You are lost

Page isn’t a very large town and the area we were in was like a dust bowl with a Wal-Mart dropped in the middle of it.  Sara’s mom had to take the grandmother somewhere to get the thumb looked at and we had to wait for Matt’s car to cool down enough to quit spitting coolant, so we were stuck in the parking lot.  The mid day sun was hot and unforgiving, making the Wal-Mart more hellish than usual.  We grabbed some subs from the in store Subway and hid in the small amount of shade the trailer provided to eat.

After some time had passed Sara’s mother and grandmother returned.  Since the grandmother had severed the tendon of her thumb there was nothing the local doctor could do for her; she’d have to see a specialist.  This meant spending the night in Flagstaff when we got there, and possibly more delays in an already long journey.  Feeling not at all refreshed we got back on the 89 and headed south.

The drive to Flagstaff was pretty, but uneventful.  The air became cooler and short shrubberies gave way to tall ponderosas.  We were making good time, though late in the afternoon, when we hit a snag just outside Flagstaff.  The truck got a flat tire.  A bad one.  We had AAA roadside service, which took a while to get there to service the vehicle.  It was dark by the time we got moving again.  Good thing we weren’t planning on going much furthur.

We found a hotel in Flagstaff.  The grandmother, feeling pretty bad about the delays she had wrought, bought us all pizza.  Matt and I spent a good deal of time chain smoking while wandering around the balcony areas.  The new plan of action for the next day was formed.  Sara would stay behind with the grandmother to take her to the hospital while the rest of us would continue on to Phoenix to unload the trailer at Matt’s grandparents.

The drive from Flagstaff to Phoenix was quick and easy, made only more so by not having the grandmother along.  We made it to Matt’s grandparent’s house and after a very brief rest and greetings we unloaded all of our material possessions into their garage.

Later that night Sara and the grandmother arrived.  We all sat together reminiscing about the events of our journey, enjoying each others presence before the mother and grandmother had to depart.  After many hugs and goodbyes they headed on their way.

And so after 4 long days of driving we finally made our destination and settled into our guest rooms on the 10th of August.

Linh had transferred with Wal-Mart, and would be employed in Cottonwood, over 100 miles from Phoenix, so finding housing became the next priority.  We began looking into Campe Verde, Prescott, Chino Valley, Cottonwood; anywhere closer and considerably cooler.  The northern part of Arizona has a higher altitude and a considerably more tolerable climate.  Some house hunting could be done online, but most of it would been done “on foot”, which meant commuting 200 miles back and forth each day to look at houses.  We grew very fond of the radio very quickly.

Linh had to return to work before we found a place to live, and the long drives back and forth looking for houses were time consuming and expensive; we’d been searching for about a week.  We had taken a liking to Prescott Valley, for it’s affordability, job opportunities and temperate climate.

Sara and Matt finally found what was to be our new domicile.  I had become ill the day prior and had vomited in the front yard of a house we were looking into at the time, and thusly was not present for the moment of discovery.  The location was nice, the price was good, the landlords were pretty cool.  Everything clicked.  The landlords were a little concerned about renting to a bunch of unemployed kids, but after flashing some money and job credentials we were in.

Linh stationed herself at the house first, being as it was over 120 miles closer to work, while the rest of us prepared for moving again.  We wouldn’t have the luxury of the large trailer this time, but Matt’s uncle Steve had a smaller trailer and after several trips we got everything moved in.

And so that’s how we came to live in Prescott Valley.  With the financial obligation of shelter on our shoulders we set out looking for work immediately.  Being a strip mall on a highway most of us were applying at big box stores, and after a couple of weeks we were all gainfully employed again.

July 24th, aside from being my birthday, was also my last day at Finnegans. The next 7 days were to be spent cleaning and packing to be out of our apartment on the 31st. The need to visit family before leaving the state was also a pressing issue. Being relatively efficient about things, we managed to have most everything done early enough to visit my family by the 29th.

We returned to Missoula the night of the 30th and had an impromptu goodbye bbq. The idea had been tossed around a bit for a while, but the actual happening got thrown together within an hour of coming home. Despite the short notice a good number of people were able to make it and a good time was had by all. It was nice to have some kind of celebration on Sara’s birthday.

The 31st we finished cleaning and moved out. Jim & Heidi had graciously lent us the use of their garage for storage and with the help of Jared and Larry we had everything packed away. The mass exodus wasn’t to begin until the 6th of August, so Sara and I went to stay at Matt & Lihn’s. With cats.

The cats presented a couple of issues. First off, Matt & Lihn are allergic to cats. Secondly, they weren’t allowed to have pets at their apartment. And lastly, we were informed that certificates of health were required by the state of Arizona to be presented at the port of entry. The cats, especially Puff, were already panicked by the moving around, and now they had to get shots. Sara’s mother had volunteered her services to haul a trailer for us, and since the cats would be riding with her for the trip we decided to take them up to her place after their appointment.

It was about here that the first piece of bad news dropped. Matt’s family had been prospecting houses in the Camp Verde area with us in mind. The housing market had dropped but the sellers weren’t budging. As anyone with a sound business mind would do they refused to overpay. Unfortunately we were now to be moving across the country without a distinct destination.

