Recalculating

If you’ve followed our five-week odyssey, you know it has been beyond amazing. We have accomplished everything we set out to do and more, so far. Weather, health, road construction, you name it has cooperated. The few things we missed were no biggie. 

For those of you who believe in Murphy’s Law, well maybe that’s what happened. I personally believe we were guided to slow down for a bit. Whatever you believe, we had some “recalculating” occur. 

Here’s what happened. Tuesday we were coming into Salt Lake City for an overnight. There are lots of mountains. Betsy was struggling with the steep grades a bit and then, the check engine light came on. We were close to the hotel for the night. It was late afternoon so I called a repair shop with high review ratings. Nope, they were booked for a week. They gave me the name of another shop. Nope, they too were booked for over a week but they gave me another name. Success. Bring it in a 7AM. 

Quick check at 7AM. Yup. There’s probably something. Head mechanic in at 9. We left the car and Papa and I walked. Hey we got our steps in. We enjoyed coffee. Explored the aisles of Target. Returned later that morning to learn Betsy needed a new Turbo Boost. At 103k miles, this is a very common problem for her “kind” and she did well to wait that long. Problem, head mechanic was booked until Thursday. 

We were so fortunate. I called our hotel bookings for the next two nights and they agreed to a full refund. I called our tour scheduled for Thursday, they refunded us fully. We found a motel 1.5 miles from the garage/shop and in a shopping area and booked three nights. The clerk heard our story and was SO kind. We got a newly renovated room that was spacious, clean and comfortable. Plus it had a kitchenette. We picked up groceries at Target and had all the comforts of home. 

So what did we do when we were stranded? Need you ask? Wednesday morning we golfed. Betsy wasn’t scheduled for surgery until late Wednesday and she was still determined to go. Even the check engine light was off. We drove up a mountain road and golfed 18 holes at the Old Mill course. Oh my. So beautiful. 

The first nine we golfed with a grandmother and her 11-year-old grandson. The upper right picture shows the huge shadow that covered the first hole at 8AM. We were golfing right next to the tall mountains. 

The course appeared to be built on switchbacks. There were long cart path rides between some holes. We were warned the back nine had very narrow fairways. Ha! These were nothing compared to what we are used to playing. 

We were exhausted after 18 holes, which was our plan. We dropped Betsy off for her surgery and walked to the hotel. Shower, lunch and nap. The remaining car-less time was spent relaxing. A 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Gin Rummy. Did I mention that I purchased playing cards in Yellowstone? We have more playing cards than we need at home so that was a silly purchase, but they sure came in handy. Coincidence? And we had a delightful view of the mountains from our window. 

Betsy returned to us late Thursday. She’s got her spunk back. The mechanic said she’s in really good shape, especially for 103k miles. We will take her in for her 100k physical when we get home just to make sure she stays healthy and happy. 

So that’s our ending, or almost. We have another day or two until we are home. We aren’t happy that we missed time with Rita and Betty, or watching sunset from the North Rim, but we are convinced this was a good slowdown for us. We are grateful. And enjoyed our time in SLC. 

Our odyssey isn’t over. As we travel the next day or two, we plan to see and do more. Not what we had planned exactly, but we will cap off this trip with more smiles and memories.