Another crazy weekend in the books for our nutty little family. I didn’t end up going after Jacob after all, but Around 3:30 p.m. Friday, Robert called asking if we could help him take Jacob’s pickup to him in Texas.
The plan was for George and me to drive Jacob’s pickup and Robert would follow in his car. I had a few reservations about this plan as did George.
First of all, the pickup tends to run a little hot and has overheated on us a couple times. The heater doesn’t work, probably the heater core, which when replaced should remedy the over heating issue. It burns oil, and only gets 12 miles per gallon on a good day.
And second, Robert purchased the car about a month ago from a buddy who was moving to California. The car hadn’t run in a few months and the owner didn’t want the hassle of attempting to move it all the way to California. Robert finally got around to getting a new battery, and lo and behold the car ran near perfect. Only problem was that he had driven it for a total of one day before deciding we should all road trip to Texas.
Third, we all had to be back Monday morning for our regularly scheduled programming. It’s a 10 hour drive, and that doesn’t count stops for gas, potty breaks and letting the beast of a pickup cool down.
Our final reservation, money. Jacob assured us he had plenty and promptly sent me $500 through Apple Pay. George told Robbie to bring the car up. He would look it over and make his final decision. He pulled in the drive around 7 p.m., and by 7:15 George had agreed to the last minute excursion. I was still a little uncertain, but it was three against one at this point and I really wanted to hang out with my boys even if just for a little while, so I didn’t express my concerns. Instead I prayed…a lot, while I got everything gathered for the trip.
We left Nelson at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. It was cold, and so we took several of our warm fuzzy throw blankets and dressed warm but layered, so we could shed as we drove south. Kansas was pretty uneventful and easy going. George drove and I catnapped while Robert followed.
Around the state line Robert asked if I could drive his car for a bit. He said he was tired, what he really meant was “I don’t want to drive through Oklahoma City at rush hour.” So I drove. Robert’s cruise control doesn’t work, so I’m glad I had George as a pace car, that is until we pulled into the city.
I don’t mind driving through the city. It can be little intense but it’s really not a big deal for me, this was different. I was driving an unfamiliar vehicle, and trying to follow my husband, during the lunch hour. The cruise control lever and the blinker are on the same side of the steering column in Robert’s car, and the cruise was set just about where the blinker is in my car. So every time I would try to signal to switch lanes, I’d hit the wrong lever. It was frustrating to say the least. When we finally got out to the open road again, I practically had to pry my fingers from the steering wheel.
It was 90 degrees in Oklahoma. I should have had one more layer on, because I was hot! I wasn’t expecting summer temperatures, guess I should be careful what I’m wishing for, since I’ve been wanting warm weather for weeks. Unfortunately, Robert’s air conditioning doesn’t work. It wasn’t really high on the priority list for checking out since it was still below 40 degrees back home. So we drove with the windows down, I don’t know if I will ever be able to get the tangles out of my already unruly hair.
Warmer weather meant more stops to let the truck rest and cool down. After Oklahoma City, we headed southwest, I’d never been that direction in Oklahoma. I saw some pretty neat stuff out the window, the rivers and creeks look pretty cool with all that red dirt in them. Oklahoma has mountains, I should have paid more attention in geography. I saw the biggest wheat field I’ve ever seen! The bright green of the wheat makes for a beautiful contrast to the red dirt.
As we got closer, it started to cool down and just as I was starting to believe we were on the downhill slope and going to make it, I saw peaks! Man did I feel dumb, I never realized Texas had mountains! (again I really should have paid more attention in school!) There went what little gas mileage we weren’t already getting.
I love the mountains, I hate driving and riding through them, especially when it’s starting to get dark. So I made sure my seatbelt was on tight, and settled in for a stressful evening, and said yet another prayer. There were a couple instances where I thought it was all over, like when this pickup was insistent on passing us, while a semi was oncoming on a two lane, narrow highway, with little to no shoulder. I think I may have left my fingernails in the arm of the door after that one.
We finally made it to Jacob at 8 p.m., 14 hours later. He took us out to dinner and got us settled in a room for the evening before going back to base. Funny how when I gave him an 11 o’clock curfew, he fought me tooth and nail about it. We were hoping to see him again in the morning before we left, but weren’t able to. Which made me kind of sad. At least now he has his truck. Which will keep him busy and out of trouble if he ever wants to bring it back home. LOL!
Robert is proud of his car, as he should be! He did well when purchasing it. He got a bargain. We had our doubts, I’ll admit but, knock on wood, it’s done well! As this is written, are almost to Oklahoma City, and I think my turn to drive is coming up. I can’t wait to get home, and hopefully, stay home for a bit. I’m so tired, but it was worth it to see my boys, even if just to see the one for a couple hours. X’s & O’s
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