WE BROKE IT!!!!

This story, like all good stories, was supposed to have a happy ending, but not this time. The plan was to do some caching in GeoJeep this morning and be back home in time to meet Jenny’s family for dinner before they drop off Jessica at the airport and leave Kyle with us for a long weekend.

Initially, the plan worked nicely as we picked up some caches along Hwy 395 north of Reno. GeoJeep performed magnificently, as usual, up onto the mountain separating the Stead area from Cold Springs. After finding the cache up there, we came down the other side into Cold Springs and then south to Bordertown. There we took the Long Valley Road into Dog Valley. Our destination was a cache on the top of Crystal Peak, a mountain famous for it’s quartz crystals.

I’ve never seen such a huge outcropping of quartz! The entire mountain top is white! After a short hike and quick find we left the mountain and headed toward Verdi. About halfway there I started hearing a not so funny noise coming from GeoJeep. At first Cynthia didn’t hear it but soon it was obvious something ominous was happening to GeoJeep. As we limped back toward Reno the noise got much louder and a nasty vibration was starting to happen in the right front. We decided to go directly to a mechanic in downtown Reno and crossed our fingers that we would make it. By the time we got to the mechanic it was essentially undriveable.

The preliminary diagnosis isn’t good, probably front differential and/or axle. Crap! The good news is that the mechanic’s secretary brought us home in time to get ready for our visitors.