On Monday, November 18, 2019, we had a unique overnight drycamping experience complete with a memorable story!
OUR STAY: Jorgensen Ford’s side lot, Richfield, Utah. No site #, no hookups, but amazing kindness and hospitality!
WHY JORGENSEN FORD? At 9:30am on November 18th under mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures, we were on I-70 eastbound just a few miles east of its junction with I-15 and beginning an ascent into the Tushar Mountain Range in Utah. Our 2011 Ford F-250 6.7l Turbo-Diesel truck’s engine suddenly put on a very impressive sound show and then majorly failed! Thankfully, Steve was able to pull us to the shoulder with both truck and our 2018 Nash 26N trailer clearly off the road only 120 feet past a guard rail. The engine was DONE. Kaput!
From that point onward, we experienced several other amazing “gratitudes” (in bold print below):
1) Strong cellphone service. As soon as Steve had the truck and trailer pulled onto the shoulder, I looked down at my phone. Frequently in more remote areas or when entering a mountainous area, cell service is challenged or non-existent. Here we had one of the strongest signals!
2) Good Sam Roadside Assistance. Thankfully we have roadside assistance insurance through Good Sam Roadside Assistance for RVers. They were amazing for us! Steve called and within no time, was transferred to the right person to get us the assitance we needed. They called back to let us know who was on their way. Then Steve received updates on his phone.
3) Richard of Dearden Motor Company, arrived 45 minutes later. First he retrieved Bessie the Truck by tilting the flatbed of his truck, placing Bessie in neutral, and with chains and a special hoist, rolled her onto the flatbed. He leveled the flatbed. Next he extended a receiving hitch, changed out the existing ball to accommodate Tranquility the Trailer. The hitch was leveled to distribute the trailer’s weight. Then off Richard took us over the pass in the Tushar Mountain Range to Richfield, Utah, 35 miles east on I-70.
4) Another gratitude was that there was a Ford dealer within 35 miles in Richfield, Utah. It’s not necessarily guaranteed by Good Sam Roadside Assistance as to where a stranded vehicle will be towed. Before Richard arrived, we did a quick Google search to find out where Ford dealers may be located in these more remote parts of Utah (again, thanks to strong cell service). Bingo! We noted one on the other side of the Tushar Range! PLEASE….we prayed, may this be where we’d be towed. When we asked Richard where we were going, he said, “Jorgensen Ford over in Richfield.” What a gratitude that this was exactly where Richard was taking us!
5) We called ahead to let the service department know that we were being towed to their location. They instructed Richard to drop the trailer in the side lot and then bring the truck to the service area. Dave & Val of Jorgensen Ford’s service department were able to work Bessie into the service schedule within two hours of our arrival. We actually anticipated that Bessie wouldn’t be seen until the next day. We went next door for lunch awaiting a report. Over lunch we considered what might be our options, including the very real potential of having to replace Bessie if the damage was too extensive. Unfortunately, the diagnostic report did conclude that the engine was damaged extensively, a dropped valve likely the culprit resulting in no compression in two of the cylinders. Gulp!
6) We knew that it was time to sit down with Camron (the General Manager) and Chip (Sales Associate) to explore options.
Option 1: Replace the engine for $20,000, which could potentially take several weeks or more. This option also meant that we had a trailer in the back lot with no way of getting anywhere. The KOA Campground in Richfield isn’t open year-round. We could pay to have someone transport the trailer, but to where? We would have to rent a car, possibly stay in a hotel if it would be necessary to store the trailer. We had 10 appointments scheduled for our two-week Denver area visit beginning on November 21, some of these appointments could not be rescheduled until January or beyond.
Option 2: Look for another used Ford F-250 6.7l Powerstroke Turbo-Diesel truck that could accommodate towing our trailer. As they looked at their used inventory, they noted a red truck, a white truck, and then a shadow-black 2016 Ford F-350 6.7l Powerstroke Turbo-diesel with 33K miles that came in on a trade the day before. Hmmm….recently we had remarked about the amount of mileage added to Bessie just since March 2018. It was highly likely that within 2-3 years we’d need to trade it for our next truck. Of course, the 2016 came with some sticker shock, given that for obvious reasons, it was more than the $20,000 to replace Bessie’s engine.
6) Off we went for a test-drive on the interstate and around Richfield. With just 33K miles, it’s pretty much like new. Dave, the Service Manager, ran a report on the truck. It had a clean title, had been in for regular maintenance since its purchase from them, and actually considered gently used. Another amazing gratitude is that the 2016’s exterior color and truck bed dimensions were exactly those of our 2011. Why is this important? Our custom ordered Snugtop topper on Bessie’s truck bed would match and fit the 2016!
7) From our vantage point in Tranquility the Trailer that evening, one by one, the employees of Joregenson’s went home while we were comfortably situated in their back lot. We sat over dinner trying to absorb what took place the prior 10 hours, from leavin)g the KOA Campground in Beaver, Utah, to staying in a Ford Dealer’s parking lot without a tow vehicle! We had very grateful hearts that first and foremost, we were safe.
8) The next day by mid-afternoon, with financing approved, topper moved, trailer hitched, off we rolled 30 hours after the sound show in our shadow black 2016 Ford F-350 6.7l Powerstroke Turbo Diesel!
Indeed, we have hearts filled with immense gratitude and thank our Great Protector for watching over us. If you ever need to have a Ford product serviced while traveling through Utah, please reach out to Dave, Chip, or Camaron at Jorgensen Ford in Richfield. Kudos as well to Good Sam Roadside Assistance for getting us the help we needed and extraordinarily quick. And, Richard of Dearden Motor Company did an fantastic job of getting us safely to Jorgensen Ford! To our fellow RVers, be safe out there!
“Living Life and Seeing America at the Speed of Sanity”
Diane & Steve