When bad things happen, good people show up. I find this to be true often, but rarely as spectacularly as it was on this trip. Let’s start at the beginning.
At the end of the last trip (my trip solo), I felt empowered, smart, and lucky. Empowered as I navigated Aristotle on a solo trip. Smart as I was able to find that spot – the last spot available in practically all of Idaho. Lucky as Twin Falls airport allows you to park cars there for free. I nestled Aristotle into a tight 10×30 parking spot, drove to the airport and bid Plato farewell in a convenient and free (!) airport parking spot. All was good in the world. (you are welcome to compliment me on my parking… okay, truth be told, it took me about 30 minutes to maneuver into the spot, but I got it in!!!)
Two months later, I learned that free isn’t always the best option. Good news? The car was still there and battery hadn’t died… it started immediately. Bad news? A nest of rats had also found a free location with tasty wires inside Plato’s engine bay. As we started driving down the road towards Ketchum, Idaho, it became quite apparent that the car just wasn’t in good shape. Check engine light, service light, faulty temperature sensor, no AC, then, finally, limp mode. We were 3 hours from the dealer and stuck down a dirt road in the forest.
Enter stage door left – good people. Meet Dave Stone, the owner of Sun Valley Auto Club. We were desperate to find service for Plato with few options. As Dave’s place both housed, serviced, and dealt with many Porsches (mainly vintage) we hoped he might have a solution. And, if not a solution, then at least looking at pretty cars might cheer up Matt.
At hearing our predicament on our 20th anniversary no less, Dave put on his superhero cape and came to the rescue. He first offered to trailer our car the 2.5 hours to Boise and in the meantime loan us his personal SUV so we could continue camping and getting around. When the SUV wasn’t immediately available, he loaned us his precious 1961 Porsche Cabriolet – red and beautiful. It wouldn’t quite tow Aristotle, but it was great for a day outing. I’ve given his SUV (a Denali) the name “Da Vinci” and his Red Porsche “Florence Nightingale”.
Think the pay it forward ends there??? Nope. We took Dave and his wonderful wife, Laura, to dinner as a small token of our appreciation. While at dinner (as an aside, it was a really good dinner at Knob Hill Lodge – highly recommend), another gentleman who clearly was a recipient of Dave’s good graces sent over a nice bottle of wine. Did the generosity stop there? Nope…. Dave and Laura then invited us to join their weekend fun at their amazing compound in the middle of the Sawtooth National Forest. We brought Aristotle to continue the camping feel, but definitely availed ourselves to their whiskey, wine, food and gourmet smores around the campfire.
The generosity of Dave and Laura is astounding and was a reminder of how good people are. Another positive about the whole adventure – we ended up staying in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area longer. Ironically, thousands of miles from our home, we had a very busy social calendar. Dinners with our new friends, the Stones, dinner and too much (way too much – sorry, McNair) drinking with our former neighbors (Will & McNair Bailey – now residents of Ketchum), a nice cocktail hour with Matt’s second cousin, Stephanie, and mountain biking with Dave’s brother. The learning lesson here? Maybe we should be staying in one place a lot longer.
We found Ketchum/Sun Valley to be a little paradise. Last picture is of a wonderful lake on a hike near Galena Lodge.
