Being THANKFUL ... despite the TROUBLES

Today ...

... we were SUPPOSED to drive

South from Colorado Springs to Amarillo, TX.

... we were SUPPOSED to be

camping at a K.O.A. tonight.

... we were SUPPOSED to have

a short, easy drive.

Today ...

... None of the Above happened

... we drove East to Kansas,

because of the heavy snows in Colorado

... we had to eat at a restaurant and find a hotel

(details coming ... keep reading)

... we had a long and exhausting day,

finally pulling into a restaurant at 8:00 pm

(after having bagels and cream cheese for lunch at noon)

Today ...

I am THANKFUL ...

... that IT happened on the plains of Kansas,

rather than the mountain passes of Colorado.

... that IT happened after the many hours of

snow and rain that we'd had today.

... that the Lord protected us.

... that we have AAA roadside service.

... that we have cell phones to call AAA.

... that the tow truck men were able to make

a duct tape repair, rather than towing us

120 miles to Salina, KS.

... that I have a WONDERFUL 16 year old son,

who has the BIGGEST servant's heart,

who stepped up as the "man in the family".

... that we have $$$ in the bank to cover

unexpected restaurants and hotels

(not to mention REPAIRS ... yikes!)

... that my children sat quietly in the van,

on the side of the road, without complaining.

Yes ... truly ... I am thankful tonight ... despite some

UNEXPECTED TROUBLES.

We were cruising nicely down the highway, looking forward to an early arrival at the K.O.A., when ... all of a sudden ... something didn't feel quite right. I looked in my rearview mirror to see chunks of rubber flying in all directions.

After calmly pulling over to the side of the road, Ben and I jumped out to survey the damage. Basically, one of our trailer tires had EXPLODED. Before either of us even got on the ground, I saw electrical wires hanging every which way. Ummm ... I don't think those are supposed to be in the wheel well. When Ben got down on the ground and looked up, he said, "It looks like a bomb went off." When I got down on the ground and looked to the side, I saw my laundry detergent sitting on the shelf under the sink. Ummm ... I don't think I should be able to see that shelf from the wheel well.

Seriously, when the tired exploded, it tore apart the underside of the trailer. It ripped off the wooden end of the shelf. It bent thick pieces of metal framework. It folded up thick plastic. And, it ripped apart the electrical box for the trailer. Wires were cut in half, hanging there.

Ben got out the tire jack; while I put in a call to Papa. Ben ran up the side of the interstate quite a ways to find out what mile marker we were near (in order to direct the tow truck driver). Ben removed the wheel rim; while I put in a call to AAA. Ben put on the spare tire; while I tried to find an RV repair shop within 100 miles.

The tow truck driver and a friend arrived ... without a tow truck. They checked the spare that Ben had put on. They used a pry bar to bend some of the metal back, so that it didn't rub the new tire. They got out their trusty roll of duct tape, and taped up the wires to the underside of the trailer. And ... they sent us on our way.

100 miles later, we drove by the RV repair place in Salina, but it was in a pretty sketchy neighborhood. We didn't feel safe just parking the trailer there and leaving it until morning. We decided that since we were able to tow the trailer, that we might as well continue towing it tomorrow ... to the closest Camping World in Oklahoma City. We're headed that way anyways.

At 8:00 pm, we finally found a Chili's Restaurant to fill our bellies, and at 9:30, a Quality Inn with comfy beds for our tired bodies. Ahhhh ......

Pictures coming tomorrow ...

too tired tonight ...

I just realized that I didn't even tell y'all about Sunday night ... our first (and only) night of camping so far. Yes, this is our 5th night on the road and we have only camped 1 night. Ugh!

Anyway, we pulled into the K.O.A. in Wyoming on Sunday night. It was windy and cold, and we were ready to get dinner on. But ... the trailer wouldn't open. Well, I guess it would open technically, but it wouldn't stay open. The gears wouldn't latch/lock to keep the top up. We basically stood around and stared at the trailer for quite some time ... as we put in calls to Papa and to our dear Uncle Larry (who happens to be a regional manager for Camping World). Neither Papa nor Larry were available. So ... we stood there.

Up limped an older man who asked if we needed help. After telling him our story, he went back to his campsite, put on his coveralls, picked up his tool bag, and came back to crawl under our trailer. A few minutes later, it was fixed. Whew! Thanks Lord! We paid him with homemade cookies.

Praying that we can get the trailer fixed up and ready for some CAMPING FUN in Texas!

Please pray for us, that we would know where to get it fixed and that the "fix" wouldn't be extremely expensive (we don't have MUCH extra money in the bank).