Welcome to Wyoming

Welcome to Wyoming! What a sight. We were free from South Dakota’s grasp. After the relative metropolis of Rapid City, Wyoming was a real shock. Looking out the windows at the stunning nothing-ness was at the same time awe inspiring and anxiety inducing. The undulating topography was green and sparsely dotted with trees. Cows roamed enormous pastures meeting horses at the fencerows. It ALMOST made me want to learn to ride. It was here that I began to reconcile with the fact that we are indeed taking a cross-country journey. Here, the isolation became both a threat and a wonder. As a mother, I couldn’t help but run through my mental checklist of “what ifs.” I tried to settle down and soak in the beauty, but I just kept thinking about that “Water in Fuel” light that the repairman said would “probably go off in a few miles.” It clearly WASN’T going off and we just passed a sign that said next services 40 miles. I checked my cell phone. Do I have bars???? Yes, ok. Relief.

 BEEP! What the hell was that? All the lights on the dash came on for one quick second… even the RED ones. Damn it! Do I have enough milk? The red ones went as quickly as they came. Only two lights remained… “Water in Fuel” and “Check Engine.” I know in my Sienna that the Check Engine light is usually just an emissions thing. What does it mean on a Cummins Diesel RV? Just then…. A sign…. Cummins Diesel repair 14 miles ahead at Jack’s Diesel. THANK GOD! It’s 4:00 on the day before the long 4^th of July weekend begins. We have to get there before 5:00! What if they cut out early? I don’t want to spend the long holiday weekend in Gillette, WY, but it’s better than Nowhere, WY, which is where we have been for the last 100 miles. Still, I’m getting scared. We near the exit for Gillette and I realize that I am going to be ok. Right there on the exit shining like a beacon of hope is a Starbucks!!!! All is right in the world. If they have a Starbucks, they must have rental car places and hotels. We’ll be ok.

 We reached the Diesel repair shop at 4:30…. Cutting it close! The manager, Richard, was a Wyoming Roger Story. He even looked like him. Reassuring us that we’d figure it out, I wanted to hug him. His mechanics hooked the diagnostic meter to the engine and we waited for the results. What would they be? How sick is the RV? The result was “Water in the Fuel.” Further tests showed that it was most certainly a faulty sensor. A sigh of relief…. No need to investigate the link to “Things to do in Gillette” that my mom had already sent me. We were free to go with the blessings of certified Cummins Diesel mechanics.

As we drove off, I paid heed to the snow fences along the highway meant to drift the snow in the fields so that it doesn’t pile up on the interstate and imagined what it must be like here in the Winter. Passing through this desolate beauty during High Summer is nerve-wracking enough. I paused to think about it and then decided to pour myself a small glass of wine. I’m ready to simply enjoy the ride.