Road Trip USA: South Dakota, Part 1

Our day started off wonderfully meeting up with Kevin and Katie and their kids for hotel breakfast. Thane and Graham always eat a ton at these breakfasts (waffles and oatmeal and yogurt and muffins and juice and fruit and cereal...), but they ate extra this morning to show off for their cousins. 

We said our good-byes and loaded up in our separate vans; Katie and Kevin heading south, and our crew heading west across South Dakota. As we started driving, Bryce asked, "How much longer do you think this van will last us?" "I don't know," I responded, "two or three more years?"

The kids needed a (second) bathroom break at the exact right place to see the relatively new and impressive Native American statue called "Dignity," in Chamberlain.

The scenery on our drive was gorgeous; the rolling hills were covered in green and yellow. We wondered aloud, "Is this normal? I wish we had someone we could ask."

About an hour after our potty stop, just when we were getting closer to our first planned stop of the day (Minuteman Missile National Historic Site), the check engine light started flashing. While visiting with Sean in Illinois, I'd told him about our car trouble in Carlsbad. He'd explained to me, "When the check engine light comes on, it means you should take your car into the mechanic soon, but if it starts flashing, that means you should pull over immediately because something really bad is happening."

With that warning in my mind, I set about finding a safe place to pull over. That's easier said than done on an 80-mph highway! We made it about one mile before finding an off-ramp (we later learned the off-ramp went to a tiny hamlet boasting 8 residents), but by that time the car was shaking and losing power. No good at all.

Sue and I got out to check the engine, but nothing was obviously wrong (granted, we're not exactly adept in this area). I called AAA, and they explained they'd tow us up to 15 miles, which, in the middle of South Dakota got us just about nowhere. Sue saved the day! She explained, "I've been a AAA member forever, and now I have premier status. I can get a tow up to 200 miles!" We made a few phone calls (to AAA and a couple mechanics shops) and decided to ask to be towed 135 miles to Rapid City, the nearest city of any notable size.

Once those decisions and phone calls were made, we waited. We were truly stuck in the car because on one side of us was 80-mph traffic and on the other side was grass filled with ticks (Sue found one of the offending creatures on her white pants after being out of the car for just 5 minutes). Thankfully, the weather was mild and no one freaked out too bad.

No passing traffic stopped to help us, but about 90 minutes after calling AAA, our tow truck driver, Mike arrived. He explained, "Technically, I'm only allowed to take two people with me." Since there were seven of us, that led to a moment of panic. Mercifully, he continued, "but you can all squeeze in... you'll tie the record for the most people I've hauled."

So, the seven of us stacked into his dualie pick-up. It was a tight squeeze, and certainly not the safest way to travel, but what else could we do? Graham sat on my lap and began to cry, "We won't get our three Jr Ranger badges!" "I know, buddy," I commiserated, "I'm sad too. Do you want me to cry for you?" That made him laugh just enough to ward of his tears.

With all of us in the truck, and the immediate "what-to-do" crisis solved, I realized I really needed to use the bathroom. The boys had "watered rocks" while we waited, but that doesn't work so well for girls. I thought about asking Mike to stop at a rest stop, but he had already gone out of his way to help us, so I didn't want to be more of a burden. I tried distracting myself by listening to Mike tell stories and answer our questions (no, the weather and scenery were not normal, it had just been an extra wet and cool year), but it wasn't easy. Graham sitting on my lap and bouncing around didn't help the situation. On the positive side, I guess that discomfort took my mind off the bigger stress of my car's catastrophe.

Eventually we made it to the mechanic shop in Rapid City, and I've never been so grateful for an open bathroom. The mechanics took the car back to their shop, and we got busy waiting again. At least this time we had a little more room to roam. After all that waiting, the final diagnosis for the van wasn't pretty. There was oil and coolant leaking into the engine (at least now we know where all that oil was going), and the engine was totally shot. RIP Green Van. So much for lasting another two or three years! The sad thing was, the van only had a little over 150,000 miles. 

When we'd been stuck on the side of the road, I'd cancelled our planned hotel for the night in Badlands and booked a room at a Residence Inn in Rapid City. We called Lyft and made our way in two cars to our hotel. Thank heavens we'd already purchased dinner for the night and were able to quickly heat it up once we checked in. 

My mind was spinning by this point, but we went into major research mode. We came down to two primary choices: 1) Find a new way home. 2) Buy a new van and continue on the trip.

Our options for alternate ways to get home were extremely limited (we checked bus, plane, train, and automobile). Vehicles that could transport 6+ people apparently don't exist in Rapid City in the summer. The cheapest one-way option we found was over $3000 for 3 days. Our best bet was renting two smaller cars for $750 each.

As for buying a new car, options were also fairly limited. Rapid City does have a few larger car dealerships, so I made a detailed list of requirements, and made plans to visit a couple dealerships the next morning. 

While doing this, we also managed to get the kids to bed and do all our laundry. Well, getting the kids to bed didn't go quite as smoothly as that sounds. Not long after putting Graham and Nellie to bed, I heard crying from their room. Nellie was already passed out on her bed, but Graham was sobbing, "I didn't get my 3 Jr Ranger badges!" I comforted him as best as I could, then left him to go to sleep.

A few minutes later, the crying started again, louder this time. It didn't matter what I said or did; soon he was hysterical. "I cannnnn't stop crying!" he wailed, "I'm sooooooo sad! I want those badges soooo much!"

I ran out of any semblance of patience. I took him into the bathroom and explained, "If you can't stop crying, you are welcome to hop into a cold shower. That should calm you down." He opted to stop crying on his own.

Sue was a rock. Since she was there to help, I didn't feel overwhelmingly stressed. 

To be continued...