Paying it Forward on Highway 12

Oh boy. Well, we were supposed to be back home late last night. After a five day camping trip and a long, exhausting (but beautiful) hike right before heading home (details later), we were ready to get home and get to bed! We were driving along on the super scenic Highway 12, and Andrew was going fairly slow since there are hundreds of deer all over the place and the last thing we wanted was to hit another deer! (Especially since we still haven't fixed the car that was hit by a deer.) Anyway, I fell asleep and Kate was dozing off, when Andrew woke me up with a start--saying, "Something's wrong with the car!" The headlights had been fading slowly, the radio didn't work, and the car was slowly but surely DYING. I looked around in a panic--it was pitch black (this was around 10pm), and we were in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. There were no cars around, no nearby city. Just me, Andrew, and baby in a 20 year old broken-down car. Andrew was able to get it to the side of the highway as it died. As soon as Andrew woke me up, I had started praying. I was really praying for a miracle that would allow us to get home last night, but that didn't exactly happen.

So, the car fell silent and we sat there--a little stunned at our bad luck. Kate woke up and seemed to sense something bad had happened, because she didn't make a noise. I just kept saying, "Oh crap." Andrew jumped out of the car almost as soon as it died because there was a car making its way towards us. He waved his arms and the car immediately pulled over to see what was wrong. It was just one person--a young guy. He was on his way to a nearby city from SLC to visit his mother. We could not have gotten more lucky--or blessed, I should say. He knew a lot about cars and a lot about the area. He said that Richfield was just 20 miles away, and it was a pretty large city (compared with the cities we had passed by already). He determined our alternator had died. The only way to get the car moving was for him to charge up the battery and then drive as far as we could until it died again. So once charged, the car would go for a few miles, then die. Jeff (the guy helping us) drove in front of us, then when our lights would completely fade, he would pull over and charge it up again. It took quite a while before we finally made it to Richfield. And along the way, several others stopped to see if we needed help.

Maybe I was just in an emotional state, but when the third person stopped to help, I started crying. I was just struck with how mindful Heavenly Father is of all of us--through the kindness of others. I was so grateful that He heard and answered my prayers. It would have been devastating to be stuck out there all night. The other people that stopped offered cell phones, which we could have called a tow truck or something, but this guy Jeff was so kind to stay with us for as long as it took to get us to town and to a hotel. We offered him money, but he wouldn't take it. He said, "Just help out someone else when they need it." It really was just like that movie, Pay It Foward. He really went the extra mile for us.

So, we are in Richfield at a Days Inn. Right across the street is a Chevy dealership. It worked out perfectly! It still had enough juice in it this morning that Andrew was able to get it over there. The alternator will cost $150, and so will the hotel after two nights, but it is all working out. The car should be done tomorrow morning, so Andrew may even make it home in time for his first day of spring classes.

Andrew has surmised that maybe our car breaking down saved us from hitting an elk. Jeff said that just up the road there were tons of them all over the place. Who knows--but we are just glad everything will be okay (aside from the cost of it all). Kate was slap happy last night when we finally got into our room. She started jumping on the beds and giving two armed hugs over and over to Andrew. Andrew thought she was saying (after sleeping in a tent for 5 days), "See! This is what I like! Try to remember for next time."

Anyway, that's all for now. We will hopefully be home tomorrow and I can update everyone on the actual camping trip--which was very fun.

So just remember--when you have the opportunity to help someone--do it! They will be grateful! :)

P.S. The lady on duty at the front desk last night was SO nice, too. I asked if there was any milk here I could buy for Kate. She said no, but there was a grocery store up the road, and I could borrow her car. I was sort of shocked by that. I turned down her offer, but she persisted in helping me unload the car. Richfield is really sort of a country folk kind of a town--but everyone is so nice here. Strange that we're only a couple hours from home--it feels like a different state.

Also, there is the nicest outdoor pool here--but no swimming suits! Dang!