This is a special trip because we’re bringing our niece Audrey along for the first time. She just turned five years old, and it’s the last “free” summer she has before starting kindergarten in the Fall, so we felt it was the right time to take her out for a trip.
After two long days of final truck and trailer prep, we hit the road with a good playlist and extra enthusiasm. You can’t beat the feeling you get at the beginning of a trip—the anticipation of the first stop and the potential of all that could be.
We drove to Turlock, where we met Uncle John for dinner at Dust Bowl Brewery. It was a perfect first mini-stop. Audrey and the dogs finally settled down and got comfortable. After dinner, we were to stop at Bass Pro Shop before stopping for the night at the Tracy Elks. Unfortunately, we only made it down the road a few miles before we had a blowout.
A guy was nice enough to flag us down on the freeway, and we were lucky to be close to an exit with a few truck stops. We pulled over on a quiet road, and a kid from the Love’s Truck Shop came over to help us swap out the tire. Although the blowout ripped the hydraulic brake line, we were fortunate it didn’t cause more damage. To add to the luck, it happened in the daylight.
The sun was setting as we got it all cleaned up and back on the road, and we were more than ready to call it a night. We were only 20 minutes away from the Tracy Elks, so we made it over and parked for the night. Because the blowout happened late on a Saturday night, we’ll have to sit still until we can find a shop on Monday.
Overall, it was an eventful first day.
Audrey ready to leave Joanie’s house and hit the road.
Our dinner stop with Uncle John at Dust Bowl Brewery.
Audrey was a trooper and stayed in the AC with the dogs and her music while we took care of the tire.
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A road trip with all the positives and a few set backs along the way will create lasting memories that will be told in stories for years.