Break Down near Muddy Gap, Wyoming

I got the only phone call I ever got from Jack was in August of 1975.  He was headed back from Oregon to Fort Worth with about 16 kids when the water pump on his second hand school bus gave out.  Jack called from about 30 miles north of Muddy Gap, Wyoming.  Muddy Gap is where the highway splits going to either Laramie or Rawlins.  It's in the middle of no where along the Sweetwater River.  

This was a Saturday afternoon.  He knew that the bus was a GMC and that it had a big engine.  I found no less than five water pumps that might fit his bus.   We lived in Riverton about two hours away from where he said the bus was on the side of the road.  Kathy had bought a bunch of food while I got the parts.  We got there about dark, just in time to be attacked by bands of roving mosquitos.

The kids had pitched tents along the fence line.  They were glad to see the food that Kathy had brought along.   Jack was holding a map like he always did when things cratered.  One kid interrupted Jack's navigational exercise by asking him why his mosquito repellant was not working.  Jack examined the bottle and informed the kid that his mosquito repellant was only effective on Texas species of  mosquitos. 

Mean while two of the older kids got a lesson in bus repairs by helping me change out the water pump.  I was very relieved to find that one of the five water pumps actually fit.  In the middle of all of this another kid comes up and asks if I think we can fix the bus and have it make it back to Fort Worth without another break down.  He tells me they shelled a water pump on the trip up to Oregon.  Then Jack pipes up that the bus was going through them about every six months. 

After about two hours we get the pump installed using flashlights to augment the mechanics version of the Braille System.  The break down was within 100 feet of the Sweetwater River.  The kids used canteens and pop cans to get water to fill up the radiator.  It's about 10:30 PM when I crank up the bus.  Thankfully there were no leaks and the bus idles smoothly. 

Jack now decides that he has time to make it to Laramie before calling it a night.  I told Jack that I would drive the bus as far as Muddy Gap to make sure that the repairs held up.  Kathy follows us in our car.  Jack decides to stand in the step well near the door to see how it goes.  The boys all piled in and  immediately crashed.  Little had changed over the years. 

The bus ran cool all the way to Muddy Gap.  Jack was very quiet until I pulled into the gas station/store/KOA camp ground at Muddy Gap.  The place was about to close down for the night, but was more than glad to sell me gasoline for the bus and the car.  Jack had not realized that the bus was almost out of fuel and was probably running on fumes. 

The kids all got off the bus and went into the store for a much needed pit stop.  Jack gets a Coke.  He says he needs to stay awake to get to Laramie.  I go in to pay for the fuel.  The man that ran the place looked at us and asked; "Rough day?'  I answered with a simple "This is really pretty normal for us.  We're used to it". 
 
I gave him the quick version of what happened while Jack is trying to write a check to Kathy for the water pump.   Kathy had the smarts to tell Jack to mail it to us later.  Mean while the gas man offers to let the Jack and the kids stay at the KOA campground on him, showers and all.  Jack wants to go on, but the kids overrule him as they realize that they can get a hot shower. 

Kathy and I say good bye to the troop and headed back to Riverton.  The conversation turns to why I think this is a normal event.  Many related stories later she begins to understand a very important part of many peoples' lives.  In the months and years that followed I bought a lot of gas and diesel fuel at Muddy Gap.  The last time I went through there in 1981the gas man told me that he was yet to run across anything quite like Jack and the troop. 

I never got another call from Jack.  The water pump lasted a few more years and a lot more miles.  I'm still thankful that we always got home sooner or later, no big deal.   Many years later the camping trips are still very pleasant memories.