The name of our blog is Brake Lights & Bug Bites….however for the last week there were no breaks! And while we were waiting for new brakes, we encountered some snakes on one of our hikes so we thought maybe we should change the name to Brake Fights & Snake Sights!!!
Remember just a few days ago, I mentioned that things do not always go according to the plan? Well, today was one of those days.
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. ”
Proverbs 19:21
I am slow to learn. I had it all planned out. We got up, prepared the camper for departure and started out for our next stop—Death Valley National Park. I had to run a few errands so Ken was about 20 minutes ahead of us on the road. Shortly after leaving our campground, we ascended and then descended a pretty big mountain pass. I said aloud a few times, “I hope daddy is doing ok pulling the trailer over this pass.” As soon as I got reception towards the bottom of the mountain, I called Ken to check in. I could tell the moment he said hello, that something was not right. The trailer brakes went out while he was going over the pass. Yikes! He was waiting for me at a seven-eleven gas station at the bottom.
We were not quite sure what to do. We were in a fairly small town with 4 hours to go and no trailer brakes. We stopped at a tire store and asked if they could take a look at our camper, but they were booked solid for the day. We pulled into a Walmart parking lot and Ken replaced the brake fluid. Problem solved! Well, not quite. We got back on the road and the trailer was making a terrible sound every time Ken used the brakes. I did another quick Google search and found a place called Bobs Performance Center, specializing in Diesel and RV repair! We walked into Bob’s shop explaining our situation and Bob’s somewhat gruff response was, “It is 2:00 on a Friday afternoon and I have over 25 campers in my lot that need to be fixed. But, let me come out and take a look.” Something changed between the greeting and the time Bob came out to our camper. In a matter of minutes, he was helping Ken back in, getting us set up to spend a few nights in his lot, passing out popcorn to the boys, and promising to take a look at our camper first thing tomorrow morning. I told the boys the only explanation for the whole experience was God. We did not have a campground reserved for the next two nights. There was a RV repair shop in a small town at the bottom of the mountain pass. We were able to stay in our camper while we waited for the brakes to be repaired.
Our brake repair turned into a week long stay in Bob’s Performance Center Parking Lot. It took several days for the parts to arrive and then a few days for the labor. The truck and the van were in need of oil changes, so it was perfect timing to check that off our to-do list. We enjoyed playing games in the parking lot, playing football with Higgins at the amazing dog park, In-N-Out Burger, finding hikes in the nearby towns, plugging away at schoolwork, and exploring Carson City. (If you are ever in Carson City, be sure to grab dinner at Red’s Old 395 Grill! What a fun restaurant! And just look at the at the Colossal Que for Two that Charlie and Ken shared!!!!)
We really fell in love with the town of Gardnerville, Nevada. The weather was fabulous, the people so friendly and kind, and the scenery gorgeous. We did 3 incredible hikes:
- Pinyon Trail: a 5 mile hike around a large desert hill with continuous views of the Pine Nut and Carson Mountain Ranges. This is the trail where we encountered 2 large snakes and several screams from our gang…myself included!
- Genoa Vista Trail: a shorter paved hike but part of the California trail, the path that many emigrants took looking for gold and rich farmland in the 1840s and 1850s. The town of Genoa was Nevada’s first town and also a stop on the Pony Express.
- Fay-Luther/Jobs Peak Trail: a network of trails that wind through both high desert and forested habitats. We started the trail in Nevada and hiked into California! The views were just stunning (and there were no snake sightings!!)
We were so thankful for Bob and his team. They treated us with such kindness, quickly fixed our camper and allowed us to camp in their parking lot for a week. They felt like family! Although Gardnerville was not on our original itinerary, we are all glad we found this hidden gem! I am looking forward to getting back on the road (and taking a shower!!!).
And the new brakes did awesome on the 58-mile mountain pass to our next campground in Greenfield, California! Nothing like putting them right to the test! Ha!
