I want to begin by thanking my wonderful Mother and amazing sister, Kayla, for their tremendous cheerfulness and forbearance modeled this 23rd of June 2010.
After a delicious feast and a sad farewell, we left Lansing, Michigan very near 1 p.m. Glancing at the gas tank, we decided to begin with a full tank. While at the station, I also performed a quick fluid and tire checkup and made sure "Old Charley" was in tip top shape!
The next couple hours was spent reading Prince Caspian to Kayla, substantial discourse, and finishing up a message by Paul Washer entitled The Glory of God in Ministering to the Lord.
Some discussion topics included:
- The state of the Union
- The battle for the sanctity of life and marriage
- The growing neglect of the Bible as sufficient for all life
- Biblical parenthood responsibilities
- Time management
- Cultivating biblical manhood and womanhood
- Avoiding common snares that distract Godly growth
- Responsibilities and qualities of Godly Husbands and Wives
- Finding biblical life direction among cultural lies
Granted, not all of these topics were covered in the first couple hours. Many happened later.
Later that afternoon I called an upright man who has been my prayer partner and mentor for almost a year now. I was driving at the time and noticed a guy in a grey suburban yelling at us. I didn't know what he was saying. My first thought was that he was just another one of those "crazy Michigan" drivers. Then, Mom exclaimed that we had taken a wrong turn. I quickly hung up with Floyd and attempted to relocate my senses.
The situation was pretty funny in hindsight. This guy was still yelling at us, mom was telling me that we had made a wrong turn, and I was surrounded by traffic. Kayla somehow remained calm for some unknown reason. God bless her.
I sped up and passed the guy in the suburban with the passenger window open. Seeing us, he again yells at us, this time we understood clearly. "You have a flat tire!!"
If I wasn't startled before, I was very frightened now. From the time I talked to Floyd, we had driven at least a couple miles. I have seen tire debris littering highways before and I knew that traveling at interstate speeds should transform our tire into an expensive mess! I tried to remain as calm as possible and quickly stopped by the roadside.
If you have read previous posts, you would know that I have had extensive experience changing one tire in particular. After turning the hazards on, we hurried to survey the damage with a distraught heart. Seeing the tire, I could hardly believe my eyes! It was indeed flat, but the tread was still there and appeared to be unscathed.
Being the good mother that she is, Mom was frightened for my safety because the tire was on the side with oncoming traffic. I pulled over a little more in the ditch and consoled her that I had done this before. With traffic blazing past, we extracted the donut and I proceeded with the process.
In the past, I had trouble with the car jack, but this time it performed beautifully. I got the car all jacked up and had about half the bolts taken off when another motorist kindly stopped and offered some assistance. With two, it was done very quickly and probably helped alleviate mother's fears.
After the donut was on and the flat tire stowed in the trunk, we had a consultation concerning our situation. I had purchased the tires with a warranty at Big O in Nebraska and according to my Blackberry, the closest location was an hours drive in Indiana. We concluded that a free repair was the best option.
It was time to get back on the road! Only, we stayed in the right lane and barely traveled the minimum speed. At this rate, we wouldn't be going anywhere quickly. We soon stopped for a restroom break and to switch drivers because we were now exclusively following the directions to Big O on my blackberry. Mom hasn't quite been sold on the whole "smart phone" technology and would rather I operate the device. :)
As we poked along, Mom, in her wisdom, made a brilliant suggestion! It was based upon the tried and true cost/benefit analysis. Gasoline cost alone would be at least $25 by the time we got there and returned back to our original route. The time lost would be more than two hours. Why not find a local tire shop and at least get a diagnosis before adding two hours to the trip? I didn't right away see the wisdom, but then realized that Mom had a great point.
About that time, we were passing through Schoolcraft, MI. It was a nice little town with a population of 8,220.
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Again, I utilized the power of the "smart phone" and quickly located the nearest tire repair shop. In God's providence, Schoolcraft just happened to have such a place. After we exited the vehicle at Mark's Towing and Tires, I explained the story at the front desk and was assured someone would perform a diagnosis within fifteen minutes.
While we waited outside on a picnic table, Mom and I considered the maximum price we would be willing to pay before a trip to Big O Tires in Mishawaka, IN would be justified. We determined that $30 was about the limit. After praying to our Father in heaven for His guidance and protection, a young man came up to us and introduced himself. I procured our suspect tire and watched his thorough examination.
I can picture it in my mind now. That gentlemen was very precise and sprayed multiple times around the circumference of the tire with a spray bottle. He then carefully scrutinized every inch of the tire for signs of leakage but finally announced that a leak was not found. Strange... I retold our story with a little more background information about that tire. I was very hesitant to continue on our journey without more assurance the tire was in perfectly running order. So, he offered to remount the tire on the rim, replace the tire stem and extension.
With all that work done, I was beginning to doubt it could be accomplished within our budget. Including labor, the price at a major tire dealer should easily exceed $20. Imagine my shock when he quoted a price of only $12 for everything! Just another way God carefully provides for His children.
Fascinated, I watched as his dexterous hands unmounted, sanded the rim, and remounted the tire on the rim. It was during this process that we discovered the reason for the leak. I had previously installed metal, tire, stem extensions and this particular one had a rusted valve partway open.
