Plans Go Awry

Skipping church is never a good idea. Especially when you hear this little voice saying "Go to church," and you override the voice with your own free will. But that's a theological discussion for another day.

Instead, what started in the RV as my own little gospel-bluegrass Sunday-morning service got extended to the Xterra, and before you know it, I was on the red dirt headed off on a Sunday morning adventure down the Hole in the Rock Road.

In all actuality, I had lots to think about.

Ria had been right about me not working well in a restaurant environment. It's just not my thing. I walked off the job on Thursday...just said I was done. (Not exactly how I've been taught to handle a job, and definitely not with two-weeks' notice, but--in my defense--I'd been pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and...I was just done. I didn't want to wait around to get disrespected some more. I was outta there!)

So on Friday--after receiving my first paycheck with the cafe--I started looking for jobs. Harriet informed me that the state park was hiring. I'd always wanted to see what it was like working for the government, so I figured I would drop by on Monday and enquire about it.

And, so on Sunday morning, as the bluegrass gospel music gave way to the wind through the open windows, I bumped down the rutted road to clear my mind and consider my options. At about ten miles off of Highway 12, a huge mud puddle stretched across the roadway. I'd been stuck in one of those in a two-wheel drive with that old Corolla. One of the first things old Adus told me when I was thinking of moving out this way was to "stay outta mud puddles. That's bentonite mixed in with the water and mud. It will get in your tires and up under your wheel wells. If it dries, it will lock you up solid as a rock."

The puddle was huge, covering about 25 - 30 feet of dirt roadway and stretching side to side. This portion of the road was hemmed in by a dirt bank rising about 2 - 3 feet on either side. The only way to go around the puddle would be to climb the embankment.

Letting Buena out of the car, she and I climbed the embankment and wove our way around trees and shrubs and through the grasses following two tire tracks. It looked like people had come this way before to get around through this problem spot in the road.

I got back into the Xterra and climbed it up the embankment and down the other side.

No problemo.

Back on the dirt and gravel road, I counted the left-hand turnoffs to make sure I didn't miss the trail to the Egypt canyons. I'd never been there, so I figured I would check it out. The sign said Egypt was ten-miles east.

As I drove, I considered my situation: Stuck in the food desert of Escalante without a refrigerator. What to do? Should I just buy a cheap $150 fridge and stay plugged in at the place where I'm renting? It was clear that I'd need a refrigerator because I couldn't afford to keep eating out. And, I didn't want to continue living on gas station cheese and beef jerky.

I needed money...and I'd need a revenue stream soon. I could already feel my anxiety level rising. Where should I apply for jobs? Should I go over to Tropic or Bryce and see what kind of jobs they had? I really wanted to stay in Escalante, but the vibe felt off this year. Maybe I could go up to Torrey and find a job. I'd love to spend time in Hanksville, but being in an RV without air conditioning in Hanksville would be unbearable in the summer. Escalante had a few bad weeks of heat, but the shimmery Hanksville heat feels oppressive and dusty. I just needed to find something to carry me from the end of June through mid-September...but what?

A few miles along that dirt road, I had to cross a small stream, but I saw some splashing around in the stream and decided to see what was going on. These two frogs looked back up at me. I shooed them (and a third one) away from where I'd have to drive to cross the stream.

Sweet little frogs!

Out on the other side, the road wasn't challenging. It was all dirt, rock, up and down, and curves. At one point, I was on slickrock, navigating my way around large stones and trying to follow the worn area other cars had traveled. It was somewhat rutted, but not deeply.

Almost off of the slickrock, I hit another rut. This time, my car started to rattle.

Something was tapping.

Something didn't seem right.

It wasn't engine, it was something under...under...under...like by the wheel or the frame. I slowed to a stop to have a look.

While I like to think I know what I'm looking at beneath a vehicle, most the time I do not. I can spot the muffler and the rear-main seal on my vehicles (hint: look for the leaking oil!), but other than that I'm not always sure what I'm looking at. However, I did know that I'd broken something with the suspension. The rear-driver's side wheel was sitting awfully low on the tire.

Notice how the front suspension sits at the correct height, while the rear suspension hangs lower.

The next day, I took it to the shop. "You got a broken leaf spring," Courtney said.

Ah ha! A leaf spring! Something I understand only because the leaf springs on that Havasu trailer were also bad. Twenty twenty-three...the year Pyra learns about leaf springs!

"The part will be here in two weeks," Courtney informed me.

Two weeks! The Xterra seemed drivable, so I rolled it out to the state park, applied for the position Harriet told me about, and got a job as a seasonal temporary employee--no benefits or anything. I would assist where needed. It sounded like a good deal of my time would be spent cleaning bathrooms, splitting firewood, and bagging ice.

I'd start that job "as soon as the paperwork moves up through the bureaucracy." When the boss said this, I knew that I'd like working for him immediately. Then, we spent time comparing working for corporate, private, and government entities. He said I'd hear something back by the end of the first week in June.

He informed me that it might take about two weeks for my paperwork to work through the bureaucrats, giving me two weeks to work on the second draft of my book and some other online projects I'm playing with. Yippee! In addition, I'll have ample time to handle my "crunch week" grading next week, the most grueling week of the 8-week term.

Even with this job, something had to happen. With my teaching job ending for the summer, making $14 an hour at the state park wasn't going to cut it for my financial goals of paying off debt, saving for retirement, and repairing the refrigerator. The refrigerator was the most pressing need. Escalante is a food desert. As a result, I'd been eating like crap, lots of carbs and fats. (At least I was taking my vitamins because they could add trace amounts of nutrients to my system.)

