Lewistown, Montana

I really should pay more attention to those nagging feelings. Like the one I had as I was hauling my newly purchased travel trailer up and down the mountains of Oregon and Utah on my way back to Northern Virginia. Despite all the research I’d done before buying my Ford F150 to tow my RV and despite all the additional research I did in choosing an RV that my truck could pull, it just felt like my engine was working too hard. I watched the engine temperature rise past the norm as I climbed up long grades and drop back to normal as I dropped down the other side. I scaled back my speed as I was advised to do by other RV owners of this same model of RV.  Still, even in Nebraska and Iowa on nearly flat terrain, my fuel efficiency hung disturbingly between 5 and 7 mpg (true, I had a headwind and that affected the mpg, but later even when I had a tail wind my mpg didn’t rise above 9). It just didn’t feel right. My learning was hitting the steep uphill side of the bell curve and it wasn’t making for a relaxing trip home.

While in Northern Virginia and down at my brother’s it felt like my truck and I were both doing better. I was getting a feel for hauling on highways. Finding a pace of travel where I didn’t need to keep a close eye on my engine temp. Still, when it came time to head west, that nagging feeling told me that once I arrived in West Glacier, Montana, I should look for a truck with more towing power.

I didn’t make it.

About 70 miles east of Lewistown, Montana a high pitched whine that had been coming and going the last 30 miles became too noticeable to ignore. I stopped at a rest area, which was in the middle of nowhere, but yielded 1 to 2 bars of cell service. The nearest mechanic was 50 miles away if I backtracked, 70 miles if I continued west. I was in wide (and I mean WIDE) open prairie. Long rolling hills of grass repeated beyond each rounded hill top. Cattle, sheep and Prong-horn Antelope out numbering people. 

I called a friend and we talked over potential engine problems, but neither of us had the expertise needed. I wound up spending the night at the rest area accompanied only by a man in a semi tractor trailer and another RV. The Scripture that had been the promise undergirding many a prayer as I was deciding about entering into this RV adventure came back to mind: In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9. I opened my heart honestly to the LORD about my fears and needs and offered a simple prayer of faith: I trust you, LORD.

The next morning when I fired up the engine, the high-pitched whine was gone. A miracle? No, the towing power was also gone. I limped westward crawling up the hills at a whopping 25mph and managing about 40mph with the help of gravity on the downslope. The speed limit was 70. Thankfully the pronghorn antelope also outnumbered the vehicles on the road.  

Lewistown, Montana. Population: 6,000. Think brick and local stone storefronts with those flat rectangular façades ending just above the top floor characteristic of western small town main streets. I’d been here once before, but not in the kind of need I was in now.  

Online reviews and a few phone calls led me to a mechanic named Tony (names changed for this blog). He had just purchased his business from his father, Steven, who still came into the shop. Even though Tony had cars, vans and trucks parked 3 deep in front of his garage and up the side street, he made time to look at my truck. After taking an initial test drive with my RV in tow and running some diagnostics he said he might be able to get to it the next day. Might need a new catalytic converter, he mused. Then he lead me to a nearby RV park where I unhitched and spent the next 2 nights, sans truck.  

The worst part was that I had to call and reschedule my Citizen Science Loon Survey training only two days away. I could still take their last training and do the minimum 3 surveys, but the delay meant I would not be eligible to do the follow-up training and more extensive surveying. Rats!

The following day Tony came to get me and took me to his shop. He, Steven and I talked repairs. When he had opened up the engine he found the damage went past needing a catalytic converter. The bomb drops… I need a new engine. Honestly, it wasn’t totally unexpected. The repair was hugely expensive and would also cost me a couple weeks of time. It would take a week alone for the engine to arrive in town. Purchasing another truck looked like the best solution.  

Steven had a fatherly air about him. He seemed to not mind no longer being the boss of the shop. He had a calmness now being an adviser and watching his son take the reins and make the decisions. Steven knew all the used car dealers in town. He wrote out a list for me of four dealers to go to and one not to go to, and advised me to stay away from “ranch trucks”. “They’re used hard.” 

He said the first “go to” guy on the list wasn’t much of a talker but he was trustworthy and his trucks would be ready for the job. A used car dealer who wasn’t much of a talker? Hmm. Turned out to be true. He bought trucks from the railroad company (Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (BNSF); formerly the historic Great Northern Railway) whose service life was up and then he fixed them up for sale. Unfortunately, all his trucks had over 200k miles on them. Too many miles for me.  

On to the next guy. His lot was small, maybe 20 vehicles altogether. Actually, it was hard to distinguish his lot from the parking lot behind the main street storefronts. They kinda bled together. But some vehicles had sale info stickers on them and some didn’t. So that helped. True to the character of the town and the surrounding ranch land, he had mostly trucks, including 3 that could do the job for me. 

The used car lot in Lewistown, Montana where I talked things over with Steven and Charlie.

While I was talking with the salesman, Steven drives up. I'm certain he was actually trying to track me down to see how I was doing. We chatted for a while about the 3 trucks I was considering. Then he asks the salesman, who owned those 3 trucks? The salesman, Charlie, rattles off the various owners. It was all small town conversation, casual and easy. And Charlie knew most of the answers without having to consult his paperwork. I was already leaning toward buying the black Chevy 2500. It was a diesel, of which I’m not a fan, but it had low miles (77k – those in the know tell me that is baby mileage for a diesel), double the towing capacity and payload of my F150, was in my price range, and the interior looked like it had been taken care of, while the bed looked like it had hauled a few big, heavy things that banged around a little. Which didn’t bother me at all. Trucks are practical vehicles meant to do work.  

Charlie said the black Chevy was owned by Ralph Waters and then by Matt Julian. Steven says, "Really? I know Ralph Waters. He takes really good care of his trucks." Charlie said the most recent owner was a guy who owns a ranch and this was his wife's "drive around town" truck. That made sense because it was a higher end model with leather interior and more bells and whistles. They chatted about the 3 trucks and then Steven gives me his recommendation: "buy the black one". 

Charlie and I took it for a test drive. As I suspected it had that loud, deep throated “Chugga Chugga” sound and the smell of a diesel – both reasons I don’t like diesels. Charlie pointed out the previous owner had added a modification to soup up the power that I simply don’t understand. There was a nob with 5 settings that somehow controlled boosting the power. Charlie joked that with this modification I might rip the hitch right off my RV when I accelerate. As we pulled out onto the highway Charlie said, “Now floor it!”  Which I did and we took off with a roar of speed. Perhaps the previous owner’s wife had a little speed demon in her. 

That night I check the Carfax and everything matched up. I decided to trust Steven. The next day I met with Charlie and we sealed the deal. I’m the new owner of a 2012 black Chevy 2500 Silverado LTZ with an Allison 6.6L diesel engine and 77K miles on it. 

I named it Bubba Bear.

The rather nice interior of my "new" 2012 Chevy Silverado 2500. The interior of my "new" 2012 Chevy Silverado 2500. The screen next to my water bottle is for my wireless camera on the back of my RV. First night's stop outside of Lewistown, Montana. A Rest Area near Conrad, MT. Almost there!

All photos and text are Copyright © Julia Flanagan unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.
 

Next Up:  Hitting the Road with Bubba Bear