Everything was great going up the giant mountain, but then as we started down I started smelling something: the brakes were cooking. (Interestingly, we're having some plumbing issues, too, so we started smelling... that, too. That's a pretty easy fix, I think.) If you ever driven that road you know it's not one on which to have your brakes go out (as if there's a good road lose your brakes?). Note the following picture, which does not do it justice at all.
So, I took it super slow with lots of downshifting to slow, and a few breaks for the brakes to cool. On one of those breaks I called ahead to a repair shop here in Escalante, and the guy said he might be able to squeeze us in, though he didn't sound pleased. We just had to get there. When we saw a sign for a 14% grade down for the next 5 miles, I started praying. It was stressful, but we made it.
The mechanic was definitely stressed because he was swamped. I hadn't even talked to him yet when two other guys came up, one a bit older than me and the other younger. The older guy asked what the problem was, so I told him about the smell, and the vibration I was getting when I braked on downhills, and that I thought I might have overheated the brakes and warped the rotor (information which Marianne had helpfully gotten from Google just minutes before - at least I didn't look like a complete idiot, I was thinking). Older guy bent down to look at the offending tires and said, "Well, it's hotter than all get out, but the rotor's not warped. See, it's still in good shape." And he proceeded to teach me a great deal about brakes.
At one point he went over to check the other wheel and I asked the younger guy if older guy worked here. "Oh, no. He's the mailman. He just helps out sometimes for fun. He actually drives from Boulder to Panguitch and back twice a day [the terrifying road we had just taken]. He's about to leave." Just then Older Guy came back and said, "Yup, I think you'll be fine if you just let them cool down for a bit. You're heading west? I'll be right behind you, and I'll stop if you're having trouble." And then they told me about every turn of the drive ahead in great detail, and the name of the shop I should go to if I have more trouble, and reassured me everything would be fine.
Escalante has a playground and an ice cream shop, so we're good for a break here. I think those guys were an answer to our prayers.
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