose it. My nerves are shot, I’ve lost my ability to laugh and I’m fighting back tears. God, why are you letting this happen to us? What are we missing? What are you trying to show us? I have no clue. Please help. I’m losing faith.

The code reader showed the issue was the air flow sensor again. Jefferey put the old, factory spec, air filter back in. Both him and Bill felt confident that it would be okay. Bill gave me a big hug and told me it was going to be okay and we got back on the freeway.

We made it to Sioux City IA at 3:30AM

The Light at the End of the Tunnel – Day 7

It is Sunday morning and we must make Benton. The wagon train is up and on the road at 11AM with a looonnngg drive day ahead of us. Thankfully it was a good day. We stopped for dinner in Kansas City and had some awesome BBQ. Another pit stop in Joplin MO for some frozen custard. And after few more pit stops along the way to get some caffeine and stretch the legs, we pulled into Benton at 4AM. WE MADE IT! Thank you, Lord!

Home Sweet Home – Day 8

No alarms were set and we all slept in on Monday. Jess was in contact with her new supervisor during the week and they moved her start day to Tuesday, even later if she needed some extra time. We fueled our bodies at the Waffle House next to the hotel and then made the 2 ½ -mile drive to their new home.

We were all surprised by how cute and quirky their new home is. They were very happy to finally be there and to be able to start their new life in Arkansas together. Everything got unloaded and we all chilled out.

Settling In

Over the next few days, the kids slowly got settled into their new digs. Bill worked and I spent some quality time with Weston. Being “Grandma” is fun! We made pinecone birdfeeders, built rafts for a special 4^th of July boat race in the pool, ate popsicles, made ice cream sandwiches, had a pool party, a water-gun fight and read bedtime stories. One evening we snuck away to visit with one of Bill’s cousins who is in town for a few weeks. We all went to Little Rock and enjoyed a concert by the philharmonic orchestra and watched fireworks over the river. It was a great way to end a very stressful road trip.

Always Find the Bright Side

When something bad happens, I am the one who always tries to find the bright side or the silver lining. And I know to some people that can sometimes be annoying. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge the bad stuff and realize maybe there is no bright side. Honestly, that was how I was starting to feel towards the end of the road trip. I’ve had a chance to think about it a little more and here are some of my “bright sides” and maybe a couple of the answers for our struggles:

• Bill and Jefferey had some good bonding moments and they work really well as a team.
• Jess and I got to visit and know each other a little better. She’s a great girl and good match for Jefferey.
• Weston went almost 2 weeks with very little screen time and survived. LOL
• No one lost their cool. We all came close a time or two but we all held it together.
• We got our huckleberry milkshakes and KC BBQ.
• I got more hugs from Jefferey on this trip than I have in the last 3 years! 😉
• Jefferey had a lot of tough decisions to make and handled everything with grace. I am very proud of him.
• NO ONE DIED!

In Closing

My message to anyone moving further than across town… Get a professional mover! LOL That being said, I am very happy we were able to help Jefferey, Jess and Weston get to their new home in Arkansas and would not trade that time with them for anything in the world.

 Wagon Master of the modern-day wagon train signing out.

What’s Next?

We will pick up our New England adventures and head to the Adirondacks.