Well okay my first trip by myself, okay my first trip without family, yes that is it. Matt Halbert the Kitchen Assistant at Spag and I embarked on a journey to Zion National Park in Utah. This would be my third time to Zion.
I’ve just finished loading my car and as I slam shut the rear passager door it catches on my watchband and snaps it. Okay not the way I wanted to start my trip, but whatever. I put my watch into my pocket and get in and drive over to Matt’s house. He lives with his Dad in Garden Grove near Trask and Magnolia in a single family house. I still can’t get over the fact he rides his bicycle to Spag everyday from GG. Get to Matt’s and load him up no trouble and away we go.
Somewhere between Victorville and Barstow the car started to vibrate. Matt looks over to me and asks, ” Is that the road or the car?”. Before I can pipe in with my opinion, the car suddenly lurches left. The rear driver tire has blown out. I’m doing 70 something and I’ve been driving now for a whole couple months now. Okay Drivers Ed don’t fail me now. I calmly apply the brakes and continue along until I’ve slowed down to 20 or 30 and ease off into the center divider which is a little below the the road level and dirt and little sage brush. Okay were alive now I get to change a tire my first tire. The tread on the tire just peeled off part way, if we had a whole bunch of shoe goo I could fix it. It made a horrible racket when the tread seperated and was pounding on the wheelwell. I’ve helped change tires before so we make short change of it and we are on our way. However, everytime I drive over a washboard road, I immediately wonder if a tire is going. [ in fact for years and years over 30, i get that feeling anytime the road has a washboard feel ]
We passby Vegas without a second glance, hey we’re both 18 and have no fake IDs what’s the point?
We didn’t get the earliest start so it is dark by the time we exit the interstate. It is a windy two lane country road up to Zion. I was tired and a bit nervous driving at night on a dark twisting road so I wasn’t exactly taking the corners on two wheels. Well it wasn’t fast enough for the semi following me. His lights in my eyes weren’t helping things either finally he starts to flash his lights at me. I had no idea what the hell that was about, Matt says, ” I think he wants to pass”. OH, okay – pull over a bit let him pass. The remaining distance was much less stressful without that Duel guy on my ass.
We got a room at the Terrance Brook Lodge. It was a old but clean motel. I’m beat 9 hours of driving straight, but I made it. Matt offered to drive but I wanted to DO IT.
