The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Moving Trip

If you follow this blog, you know that we decided to move back to Arizona after a brief stint in Michigan. When we did this moving trip in reverse (from Arizona to Michigan) my husband drove the moving truck and I drove one of the cars with the 3 children. When the hubby asked how we were going to get back this time, terror seized me. “I can not make that 2,000 mile drive again. I just can’t,” I muttered.

That trip was filled with a puking child and constant fighting and crying from my restless children. But the worst part came in Indianapolis when my GPS gave different directions than my husband was following and I got off at the wrong exit. It was during rush hour traffic and I’m already a nervous highway driver as it is.

Once I got off, my husband called to locate me. “I’m not getting back on that highway! I’m done,” I said near tears, weary from the 4 day journey. “Go on without me and I’ll catch up. I’ll be taking the non-freeway route and don’t try to change my mind.” He did try but he couldn’t.

I ended up in a shady part of Indianapolis for a short stretch and feared a car jacking was on my agenda for the day. I continued the off freeway route until the GPS lead me to a right turn into a cornfield. I decided if I ever wanted this trip to end, the freeway was a must. I arrived almost 3 hours later than planned.

As I relived these memories, I was so set on not driving again that I seriously said we may have to stay in Michigan forever. “No, I’ll just make two trips,” my spouse replied. We were trying to save money by not using a moving company driver and we couldn’t find anyone we knew who was available. Despite my concerns, my husband insisted it was no big deal.

As we headed out to Arizona for the first round, it was a fairly smooth trip but no one got much sleep in the hotel rooms. As my husband took a flight back home to start the next trip back with our belongings, I knew he was not well rested and prayed for his safety.

The next day, he sets off with the moving truck and our other vehicle on a trailer. He texted me at stops, telling me he was making good progress. I started to relax a little until THE PHONE CALL. I pick up and my husband is frantic. “The Jeep is gone!!!” he screamed into the phone. By gone, I thought he meant stolen while he was at a stop or something. He says “No, it’s gone! It came off the trailer and I don’t know when or where or if someone’s been killed!!” My heart stopped. I felt shaky and light headed. The Jeep came off on the freeway?!?

As we both envisioned a massive pileup with carnage and mayhem, I gathered myself, fearful of him having a heart attack from the stress. I told him to try to calm down and call the police in every state he passed through. I was not nearly as calm as I pretended to be.

He hung up with me and my whole world was turned upside down. The kids heard my end of the conversation and my oldest son worried about dad going to jail. My daughter just looked worried. “No, the Jeep is just lost. It’s going to be fine. Everything will be fine and no one is going to jail,” I reassured them.

My mind began to race with questions. Would he be charged with failure to control a vehicle at the very least? And if it resulted in serious injury or worse, that poor person (or people)! And if no one was hurt, someone had to have suffered damage at least! We’ll be sued for all we’re worth. Our lives are ruined one way or the other, I thought. How many other lives are ruined? I waited for the rest of the day by the phone. A zombie.

The minutes ticked away and felt more like days. Where is the Jeep?? The Illinois police found a report of a vehicle that matched ours somewhere in Michigan. It had come off early in the trip. They couldn’t give him info on the condition of the car or of any injuries. We only knew that it was listed as an abandoned vehicle and had to be released personally by the local sheriff. Unfortunately for us, business was closed for the day.

What a nightmare. My husband had to turn around and drive back to Michigan from Illinois not having any idea of what happened. I could barely function as I thought of him driving this big moving truck under extreme stress and fatigue. He was 2,000 miles away and I wondered when I would see him again if something bad happened. By some cruelty, we would have to wait until the next day to find out anything.

After a long, restless night for both of us, my husband called the Sheriff the next morning and left multiple voice messages. We knew the Jeep was in Michigan, but not where and he couldn’t leave until he got in contact with the Sheriff. After hours of no response, a family member did some amazing detective work and found the Jeep at a towing company.

Our vehicle was found in perfect condition. Not a scratch on it. It had come off before my husband had even entered the freeway at a roundabout near our Michigan home. It had been blocking the roundabout and drivers behind him saw it come off and alerted police. My husband had no clue what had happened and kept going. He later realized he had chained the tires of the Jeep, but didn’t put the chains around it. Obviously, the side affects of fatigue and something he beat himself up over for quite awhile.

We couldn’t have had a better ending, if this had to happen. The sheriff later called and was cool about everything and wished my husband a safe trip to Arizona. We both agreed he needed help driving this time and found someone last minute to assist. The hiccups and woes continued on the trip. Our bank card was declined twice at gas stations due to problems with the vendor. The truck key bent and almost got them locked out in New Mexico, the loading ramp on the truck jammed and they had to unload without it. And to top it all off, the trailer got a flat tire. But despite all this, the Jeep stayed put and they made it to Arizona.

Lessons learned: Never move cross country again. Never drive cross country two times in a row. And did I mention never move cross country again? Thankfully, everyone is safe and sound and we are settled in our rental home, happily back in the Arizona desert. Lest we get too comfortable, we’ve had our own little mini disaster already in the rental home. Maybe I’ll write a short blog about that fun next!

Featured Image Nicolas Huk