In the end it always works out!
It was all set. This day would be one of those epic days that happen only occasionally throughout our lives, but that we remember forever.
Having just visited friends, it was a short drive to the Field of Dream Movie site (see previous blog), have a catch, then drive just another hour to our camping spot for the night. A perfectly level, paved, large private parking lot at a winery that had excellent pizza. Ahh, music to our ears. We hadn’t eaten out in quite a while and love sampling local pizza through our travels. This Harvest Host location would be a perfect spot to relax for a night as we were halfway on our journey from Wyoming to Virginia.
As we left Field of Dreams and rode in silence for a bit taking in the moment, I decided we should top off the gas tank just in case. “Just in case” is a great way of thinking when you are traveling with your home behind you all the time. Get some water at the campground before you leave, “just in case”, the next spot is having issues with water. Dump your tanks even if they are not full, “just in case” it’s closed at the next place. Charge your batteries, “just in case” … You get the point. It’s a way of making sure you are rolling into any situation prepared for a least a little while.
So, “just in case” we needed a full tank of gas, we pulled into the small gas station. The green price on the sign, the green handle on the pump, no further assistance required. Ahh, it’s good to be in America again after traveling so many months in Mexico and having to remember there the diesel pumps are black and not green. So much easier this way!
Easy money! Time to head back to the highway and settle in for a ride of reflection and looking ahead with excitement.
Then it happened, one of my biggest fears came to life.
Why was the King (our Ford F250) running much louder than normal? Then it started making strange noises. Chugging, then lurching forward, no warning lights on, we kept going. Again, it chugged, lurched and kept laboring down the road. Damn it I thought! We were on a small two-lane highway between major routes taking us to our destination. This was no place to break down. Come on King, keep going, as Andrea asked me “you put diesel in, right?” “Of course,” was my only response, the hose was green, the price sign was green, it had to be diesel. Again, the truck chugged, lurched and labored forward.
A sight we never wanted to see!
When we reached the major highway, it was time to pull off the road and assess. No leaking from the engine, no warning lights on, all gauges looked normal. Let’s restart the King and see what happens. ☹
Clicking, clicking, clicking, all the lights coming on but not the engine! Buckets!
Here we are broken down on the eastern edge of Iowa with a week to get to work in Virginia. Our truck was not running, and our house was sitting behind it on the side of a busy highway.
About an hour later, roadside assistance (no names but we won’t use them ever again) called me back to let me know they couldn’t find a tow truck that could bring the Queen to a campground for the night. They suggested we lock it up and leave in on the side of the road until Monday. Uhh, leaving our house and everything we own on the side of a highway for two days didn’t seem like a great option to either Andrea or me.
At this moment everything seemed lost! Here we were stranded in a place we had never been, and seemingly out of options. Morale was low to say the least.
Defeated, I googled “tow companies near me” and found a listing for Beidler Towing. They had good reviews and were in the town of Dubuque about 15 minutes away. So, I called, prepared to get the run around.
The lady that answered the phone could not have been nicer! She listened, and with confidence let me know she could get two tow trucks out to us quickly. They’d tow the King into a shop and take the Queen to the campground, Andrea had called to secure one of the last spots for the night. Whew, what a relief to hear this.
What the hell I thought as I prepared to ask the next question.
“Do you know of a local mechanic that works on Saturday’s that could see about getting us on the road tomorrow?” She thought for a minute then told me to call Westside Automotive, even though they are closed sometimes they’ll answer the phones and take work if they don’t have anything going on.
After a quick google search for reviews, I was on the phone with someone from Westside automotive! I told him the symptoms the King was experiencing and without much hesitation he said, “you put gas in a diesel”. What? How could I have done that? He asked where I got the gas, I told him and he let me know that station lists all prices in green and has no diesel.
Then he said just what I wanted to hear, “have them bring me your truck, we will pump out the gas, clean filters, refill it with diesel and you should be good to go”. Cue the heavenly angel music and big sighs of relief! Let’s hope he was right.
Off went the king to the shop, Andrea, Otis, and I jumped in the other tow truck to take the Queen to our home for the night. A small little city campground right on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. It was not much to look at, tight quarters, and shared common areas, but after an afternoon like this we would take it!
About two hours later, the King was delivered to us. Thankfully, we didn’t drive far enough to cause major damage. It was running like normal, and we would be back on the road in the morning!
An amazing view we only got to enjoy because of this experience.
That Saturday night we sat on a riverbank in a place we never thought we’d be, watching boats race by, large barges hauling cargo going against the current, and talking with locals who felt like the luckiest people alive to have secured a spot in this campground for the weekend. What a perspective shift this was for us!
This event was another great reminder of the awesome people that live among us and the randomness of life deciding if we will or won’t meet. It’s also a reminder to slow down, listen, and enjoy the friends, family, strangers, that we get to be in the presence of no matter the circumstances that brought you together.
Some of new favorite people in Debeque, Iowa!
We were grateful to everyone who played a part in this story we will never forget!
See you all down the road and not on the side of it 😊