We awoke this morning to the sound of big rig motors revving.  It was 6:30 am and the truckers were beginning their day.  We were in a desolate stretch of Nevada in the town of Tonapah in a large, vacant parking lot.  It was Sunday morning.

The day before, it was almost noon when we pulled out of Whiskey Station RV Park in Hawthorne, Nevada.  We weren’t concerned.  We had an easy day of travel to Alamo.  We pulled into the cheapest gas station in town and almost took out a pump when we exited; but  a fellow traveler helped direct our big rig around the pump.  Then we heard a horrid crunching sound.  We screeched to a halt.  I jumped out and ran back to find the back of the trailer jammed up against a cement red barrier post between the gas station store and the pumps.  A weathered women with brown skin was studying our situation shaking her head.  This was bad.  Bill came around and the three of us shook our heads.  We had scraped the  back end of the trailer and the awning support pole and appeared to be jammed against the cement post unable to move.   We tried jogging the trailer an inch forward, an inch back until we made it worse.  HELP!! What to do?  We needed an expert!

Red Cement Post has us trapped

The woman telephoned her husband, a truck driver.  Smoking a cigarette, he drove up, took in the situation, grimaced, pronounced we would need to unhook and reposition the truck.  With any luck, we might be able to pull the trailer slightly to the right and get free.  His name was Tommy and her name was Susan.  Bill unhitched the truck, repositioned and hitched it up again.   Tommy yelled directions, then using all his strength, leaned in against the trailer at the back end pushing it away from the post.  Within seconds, everyone leapt to help, the gas station owner, a patron, Susan and Tommy, all pushing against the back end of the trailer and quick as it began, the saga was over and the trailer was free.

Pushing to free trailer from red cement post

The awning bolt was crushed and the back end of the trailer scraped.  And for some odd reason, the back door lock wouldn’t budge.  Shaking Tommy’s hand, Bill slipped Tommy a bottle of wine.  Susan gave us directions to the hardware store and then jumped in her truck and said to follow her.  As she drove off, Susan yelled  “have a great trip.” We were able to find the spare parts at a Camperland in St. George, Utah and got the back door lock replaced and the awning rebolted at an RV Repair Shop in St. George.  And we learned a lesson.  We now only pull into gas stations that are big enough for a big rig truck.  Thanks to two strangers in Hawthorne, Nevada, we only lost face, banged up the trailer, broke the awning but made two friends, Tommy and Susan.

 

Tommy and Susan