Murphy's Law Comes Along for the Ride

© Patti Poulin / RumBum.com

Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM.

After several nights of sleeping on the freezing ground, drinking icy water and shivering to sleep, we decided to head toward the bright lights and busy streets of Albuquerque. Having spent our final morning exploring the mystical depths of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, I felt a pang of sadness when I thought of leaving the wilderness behind for the city. If it had not been for the single-digit temperatures at night and plans to be in Colorado within less than a week, I may very well have set up a tent and claimed the area as home. As we drove down the winding highway away from the Gila Wilderness and over the snow-dusted pass, I was already beginning to plan my return.

With a solid five-hour drive ahead, I settled in and took the time to soak in the vast land and iconic mountains that passed. I had never realized how much empty land there was in New Mexico. It is a state that is highly underrated. With no radio stations on the dial, and already sick of the music on my ipod, I drove in silence, reflecting on how much there is to experience in life – all it takes is the willingness to reach out and an open mind.

We arrived in Albuquerque after sunset greeted by a valley of lights, speeding cars and utter chaos. It was instantly an overwhelming feeling after being away from it all for almost a week. Part of me wanted to run back into the middle nowhere, pitch my tent and hide for eternity, but I reminded myself that it was only one night. Soon, I would be back in my beloved wilderness.

As we pulled into America’s Best Value Inn for the evening a sense of relief fell over me, although I did not want to admit to that either. I wanted a warm shower, cozy bed and a warm meal that did not require the use of my currently unusable stove. In fact I had high hopes of finding the missing part while in the shadow of civilization. We would be back to dirtbagging and more cold weather camping just outside Santa Fe by morning anyhow.

I turned on the television to see that the news was still highlighting the coined “arctic blast” that was continuing to sweep the country. I checked the weather for Santa Fe – our next destination – and saw that evenings were reaching the 20s. It was time to enjoy the luxury while I could. Even my dog Sierra looked relieved as she sprawled across the hotel bed, warm and happy.

Waking early the next morning to a sunny, yet chilly morning, we gathered our free continental breakfast,© Patti Poulin / RumBum.comBroken down & a little out. and loaded ourselves into the car. As I went to turn the car over I was shocked to hear the sound of silence as the ignition failed to ignite the engine. There was not even a flicker, tap, or a wur-wur-wur as the engine attempted to come alive. I turned the key again in hopes that it was only a fluke. And again there was absolutely nothing.

First the stove and now the car! Luck for me, my family had given me a AAA membership shortly before my trip. One visit by the AAA battery expert later, the car was running and we were about to take a detour to Wal-Mart for a new battery. As we watched the AAA truck pull away, we inched out behind onto a busy road only for the car to sputter to a slow death – leaving us coasting up to the sidewalk only 50 feet from where we had started. I was beginning to think Murphy had piggybacked his way onto the trip without my knowledge. By late afternoon the not-so trusty Nissan was up and running once again. But our plans had been sunk. Without much hesitation, we agreed that driving now only to set up camp in the cold and dark was just silly – weakness had definitely set in and another evening in a warm hotel didn't sound all that bad.

Maybe it was Murphy or maybe it was the black hole that I strongly believe resides within Albuquerque, but our troubles had only begun. To alleviate the stress of the day, I headed to a local grocery store for comfort food. (I had been craving chips and salsa for days now and I felt the treat was well deserved.) Food purchased, room reserved (again), it was time to go relax. Flopping down on the bed I cracked the fresh bag of tortilla chips and then reached for the jar of salsa. As I bared down to open the lid I was presented with an already opened, half-eaten jar of salsa. Seriously, this was getting ridiculous. Warm room or not, I was now really ready to get away from the city. I reminded myself that we would be back in the wilderness within a day and I took a few deep breaths to regain my sanity. My snack may have been sacraficed but at least the car was working.

Or not. Later that evening, on our way to the local brewery for dinner, the car once again began to sputter and spit. After a few rattles of a corroded battery connection we finally made it back to the hotel. The next morning brought yet another visit by AAA, then a straight shot to the nearest Nissan dealership. One $7 battery connection later, the trusty Nissan had redeemed itself and Murphy took a backseat, for now. We put the search for the still-missing stove part behind us and agreed it was time to take the quickest exit route out of “Kirkey."