We stopped in Idaho for a few days to reconnect with old friends, swimming and laughing,
and laughing
and laughing.
and laughing
and laughing.
Then we headed north, through the edge of Yellowstone--
connecting with the oldest friend,
the one who was my siamese twin, my spit sister, my muse, my soul mate.
connecting with the oldest friend,
the one who was my siamese twin, my spit sister, my muse, my soul mate.
She took us to swim in the Boiling River and laughed at my kids' antics and sarcasm and short tempers.
She sent us off with greens from her garden and eggs from her hens!
We stumbled into a great, wracking thunderstorm just as we passed through Billings, the radio blaring a subtle suggestion to seek shelter immediately in certain counties, 'though we didn't know in which we were...
Darkness descended abruptly, rain obscuring my vision, except for when lightening struck and struck and struckSTRUCKstruck,
the mountains opening out to wide rolling plains, leaving us exposed.
the mountains opening out to wide rolling plains, leaving us exposed.
The wind shoved us around, so we slowed to a crawl, seeking shelter under an overpass with other wary travelers.
This wretched storm slowed us down for hours, so our late start turned into a ridiculously late arrival at our hotel--4:30 in the morning.
Late check-out, please...?
We slept until 11, then headed for Mount Rushmore!! Because how often do you get the chance to drive right past Mount Rushmore??
I figured that would only add an hour or so to the 10 hours we had left to drive before reaching home,
but of course not.
The boys enjoyed climbing around on semi-forbidden rocks, and we enjoyed the monument very much,
but then the day had gotten entirely away from us, and it was time to point eastward...
6:00 p.m., and 10 hours to go!
but then the day had gotten entirely away from us, and it was time to point eastward...
6:00 p.m., and 10 hours to go!
Siiiiiiiigh.
Before we reach the worst moment in the whole 9,904 miles of driving, before I describe the look in the deer's eye as it ran toward, and somewhat through my vehicle, let me take a moment to really savor the time that my boys and I spent during that week of travel.
We laughed and talked and listened to comedians and stopped for snacks, and just generally enjoyed the hell out of each other.
It was an oasis in the storm of life, you could say.
It was an oasis in the storm of life, you could say.
And then, just when we were about to pass from South Dakota into Minnesota,
and precisely upon the halfway point in the day's driving--
and precisely upon the halfway point in the day's driving--
the aforementioned deer, sweet little confused thing, was suddenly in my peripheral vision--
darting toward me and onto the hood of the minivan, and I was slowing down, and shouting many swear words, to the effect of, "I can't believe I just hit a deer!"
And as I slowed, I realized there was a scraping and my tires felt weird, and there was steam (or smoke???) coming from my hood, and the impact had been minimal--
(the kids would later say they thought I had hit a traffic cone from one of the thousands placed along long stretches of construction we had passed through.)
(the kids would later say they thought I had hit a traffic cone from one of the thousands placed along long stretches of construction we had passed through.)
Everything was still,
and not just because we were envoloped in dark
ness
and corn fields and no city lights and no street lights and no homes/streets/people--
just soft night air and the ticking of a rapidly cooling engine,
and my kids, blinking,
and my door wouldn't open all the way, but enough,
and my gear shift wouldn't land in Park, so I set the emergency brake
(and only now do I realize how LUCKY/fortunate/protected I was that the brake held, and my kids and/or I were not whisked away down the slight incline by a car still running and not in Park...someone later told me I could put it in neutral and turn it off, but not then).
And we waited a moment, but first I called my Sweetest, because he would be calm and clear and would
know
things.
Because I felt rattled and cold and a little shaky, but mostly calm, I guess...
And he said
to call the police and the insurance company
and I did.
And they asked me for details and I gave them,
but then.
There were no hotels with vacancies for at least 50 miles in any direction,
and it was late,
and there was nowhere to sleep.
So the tow truck guy
(you're picturing someone old and scruffy, aren't you? Wrong! Young and clean)
suggested we hang out in Denny's until the car rental place opened in the morning.
Every person I encountered was as nice as could be,
but that still didn't make up for having nowhere to sleep,
especially for my kiddos.
But we made it.
And I am grateful we weren't injured,
and I am grateful we were treated kindly,
and I am grateful we have good insurance,
and I am grateful my car is only a 5-hour drive away, being repaired for 3 weeks*, because all of the above could have been a hell of a lot worse, but that one...we drove 9,904 miles before we lost our vehicle; and most of those miles were a hell of a lot further from home than 5 hours.
Yeah.
Coulda been worse.
And what an amazing summer of travel it was!
*turned into 5 weeks, and we had to fork over more cash than expected, but still OK.
UPDATE:
And on the day we drove to South Dakota to pick up the van,
after nearly completing the 10-hour round trip,
just 10 miles from home--
another deer leapt into our hood
in the exact same spot.
Undoing the work that had taken weeks to accomplish.
Thank goodness my husband was driving.
Thank goodness we were close enough to home to get dropped off by the tow truck
after he dropped our poor crushed vehicle at the dealer's body shop where we bought it.
Two Friday nights at 11 pm.
Two deer (dead).
Two months without my super awesome vehicle.
Two rental cars (the first one was fun; second lame).
Mostly I'm still just glad we weren't hurt.
and not just because we were envoloped in dark
ness
and corn fields and no city lights and no street lights and no homes/streets/people--
just soft night air and the ticking of a rapidly cooling engine,
and my kids, blinking,
and my door wouldn't open all the way, but enough,
and my gear shift wouldn't land in Park, so I set the emergency brake
(and only now do I realize how LUCKY/fortunate/protected I was that the brake held, and my kids and/or I were not whisked away down the slight incline by a car still running and not in Park...someone later told me I could put it in neutral and turn it off, but not then).
And we waited a moment, but first I called my Sweetest, because he would be calm and clear and would
know
things.
Because I felt rattled and cold and a little shaky, but mostly calm, I guess...
And he said
to call the police and the insurance company
and I did.
And they asked me for details and I gave them,
but then.
There were no hotels with vacancies for at least 50 miles in any direction,
and it was late,
and there was nowhere to sleep.
So the tow truck guy
(you're picturing someone old and scruffy, aren't you? Wrong! Young and clean)
suggested we hang out in Denny's until the car rental place opened in the morning.
Every person I encountered was as nice as could be,
but that still didn't make up for having nowhere to sleep,
especially for my kiddos.
But we made it.
And I am grateful we weren't injured,
and I am grateful we were treated kindly,
and I am grateful we have good insurance,
and I am grateful my car is only a 5-hour drive away, being repaired for 3 weeks*, because all of the above could have been a hell of a lot worse, but that one...we drove 9,904 miles before we lost our vehicle; and most of those miles were a hell of a lot further from home than 5 hours.
Yeah.
Coulda been worse.
And what an amazing summer of travel it was!
*turned into 5 weeks, and we had to fork over more cash than expected, but still OK.
UPDATE:
And on the day we drove to South Dakota to pick up the van,
after nearly completing the 10-hour round trip,
just 10 miles from home--
another deer leapt into our hood
in the exact same spot.
Undoing the work that had taken weeks to accomplish.
Thank goodness my husband was driving.
Thank goodness we were close enough to home to get dropped off by the tow truck
after he dropped our poor crushed vehicle at the dealer's body shop where we bought it.
Two Friday nights at 11 pm.
Two deer (dead).
Two months without my super awesome vehicle.
Two rental cars (the first one was fun; second lame).
Mostly I'm still just glad we weren't hurt.
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