Some of you may know that I am a research assistant for a project called Book-in-a-bag. Well, I had the opportunity to present our research at an undergraduate research conference called UCUR at Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, Utah.
I woke up bright and early Friday morning (4am) so that I could get on the road bright and early. I was on the road by 5am. I made a stop at the Payson Walmart to buy some nylons and batteries and a Diet Pepsi. I needed batteries because I was going to listen to a book on tape while I drove. I need to read Dracula for my Humanities class.
Well, I continue driving. I stop for breakfast in Fillmore, which is 90 miles from my house. I remember looking at my gas gauge and thinking I could get gas, but I had enough to make it to Beaver and I will just get gas there. Besides I was going to be eating my breakfast while I was driving.
Onward I travel. I pass Cove Fort, the I-15/I-70 interchange, a sign that says Beaver 20 miles, and then my car dies. This is about 7:30am. I'm not sure where I am because I didn't bring a map. Well, I know where I am, but I don't know how far away I am from anything. So I call my husband. We try to think of who we know in Fillmore that we can call and see if they could come rescue me. We can't think of anybody. Then I remember that Kirby, a guy in my ward, grew up in Fillmore. So hubby calls Kirby. Kirby calls me to figure out where I am. He determines that I am closer to Parowan, so he calls his brother there. His brother Kipp comes with a can of gas for me. He then follows me to Beaver to make sure I make it there. I offer to pay him for the gas I used and to compensate him for the gas he used to come to my rescue. He just has me pay to fill up the gas can for future use.
After being rescued and driving on to Beaver to fill up the tank, I realized how close to Beaver I was, and also on the return trip home I saw how close I was to Cove Fort. I probably could have walked those 8 miles. But, I was in a dress with heels, and it was still dark out. Also, that section of I-15 is out in the middle of nowhere and I didn't know which way was closer to civilization. I suppose if I had gotten out and started walking, that someone would have picked me up and driven me to a gas station.
In this day in age it is sad to say that I was too scared to just start walking. You don't know what kind of crazies there are out there. I'd rather have a stranger that is a friend/relative of a friend of mine than a total unknown. I need to get Kipp's address. I want to send him a thank you card and maybe a gift card to show him my appreciation.
I've realized that my gas gauge is a liar. When it says 1/4 of a tank of gas, it really means, STOP NOW AND FILL UP!!!
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wow. what a liar that Guage is! I am glad you didn't start walking... too many crazies! for real! I am glad you knew someone who knew someone who knew someone to help. I'd have been a mess!
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing. It's better to have waited then for us to have to send out a search party or something horrible like that. That's also great that you remembered Kirby. Maybe that was a little nudge from the spirit. So were you late at all?
ReplyDeleteI was 2 hours late to the conference. I was there in time for the luncheon and my presentation which was in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteat least you made it. it's also a good thing that you had a cell phone. isn't it convenient that cell phones are around at the same time that there seems to be more crazies out there? works out real nice.
ReplyDeleteIt also worked out that she saw an exit sign for the SUU campus and got off on that exit. She originally thought the conference was in St. George so she would have overshot the conference by about 55 miles and then would have figured out at some point that she had gone to the wrong city.
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