The Awesome, the Not-So-Hot, and the Downright Freaky – What a Week on the Road Can Look Like

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – or what I’d rather call the Awesome, the Not-So-Hot, and the Downright Freaky.  It’s what this past week on the road looked like for me.

Let’s start with that last bit, the Downright Freaky.

The hitch receiver on my vehicle broke almost all the way off.  Almost.  If it had completely broken off, the trailer would have been on its own, since the safety chains are attached to the part of the hitch that would have broken off.  I can’t even imagine what that would have looked like in my rear view mirror!  Who would have ever thought that a hitch receiver would break off?  I mean, really?  I’m so grateful that it didn’t… you have no idea!  As I was walking back to my car and trailer from the rest room at a rest stop in Northern California, my brain was having trouble getting around the fact that the trailer tongue was pointed at the ground, barely a few inches from the asphalt.  It was Sunday evening, the day before a national holiday, and my heart started pounding as I realized the significance of the situation between the car and trailer.  I wrote about the entire experience of getting the hitch repaired here.

Then there’s the Not-So-Hot.

I really like my tools in working order, and that includes the kitchen knives.  I carry a steel to keep them nice and sharp. I’m super careful when using them, because I know just how sharp that cutting edge is.  (In fact, I’ve been known to sharpen the edges of other people’s knives when I visit them.  With their permission, of course,  since there’s nothing like using a sharp knife when you think it’s still dull.)  So the other evening, I wasn’t paying enough attention when chopping up the raw potato for some soup and yep, the knife sliced right through my thumbnail and into the meat of my thumb.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a very deep cut but it’s in an area that is bumped frequently when doing just about anything.  Some triple antibiotic ointment and bandages and it’s just about good as new.  Thank goodness.  No bloody pics.  Thank goodness again!

And now the Awesome.  There’s so much more Awesome than anything else!

• The son who got the first phone call from me after discovering the broken hitch receiver.  It was he who suggested checking out the truckers.  (I think he meant for me to check out their repair facilities.)  Thanks for answering your phone!
• Gary and Jean from Surrey, BC – Gary is a vintage trailer fan and owns a few of his own.  Even though I’ve hooked up and unhooked my trailer many times, he insisted on “helping” me and giving me a hands-on demonstration of what could be done to repair the break in the metal plate.  And I loved the story of their own road trip, heading down to Arizona for a month after Jean’s recent retirement from work.
• Nicole, the rest stop maintenance worker, who watched my unhitched trailer all day and made sure no one drove off without it (my hitch lock wouldn’t work)
• Mike at Camping World in Anderson, CA, who got me all set up with Good Sam Roadside Service
• The Freightliner repair guys, Jeremiah and Lloyd, in Corning, CA who repaired the hitch receiver, even better than new!  And wouldn’t take any money for it!  Wow!  If I ever drive a big rig, it’s gonna be a Freightliner.
• Carol and Mike – I went back to the same rest stop I’d been stranded in to spend the night after the hitch repair, to find them stranded there as well.  I was able to help them out with some propane so they could make coffee and heat up some soup.  Felt good to be able to give a little back after the amazing experience at Freightliner.
• The Olive Pit in Corning, CA – stuffing my face with sample olives of all kinds, and dipping chucks of bread in fresh olive oil.
• The sunsets were absolutely stunning!
• The olive trees near the roads are still full of olives and it was so peaceful to wander among the trees.
• The geocaching – caches are everywhere and rest stops are no exception.  I picked up a few along the way during the week, finding a park or two that I’d never have stopped at, if I wasn’t searching for the treasure.
• Debbie and her husband, Dennis, met me for a chat and catch up as they were driving back home to Bend, OR, and I was heading south to… to who knows where.
• Linda and Don – meeting up for dinner at the Rolling Hills Casino. I snagged a shower in their hotel room…. ahhhhh….
• Susan, my Vancouver, WA friend who grew up in Red Bluff, CA – that hand on the forehead thing really worked!
• Maria, my FB friend, who treated me to a wonderful, relaxing day at the ranch with her two horses, Trigger and Faxie.  Even though we’d not met in person before that morning, it was like we’d known each other for years!  Check out her blog and photography here.
• My friend, Tricia.  Ah, yes, my friend, Tricia.  What else can I say?
• Cyndi, Jane, and Cyndi’s sister, Sandy, meeting me for breakfast in Las Vegas, NV, as they’re leaving town after seeing Rod Stewart in concert the night before for Sandy’s birthday.  So much fun meeting up, catching up, making new friends, eating food.  A bunch of my favorite things all in one package!
• Cousin Tracie and her husband, Bill – it’s nice to land someplace familiar once in awhile, and an hour at the park with little ones is always an adventure!
• …and last but way, way far from least – all my Facebook friends who commented as my week-long adventure progressed, keeping me up to date with their own lives, sharing mine, and enjoying life as life hands it to us.

The week was full of so many wonderful things happening, meeting new friends and catching up with old friends, that I know I’m missing someone or something.  Thank you for taking the time to read about this week-long adventure of mine.  It just goes to show us that there’s more adventure in our days than there is anything else – sometimes we have to package it in a way that makes us smile.  That’s the best adventure of all, don’t you think?

Have fun today and make it an adventure, no matter what you do!  Keep smiling!