S.Calif Trip Day 2- Jerome, ID to Cedar City, UT

 Best Western Sawtooth Inn & Suites, Jerome, Idaho – Woke around 7:30 AM MT. Went to the front dining room and had a complimentary breakfast of omelets (made to our specs), toast, coffee, etc.

I started getting a sore throat yesterday and was feeling worse. Took a COVID-19 quick test and thankfully it was negative. We walked across the street to a Walmart and got some cold medicine (Dayquil & Halls Throat Lozenges). We then packed up and continued our road trip to Cedar City, Utah where the plan was to meet Lotte at the Bard’s Inn B&B. Lotte called around 3 PM and said she was having car problems. She said her Alamo rental car (Hyundai Accent) was making a loud flopping noise when she went over 45 MPH. She was near Salina, Utah and said she would go there to see if she could find a garage to look at the car.

Luckily, we were on Interstate 15 just north of Highway 50 that goes to Salina, Utah. So, we decided to go to Salina and see if we could help. Took about ½ hour to reach Salina. We didn’t have any cell service so weren’t sure where Lotte would be. But we spotted a garage and sure enough, there was Lotte. We tooted our horn and laughed at how strange it was meeting in a place like this out in the middle of nowhere. Lotte and I went into the garage to see if they could check her car and the lady at the counter looked at us like we were crazy and said they wouldn’t be able to look at it for at least three weeks! So, I asked Lotte if I could take her car for a test drive. I drove the car and sure enough, when I reached around 45 MPH, the car started making a terrible noise that sounded like one of the wheels was falling off. I stopped and looked under the front of the car and discovered the engine shield had broken loose causing it to scrape the ground when the car went over 45 MPH. I told Lotte what the problem was and suggested we get some duct tape and tape the shield onto the car body. So, we went to a nearby hardware store and got some duct tape.

I recommended we use Gorilla brand duct tape and Lotte noticed they had Camo Gorilla tape and decided she needed to splurge for that. The front of the Hyundai Accent had about 6 inches clearance.

So we decided to pull the front of the car up onto the curb in front of the hardware store where we might have better access. A passer-by suggested we use a jack but we’re stubborn and felt we could do it without jacking the car up. So, we both got down on our hands and knees and taped the loose shield to the front of the car.

We then crossed our fingers and continued our road trip to Cedar City, Utah. Amazingly, the tape held perfectly and Lotte was even able to go the speed limit (80 MPH) with no problems.

We arrived at The Bard’s Inn B&B in Cedar City around 7 PM. It was dark and The Bard’s Inn B&B looked very cozy from outside. Our accommodations included a kitchen, bathroom and two very tiny bedrooms.

We checked in and treated ourselves to snacks of smoked salmon, cheese, salami, bread, vino sitting outside in the front yard while enjoying the beautiful Utah fall weather. 

Things I Learned On This Day (#TILOTD) -

• Gorilla Duct Tape is an essential on all road trips (camo color is optional 😂)