The trip to Torrey, Utah, Capitol Reef to spend 8 days with Sister and Brother in Law, along with old Brother, hiking, sightseeing with food and evening visits. They were traveling in their motor coach land yachts, spending ten days to arrive. Lefty and I are hotel/resort people so we arrived in three days long before their arrival. Our first day was checking out all the places we wanted to hike and do some four wheeling with our new GMC truck. We had heard from a friend that Burr Road with all the switch backs that lead into a 60 mile trip across the park was good for large trucks but rough, we were all in for that. We had three days before the others were to arrive so we hit the trail on foot and four wheels. It was some more spectacular scenery to see of our great Country, breath taking views.
At the end of our second day in Torrey we get a phone call from my Sister tell us that Brother in Law was sent to the hospital in Santa Fe by ambulance. He has had a history of intestinal problems in the past and he seemed to develop a kink in his system. Well we can’t do anything at all being 725 miles away so we just continued on with our plans reluctantly. After three more days in the hospital they released him back to his motor coach for a few days rest. So we cut short our stay in Torrey and beat feet to Santa Fe, a short 10 hour drive. The next day we started making arrangements to get Brother in Law home. We were going to hook up his jeep to the unit and Lefty and my Sister were going to follow in our truck. Had made plans to do three hotel stays with a place to park his monster and forgo the RV parks. Tring to make it easy on everybody, as I think hooking up all the crap, leveling and extending all the slides and what knots is a big pain in the ass.
Well after a bottle of wine and a good dinner we had a plan. My older Brother thought he would continue on to Idaho in a couple of days with his unit. We talked and I told him everything was under control as Lefty and I needed to get home as well. As luck would have it Brother tripped and fell getting into his coach. Off to the ER again, by this time they were getting to know the Gleason clan. Both wrists sprang with wraps and semi hard casts. Holy smokes what next, cancel all the return trip reservations and sit tight for the next two days. Linda and I slip off to make plan B or C as to how we are going to get all the stuff with wheels back to GA. Sister and Sister in Law had no clue as to what to do to get these things going let along had ever driven them, and didn’t want to.
Linda and I approached these people with plan B and C which was to store their RVs, fly home and have friends collect them and get them home. Well golly gee, they didn’t want to leave their stuff so Linda and I were going to drive these contraptions 1,575 miles home. Only problem Linda has never driven a 35 foot RV, but she is game on for most any adventure so what the hell, game on. I told her to follow me and try her best to drive the same path I was on. We put our game face on with each other and decided we were going to make this a two day trip and get it done. There was plenty of food and water on board in these vehicles and one hotel stay in Van Buran, AR had ample parking. Called my life long car friend and made agreements with the local GMC dealer to hold my truck for the shipping company to load it and get it to his dealership.
Well we had both jeeps hooked to the connections, all pipes and electric disconnected and stowed away, slides in and locked, stopped at the local fuel store and put 250 gallons in each RV. We are moving forward, suddenly just on the out skirts of Amarillo Texas I get a call by phone from Linda telling me to pull off at the flying J truck stop just ahead, what’s up, she can’t need fuel, just pull off she said. It seemed she was going through the same thing I was going through for the last 300 miles. Brother was sitting in the passenger seat telling her how to drive his unit while I was listening to BIL telling me the same thing. Time to get a family meeting going, we haven’t put a dent in anything or ran any one off the road so if you all don’t shut up we are leaving you and renting a car to drive home. Good grief we know they didn’t feel well but give us a break. We switched vehicles and off to our first destination. When we arrived and you would have thought Brother and BIL were thinking Linda and I were trying to dock the space shuttle in the two parking spots the hotel had arranged, oh my. It took some time to get all checked in the hotel, day one was over. Linda and I slipped off in a cab to a local Italian spot that we have stopped at several times before for a late quite dinner and some wine and a big laugh. We had been in the twilight zone all day, just one more very long day and we were free. Day two, daylight, we had the family loaded and on the road for a super long day with one more fuel stop. How it happened I don’t know but we got talked into stopping at an RV place to stay the night in Tupelo, MS. Another lesson in how to hook up all the crap and preparing for the night was a trip in itself, let along we had to unhook the jeeps so everything would fit in the parking spots, I know now why we are hotel people. Day three and it couldn’t have got any better, Brother’s unit had a hydraulic problem slides and landing gear would not retract. 4 hours later and a $14.00 dollar electrical part with a $350.00 dollar labor bill we were ready to move forward. Forward that is another 45 miles on 78/I-22 and Linda calls to tell me everyone one was asleep and she didn’t want to get BIL up but there is a tire pressure warning light on indicating the driver front tire was going down. Well hells bells we got a tire going flat, can this get any better or what. 3 hours later and the day was gone but we lucked out and found a Hampton Inn that had rooms and a place to park just off the highway before Birmingham. Day four and its metro Atlanta or bust, finally this vacation was at an end, home at last.
