The Craziest Morning of My Life!

I've been on four ski trips in the last few years, and they've all had things different about them. None, however, have matched the crazy morning we had on the way there. I'm still amazed we ended up skiing at all.

We awoke at 5am, and left an hour later. It's about a 3½ hour drive to get to Caberfae Peaks. For the first hour or so of the drive, everything went smoothly. That is, until my mom looked at the engine gauge and saw it was past the "danger" zone. We had to either get off the highway now, or try to drive to the next exit before the engine blew.

Mom kept saying, "Unblievable... Unbelievable... Unbelievable." We were all praying. We made it to the exit and turned onto the four-lane road. The engine then died, so we pulled off to the side and let the van slide towards the gas station ahead. Andrew and I got out and tried to push.

By this time, everyone in the area had noticed our dilemma. Two guys got out of their cars to help us push. The busy roadway stopped for us to cross it. One of the guys said, "Let's do this!" and we started pushing. Two other guys got out of their vehicles to help us. I was so thankful to them all!

We went into the gas station and started making plans. Many of the people in there answered our questions. They found a phone book and we called some area towers. I thought, "If we get towed, there's no chance we go skiing today." As mom called, I hoped it wouldn't work out. (It turns out she wasn't calling for towing, but just to get machanical help.) The places couldn't help us, so we had to add antifreeze and water to the engine ourselves.

Hanging out in the gas station:



Honestly, I loved this little gas and diner. Everyone knew everyone else by name. The cashier asked some guys who stopped in to add the antifreeze and check the van. They did, and, to my amazement, gave us the go-ahead! Because of their hard work, we could go skiing again!

The guy working on our van:


We started back on the road. The engine temperature gauge, which was at 1/4 full, started to rise. Slowly, it went above the "danger" zone again. It's hard to explain the disappointment I felt. Here we go again, I thought, No skiing and maybe a blown engine.

We pulled onto the shoulder, and it started to drop again. We cruised at a low speed. As we sped up and reentered the highway, the gauge didn't rise! Praise the LORD! It was His will that we go, and He worked it out. We drove and soon met up with the Bendixens. Andrew and I got to ride for the rest of the day with them!

Here's a view from the van:


Me holding Amity!


Personally, the most amazing thing wasn't that we ended up skiing; it was how little late we were. I figured we'd have 3-4 hours left to ski, if we skied at all. We ended up having about 7 hours! God is good!

There's not much to say about the actual skiing. It was soooo much fun. I spent much of the day skiing through a path that led to a small jump! I never fell once on the jump, but I nearly lost my balance several times. It was the first time I'd ever tried jumping, and loved it!

Levi, Jacob and myself:


Jacob, Faith and Andrew in the lobby:


The classic Levish look! ;)


Going up the ski lift:


This is probably my favorite photo of the day:


Jacob was in most of the photos I took, and with good reason: I seemingly spent most of the day with him. After a while, when we'd get on a ski lift together, we'd start talking about something then say, "Wait, we already talked about this, right?" ;)

I only fell once, and it was an intentional fall. I was on the path to get to the ski jump, and it curved me to the left. I was going head-on towards a tree! Thank God for quick reaction, because I forced myself to fall immediately. I slammed into the ground right before the large tree. If I'm going to fall, I'm glad at least there's a good story behind it. :)

Myself, Joe and Jemima:


Levi and Jacob coming off a lift:


Bear, Jemima, Ele, Grace, Amanda and Susanna:


Everyone stopped for Taco Bell, and then we headed home. It was truly a fantastic day, but I won't forget how we got there. It was only through Christ. He allowed us to come. It was through his power that the engine didn't explode and strand us on the highway. Praise Him!

"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works" (Psalm 105:1-2).

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God bless, J.J. Biddinger