The big day comes. We go get the budget truck. Load it up. And hit the road. Right off the bat, it was great. We were doing this! And then, well, you cant have a huge move without a little drama, right? looking back now, these things are funny. so we can laugh. and we have stories to tell. But that weekend, it was STRESSFUL!
to start, we really think the guy wanted to get rid of the truck he rented us. We did a rent and return at another location. The truck we were rented didn't even say budget on the side. And when we returned it here, in puyallup, wa the lady said the same thing. We decided to drive at night, since we were towing the car and had to drive slow... So, we head up into the mountains. The first steep hill, the brakes did a shake thing. you hit the brakes, and the whole steering wheel would gyrate. NOT GOOD. but we kept on truckin...
we hit Weed CA at about 5am. The weather starts getting windy, and snow flurries are visible. So we decide on staying the rest of the day, and getting some rest.
Then, its starts SNOWING. hard. We get caught in this freak snowstorm that lasts for approx 15hours. Mind you, I just wanted to rest for about 3 or 4 and keep going. We are trapped here. its wet, its snowing, and we go to McDonalds...
So, by now, its slushy snow. We could not take the car off the trailer, so we just left it on. Backing up and turning in a parking lot with a 10ft truck and car trailer is hard enough in DRY weather, but for this day, it was HORRIBLE. about 2 feet of slushy snow, and the parking lot was packed. I was supposed to get out and give Joe directions, but everytime he tried to turn, or go forward or back, he would slide in deeper and more toward the cars. I WAS FREAKING OUT. ask him. All I could see in my mind's eye was the truck sliding into the light pole and we would be screwed.
The AMAZING man that he is, he got us out of there. I still dont know how. He has proven time and time again that he is a really really good driver. We headed back to the hotel, I took a nap, and we waited. A few hours later, the sun came out, and all the snow melted. He woke me up, and said "look out the window" there was dry pavement. Sun shining. So we decided to get back on the road before it was too late.
We stopped at a gas station at the base of the biggest climb on the journey. The ashland mountain is the worst. I KNOW its the highest point on I-5 and its 4310 feet.
We checked the fluids, and guess what? the truck was out of oil. I always though when you rented a car or truck, they checked all that for you and made sure things were good to go. Guess I thought wrong.. So, we bought a few quarts of oil, and decided to unhitch the car for the massive climb up the hill. Later, we realized this was a great idea.
We get back on the road and start the climb. Joe is driving the big truck, I am in the car behind.
He starts climbing, and starts slowing down. 45mph.. 35mph.. 25mph.. 15mph.. later he told me (and we would find out on ANY sort of hill we tried to climb) that the truck just simply lost power. He had the pedal to the floor and it would not go very fast. It would kick up and redline, but not go faster. We crest the hill, and start going down. Its a very long, steep downgrade. He told me later, that everytime he stepped on the brakes to keep the truck slower, it would shake. Like the truck was going to fishtail. He said he smoked a whole pack of smokes on that downgrade. It was the scariest moment of his life. And I believe it.
We make it down the hill and finally to my parents' house. It is the halfway point. We pull in, and the first words are "give us a beer!" we were Exhausted! Halfway to our new home! Time for dinner and beers.
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