Sara and I proceeded to visit her mother, stopping along the way to visit her grandmother. We decided while we were at it to visit my grandparents. Rather than go back through Missoula we decided to take the scenic route, driving through Glacier National Park on the way to Choteau. We stopped in Hungry Horse to see the “House of Mystery” on the way.

Family obligations fulfilled we returned back to Missoula to more bad news. The reason we were leaving on the 6th was because Matt’s friend’s wedding was on the 5th. The bachelor party wasn’t the wild night of debauchery most bachelor parties are, but at the end the best man was shot and killed in the Westside Lanes parking lot. Matt, under the most unfortunate of circumstances, was now to be best man.

Sara’s mother arrived late on the 5th.  My mother had come in to town and stayed late, fulfilling a wish Sara and I had entertained for a while:  having them meet.  They hit it off like a couple of school girls, giggling away and exchanging stories of childhood debauchery and such.  It was magical.  Unfortunately it had to end, my mother had to leave before it got too late.  We parked the trailer in the Wal-Mart parking lot and began loading up. It was well after midnight by the time we were finished.

We slept in a bit late the next day, and with some extra delays we didn’t get on the highway until evening. It was already dark when the rain started, forcing a stop in Deer Lodge for windshield wipers; it had been so hot and sunny I hadn’t realized my wipers were shit. New wipers equipped, we resumed but not for long. Not even 10 minutes down the road my driver-side wiper flies off my car and I’m blinded with rain. We stop in Deer Lodge, again, go to the same shop and get another set of wipers, attach them and continue. We had hoped to make it past Salt Lake City to Beaver, instead we settled for Idaho Falls. We found a hotel and settled down for not enough rest.

Despite getting up early it was after noon before we got back on the road. Matt and I had gone to get an air filter for my car, which had decided to give me the “check engine soon” light as of recent, and managed to find a tobacco outlet on the way. The girls and Steven went to get Subway while Sara’s mother and grandmother went to Denny’s.

I’ll stop to mention here that Sara’s grandmother is diabetic. She needs to eat certain foods at regular intervals to maintain her blood sugar. When on a tight budget and trying to get from point A to point B with as few hotel stops as possible on the way, we all felt frequently delayed by the grandmother, who had invited herself along for this venture. However, I will also mention, organizing 7 people to go somewhere is also difficult, and we delayed ourselves just as much. In an additional note, I will state that there are some character flaws to the grandmother that deter any feelings of sympathy one might expect to see here.

We managed to make it to Beaver on the 2nd night, barely. We were about 60 miles out when everyone started getting drowsy. We found a coupon for discounted rooms at a Mom & Pop style hotel in Beaver and made reservations. The old man who owned the place was kind enough to stay up to check us in, though obviously very tired. We made our way to our rooms. I took a few pictures of the glowing electric palm tree out front before going to bed.

We decided to sleep in a bit to catch up on some much needed rest. I rose fairly early still and proceeded to take a shower. The shower floor was slippery, and I lost my balance. I reached for the curtain rod, which wasn’t fastened to the wall, and it and I went falling to the floor, causing some damage to the bathroom and myself. The rod had made a big long gouge in the wall and mirror, I managed to hit my hip on the toilet, my back on the sink, my head on the door and gouged my leg on the toilet paper dispenser. Bruised, sore, bleeding and a little dazed I got up and surveyed the damages. Not cool. I toweled off, got dressed, bandaged my leg and after regaining my dignity complained to old man.

About 20 miles past Beaver is highway 20, which leads to the 89. It’s the prettiest stretch of Utah I’ve ever seen. It conjures up imagery of old western movies, cowboys driving cattle into the undeveloped west, etc. As we traveled the 89 the scenery changed, reminding me of Road Runner cartoons. Reds and browns, dry and desolate, vast stretches of nothingness.

We reached Kanab, where we the 89 splits.  We could either head east to Page or head south to Freedonia.  Both roads would meet up again at Bitter Springs and take us to our destination.  Judging by the map the stretch to Page seemed less twisty and rough so we chose that.  What we hadn’t considered is the Grand Staircase.  The road to Page took us straight up a steep incline that threatened to overheat the truck and most of the cars, causing us to pull over for a time to let the engines cool.  Then a rapid descent full of twists and turns that required riding the brakes all the way down, then finally a flat straight road leading out of Utah.

Just outside of Page was the port of entry station. We stopped to check the cats in, presenting papers only to be told domestic animals don’t require papers. What? I spent over $200 on those papers! Humor me and look at them! Slap in the face. We continue, driving through Page.

A little before Page, in that dry arid stretch of the 89, is a town called Big Water. Why would a town called Big Water be in the middle of this desert-like terrain? Because Lake Powell, a very sizable body of water, is out here. Lake Powell feeds a hydro-electric dam in Page, which you have to drive over as you enter into Page. It was partially this distraction that led to the grandmother slicing her hand open.  We made our way to a Wal-Mart, being the nearest thing around that wasn’t a hotel or IHOP.

We dropped the grandmother off out front so she could go to the pharmacy and bandage up while we proceeded to park.  It was upon completing this task that Matt’s radiator became a geyser, shooting coolant 10 feet into the air.  While he tended to this problem we became informed that the grandmother had severed the tendon to her thumb and needed to go to the hospital.

To be continued…