Day 4

It’s 5:30 AM of the 5^th day. I’m in Google, searching for solutions to trailer sway. Must be a common problem because there appears to be many fixes. Yesterday was … I would say, very interesting. Jill on the other hand (who is still in a stress-based coma) would say it was a nightmare.

We awoke yesterday at Richard and Teri’s with the intent of driving to Moab where we planned to spend a week biking and exploring the various parks, etc. Unfortunately, we discovered that the RV park we were planning to stay in was closing for the winter … not only that park, but all others were either closed or closing in the next few days. Also, most of the restaurants etc. were shutting down.

Hey if nothing else we are flexible … plan B (this assumes of course that we had a plan A but obviously we only had a “notion A” which is not the same as a plan). We’ll just drive to St. George where we had planned (notionally) to go following Moab. I mean how far can it be? Hmmm lets see, the northern border of Utah is right here next to Wyoming and St. George is down there on the Nevada border … OK I get it it’s the entire length of Utah or about 400 miles. That’s the bad news … the good news is it’s all interstate … put it on cruise control, aim it toward Nevada and sit back and listen to Rush Limbaugh and music. Piece of cake!

Remember me commenting on how El Gato had a tendency to be a bit loose in a stiff breeze? All day the wind is out of the west at about 30mph, gusting to 50mph. It is pressing against El Gato’s 400 sqft side with a vengeance. When a Big Rig passes us … and they all do as the speed limit is 75 and we can barely keep it on the road at 60… their mass creates a vacuum that sucks the trailer in their direction. We got very cozy with a few Peterbuilts and Macks over the course of 10 hours. Screw Rush I can’t hear a thing over the sound of Jill praying and my heart beating.

At one point Jill starts laughing hysterically. I think I may have to pull over and slap her like they do in the movies. “What’s wrong I shout” … tears are rolling down her cheeks. “Didn’t you see that sign” she sputters. “ “What sign” I grumble while negotiating a high speed detour lined with concrete barriers on one side and bridge abutment on the other. “Back there when we detoured into this narrow class 5-sphincter detour … there was an overhead sign that said CAUTION WATCH FOR HI-VOLTAGE CABLES! “What more can they throw at us!” she sobbed.

In the end we made it, unscathed, to St. George and a comfortable park. It was like driving on ice for 400 miles. So that’s why, after a couple of martinis and a good sleep, I’m surfing online solutions for trailer sway.