End of Week One!

So one week has passed since our trip started and it's safe to say that we've already had at least one adventure. As a result of these (mis)adventures, we've taken to writing down lessons learned along the way. We will share our more interesting lessons here, as well as some photo highlights along the way.

So what have we learned after a week on the road? Well the first thing that stands out is if there is any question as to whether or not your car can handle a particular back road, always get two local opinions. Why would that matter? I'll let this photo tell a bit of the story.

That's not just a muffler, though, that's our entire exhaust pipe from the catalytic converter to the tailpipe. Yes, that is a brand new catalytic converter, thanks for asking. You might be wondering what led to our exhaust pipe laying in the road. Would you believe it starts with a park ranger telling us, "Yeah, you should be able to make it there in your car"?

We knew that staying at a free campsite was going to come with some... compromises. To prepare ourselves for this, we called the ranger's office hours before we arrived. We asked what the wildlife was in the area and how to stay safe. We asked if we we need to bring in our own water, what the facilities were at the campground, how we would need to deal with the temperature at night, and most importantly, if our car could make it to the campground. To the ranger's credit, we made it to the campground in one piece, but not before scraping the bottom of the car several times on one of the scariest roads I have ever seen, and I have driven on Reservation roads for years. So yes, we made it, but perhaps the better question would have been, could we make it out?

It was a question that occupied our minds all night, and combined with the cold temperatures made for a very restless night. We tore down camp quickly the next morning and made our way up the first hill. The first hill was intimidating, but I was ready and was able to tackle it with minimal scrapes along the way. It was not the most intimidating section of road that we found ourselves unable to move forward. The bottom of the car was catching on the ground and after rocking back and forth several times, it was clear the the road had claimed our exhaust pipe. If there was any question, it was answered by the now roaring engine.

The front tire started spinning in place and we were stuck. After several attempts to rock the car back and forth, we opened the door and took a look at the front tire. It was bald, and the rocks in the road were chewing it up like a piece of gum. We knew we were going to have to change the tire, but there was no way we were going to accomplish that on an incline.

Sami got out and scouted ahead, in the hopes of finding another vehicle or at least some cell phone signal to make a call. I collected my thoughts and made my way sideways with the car to try and get the bald tire over the grass, rather than over the rocks in the road. Sami came back and mentioned the road leveled out ahead and we might be able to change the tire there. We still couldn't get any traction, but at least we knew where we could change the tire. Plus, we had a full size spare in the trunk.

We managed to get traction to get over the hill by having Sami sit on the hood of the car directly over the bad tire and be my eyes, it was terrifying, but effective and we finally managed to reach where it leveled off. Unfortunately, it wasn't truly level. We had to keep driving to find a spot that was truly level. Nervously, we pressed on until we found a spot.

Now the good news was the aforementioned spare was in the trunk, but that meant we had to unload the bikes from the rack, our camping gear from the trunk and a few other items in the way first. After finally getting to the spare, we grabbed the tire iron and tried loosening the nuts on the bald tire...

Tried, and failed. The torque in the nuts was enough to support the weight of a full grown adult without budging. The spare was moot. We were going to have to get down the mountain with the bald tire.

We made it back onto the gravel road, which seemed positively modern by comparison, and relaxed ever so slightly. As one car passed us, with our hazard light flashing, he asked if we were okay and we told him where we had come from. "Wait, you were in Little Goose?!" Was the common reaction from everyone we talked to for the rest of the day. If only we had gotten their opinion before getting to the park. So if you ever consider staying in a campground that is off the beaten path, get two local opinions as to if your vehicle can handle it.