At the end of our second day in Torrey we get a phone call from my Sister tell us that Brother in Law was sent to the hospital in Santa Fe by ambulance. He has had a history of intestinal problems in the past and he seemed to develop a kink in his system. Well we can’t do anything at all being 725 miles away so we just continued on with our plans reluctantly. After three more days in the hospital they released him back to his motor coach for a few days rest. So we cut short our stay in Torrey and beat feet to Santa Fe, a short 10 hour drive. The next day we started making arrangements to get Brother in Law home. We were going to hook up his jeep to the unit and Lefty and my Sister were going to follow in our truck. Had made plans to do three hotel stays with a place to park his monster and forgo the RV parks. Tring to make it easy on everybody, as I think hooking up all the crap, leveling and extending all the slides and what knots is a big pain in the ass.
Well after a bottle of wine and a good dinner we had a plan. My older Brother thought he would continue on to Idaho in a couple of days with his unit. We talked and I told him everything was under control as Lefty and I needed to get home as well. As luck would have it Brother tripped and fell getting into his coach. Off to the ER again, by this time they were getting to know the Gleason clan. Both wrists sprang with wraps and semi hard casts. Holy smokes what next, cancel all the return trip reservations and sit tight for the next two days. Linda and I slip off to make plan B or C as to how we are going to get all the stuff with wheels back to GA. Sister and Sister in Law had no clue as to what to do to get these things going let along had ever driven them, and didn’t want to.
Linda and I approached these people with plan B and C which was to store their RVs, fly home and have friends collect them and get them home. Well golly gee, they didn’t want to leave their stuff so Linda and I were going to drive these contraptions 1,575 miles home. Only problem Linda has never driven a 35 foot RV, but she is game on for most any adventure so what the hell, game on. I told her to follow me and try her best to drive the same path I was on. We put our game face on with each other and decided we were going to make this a two day trip and get it done. There was plenty of food and water on board in these vehicles and one hotel stay in Van Buran, AR had ample parking. Called my life long car friend and made agreements with the local GMC dealer to hold my truck for the shipping company to load it and get it to his dealership.
Well we had both jeeps hooked to the connections, all pipes and electric disconnected and stowed away, slides in and locked, stopped at the local fuel store and put 250 gallons in each RV. We are moving forward, suddenly just on the out skirts of Amarillo Texas I get a call by phone from Linda telling me to pull off at the flying J truck stop just ahead, what’s up, she can’t need fuel, just pull off she said. It seemed she was going through the same thing I was going through for the last 300 miles. Brother was sitting in the passenger seat telling her how to drive his unit while I was listening to BIL telling me the same thing. Time to get a family meeting going, we haven’t put a dent in anything or ran any one off the road so if you all don’t shut up we are leaving you and renting a car to drive home. Good grief we know they didn’t feel well but give us a break. We switched vehicles and off to our first destination. When we arrived and you would have thought Brother and BIL were thinking Linda and I were trying to dock the space shuttle in the two parking spots the hotel had arranged, oh my. It took some time to get all checked in the hotel, day one was over. Linda and I slipped off in a cab to a local Italian spot that we have stopped at several times before for a late quite dinner and some wine and a big laugh. We had been in the twilight zone all day, just one more very long day and we were free. Day two, daylight, we had the family loaded and on the road for a super long day with one more fuel stop. How it happened I don’t know but we got talked into stopping at an RV place to stay the night in Tupelo, MS. Another lesson in how to hook up all the crap and preparing for the night was a trip in itself, let along we had to unhook the jeeps so everything would fit in the parking spots, I know now why we are hotel people. Day three and it couldn’t have got any better, Brother’s unit had a hydraulic problem slides and landing gear would not retract. 4 hours later and a $14.00 dollar electrical part with a $350.00 dollar labor bill we were ready to move forward. Forward that is another 45 miles on 78/I-22 and Linda calls to tell me everyone one was asleep and she didn’t want to get BIL up but there is a tire pressure warning light on indicating the driver front tire was going down. Well hells bells we got a tire going flat, can this get any better or what. 3 hours later and the day was gone but we lucked out and found a Hampton Inn that had rooms and a place to park just off the highway before Birmingham. Day four and its metro Atlanta or bust, finally this vacation was at an end, home at last.
I am glad it all turned out good. Kudos to you and your wife-stand up people with a zest for life.
