Tada Utah❣ Part 2

Thinking that MAYBE I was finally closer to reaching civilization, I was enjoying the scenery, right up until I hit another rock. 😡 The now familiar, but gutwrenching scraping & thud made my heart sink again. Those are not the sounds you want to hear from your beloved car while lost on Day #3 in the desert.

The next few photos are of my poor car, stuck in another ridiculously impossible situation.

I’d thought about setting up the tent again, but I remembered that rain was in the forecast. The last report I’d seen was now 3 days earlier, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’m glad we stayed in the car because it did rain overnight.

The next morning, Wednesday, we woke up to bright sunshine. When I got out of the car to reassess the situation, I was shocked to see that the right, front tire had sunk down several inches! 😳 I’ve since learned that it’s common in the desert. The powdery, sandy soil quickly absorbs the moisture from any rain & it compacts down. That tire’s hubcap was now half buried in heavy, compacted “cement”.

The daytime weather was perfect to be lost in the desert. 🙄 It was sunny & mid-60’s. After a good breakfast for both of us, I loaded a backpack with about 25+ pounds of water & snacks & a phone charger, etc. Maddie & I have been walking at least 2 miles every day on our journey, weather permitting & now we were going on a hike to find some reception! I also took my little tripod stool. I wanted to be able to sit right down & make calls, if I got any reception. It worked! Almost. Near the 1 mile point, my phone suddenly started receiving text messages! I immediately tried to make a phone call to 911 & send out a text. NOTHING. 🥺 I moved around, hoping to capture another signal. NOTHING. I finally gave up & we walked back to the car. I was now feeling discouraged. I wasn’t sure what else to try. I knew we had enough water & food for another week or so, but I was starting to be concerned about how much gas the car had left. I’d already used almost 3/4 of a tank of gas, going nowhere. Other than the obvious reason, without gas, I couldn’t run the car to charge my phone or warm us up, as needed.

I tried to do some additional digging that afternoon, but my back was starting to bother me & I’d felt a slight twinge around my ribcage. Enough hard labor for now! Before dark, I set up the tent again. Sometime before sunrise, Maddie woke me up to go out. I’ve always kept her on a 6′ leash, even in the tent, to avoid us getting separated. She went out & a few minutes later returned, dragging something in with her! I couldn’t see what it was & it was freaking me out! When I turned the flashlight on to look, it was a tumbleweed! I was half asleep & had to detach it’s SHARP spines from the leash! 😳

Thursday Morning

By Day #4, I’d had more than enough “fun” on this particular adventure! We were lost & nobody was going to randomly find us a second time. I needed to rev up my MacGyver skills & save us myself!

I’d been aware of a few commercial planes & an occasional small plane flying overhead, but they were too high up to notice us. I hoped that a small plane might fly over & be low enough to see us. To increase our odds of being found, I tried 2 things. I have a sheet of silver insulation in the car. I’d used some of the roll to make privacy window coverings & then saved the rest. I put it on the hood, hoping the reflection might catch an air traveler’s attention. My next idea was pretty clever, if I do say so myself! 😁

I have a black protective sheet covering for Maddie’s seat. It’s a dog product, so it’s canvas on one side & vinyl on the other. I needed to make a sign for the top of my car. I had black tape, but obviously, that wouldn’t work. I pulled out one of the many boxes of band-aids I have & voilà, I made a sign!

After breakfast, I made a note for the car window. It said that I’d been lost for 4 days, with my 14 year young dog. It was 11am on Thursday & I made an arrow pointing in the direction we were walking. I also added my friend D’s phone # to call, if they had any reception. I grabbed the backpack & stool & Maddie & I went off for our walk, determined to secure our rescue!

As we reached the top edge of this mini mountain, I still wasn’t getting any reception. We were both doing ok, so I kept walking. When we reached the highest point, I couldn’t see ANY civilization, in any direction. 😥 It was time to go back to the car.

I was starting to feel panicky for the first time in 4 days. I could walk much further to look for help, but I wouldn’t push Maddie any further than the 2 miles we’d been doing. She’d have followed me, but I’d NEVER forgive myself, if… I also wouldn’t leave her in the car, in case something happened to me…

Negative thoughts were starting to creep in, when my phone began receiving texts again! I immediately called 911. The call wouldn’t go through. I tried several times. Nothing. I sent a pre-written text to all 3 of my emergency contacts (my sister, my niece & my wonderful friend, D), sharing as many details as I knew of our location & situation. To my surprise, they all went through! I didn’t want to waste time waiting for responses, so I called D. He answered & could hear me! He’d just read my text & was already formulating a plan to help! A few minutes later, he texted me. He’d contacted the local county sheriff’s office 911 number here & they were waiting for my call! It took several more attempts, but I finally got through to 911. D had spoken with Keira & she also answered my call. After sharing a few more details with her, she located us on their emergency system! She promised to send help out immediately. I could barely thank her through my tears. We were going to be ok. 💕

I was able to speak with D again & miraculously, the reception held on long enough to have a lengthy conversation with my very worried sister. I reassured her that we would now be rescued & safe.

