no problem. I have a couple of them in my bug-out bag.”
“Why do you have jumper wires in your bag, Lee?” Jake asked.
“Well, like I said, one of my choices for wheels was construction equipment or older tractors and stuff. Jumper wires make it easy to borrow them,” Lee said back to Jake with a wink. Lee then headed back around the front to his bag and returned shortly with four jumper wires.
“Okay, first, let’s see if the starter motor will go,” Lee said. He hooked a wire from the small terminal on the starter solenoid mounted on the side of the engine compartment. Then he touched the other end to the positive battery terminal. The starter motor instantly turned over the engine, but it failed to start.
“That is a start in the right direction. No pun intended,” Johnnie said, excited the motor turned over.
“Yes, that is good. Now let’s see if we can get fuel going to it,” Lee said.
Lee then looked over the motor and found the wiring going to the fuel shut off solenoid. He unclipped the plastic connector. Taking another jumper, he attached one clip onto one prong in the solenoid end of the connector and the other to a metal bracket on the motor. He attached another jumper to the second prong being careful not to short the two clips together. If this worked, Lee figured they could make a more permanent attachment. Lee took the end of the second wire and attached that to the battery terminal, creating a small spark. A clicking sound emanated from the solenoid.
Lee said to the two men, “The small spark means the solenoid still has continuity. A large spark might indicate a short circuit.”
Now with the fuel solenoid hot-wired, Lee again touched the starter solenoid jumper to the same terminal on the battery. The starter motor started turning over the engine again. This time, after a few seconds, the diesel motor sprang to life, producing a roar and a cloud of black exhaust.
The men shouted out hoorahs over the noise of the diesel motor. They exchanged high-fives all around.
“This is fantastic, Lee,” said Johnnie.
“Nice job, man,” said Jake.
Lee showed Johnnie how to shut off and restart the motor. He suggested they get some wire and connectors and, if possible, a toggle switch that they could wire to the fuel solenoid and maybe a push button for the starter motor. Johnnie said he would see what they could scrounge. Lee reminded him to keep an eye on temperature and make sure to keep it full of oil. There would not be any safeguards now.
The men left the generator running for now. Johnnie went into the church and came back to tell Lee and Jake the multiple refrigerators and freezers were all working.
“Now we don’t have to use all the fresh meat right away, which is good. But I guess some people will not like that. Let’s go get you two heroes some of the barbecue chicken before it is gone,” Johnnie said.
Jake replied, “Lee is the hero. I would not have figured that out.”
The three men walked back around to the front of the church.
Although Lee and Jake had eaten only a few hours earlier at the Pioneer Saloon, they figured they might as well fill up with the fresh food and protein. It might be days before they see real food again. As the two men were being served the great-looking chicken and side dishes, Johnnie was telling the others how Lee had repaired the generator. Several of the other Mormons came up and thanked the two men. Jake just pointed at Lee and told them he did it all.
Lee and Jake finished their second scrumptious meal of the day, consisting of barbecue chicken, potato salad, and some canned tomatoes from storage, plus fresh cucumbers that one of the local farmers had brought over. They ate while discussing their next step. It was nearly 8:00 p.m. and would be getting dark soon. They discussed and weighed the choices. They could wait until morning and continue in daylight. That probably made sense as tired as both men were. Lee pointed out how exhausted he was. With little sleep, a long walk out of Vegas, two separate deadly encounters, and the long bike ride here, both men were wearing down. On the other hand, they realized being on the roads tomorrow in daylight posed more danger. As each hour and day passed, stranded, desperate people on the roads would become more of a threat. Their supply of food and water was a valuable target. Some people may feel the men should share. Others may try forcibly to take what they wanted. Neither man wanted another battle. It was going to be dark soon, but maybe they could get down the paved road to the dirt power line turnoff and move inland a ways and camp. They knew leaving now was the safer bet, but both men were exhausted.
Finally, reaching a compromise, they decided to take a five-hour break, get some sleep, and when the nearly full moon was out, they would take off.
The next part of the route would be to take Kingston Road southwest from Sandy Valley. The road was paved and straight for the first five miles as it passed through rural desert farmland. After five miles, it changed to a maintained gravel road and worked its way up over a mountain range. After crossing the mountain range, the road turned south and intersected the power line road that would lead the men to the south of Fort Irwin. They would try to get at least down past the paved portion tonight and then find a safe place to camp out.
With the decision made, Lee and Jake found Johnnie, told him their plan, and asked if they could sleep here for a few hours. Johnnie not only agreed but also took them into the church and found two military cots for them to use. With the plan of leaving later in the night, Lee and Jake decided to move the cots outside. They did not want to disturb sleeping people when getting up to leave.
“If you are going to leave in the middle of the night, allow us to say a blessing now,” Johnnie asked the two men.
“We would appreciate that,” Lee answered, with Jake nodding his approval.
Johnnie then gathered several of the Mormons and about two dozen of the refugees, and they all gathered in a large circle and grasped hands.
Johnnie recited the blessing, “Oh, Father in heaven. Bless these brave men, Jake and Lee, as they continue their long journey to reunite with their families. Make their journey safe and quick. Provide them with shelter when needed and food to nourish and strengthen their bodies. Also, Lord, please provide for all of your children who have gathered at your house here in this beautiful valley. Please provide for those who need your help in this terrible time. Please help those faced with desperation and need throughout our great country. We ask this in the name of Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.”
“Amen” sang out from the entire group.
Lee and Jake placed two cots next to their bikes and bags, and they both collapsed onto the cots. Lee was fast asleep in little time. The prayer got Jake thinking and kept him awake for a time. He thought about this situation and his new friend Lee. He also thought about his family and what he had done that had brought him here to this place during this tough time.
Chapter 14
0300, Day 2, Sandy Valley, Nevada
Lee had set an alarm on his watch to wake him and Jake up at 0300 hours. It felt to Lee like they had just lain down, but the two got up reluctantly. Lee shared baby wipes with Jake, which they used to clean up. They also brushed their teeth using some bottled water, gathered their stuff, and readied the bikes. They put the backpacks in the cart with some loose water bottles, tools, and other heavy items. Lee tied his chest rig on the handlebars of his bike with some wire ties and put on the fanny pack. Jake said he would
