Roughin’ It

June 17, 2026

#4 – Devine Providence

All packed up and ready to roll. Climbing behind the wheel, I turned the key.

Click…

What?

I paused briefly, some panic piercing my otherwise calm demeanor.

Deep breath – carefully turned the key again – a millisecond click and then the engine caught and roared to life. I looked over at Mark, my eyes somewhat wide and alarmed. This would not be a very good situation, stranded in the woods miles away from any type of auto service. BUT, the 4Runner was alive and we were rolling, so maybe all was well-or was it?

(In reality, this part of the North Rim would not have posed much hardship in being stranded. As I noted earlier there was another group not far away, and it might have been possible to get some assistance from them. We had food and water, we would not have perished of thirst or hunger).

That scary moment of fear immediately had me thinking. Apparently, my battery had an issue that must be resolved before we ventured into an even more unforgiving place. And it puzzled me because less than 6 weeks prior I had my vehicle serviced at the dealership with no inspection report about a weak battery. It was at that servicing that they recommended the new tires and shocks. How could they not have tested the battery so that I would not encounter a situation like this?

At any rate, we were on the move again.  Maybe it was just some little glitch – but maybe something more??? We headed out on the way to Fredonia, to re-fuel at a Chevron station. Alongside the gas station we bought breakfast sandwiches from Em’s Café, a roadside food stand.

Having nearly forgotten the almost no start episode, I went to start the vehicle and the alarm went off. No attempts on my part would silence the annoying sound. In time the alarm stopped. What the heck was that all about?

Ok, here we go. NO!! Same thing. Turning the key set off the alarm again! (insert some nasty words here).

Third try, ok, it started and I quickly moved it to the gas pump to fill up. Meanwhile, Mark asked in the store about any local service stations and we were directed to a place in Kanab, UT, just across the Arizona border 7 miles up the road. Thankfully no problems starting this time or on the way to have the battery checked.

Just over the border into Utah, Little’s diesel service checked my battery. It was nearly dead! I thanked my lucky stars, my higher power, my guiding spirits for alerting us that a dire situation was in store unless I took it seriously to correct it. Toroweap, our next destination, is NOT a place anyone would want to be stranded as I will soon tell.

Now confident and happy, I felt even more prepared for what lie ahead of us this day.

Full gas tank, ample water supply, new tires, new shocks, new battery. Bring it on!