We picked up the truck at about 6pm. We made arrangements to drop off the rental truck after the office was closed. That was a relief. We filled up the truck with fuel and headed the 30 miles to get the Camper. We had called the towing company, paid the storage fee and were set to head out of Denver as it was getting dark. BUT, FIRST, I had some work to do on the camper. We had found out the camper had only brakes hooked up on one axle. The other two sets of brakes were not even hooked up at the factory. That was a big deal traveling through the mountains. While we were waiting at Chief Hosa Campground, I purchased the connectors and hooked up the other 4 brakes. BUT, I had no way of checking them until the truck was hooked up. We arrived at the storage yard and hooked up the truck. Before we pulled out, we tested the brakes. BOOM! They worked. We checked the air pressure in the tires and we were ready to head out onto Interstate 70 in Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Let's back up. When we picked up the truck. Jeremiah warned us that FORD recommended 500 mile break-in before towing. Yet, he admitted, the warranty would be fine even if we did have a problem. He recommended getting an oil change and check for leaks after 500 miles. He was a little nervous about us NOT going through the usual test period, but knew we had a deadline. SO, we were off!
Leaving Idaho Springs was interesting. I was never more nervous about driving a vehicle in all my life. All I could think about was blowing up another motor! I-70 East out of Idaho Springs is straight UP HILL followed by a steep downhill grade into Denver. I can't express my anxiety. I rarely do this, but I turned off the satellite radio and asked Steph to pray quietly. The truck towed well going up hill. It was slow but steady. I had my flashers on and stayed in the slow lane. I did have to pass an even slower truck but quickly got back into the truck lane as I crested the hill. Now came the 7% grade down into Denver. Part of my nerves were specifically auto-braking, down shifting that occurs when in Tow-haul mode. We believe it was this that caused the engine problems. I crested the hill going about 35mph. That was the plan and even though it was very slow, I wanted to do everything to maintain that speed as long as possible. With 26,000 pounds coming down the hill, I naturally picked up speed. I used a little brake and the engine did the rest. Traffic was crazy busy as we were in the middle of late rush hour leading into Denver. Trucks are supposed to maintain a 45mph speed limit. That was really difficult to do. I edged up to 55mph but as we rounded the last turn into Denver, I realized I had made it.
We traveled outside of Denver and stopped to check the oil. As I climbed under the truck, I could see it was a mess. There was oil everywhere. My delimna, was it like that before (I wish I would have checked) OR was there a problem? As I checked the oil, it looked good AND I assumed it was just from the RUSH OUT THE DOOR. We stayed the night in a Walmart parking lot and begin early in the morning traveling through Kansas. I scheduled an oil change in Salina. We stopped and got permission from Walmart to unhook the Fifth Wheel. Steph shopped for food at Walmart while I went to get the oil changed.
Everything was going great. The manager of the Oil Change shop was there. I explained what had happened and HE did our oil change, verified there were no leaks, and no metal in the oil. I was starting to relax.
As I got back to Walmart and began moving in the slides on the camper, One wouldn't budge. We were stuck once again. I had no idea what to do. So, we attempted to contact our warranty company to see what we needed to do to get someone to our location to fix our camper. Needless to say, my stress level was BACK UP. The warranty company was amazing. There technician took be through the error codes, taught me how to manually over ride the slide controller, and we were back on the road in a couple of hours.
We travelled through Missouri and stopped for the night. We got up early the next morning and made it home on Sunday afternoon. We had to leave for the Boogie on Tuesday. We had time to load our supplies, get a LITTLE rest, and head out Tuesday morning. PRAISE GOD, he brought us home at just the right time!
The trip out west was now over.
As I look back on our trip, I look back and can see the hand of God everywhere. The trip DID NOT GO AS PLANNED. Yet, God was good to us. He watched over us every step of the way. He protected us from harm and provided us with memories that will never be equalled in our life time. God does not ever guarantee a trouble free life. What he does guarantee is that he will walk with us through all things.
People in this world struggle with all sorts of calamity. Our trip was filled with adventure but I am not sure you can really call it CALAMITY. If you look at cancer, unexpected loss of life, financial ruin, lack of jobs, broken relationships, and a multitude of other REAL trials, the troubles on this trip are miniscule. God helped us complete a wonderful trip and some precious time with our granddaughter. We can't praise him enough for the blessings he has provided. I have also learned through this process to TRUST in the Lord more than ever before in my life. He has brought me through so much. Why would I ever doubt that protection and love?
PRAISE GOD FOR A WONDERFUL TRIP.
I will continue writing about our first year of retirement. I love sharing what God has done for us. I get so excited reviewing all he does for us. God brought us back from the TRIP and helped us to get to the BOOGIE on time. We had such a great time there watching Gods hand at work. We went to Sturgis after that, then Ecuador, and winter in Florida. I can't wait to share THOSE adventures!