We walked back down that scary hill again to the car. I didn’t know how long it would take for someone to arrive, so I just started throwing everything back in the car! I’d taken a lot out the day before, attempting to lighten it up to use the jack again. I was still working on it, when a white pick-up truck appeared in front of us. It was BLM Officer Nick & a volunteer named Talitha. They are two of the nicest people I’ve ever met! They were kind & caring & didn’t make me feel like a foolish tourist. 🙄 Talitha knows a lot about the nature in the area & patiently answered all of my questions, while we waited for the tow truck. Officer Nick had originally offered to try towing me out, but decided against it, after seeing the severity of the situation. He & Talitha promised to stay with us until we were towed to safety & they kept their promise. 💝

The tow truck arrived about 2 hours later. They had followed my tracks in & expected to find a totalled vehicle to tow out. They were shocked to see that the car had suffered cosmetic damage, but no noticeable mechanical problems.

The tow truck driver/owner told me that I’m an excellent driver. I’d driven the car through some extremely rugged terrain & he couldn’t see any obvious mechanical issues. He even checked under the hood & found nothing of concern.

They were very skilled & efficient at towing the car out. After checking it over, the owner (John?) said he wanted me to drive it out! 😳 He repeated that I’m an excellent driver & he thought I’d know more quickly if anything felt wrong while driving it. I reluctantly agreed.

After securing Maddie in the BLM truck, we started to drive. The BLM truck was in the lead, followed by the tow truck & then me. If I had any problems, one of the tow truck guys would take over for me.

I made it most of the way up the same hill that had scared me just walking up it earlier that day. Unfortunately, near the top, the car started to slide & roll back. 🥺 As promised, the guys jumped into action! One took over driving, while the other towed my car up to level ground. Maddie & I rode together in the BLM truck. Once we reached a safe area, I thanked the tow guys, paid for their excellent service & they left. AAA doesn’t cover off-road towing, so it’s on me. 🤷‍♀️

Officer Nick & Talitha continued to be supportive of me. They offered to guide me to a hotel (30 miles away) or help me with another choice. I asked them to direct me to a camping area close by, near civilization, with reception.

Welcome to our newest Home Away from Home! Officer Nick did a great job picking this location for us. We’re still on free BLM land, at an intersection of 2 roads, less than 2 miles from the highway! I can hear TRAFFIC aka CIVILIZATION!!! The reception has been great here!

We’ll be staying here for another day or so. I want to see a few of the landmarks I came here to visit, before the weather gets too cold & prevents more exploring. I’m still going to have a safety assessment done on the car & then we’re heading to Arizona! I drove 25 miles round-trip to a 7-11 gas station last Frriday & the car is running fine. The tires all have the correct pressure, the car isn’t pulling & there are no fluids leaking out on the ground.

To close out this misadventure, a few more things…

I know that I’m extremely lucky that Maddie & I are now safe. My MacGyver skills came in handy to keep us safe, but ultimately, I’m forever grateful to the OUTSTANDING team of people that came to our rescue.

Thank you D, for facilitating our rescue. When I asked him to be on my support team for this journey, I had no doubt that he’d be available, anytime I needed his help. I didn’t expect it to be quite this dramatic, but THANK YOU!!! 🤗

Thank you to my sister & my niece for your love & support for this journey. ❤ They’ve been monitoring our travels & knew something was wrong when we went off the radar. It’s comforting to know that you’ve got my back. 💕

Another thank you to the 911 dispatcher, Keira, for her kindness & quick action on our behalf. 😘

Thank you again to my tow truck guys! Their efficiency & professionalism was very much appreciated! 👍🏼

Another huge thank you to Officer Nick & Talitha! Their kindness & compassion was truly a blessing. Officer Nick said “It’s our job”, when I thanked him for his help. Yes, it’s your job, but thank you for being exceptional at doing it.

Before leaving this area & moving on, I’m planning to make up & deliver little gift snack baskets with a thank you note to each member of my rescue team here. 💝

And finally, I want everyone reading this to know that I’m not feeling invincible because we survived this ordeal. I’m well aware that we were in danger & I’ll proceed with the same or increased level of caution I’ve taken to this point. I’m excited to continue this journey & will always travel as safely as possible.

Hugs from Utah! 🐾🤗🐾