Headin' Home From California

On our California or Bust trip back in 1989, you have read my posts regarding traveling with kids and horses.  Probably also read that we drove an old motor home and the problems we encountered.  Another memory comes to mind on the trip home. 

We had a pretty long day of driving, it was my turn at the wheel and it was after 11 PM.  We had been following the other driver, Doc, in his motor home and since he was leading, he was expected to find the place for our overnight sleep.  When you are out west, these choices are often far between one another.  No rest areas, no campgrounds, and no fairgrounds to be found.  I remember using the CB to tell Doc, "the longer we drive tonight, the later we sleep in the morning."  Hoping this would be enough to advise him that I was very tired!   Still he couldn't find anything. 

In the west an exit off the Interstate might only be an exit to a ranch that you couldn't even see from the highway.  It usually was an exit onto a dirt road that was some one's lane.  Sometimes there would be a big circle that looked as if it were a turn around for trucks before getting back on the Interstate.  It was decided that we would get off at the next exit and "camp" at the end of someones lane and in the circle turn around.

We finally were pulling into such a circle off the interstate and happy to think about sleep.   We "circled the wagons" for the night.   Since Richard and I were hauling an extra horse on the way home (one that had never been in a trailer before).  To give our mare, Trudy a chance to relax, we unloaded her, tied up a hay bag and tied her to the trailer. Trudy was on the inside of our "circled wagons".  This would give both horses space and Trudy was pretty wise, she was fine being tied outside the trailer. 

Everyone soon was into bed and off to dreamland.  When suddenly, out of nowhere, a train went flying by!

It was so loud and so close, I was sure we'd parked our rigs on the tracks!  If we didn't park on the tracks, this train surly went right between our "circled wagons"!  Scared us to death!!!! 

I got up to check our horse, she was happily munching hay, as if nothing at all happened.  So back to bed I went.  If another train passed, we never heard it.  When we awoke the next morning we found that a semi truck driver joined our "circled wagons".  He too needed sleep.  The worse part..... we never heard him come and park his rig.  We must have been tired, don't you think?