Ahh, life. Always getting in the way of blogging, am I right?

Where were we? Oh yes, in our loaner truck on our way to Zion to explore while Big Red was being fixed! Check back here if you’ve forgotten the details. And here if you have no idea what’s going on.

Our time in Zion was seriously lovely after we decided to stop talking about Big Red and just enjoy ourselves. Each morning we packed up our truck bed set up and headed into the park to hike. Each evening we camped under the stars, thankfully blessed by perfect weather.

After our allotted time in Zion we moved on to Bryce Canyon, an hour or so away, in the loaner truck. I was pretty nervous about going to Bryce because the cell service was spotty in Zion and I didn’t want to miss a phone call from the dealership. Once we arrived we settled into our camp spot that had reception. I know it sounds so millennial of me to be concerned about cell service, but it was actually important this time. Any other day I wouldn’t have cared. Bryce Canyon is quite a bit higher in elevation so we slept in the tent instead of the bed of the truck to stay warm. Just like Zion we spent the days hiking our butts off, if you’re looking for a way to decrease your stress, hiking is certainly the way to go.

After a few days we received a phone call from the dealership. ‘Your truck should be finished by tomorrow!’ At last! We packed up the truck the following morning, did a quick hike, and headed back to St. George. Brian and I decided it was best to just get a hotel for the night so we were ready when the truck was ready. We chose the cheapest hotel in town because, well, we’re in our 20’s living in a truck traveling the country.

We received a phone call after we had checked out saying, ‘Well, the good news is that your transfer case is fixed! The bad news is that the transmission is blown. It’ll be at least another week before we can fix that also. But, it’s under warranty so that’s great!’

Remember when we dropped the truck off a week ago and specifically said ‘The transmission needs looked at.’ ?! I don’t know if I’ve ever been so angry in my life. I called my mom, what you do in a time like this, and she offered to fly us home. I thought about it and as much as I wanted to come home, I still wanted to finish our trip, we had two major national parks left to see. I decided to stay and wait this one out. I wasn’t going to let the truck control our summer of a lifetime. After my tears of fire and despair dried up I found my way to the reception desk to do what I hate doing most, asking for a favor. Puffy eyed and voice quivering I asked the kind gal at reception if we could book a room for the next week. She knew right away something was up. She asked me what was wrong and I explained our horrible (now hilarious) situation. After a run around the counter to hug me she whispered, ‘We’re gonna fix you guys up, don’t you stress honey.’ I got the key card to the suite of the hotel given to us at a HUGE discount. Who wouldn’t get a little giddy about getting the SUITE?! We hurried to our new room to settle in for the week.

We opened the door to our room and were pleasantly surprised! It was pretty big compared to the other room we were in which was great since we were going to be spending a lot of time there. The bathroom was nice enough. I wish I was kidding when I say that RIGHT NEXT TO THE BED was a red heart shaped jacuzzi tub with mirrors as walls and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Oh. Well, um, ok then.

The dealership needed the loaner truck back so we swapped vehicles and they gave us a different car. We didn’t mind since the car got better gas mileage and we didn’t really need the truck anymore because we had no other adventures left, just playing the waiting game at this point. Across the street from our lovely hotel was a discount grocery where we loaded up on snacks and microwave food to get us through the week because eating out for every meal was the last thing I wanted to be spending my money on. I cried every evening in that hotel room. I cried during the day at random moments where I remembered why in the heck we were here and how stupid it all felt. Brian was as supportive as he could be but you can only do so much for your wife who is crying in the 50 cent book section at the library on a Friday morning.

Labor day weekend approaches and we’re bored out of our minds. Sorry St. George, there is honestly nothing to do in your town. On a whim we decided to go to Las Vegas for a night just to see it and get a change of scenery. Remember, these posts are about the truck so forgive me for glossing over everything we did in Zion, Bryce, and Las Vegas, etc. those posts will come in time!

A few days after Vegas the truck was ready to go. As much as I hate that darn truck, I was happy to have it back and get on the road. The sales manager had told us previously to save all of our receipts because there was a chance we could get reimbursed for our hotel and food costs. We handed the receipts over and headed to Grand Teton National Park.

The rest of our trip was a whirlwind. We so desperately wanted to be home because we were a little tired of being on the road and running on empty due to the ongoing stress. Every time we got in the truck our anxiety hit the roof. What will happen this time? Will we even make it home? Our eyes were constantly making note of the dealerships we passed along the way, just in case.

After Grand Teton and Yellowstone we hit the road for home. All we wanted was to get the truck home and get rid of it.

That Big Red truck had taken us on an adventure of a lifetime. It sheltered us (sort of) from torrential downpours and storms. It drove us over 8,000 miles. But it also caused us heartache and pain. We got home and immediately put the truck up for sale. After 2 months of obsessively checking craigslist for buyers, it finally sold to a super happy gentleman. Fingers crossed we dealt with all the mechanical issues so he can enjoy it for many years to come!

BYE BIG RED, SEE YOU NEVER.