God Works in Mysterious Ways

Last Monday we got our car back, finally.  I didn't like the sound of it, but it was a used motor.  The mechanic had been kind enough to throw in fixing the air conditioner for free and came in at the price he had quoted.  We drove around town for a day to catch up on everything we couldn't do while stranded at home for two weeks, such as buy groceries. (Walking for groceries in Vegas is difficult, it's been over 100 degrees and our one city block is about the size of five normal city blocks.)

I had developed the theory over the previous two weeks that sharing any plans, such as moving out of state or a vacation, seemed to fall apart.  So I was going to try and keep my mouth shut about what was going on in our life until after we had done something.  That theory proved wrong.

We left bright and early Wednesday morning.  It took us ten hours to get to a camp site at Yosemite, which in itself was a feat.  Most campgrounds wanted reservations to be made, and only so many allowed dogs.  We had alot of trouble getting up the mountain.  We could only go 30 mph at best in some places.  It didn't seem right for the type of car and the type of engine that is suppose to be in our vehicle.  We had heated up the brakes after being stuck for several miles behind some RVers who had rented their ride.  They hit the brakes way more than was logical. 

Camping was not the freedom loving experience we were hoping for.  I didn't know so many tourists could exists in the middle of what could have been nowhere.  Everyone we met was very nice though.  Much nicer than Las Vegas tourists.  There were so many rules.  All food was to be kept in a food locker, for safety reasons I can understand, it didn't make it any less annoying.  We couldn't walk anywhere that wasn't a designated trail.  There were no trails that our dog was allowed on.  Dogs must be leashed at all times and can not be left alone at your campsite.  Again I understand, but our poor dog didn't.  He wanted to play with all the dogs that walked by.  Trash was to be kept picked up and food put away at all times unless you were preparing a meal or eating it.  And I really don't understand having shuttle buses in a forest.

We stayed two nights.  It was colder at night than I had researched on the weather online, in the 40s.  We did get to walk around and explore a little.  I'm sure we would have been in big trouble if we'd been found walking along the stream surround camp.  And I found out I'm a mountain snob.  Yosemite was amazing and beautiful and a wonderful example of God's creations, but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest.  Mountains created by a volcanic ring of fire are more amazing to me.  (And there are no food lockers to keep Big Foot at bay.) 

Our girls got to see the stars and the milky way.  They had no idea there were so many.  My husband took them for a walk to get a better view and they even got to see a shooting star.  That made the whole trip for them.

We got up bright and early Friday morning ready to make our way to the coast and camp (or maybe get a hotel room) near the beach.  We took down camp and had everything loaded within two hours of getting up.  Then my hubby started the car.  I didn't like the smell of the motor.  I knew it wasn't going to hurt us, but I also knew it wasn't good.  We headed to gas station twenty miles away.  I told my husband I think we needed to go home, I didn't think the car is going to make it.  Actually I didn't say it that nice.  We had a bit of an argument.  I cried, we both yelled some.  We decided we would at least try to make it to the beach and have one more night out and see where to go from there. 

We head down the mountain and by the time we got the the exit gate the brakes were smoking.  It was a very slow trip the rest of the way.  It took us four hours total to get down that mountain.  We had to keep stopping so we didn't finish off the brakes and head careening toward our own demise. 

We got out of the parks areas and into some small mountain towns.  We got to a fork in the road and didn't know which road to take.  We had pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant, Priest Station Cafe.  Thank God we did.  A nice gentleman there asked if we needed help.  It turns out the two roads we were both going down the mountain.  One of them would have gotten us a $1,000 ticket and finished off the brakes.  He could smell our brakes,  he told us to take the 120 and put the car into a lower gear.  He said that's what he does when he goes down that road with a trailer.  He said if we could only go 20 mph than that people behind would just have to wait.  He was really nice and I'm still so amazingly thankful we came across him and his advice.

We survived making it down the remainer of the mountain.  We had chosen to head towards Modesto, CA and see if we could find a place to look at our brakes. There's a warranty on them and my husband had just had them serviced three weeks ago before we headed out the first time.  We couldn't find the company anywhere nearby.  The closest was back in Reno. 

We were heading down the road again and we heard a rattle.  We thought it was a car next to us.  And then it happened again.  It was a bad sound.  Like the kind you hear in the cartoons just before the car pukes it's parts out the back end.  It wasn't looking good.  Would we even make it home?  Okay, we pulled out the map and figured out the "flattest" way home.  It was a battle to see if we could make it home with these brakes and engine.

We made it home.  Sixteen hours on the road and the only family member happy to be home was the dog.  He was thrilled to roll around on the floor and be free of a leash. 

Now here's where the whole thing gets "weird".  There was an earthquake Saturday morning in California about 30 miles or more from where we were heading.  Wow, God must have really wanted us home.  My husband just wished he would have sent a talking squirrel instead of messing with the car.  And then this afternoon I found out there is a fire just outside Yosemite.  On the road we had taken if I had convinced my husband that we needed to head home.  Between those two events and that fact that we made home in a vehicle twice now with it being held together by prayer, I really don't need to believe in God.  I know of God.