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Breakdown Heartbreak...

Not sure if I've posted this one before, but here goes:


So there I was - just married. Literally, within DAYS of being married and my wife and I were on a camping trip in Southern Utah... We went to Bryce Canyon and then to Calf Creek - you know the place. Well, I found out that my wife's idea of camping and mine were somewhat divergent. So we decided to cut the trip short and head back home. We started up that beautiful road to the east of Calf Creek - before Boulder - and the car died. Died. Like it ran out of gas... Which I figured later it did, kind of...

There was a strange gas-like substance on the ground under the car. My wife said it was gas, but I was sure it was water from the air conditioning condensor. Should have listened to her immediately... It's a lesson I am still trying to learn.

A car stopped by and went into town and got us some gas (I still thought we were out of gas...). I put that in the car but it didn't help. Turns out, one of the fuel lines had come off the fuel filter. My dad had rigged up something on the car to make it fit a fuel filter that it wasn't designed to take.

So here I am in the middle of nowhere, miles and miles from ANYTHING!, in the dark, trying to figure out how to make this thing work. My wife, I was so sure, was incredibly frustrated and annoyed - what kind of a man drives a car like this?!? and doesn't even know how to fix it!!! What have I gotten myself into?!?

I found out later that she was scared, but only because we were out in the middle of nowhere. She actually had a great deal of confidence in my ability and was very understanding about the cheap car.

I eventually (about 8 hours later) got some inspiration that either came from God or from inhaling too much gas fumes (or both) and bypassed the fuel filter altogether... That did the trick. We stayed the night in a parking lot at Bryce Canyon and then drove home the next day.

Lessons learned:

1. listen to my wife.

2. drive a nice car, preferably a new one...

3. think creatively and logically. There's usually a solution, but if your brain is too muddled and frustrated you'll never see it...

4. trust my wife. She really does love me, in spite of myself!

5. there's truth in the Korean proverb - Even the Golden Mountains are best viewed after eating. This suggests that we need to take care of our basic human needs first before trying to appreciate the beautiful. Or in other words, reminding us of the constant need of nourishment for the body as well as the spirit and mind...

6. my wife doesn't think of camping the same way I do...

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