#49: Pando, Tires, and Truma
By this time, I started making my way back up towards Salt Lake to get my Truma water heater/furnace replaced.
With all of this driving lately (these states out West are huge), I began to notice the tires on my car were getting pretty worn. Since I do much driving on unpaved, rocky roads, I didn't want to push it with vulnerable tires. I also didn't need a highway blowout to add to my list of things to fix.
I found a tire center in Richfield, UT, a large(r) town in the vicinity of where I was. Calling ahead, I ensured they would have the tires I needed by the time I arrived.
But first, a quick jaunt to Pando. A friend of mine mentioned Pando while I was in Salt Lake the first time around. I hadn't heard of it; that's what Google is for.
Pando is referred to as the Trembling Giant due to the leaves' sound with just the slightest wind.
It's a grove of quaking aspens in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah.
The grove is a single organism, as all the trees share a root system.
Unlike other trees, these aspens sprout from the parent tree's lateral root, making each tree a stem of a massive single clone.
The word "Pando" is Latin for "I spread."
The above makes Pando the most massive living organism, spanning over 100 acres. However, there is an absence of young, regenerative stems to replace the older trunks due partly to deer and elk's overgrazing in recent years. That, combined with the regular deterioration of the older trees, makes Pando extremely vulnerable to shrinking. In time, Pando could completely die off. Teams of scientists are on it, though, studying the reasons for the decline to adapt accordingly.
We slept among Pando at Doctor Creek Campground near Fish Lake. We hiked the trembling aspens, and it was unforgettable. We hit it at the perfect time when the aspen leaves were bright yellow.
After our hike, we hit the road for Richfield. The only decent place to stay was a KOA (Kampgrounds of America). I usually don’t opt for this chain campground, but I was okay with it because:
It was inexpensive.
I could refill the fresh water tank.
I could dump the wastewater tank.
I could do laundry.
I could take a shower.
Our first stop the next morning was the tire center. After waiting a few hours and dropping a pretty penny, we were off towards Salt Lake to get our replacement Truma.
We crashed at a Walmart parking lot about an hour south of SLC. I didn’t need anything fancy as I had just showered that morning, and my only requirement was being somewhat close to the dealership to get there first thing the next morning. Plus, I was used to parking lots by now.
I cannot believe I am writing this, but this visit to an Airstream dealership service center was, wait for it…quick and easy. It took the Airstream of Utah team a few hours to replace the Truma, test it to ensure it’s working correctly and consistently, and send me on my way. The feeling of driving away with a new working furnace/water heater was indescribable. I had been dealing with this wonky thing for my entire trip, and now I was sailing (driving) off into the sunset with a brand-new (working) unit. Life was good.