Monday, July 9, 2007




Day 2 (Sunday)






The day started off promisingly: spirits were high, sun shining. We are such girls! We pass the hand lotion and lip balm amongst us and we're off. Smooth sailing. A quick stop to gas up and buy bevies and we're flying toward Coeur d'Alene, ID.


Suddenly, the truck falters, stutters, loses power up hill, then dies completely as I pull off the road. I think we might have a fuel pump problem...

OH MY GOD, I THINK I PUT REGULAR GAS IN THE TRUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I can't believe I did that. Call Penske 1-800 number, confess, and face our options: the truck can be saved OR all of our belongings that took eleven or so hours to cram into said truck can be TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER TRUCK (!!).

We smile at the absurdity, accept our fate, and wait....and wait... and wait -- while sunning. Alicia strips down to bra (and jeans), Jordan moons oncoming traffic from afar
(for maximum sun exposure),

Jodi paces, then joins in.


We sun and we wait. We wait and we sun.

Our rescuing prince from Husky Trucking pulls in. Tim says our odds are 50/50. We'll take it!

Then we stand (sunning), pace (sunning), and wait some more (sunning). Gas is syphoned, oil emptied, gas and oil filters replaced, gas is syphoned again and our tank filled with 20 gallons of DIESEL.

Three hours later, and the moment of truth has come: our prince turns the key and the Penske beast roars away puking out a healthy spew of gray-blue smoke. She runs. She RUNS!!!



Gratuity is refused by our gallant prince. Tears well up. Our day is saved. Our trip is saved. All is saved.

As we continue driving, we laugh and laugh ('cause it's FUNNY) at how many signs are posted everywhere inside and outside of the truck DIESEL ONLY. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Day 2: only to Missoula. We are happy. We are (some of us) sunburned.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOSH!! Great story...sorry for the sun burn, Alicia!...ouch! Boy, Shelly's already in New York. Stay cool! It's suppose to be in the high 90's here Tuesday and Wednesday, so we're thinking of you with our own heat. Love ya all!!

Anonymous said...

You did NOT do that! OMG! That's the biggest forehead-slap story EVER! I always wondered what would happen if you did that ...

speck said...

OMFG. Okay, I'm sure most people will admonish you for putting the wrong gas in, but here is my wag of the finger: GET OUT OF THE GODDAMN SUN -- IT WILL KILL YOU. How many times do I have to warn you Georgia O'Keefe? HOW MANY?