The 350-mile drive from Kelso, Wash., to the Baker County Fairgrounds is supposed to take about 5 1/2 hours.

And with four kids in the car and an 8-foot trailer carrying kids

games and prizes for the Baker County Fair behind their 1992 Aerostar

van, Tracy and Victoria Albright likely factored in a few short stops

along the way – a bathroom break, a quick bite to eat.

But the Albrights never expected the delay they experienced just after passing through Pendleton Wednesday afternoon.

Climbing up the steep incline of Cabbage Hill, Tracy said that the Aerostar began to blow blue smoke out of the tailpipe. Knowing the van was close to dying, Tracy was trying to push it a little farther to a nearby viewpoint.

He almost got there, but was forced to pull off on the shoulder slightly before, where he discovered the trail of transmission fluid seeping from the van.

After several futile attempts trying to flag down passing motorists, Tracy decided he would walk back to Pendleton.

His journey was only a few paces old when some assistance arrived.

“That lady just appeared out of the blue,” he said. “And she took me back to Pendleton, and I went to the bank and the auto parts store.”

At this point, Tracy and the woman, Diana Lienbach of La Grande, also decided they would get a U-Haul truck in case the family needed it to transport carnival-type games for the kids to enjoy at the Baker County Fair.

Lienbach then drove Tracy back to the van on Cabbage Hill, where his family was waiting, and insisted on driving some of the six-member party to Baker City.

After taking the van to a nearby rest area and hooking the trailer up to Lienbach’s truck, they headed off.

Once the 100-mile drive down Interstate 84 concluded around 7 p.m., Tracy and Victoria offered Lienbach gas money or some sort of reimbursement, but she denied every attempt.

“You just don’t find somebody like that,” Tracy said. “We thanked her profusely, but we couldn’t have thanked her enough.”

Shortly after arriving at the Baker County Fairgrounds, the Albrights, including kids Nathan, David and KC, and family friend, Alexis Vaughn, began to set up the tents they planned to sleep in that night.

Afterward, they headed to Domino’s for dinner. Once they explained the story of their day, Tracy said he thinks the cashier “went out of her way” to give them a good deal.

About this time, a storm blasted through Baker City, and the result wasn’t good for Albright Amusements.

“It just came down,” Tracy said of the rain. “The top of the tent came off with the storm. And the tents were just destroyed.”

He said the structural poles were bent and some of the bungee cords inside the tent rods had snapped. To make matters worse, holes in the tent exposed the inside to water.

They attempted to salvage as many of the toys and prizes as possible before finding a good rate on a couple of rooms at the Oregon Trail Motel.

“After everything bad has happened, something wicked good has happened,” said Nathan, 17. “I think we’ll go home and laugh about this.”

Before that happens, the Albrights hope to bring some fun to a handful of kids at the Baker County Fair.

For five years, the family has been traveling to fairs in Washington towns like Castle Rock, South Bend and Kalama as a fun activity together and as a way for the kids to earn money to buy school clothes.

This is the Albrights first trip to Baker City; Tracy assumes next year will be the second.

“We’ll probably be back,” he said.

If they do make a second trip next year, it is safe to say one Good Samaritan in La Grande might have been the most convincing voice for Baker City.

“We just want people to know the kind of people they live around,” Tracy said.