October Road Trip

Our perpetual pile of items destined for Sigh-Bar was getting pretty deep, so Lee decided to fill up a U-Haul trailer and combine a 4100-mile road trip with his goal to finish the barn roof before the snow flies. With the help of Ben & Belle, and Brock Gunderson (our home teacher), we loaded the trailer, and had time enough to sit on the patio and share some pizza. By 5:45 the next morning we were on our way...

We spent the night in Albuquerque, then headed out early again on day #2. As we were going down Spanish Fork Canyon we started to notice a growl in the front left tire, so we drove straight to the Big O Tire Store in Payson, arriving just after 5:00 p.m. They were able to quickly diagnose a worn out wheel bearing, and went straight to work on the repair. The mechanic loaned Lee his car so that he could drop me off in Santaquin and I could visit with Dad while they repaired the wheel bearing. We were so grateful for the super customer service of the guys who stayed late to fix the truck and help us out. I got a good visit in with Dad, and we were even able to stop by and see Mom before dark.

It was dark by the time we got home to pick up Mom & Dad's grandfather clock, but Teral & Tommy had it all packed to travel and helped Lee get it loaded in the trailer. Charles & Audra offered us their guest room, and even warmed us up some dinner when we finally arrived. Day #3 we started out about 5:30 a.m. again. It was dark by the time we pulled in to Sigh-Bar, a little road weary but so grateful to have safely made it!

We were so excited that Chris was able to take a few days to join us and help his dad with the last phase of the barn roof. He arrived Saturday afternoon and we had a great time showing him around and sharing some of our favorite Whitefish stops with him. We hiked above the house, took him to Whitefish Lake, had burgers at the Fart and Slobber Inn and huckleberry ice cream at Sweet Peaks.

Monday Lee and Chris spent the entire day on the barn roof. My job was to "go get" everything/anything, climb the ladder and "hand up/down" tools, nails, screws, etc., and provide food & drink to keep them going! Chris tightened the very last screws in the metal roofing, and as a final gesture, skipped the ladder and jumped from the second level of the roof to the first level. Wahoo!!! The barn roof is finished!

We took Chris back to the airport on Tuesday, and Lee went to work on the next item on his list: picking up the dog. We picked up Cocoa, a 10-year-old Australian Shepherd, in Kalispell, and she and Lee soon became best friends.

We enjoyed a couple more days of the gorgeous autumn colors and fall weather before loading up the truck and hitting the road for the 2000-mile return trip. We opted for a new route that we had never taken before, east to Billings, then south to Casper, Wyoming for the night. Once again, as we were coming into Casper we heard a growl in the tire. It was too late to check it out, so we waited until morning when the doors opened at the Big O Tire Store in Casper to learn that the other front wheel bearing needed replacing. What?!! Thankfully they were able to make the repair and we were back on the road before noon. With such a late start, we only made it to Trinidad, Colorado before stopping for night #2. We got on the road early on day #3, going as far south as we could before turning east to try to stay behind the massive storm that was pounding Houston. We made it home before midnight, and only had rain the last 30 miles.

We put just over 4100 miles on the truck, which is a long ride, but are so grateful that with a couple of new wheel bearings we had a super successful trip. Cocoa was a great traveler, and with lots of love is making the adjustment to her new home.