The Loneliest Highway

Last month I had an experience of a LIFETIME that I will look back on and laugh and it will be story worth telling my grandchildren and they will laugh at me I can guarantee it.

On September 29th one of my buddy's from back home flew out to Colorado to drive back to Oakdale with me and make a little road trip out of it.  My buddy Tdale has been the unlucky soul that has helped me move almost every time I have moved.  Who can turn down a free flight to Southern Colorado and a mini road trip for free.

I met Trevor early that morning at the airport and we went back to the ranch to load my truck up and planned on leaving early the next morning.  As soon as we arrived at the ranch I treated Trevor to a 4UR Staff favorite, a kinda cold PBR.  After we enjoyed our PBR's, we both kinda decided lets just head for CA today.  So I said my good byes and we got in my 1995 Toyota pick up that has made plenty of road trips with minimal to no problems.

We started are trek around 3 oclock that Thursday afternoon.  Early that week I had talked to my dad and he had told me to take Highway 50 there is no traffic and it is a nice drive.  So we decided to go the Highway 50 route.  We decided that Montrose would be are first stop, so at around 7 we stopped at the local Pizza Hut and of course got a 10 dollar pizza and a couple of bounce balls.

At that time it was Trevors turn to drive and we continued our voyage west.  We made it all the way to Utah and we were feeling pretty well.  At that point we had witnessed a very bad accident but some how got lucky and accidentally took a wrong turn that allowed us to go right by the accident and not get stuck in traffic.  Trevor drove through half of Utah and then it was my turn to take the reins.  I remind you it is around 11 oclock at this time and we are already farther than we had planned to be but you get two determined people together and stop is not even a thought, so we drive.

That 10 dollar pizza had trevor feeling really well and it made him feel so well that his exhaust caused me to loose some pizza at the Utah/Nevada border.  So I drove from somewhere in Utah to Ely, Nevada.  It was around three hrs of driving and all I saw was one coyote and one on coming car.  When we arrived in Ely it was about 2ish and trevor and I had decided we would make Fallon, Nv and surprise a buddy and nap there for a bit.

Well about two hrs later my trusty steed all of the sudden blew a water line and instantly over heated and died.  It was about four in the morning and we are now stuck on the side of Highway 50, 140 miles form anywhere.  We didnt have a flashlight to see what had happened so we used my camera and trevor's Iphone to notice that I blew a water line.

We first thought we would call AAA, however if you dont know where you are then dont call AAA because they want cross streets.  We are broke down in the middle of the desert, there are no cross streets.  I have a tow bar on my truck so we decided to try that route.  Good right? Ya it was but HWY50 in NV isnt called the loneliest Highway for nothing.  From 4 am to 9am we saw two cars going west.  During that time I can officially say we played on the highway.  Those bounce balls from montrose became are entertainment.  We also threw rocks at one another to kill the time.

Just as all hope was lost a guy pulled over in a dodge 4 door and asked if we needed help.  So we lucked out he had a 2 in ball and we hooked my truck and headed west.  He was going to Reno so he took us all the way to Fallon.  Ya we just hitch hiked haha.

Trevors sister came to Fallon picked us up and we drug the truck back to Oakdale, were I discovered that I quickly must become a mechanic.

After all was said and done I now have a fully rebuilt toyota pickup.  The roadtrip was a true test of friendship and trip that will never be forgotten.  Looking back on it I would trade that trip home for nothing but I hope and pray that I never have to do it again.

The End of the Beginning

All good things must come to an end to make room for new beginnings and new experiences.  Well my life is no different.  Four months ago I finish college in an amazing four years.  It was an experience that was filled with great friends, family and memories.  However college came to an end and they handed (mailed me) this little piece of paper that says your done,now good luck.

Like most college seniors there was this point of uneasiness that came across me not long into my fall semester.  The feeling of crap what am I going to do after I am done with school.  Grad school? Work? Mission field?  Grad school is another 2 years I believe I have had enough school for awhile and going on a mission would be pretty cool but I wasnt sure so I went on the job search.  Now I didn't want a real job you know one that is 9-5 in a office sitting next to some guy who drinks way to much coffee, so I went on the search on the internet and what did I find?

I found this place called the 4UR Ranch.  It was a dude ranch located in Southern Colorado.  Now growing up ranching it was kind of comical to tell my family I wanted to go work on a dude ranch as a Ranchhand.  I found the place in October, applied in November and was hired in January.  The pressure of the unknown is gone, atleast that is what I thought.

Then April came around and it finally truely hit I am about to graduate.  Yes I was excited but then I freaked out and said I cant graduate I am only 22 most people in my classes are atleast 25 there is no way I am ready for the real world.  So I did what any scared cat would do I ran to admissions and removed my application to graduate and decided to go after pre veterinarian medicine.  Well that was about the dumbest thing I possibly could have done, it was a move done out of fear not reason.  About a month later I realized what I had done and went crap you need to graduate so the last day to file for graduation was May 16th I filed May 10th.  That was the week before finals.

Once I got through finals I packed everything I owned and decided to chase a dream kind of and move to Colorado to work on a dude ranch.  I have spent the last 15 weeks working eating and hanging out with a group of forty or so young people about my age from all over the country.  This summer has been a great experience for me, as I try to figure what lies before me.

As the weather begins to turn cool and fall begins to set in, it is apparent that the season is quickly coming to an end.  While the beginning of my adult life is just beginning the first season of that life is quickly coming to an end.  The last 4 months have been full of great experiences that I would not give up for anything as experience is worth more than money