Grand Canyon Trip -

The Break Downs

Back in the archives of our family is the famous "Trip" to Lake Powell. What makes this trip stand out so far above the other 30 trips to Lake Powell was the break downs (8 flat tires. 10 hours of travel there and back turned into something like 25 hours)

I try very to hard to avoid these types of trips. But every now and then, they hit. Our Grand Canyon adventure turned into another trip for the archives of our family history.

Here's a list of the problems:

1. 15 miles short of camp the trailer we were pulling with all the camping supplies got a flat tire.
2. Ron continued driving on it very slowly getting as close to camp as possible. 10 miles short of camp, the axle on it broke. The trailer is really done for now.
3. Piled as much of our camping gear as possible on top of me in the bousa car and continued on.
4. Kim starts setting up camp while Ron goes back for the rest of the gear.
5. Kim discovers the the ride out was so bumpy in the trailer that the ice chest was a mess. The eggs were all broken and swimming around in the ice water (major yuck). The foil dinners were wet and mangled. The crate with the kitchen dry goods and pans didn't fare any better. The salt container ruptured, everything had been just beat to death.
6. We're going to make the best of this and a fire was started, foil dinners rewrapped and cooked. Not too bad - but they could have been better.
7. The air mattress had a leak. 'nuf said.
8. Ron and Matt discussed many plans of how to get all of us, our gear, and out of commission trailer home.
9. We head out on our way home and a wheel on the bousa car almost falls off. After 90 minutes we take off. (1 p.m.)
10. It broke again. Another 90 minute fix.
11. Catch up with Matt and Ashley who had been sitting for 3 hours on the side of the road. Oil is leaking from Matt's motorcycle. The night before he took a tumble and the kickstand came up and put a hole in some part that hold the oil for the engine. We put half of a quart in the bike and keep going. (3 p.m.)
12. Matt was in the lead and took a wrong turn at a fork in the road. Ashley followed. Ron was last screaming at them that they're headed the wrong way. Ron drove insanely crazy to catch up to them and turn the back in the right direction. My eyes were closed. (6:30 p.m.)
13. Put more oil in Matt's bike.
14. Get 26 miles short of Mesquite and Matt's bike needs to stop so it doesn't totally run out of oil and burn up the engine. We leave him with a camelpack of water, backpack of fruit roll ups, beef jerkey, and granola bars. He will wait 3 hours...again. (7:30 p.m.)
15. Get to Mesquite. Ashley and I go buy JB Weld and oil. Ron heads back to Matt, Ashley & I get in one of the trucks, drive through Jack in the Box, and get on I-15. (8 p.m.)
16. Just as I get to the Bunkerville area, Ron calls and says his car is broken, come back.
17. We get to Ron 8 miles up the trail. He jumps in the truck with us and we start the s...l...o...w trip up the trail at about 15 mph. (9 p.m.)
18. After a few minutes, the stick that was holding the back window up broke. This problem started a few hours before we left on Friday, the window was proped in the closed position but the road was so rough it broke. Ashley was holding on to the window. If it fell inside the door, it would break for sure. Ron stops on the trail and takes the door panel off, removes the glass, and we continue on with an open window.
19. Get to Matt, JB Weld the oil pan, add oil. Ron gets on the motorcycle because he is more experienced and can ride in the dark back to Mesquite faster. Matt joins Ashley & I in the truck and we're going to s...l...o...w...l...y go back on the trail to where the bousa car is, Ron will ride into Mesquite get his truck and trailer and meet us back there. (10:30 p.m.)
20. Using the tripometer, we get back to the spot where the bousa car is and find it hid off the trail. Where's Ron?
21. 5 minutes later we see his head lights heading ever so slowly up the trail
22. Then we can hear him. Thud, thud, thud.
23. Ron has a flat tire on his truck.
24. Wait around to see that Ron & Matt have lights, right size socket, and a spare. Check, all tools necessary - they're on there own. Ashley and I head back down the remaining 8 miles of the trail to Mesquite.
25. Get gas and caffeine to keep me awake on the way home. (11:30)
26. FINALLY 12 hours after we started, and 6 hours later than we thought we'd be, we got home. (12:30)
27. Matt & Ron got home at 2 a.m.

Our camp is still set up. The trailer is still on the side of the trail broken.

On Sunday, Matt & Ron leave at 10 a.m., head to St. George to get on a better trail that's driveable. Go to the camp. Get all our gear packed up. Go to the broken trailer, put it on another trailer that they had pulled out there, and brought it all home. They get back again at 11 p.m. Sunday night.

What a FUN weekend!

Ron & I have had some discussions on our different definitions of the word FUN. Ron loved the trip. I was anxious, nervous, worried, scared. Not my idea of fun. Today, in Scotty's Mother's Day Call, after he got done talking to everyone that was there, Ron got on the phone. All he wanted to know about was the trip mom wrote him about. He asked Ron if all those things really went wrong. Then he said, "How fun. I can't believe I missed such a great trip. I can't wait to get back home and go with you."

Those boys and their idea of fun.