Click Here for Part 1 

The next day started as expected. As is often typical, the hotel breakfast didn’t suit me; but I found a local coffee shop that I wanted to try. Of course, the coffee shop was in an old house that had been converted into a business. That meant that Dad got stuck driving the pickup pulling the loaded 30ft. trailer through an old residential area with skinny streets. Not that navigating any of that was a problem for him, though.

The coffee shop was super cute. I purchased a delicious breakfast burrito and iced latte. I wish I had snapped a picture of the outside of the shop, but I did snap a picture of the burrito. First picture.

While Dad wanted to salvage as much of the trip as possible, he decided that it was best to scrap half of it. He had some drainage supplies waiting to be picked up, so we headed for those.

In route, the primary topic was discussing the loaded lemon. Opinions along the lines of: “The vehicle we are riding in is closing in on 300,000 miles. During those miles it has proven itself to be a very good and reliable vehicle that has been largely maintenance free despite traveling more than four times the distance the lemon has traveled. The vehicle we are hauling just rolled over 70,000 miles, and it has been a constant nightmare of issues.” and “Regardless of how many time you fix that lemon, it will never be a trustworthy vehicle.” I succeeded in getting one concession, the cost per mile on the service truck had been high.

By using every inch of trailer length and the cargo area of the service truck we managed to fit everything on. We then continued on with the trip. Second picture.

The route that we were taking to our next stop was one that neither of us were very familiar with. I got designated as navigator. Bad idea. First, I struggle to tell the difference between right and left. That was further complicated by the fact that our route was primarily south and the app I was using was north oriented. Additionally, I have always dealt with motion sickness. Looking down in a moving vehicle on hilly curved roads increases the problem and you can probably guess the type of roads we were on.

So, while I am attempting to point Dad down the correct road, one of his friends calls. I am hearing the conversation on the pickup’s bluetooth. By this time I have mistakenly pointed Dad down a small gravel road with plenty of curves. It looks like the road might come out at a better road, but after a few miles of driving we encounter a bridge neither of us were confident in being strong enough for the pickup and trailer to cross. That left Dad having to back a good distance until he was finally able to find a place where he could back in and get turned around.

Meanwhile, I realize that the item being discussed on the phone call is my favorite backhoe, and Dad’s friend has just successfully put together a deal to sell it. Now I’m upset! You see, Dad has owned that backhoe for about 15 years. I have sentimental attachment to it. While I usually ignored its “tail,” the loader portion was my to go for most of the farm and ranch jobs. I was especially fond of its “bucket with a mouth.” (Here is 2017 post that heavily featured the backhoe.) Third picture. (from August)

At that point Dad was routing himself, and I was car sick and unhappily sitting in the passenger seat asking, “Why have you sold my beloved backhoe?” :(

Dad was going through a list of reasons and I was promptly labeling all of them pathetic! We finally reached our next stop, and the rest of the trip was largely uneventful.

The next afternoon, I went out to the shop in hopes of seeing the backhoe a final time and getting a picture by it. When I arrived, I noticed that the license plate had been removed from the service truck and Dad was actively unloading his tools. It turns out, the same person that purchased the backhoe also decided to purchase the service truck as is; and he wanted both items delivered that afternoon. Knowing that the service truck had been sold was a major day improver for me! Dad got both items delivered, and I hope the new owner is as happy with the items as I was to see the service truck get a new owner. Fourth picture - backhoe leaving.

Edit:  Fix issue with link. 

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