HyperDrive

We started the morning in McCook with a campground rescue. Most towns have a place transients can camp. Conditions range from a bare spot, to full electricity, sewer, flush toilets, showers, and running water. Many people work in one town during the week and staying at the campsite, then go home, several hours away, for the weekend. 

John had a flat on his Trailblazer. He seemed very frustrated. Like everything had gone wrong in his world and he was stuck. He couldn’t get his jack under the car. He couldn’t find his wrench to remove lugs. He didn’t know how to drop down his spare. Since EM was still sleeping at 5:30 am, I decided to go Boy Scout and help out.

Put my jack under the SUV until it was high enough to get John’s jack under. Jacked her up, another neighbor noticed the conundrum and lent a lug wrench the right size (mine was too big). Got the wheel off – pulled out a nail – which wasn’t in straight enough or deep enough to make a hole. I hooked up my compressor and we filled the tire to 45 psi. Soapy water revealed no leaks.

Why did it go flat? Perhaps the travel Gods were testing our mettle this morning and seeing my puncture repair kit, decided to throw in the towel?

Once all was restored, John seemed in much better spirts. He offered to run out and get me a breakfast taco at Taco Johns. I thanked him for the gesture and declined. I don’t eat that much anymore and I knew EM would want breakfast today.

It also felt like accepting breakfast would change the experience. I helped because John seemed out of options and defeated. I know that feeling. Depending on the issue, it lasts a few seconds, or years. I thought as I walked to the van, ‘I can help someway. I have tools and energy and spirit to help.’

My reward was helping another man to experience that even when you’re cornered, your back is to the wall, and the ceiling is caving in — there is almost always a move that can be made to escape, fix it, or live enough to figure it out another day. 

That was reward enough. Just the satisfaction of movement. A bit here. A bit there. OH! That worked. Let’s try………..

Thank you, John. Travel well and safe. 

101 degrees. Headwinds 20 to 30 mph. Dust. Dust. Dust. Everywhere. We took the hyperdrive to Holyoake. 

You can predict the prosperity of a town on the plains, by the number of rail tracks going thru, and the count of modern grain silos along those rails. Image shows 9 of 100+ silos?

The other image title: abandoned to the dust, wind, and sun.