I was driving along and passed a semi who flashed his
lights at me as I passed. Normally that means “it’s safe to get back
over.” But then I noticed the semi slowed down and scooted to the middle
lane and flashed his lights again several times. I think this is
universal language for, “something is wrong, you need to stop.” So I
stopped and checked things out and our bike rack had collapsed. Isaac’s
bike was dragging but still attached with the cable. Now to figure out
how to reconfigure our bikes.
Day 27: we knocked out another 450 miles,
crossing the panhandle of Texas and over half of Oklahoma. We are in
Central Time, one time zone left to go. We also almost lost our bikes
when our bike rack malfunctioned (see last post). And it’s cold and
rained most of the day (only rain of our entire trip). We ended our day
in Henryetta, OK. This is relevant because it’s where my dad grew up. He
was born in California but lived here most of his life. His family
history is tied to the Oklahoma Land Rush, the Okies fleeing to
California during the Dust Bowl, and so much other history. It’s been
cool to share with our kids. And as a bonus, we will see my parents
tomorrow. So full disclosure, I know our trip has probably looked
amazing and maybe made you feel a lot of things (hopefully inspired, but
maybe some other feelings too). It has been amazing, but it has also
been normal life. But stuck altogether in a camper and truck for a
month. With a dog. And two whiny kids. And parents who sometimes argue.
Today we found ourselves having a heated argument in a Starbucks parking
lot in Amarillo while the kids sat in the truck. A man stopped and
asked us (mid argument) if we wanted to buy hot tamales from the back
seat of his car. Umm... don’t you see we are having a moment?! And when
you are arguing in a parking lot, a long way from home, all you can do
is try to figure it out and get back in the truck and keep driving. We
aren’t perfect. We don’t see eye to eye. Sometimes we have temper
tantrums. But we keep trying. We model arguing (sometimes poorly) for
our kids, but we are still a team. A tired, road weary team. But a team
none the less. Just wanted to keep it real.