This was a picture from our happy rest stop on the way there, before we had any idea the car would not even make it to our destination.
When we made it to a mechanic shop in Cedar and told the kids that we may not be going to St. George after all, Brian broke down in huge sad sobs. He just kept saying, "I wanted to to go to St. George to play in the sand." I felt so bad for him. So while Mark and the mechanic were driving my car around and checking it out to figure out the problem, I did my best to make a gravel parking lot as enticing as the sand in St. George.
Luckily for us, sand toys, bubbles, rocks and a little dirt tend to bring the happiness right out with Brian and Timmy.
Also lucky for us, there was a KOA Campground directly across the street from the mechanic shop we made it to. The car was able to slowly take us across the street to the campground even on a completely broken transmission.
We booked a night there next to empty RV's being stored for the winter, and I again turned my attentions to making this all seem like a super fun camping trip with the boys, while Mark tried to figure out what the best plan of action was for us next. The campground had a nice playground for the kids which made staying there so much better.
They did like the playground and found a little patch of dirt by the tree to dig in. The experience reconfirmed my thoughts that we are not a KOA type of camping family. We definitely prefer solitude and a sandy place to stay over grass and amenities. But, we were very grateful for that KOA on this day!
I am also grateful we got to try the Scamp trailer. We love it! I forgot to snap any pictures until we were packed up and ready to leave, but here is a picture of the bunk beds that easily turn into just a sitting bench. Brian sleeps on the top and Timmy sleeps on the bottom. Mark made a little rail to keep Brian from falling off in the middle of the night. It all worked superbly well. The boys love to hang a sheet over both beds, which make their beds seem like little caves.
In the middle is a stove, sink, refrigerator, heater and cabinets. On the other side of the trailer is the dinette that turns into a lovely bed for Mark and me. The trailer stayed warm and quiet all night.
Mark spent hours looking up and discussing many different options for the plan of action as well as calling towing companies, shops, etc. Fixing the car in Cedar City was not a good option - too expensive and way too much time. There was the option of just selling the car there for a little bit of money and Mark taking the shuttle home to get his car and then coming to pick up the rest of us and the trailer. Finally we decided on getting a AAA membership to tow the car home and to avoid insanely expensive towing fees. We thought I would be staying with the kids in the KOA until Mark could get back down here a day later with his car to bring us and the Scamp home. It wasn't until the next morning that we found out they could tow the car and fit all of us in the cab and pull the trailer at the same time. So that is what we did. The car went on the truck, the trailer hooked on to be towed behind and we all crammed into the tow truck cab for our 4 hour drive home. The trailer only got to go 100 miles for free, so we dropped it at a rest stop, went the rest of the way home, and then Mark drove back down to pick it up with his car.
The kids actually thought it was the coolest thing in the world to ride in a tow truck.
They were so incredibly good and quiet the entire ride home. They ate a few snacks, took a nice nap and watched a few shows on the tablet. They were so quiet, the tow truck driver kept forgetting we were there in the back.
When we made it to a mechanic shop in Cedar and told the kids that we may not be going to St. George after all, Brian broke down in huge sad sobs. He just kept saying, "I wanted to to go to St. George to play in the sand." I felt so bad for him. So while Mark and the mechanic were driving my car around and checking it out to figure out the problem, I did my best to make a gravel parking lot as enticing as the sand in St. George.
Also lucky for us, there was a KOA Campground directly across the street from the mechanic shop we made it to. The car was able to slowly take us across the street to the campground even on a completely broken transmission.
We booked a night there next to empty RV's being stored for the winter, and I again turned my attentions to making this all seem like a super fun camping trip with the boys, while Mark tried to figure out what the best plan of action was for us next. The campground had a nice playground for the kids which made staying there so much better.
They did like the playground and found a little patch of dirt by the tree to dig in. The experience reconfirmed my thoughts that we are not a KOA type of camping family. We definitely prefer solitude and a sandy place to stay over grass and amenities. But, we were very grateful for that KOA on this day!
I am also grateful we got to try the Scamp trailer. We love it! I forgot to snap any pictures until we were packed up and ready to leave, but here is a picture of the bunk beds that easily turn into just a sitting bench. Brian sleeps on the top and Timmy sleeps on the bottom. Mark made a little rail to keep Brian from falling off in the middle of the night. It all worked superbly well. The boys love to hang a sheet over both beds, which make their beds seem like little caves.
In the middle is a stove, sink, refrigerator, heater and cabinets. On the other side of the trailer is the dinette that turns into a lovely bed for Mark and me. The trailer stayed warm and quiet all night.
Mark spent hours looking up and discussing many different options for the plan of action as well as calling towing companies, shops, etc. Fixing the car in Cedar City was not a good option - too expensive and way too much time. There was the option of just selling the car there for a little bit of money and Mark taking the shuttle home to get his car and then coming to pick up the rest of us and the trailer. Finally we decided on getting a AAA membership to tow the car home and to avoid insanely expensive towing fees. We thought I would be staying with the kids in the KOA until Mark could get back down here a day later with his car to bring us and the Scamp home. It wasn't until the next morning that we found out they could tow the car and fit all of us in the cab and pull the trailer at the same time. So that is what we did. The car went on the truck, the trailer hooked on to be towed behind and we all crammed into the tow truck cab for our 4 hour drive home. The trailer only got to go 100 miles for free, so we dropped it at a rest stop, went the rest of the way home, and then Mark drove back down to pick it up with his car.
The kids actually thought it was the coolest thing in the world to ride in a tow truck.
They were so incredibly good and quiet the entire ride home. They ate a few snacks, took a nice nap and watched a few shows on the tablet. They were so quiet, the tow truck driver kept forgetting we were there in the back.
We made in home to watch General Conference, rest, and eat the leftover camping snacks, while Mark was driving to pick up the trailer.
Mark fixed the old car and is going to sell it, because we went and bought ourselves a newer Sienna. This one has all-wheel drive and has significantly fewer miles on it and many more fabulous additions. I love my new car!
No comments:
Post a Comment