Saga of the Surprise Free Trailer

Thanks to one of those friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend situations, I had the recent big surprise of being offered a free trailer by an older man who wasn't using it anymore and didn't want the hassle of trying to sell it. If I would just come and get it, I could have it--title, keys, and all.

'What kind of trailer is it?' I asked him on the phone. 'Oh, it's just like those other little old trailers you girls like to run around with,' he said. 'It's not a piece of junk or anything like that--do you want it or not?'

Sight unseen and with no more information than that, I said yes. He gave me directions to his place, less than 25 miles away. I set out later that afternoon, wondering just what the surprise free trailer would turn out to be.

'It'll be an adventure, if nothing else.' I'll say!

The trailer was a few miles on the other side of Kendrick, Idaho.  That's my white Ford pickup parked at the hardware store, where I stopped to pick up a few things missing from my tool box.

I followed the directions out past the town, turning onto a country gravel road.

The road following a river for a while, where old farm buildings stood in a sliver of a valley.

Then the road got narrow and twisting as it rose up, and up, and up, to the top of a ridge I'd never been on. Hmm--I would soon be making my way back DOWN this road with a trailer. Did someone say 'adventure'?

After 2 miles of 'up,' I pulled into a manicured country yard and spotted the trailer immediately. If my heart had been pounding some while driving up the steep road, it skipped several beats when I saw the trailer--a canned ham, birch interior, all-intact little doll just waiting to be loved on again.

My benefactor, 'Mr. Frank,' helped me hook her up, and double-checked the door lock and key before I   left. 'I don't think you'll have any trouble getting her home,' he said. 'I hauled her to town and back yesterday on a test run. Did fine.' He handed me the title and I shook his hand to thank him. 'You bet,' he said. 'Have fun.'

Next thing I knew, I was headed down off the ridge with the trailer. Mr. Frank did not lie. She did fine.

Even on the switchbacks.

Half an hour later, the trailer was in our driveway, awaiting her initial cleanup.


Next time, I'll show you what I found behind the door!