On Tuesday, I went to work for my landlord, working on my knees in the sand, pulling weeds and working off the carbs. I just wanted a salad, but I felt stupid about going back to the cafe to get fed. Danged pride!

As an expert weed puller, I pluck them up by the roots!

On Thursday, I got a text from the nursery job I did in Colorado in 2020. They'd received my the application I'd sent in about a month ago and would like to schedule an interview. Would Friday morning work? Sure, I replied, wondering what I was going to do about the state park job if I got hired for the Colorado job.

On Friday morning, the Nursery Boss Man called. We discussed the position and the recent restructuring of the business. In the end, the nursery hired me back on. The pay was significantly better, which would help with my financial goals.

Only...my car. The leaf springs wouldn't arrive in Escalante for about ten more days.

I asked the Nursery Boss, "Can I have two weeks to get there?"

He acquiesced.

Immediately, I went to the shop. "I have to know when...exactly...the part will be here. I have a job hanging on the line," I explained. They'd have to call and get back to me.

I went back to pulling weeds for my landlord, thinking about how I was going to tell State Park Boss Man I was quitting. Since honesty is the best policy, I texted:

Hey...I am so sorry, but I need to back out of this job. I'd applied elsewhere (out of state) about a month ago--and I actually thought it was a dead application--but I took a phone call this morning and they hired me. Because the pay is significantly better, I'd be crazy not to take this opportunity. I really want to thank you for your offer for the park job. I'm just so sorry about this short notice and hope that it doesn't reflect poorly on my ability or character. I wish you all the best in finding someone.

He responded in an understanding way, saying, "You have to take the better job. I don't blame you for that."

Trying to get at the root of my problems, I went back to pulling weeds. The tumbleweeds just popped out of the sand with a gentle tug; whereas, I had to use my little shovel to dig in the sand beneath the dandelions and crab grass to pop them free.

How do I "pop free" of Escalante and get to Colorado? In my bravado, I promised Nursery Boss I'd be there in two weeks and just gave up a stable state-park job. Now what? Will that part arrive on time at the shop? What if something else breaks on the Xterra over the summer? Having my vehicle is a big part of my getting hired on to do that route between stores for the nursery.

Why do I want to take that job so bad? That's a good question!

The job consists of working between three stores with my sole responsibility being keeping the plants alive, healthy, and looking good. To do that, I water the plants, deadhead flowers, and prune dried leaves. I spend the entire day in the clean, Colorado air and sunshine. What's not to love about it? In addition, the last time I did this job, I was in the most-healthy condition I think I've ever been in...to the point of actually having defined abs! I haven't had those since having children! There's a lot of cardio and resistance training in this job, and I want to do it again.

After returning to the RV, a text message from the state park popped up. Do you want to work this weekend? I could name my own hours. They just really needed help with the influx of people and maintaining the park restrooms and common areas. I could do that!

Look at them shiny floors in the men's restroom!

So...on Saturday, I went to work.

And...while I worked, I thought about how to get to Colorado. I thought about waiting two weeks for my old vehicle. I thought about how if I break down over the summer, I won't be able to get financing anywhere because I won't have the income stream (and pay stub) from my primary job.

Would I be able to afford a newer car or get financing? I tossed these ideas around in my mind like a mixed salad, determining to look online at cars and financing options when I returned to the Godspeed after work.

I don't want to be a bore with the details about vehicle shopping, but I settled on several options at CarMax. I'd worked with them before and had a great experience. They stand behind their vehicles, and it's a one-stop shop. Bing! Bang! Boom! I could be out of there in no time.

For grins, I plugged my numbers into their pre-approval page and found I could actually get approved.

The reservoir is very full right now!

The next morning, I walked along the still lake in the crisp morning air. In one hand, I held Buena's leash, and in the other, I held the spray bottle and paper towels for cleaning the far restrooms at the campground. (BossMan actually preferred if I took Buena with me rather than leaving her in the car.)

While working, I called on the help of my good friend, Frank, who lives up in Salt Lake City, and sent him a text. Would he be willing to drive me to Vegas to go pick up a vehicle?

The man is an angel! He said he would help me in whatever way I needed.

I hurried through my work because I had to get home to make a vehicle selection, complete the financing paperwork, and finish grading papers.

Am I ready for this? A new used car--a financed one!--is a lot of responsibility for a gal with no home but landing places in several communities in the Southwest.

"How are you going to shuttle all those cars?" my dad asked. Good question! It always comes down to the game of logic:

You've got a fox, a chicken, and a cat on one side of the river. How will you get them to the other side of the river if the log to cross the river only holds two?

You can find other variations of this puzzle here, here, here, and here. It's always a logistical nightmare with the same mental gymnastics.

I'm starting to think that maybe I won't shuttle all three vehicles from place to place. I might do as my good friend--the swashbuckling sailor and mountain man, Captain--does and leave different vehicles in different places for use when I get to that location. I don't really know. I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Maybe I'll sell the Xterra. Or maybe not. I cringe when I think about selling it. That's a fun car to ride, and it's about to get new leaf springs and shocks. It will be a pure joy on the back roads, but it's not something I want to rely on for distance travel anymore.

So...on that note, all I can say is "stay tuned." You'll find out what's to become of all those vehicles when I do.

As far as the vehicle I'm getting....I'm not sure. I have one vehicle on reserve for a test drive in Vegas on Tuesday. I'm also going to look at a few other cars on the lot.

Thanks for reading!