The trip to get from Utah to Ohio was unreal. I'll try to keep this
relatively brief, but there is no way that I can explain the intense
frustration or the incredible gratitude I felt during this trip.
On Wednesday, the 9th, we picked up our truck, and the trailer that we
would use to tow the car across the country. We packed up the truck,
and headed up to Roy. My brother was flying in to SLC from Ohio on
Thursday to help me with the drive (he has a commercial driver license
and is a great driver to have around), and Becca was flying out of SLC
on Saturday. Michelle and Nate were kind enough to let us stay there
until we left at our respective times.
Thursday the 10th was the worst experience I have ever had with travel.
My brother was initially going to fly in to SLC at 7:30. We had
learned that there was going to be a hum dinger of a storm coming
through Utah and Wyoming. And Wyoming is horrible to drive through no
matter what, but when you throw in snow, wind, and the steep inclines
and declines, it can be downright dangerous. So with that in mind, we
changed my brothers flight to 10:20 so we could be out of Utah and
mostly through Wyoming before the storm hit at 3:00.
Around 9:30, Becca and I left to put the car on the trailer so I could
go and pick up my brother. As we drove the car onto the trailer, the
tongue broke, and rendered the trailer completely useless. We contacted
Budget (the company that owned the truck/trailer), and they said they
would get back to us. At 11:00, they said that within an hour someone
would be able to pick up the trailer, and then we could pick up another
trailer in North Salt Lake. That would put us on the road with the new
trailer at around 1:00, and we still might be able to beat the storm.
Or so we thought. Long story short, we didn't get everything until
4:45, with 6-8 inches of snow on the ground, and all the roads in
Wyoming were closed. I was not happy. At least Michelle and Nate
provided great company and a place to stay.
This is already getting long, so even though I could go into great depth
on how furious I was with the company, their mismangagement, and
incompetence, suffice it to say I was angry and a huge grumpy face.
Then came Friday. Somehow Hans (my bro) and I were able to leave in the
afternoon! It was a miracle. We were thinking we might not have left
until Monday. We got the car on the trailer with no problem. It's
important to note that on the trailer, all 4 tires are off the ground,
and the only thing really holding the car in place are two nets made of
seatbelt material that you tighten down with a winch so the car doesn't
go anywhere.
As we were driving, we were saying prayers of thanks at one moment
because the roads were spotless, and then praying to be able to see the
roads the next. It was shocking how fast conditions would change. At
one moment, we were going up hill on an icy patch, and the truck started
to fish tail. I think the trailer acted as an achor and kept us on
track, but it was scary. After a few hours, we stopped to get some gas.
While I was filling the truck up, I decided to go back and check on the
car. To my horror and awe, the nets holding the car in place had both
fallen off. All that had kept the car in place was the fact that it had
been in park. We had been going up and down steep hills, and the
trailer was covered in ice. There was no visible metal at all. I have
no idea what kept the car from falling off, but I am so incredibly
grateful that we hadn't lost the car and caused a wreck at the same
time. I put the nets back on, and they (thankfully) stayed on for the
rest of the trip.
We drove non-stop for 31 hours, and even though we didn't sleep, we were
alert and could drive just fine. I'm grateful for the prayers offered
on our behalf, and for the fact that Beck and Trevor made it to Ohio
safely as well. Without a doubt this was the worst trip of my life, but
it was a huge blessing because it made me so aware that the Lord knows
what we need. The trip helped me put into perspective what's important
(family, safety, being in tune to the Spirit, having more consistant
communication with Heavenly Father) as opposed to what isn't quite so
important (personal plans, or our own desires...like getting home at a
certain hour).
At any rate, I don't mean to preach, but the trip was truly horrible,
but I'm extremely thankful for the outcome of it, and for any prayers or
thoughts from you guys. You all rock.
This is Beck. Mine and Trevor's trip wasn't nearly as bad. I definitely did my share of worrying, but that's about as bad as it got. I was super nervous to fly with Trevor by myself, but he was a champ. (Minus the 4 - that's right 4 times he decided to go #2 at airports/on airplanes, and the one time he threw up. Other than that, nothing major.) We almost missed our connecting flight because of the time it took to de-ice the first airplane, but thankfully we made it in time, and the flight was only like half full, so we got our own row. It was awesome. It was a little less awesome when I got yelled at multiple times by multiple flight attendants for trying to change Trevor's stinky diaper while that plane was being de-iced. But you win some, you lose some.
Mostly I am just very thankful that we all made it here safely, and for all the prayers from everyone that helped to make it that way. Also, a huge thank you to Hans for taking time off of work and missing his daughter's birthday party so he could come out and wait in a freezing cold parking lot for hours in a snow storm for the dumb truck guy to get there, and then driving across the country in very less than ideal conditions so we could get all our stuff out here. Don't know what we would have done without him. Thank you!