The mechanic reasoned that when I checked my tires back in Lansing I had mistakenly left the valve barely open. For the next few hours, the tire had slowly leaked air until it consummated into our little episode.
With the answer finally within our grasp, we prepared to get back on the road. The nice gentleman cordially offered to install our tire again and didn't hesitate assisting us with placing the donut back in the trunk. After a warm handshake, mom paid our bill and we were off again!
Considering the adventures we already experienced, I couldn't wait to find out what God had in store for us the rest of the day! It wouldn't be long before I was given my answer...
The trip itinerary was as follows:
- Drive from Lansing to Marengo, Illinois (5 hours and 8 minutes)
- Stay the night in Marengo
- Drive the rest of the way home on Thursday (8 hours and 19 minutes)
Doing some quick calculations we originally estimated we would arrive in Marengo around 6:30 p.m. After our adventures it was now already past three in the afternoon. The new ETA was about 7:00 p.m.
With renewed vigor, we continued the journey. Next stop, Marengo, Illinois!
Mom took the wheel for awhile as we prepared to enter the windy city. I don't say prepare lightly either. With what God had planned, we needed all the preparation time we could get!
The next hour or so went by fairly quickly. Kayla and I slept for a little while and Mom faithfully drove. I was awakened again when mom announced a toll was up ahead. Being it was my job to find the necessary coins, I quickly awoke to my surroundings.
Up ahead was the toll way with a large sign that read "Chicago Skyway". It was cause for groaning. From past experience, I knew that Chicago valued their visitors highly and rewarded them with heavy toll roads around the city. One has to be an map extraordinare or know Chicago, like the back of their hand, before there is any hope avoiding the toll ways.
Since neither description fits us, we sighed deeply and watched as our lunch money dwindled... The clouds around us looked mighty ominous. The thunderheads towered above the Chicago skyscrapers. It was an impressive sight! I wish I had captured it with my camera, but there wasn't any stopping. Traffic around Chicago is not light to say the least.
I queried a radar map on my blackberry and found out a massive storm was coming straight for us! As the rain began slowly at first and then came in a downpour we knew God was testing our patience and trust in Him. It reduced visibility drastically and my wind shield wipers struggled clearing the windshield. It was about this time that I called Benjamin (the professional weatherman) and inquired about the storm. He and his family were at prayer meeting but assured me (through his mother) that he had looked at the storm on radar and wasn't in the least concerned.
Again, I must say how I admired Kayla's faith and fearlessness. She didn't panic, but calmly prayed for God's protection in the midst of the chaos. We all remained relatively calm and our spirits remained high as mom battled the rain. The lightning around us was truly majestic. I would see lightning bolts less than a mile away strike the ground and then hear the thunderous response.
As the rain descended, the on and off ramps on the interstate began to funnel water to their base causing flooding along the interstate and especially in the viaducts. Passing exits became steadily more risky and the water level continued to rise even more. Finally, after moving at a maximum speed of 25 mph. for at least an hour we came to a dead halt.
For the next hour and a half we inched along less than 500 feet! This is not a 'normal' Chicago traffic jam in our experience. After about half an hour discussing the situation and contacting our destination, I decided that walking would be faster. After exiting, people probably thought I was nuts, but I walked for about a 1/4 mile and found the cause of the traffic jam.
I conversed with a couple city officials and discovered that three vehicles had ridiculously attempted plowing through three foot of water and had gotten stuck thus impeding traffic. Their plan was to redirect traffic the opposite direction. I was dismayed for two reasons.
1. I didn't particularly relish driving in Chicago
2. I especially didn't want to backtrack and waste more time.
Needless to say, I ran back to our vehicle at a good pace. I could have easily become a traffic reporter and gone from vehicle to vehicle explaining the situation, but I only had the opportunity to explain it to the driver just ahead of us.
Returning to the vehicle, we waited for traffic to proceed again. It would be another 40 minutes at least before the viaduct was cleared and traffic could proceed 'normally'. In a way, it was a blessing to avoid the busiest Chicago rush hours being stuck in traffic. God was definitely in control.
The final two hours of driving was slow, but we finally arrived at our destination close to 10 p.m. We were exhausted and had our belated supper together with Dana's husband's parents. Our sleep that night was especially necessary and all of us had a good night's rest.
The next morning, we left at about eight and found a place to stop for gas and a tire/fluid checkup. This time, I made sure all the tires were holding air. This final day on the road was practically uneventful. The fellowship in the car was very edifying to all and I enjoyed it immensely. We managed to use the remainder of Grandma's money to get us lunch at Subway. The previous day's tolls had cost us nearly $8! Just think about the hundred's, perhaps thousands, of out of state vehicles that graciously donate to the 'windy city' each day!
On the way back, we stopped at a gas station in Iowa for a restroom break and I snapped the following, very curious, picture. If you bothered to read this far, you could leave a comment in the section below. :)
The way I understand it is perhaps a way to escape the reality of life and step into a world of chance that will hopefully fulfill every desire of the heart. How else could the word redemption be used with a gambling machine?
We arrived home very close to supper time after making a couple stops including Kayla's 4-H garden. Thus ends the long tale of the Brauning Michigan Excursion of 2010. :)
