[GeoStL] Re: Our Geocrashing Adventure.

-
What a great story and lessons to be learned!  Thanks for sharing.  :)
Too bad there are expensive repairs to go with it. :(
-Tracy of MutherAndSun

On Tue, May 25, 2010 at 12:24 AM, ehamemail <sydstyr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> -
> I love a good story: even if it does result in my shame and humiliation.
>  In hindsight I was  pretty stupid,  I think, but at the time..  well ..
>  you think you can turn around without a problem.  No humans were physically
> harmed during the making of this adventure.  Ego bruised and banl account is
> going to pay, but ll aches and pains are residual and  only showing up for
> me today -- and that's mostly my achey feet.
> I set out with my daughter and one of her friends to have a couple of hours
> of fun at the Toledo, Illinois ..  something.. Spring Day Festival, Summer
> day Festival ..  something like that.  It's about 30 miles from here, rides
> were  a $1.00 each. On the way out I looked at the GPS and we headed to a
> cemetery cache (not with the Kyd's blessing, as she does NOT approve of
> cemetery caches at all.)  Anyway, it was hot, the cache must have been in a
> rock on a hill covered with rocks and snake skins, so we gave up and left.
>  According to the GPS, the nearest cache was  "Before the River Bottoms"
>  GC20TKK
>
> Clearly, the name should have been a big hint.
>
> We made our way to the cache and had I been thinking, the standing water in
> the fields and on the road should have been a red flag.  The girls got out,
> made their way to the cache about 10 feet from the road, signed the log,
> laughed at the mud they were in and got back in.
>
> Checked the GPS for the route to the next cache.
>
> You know those stories about people who are run over by a train because the
> GPS told them to turn onto the railroad track?  Yeah. ME!
>
> (I'll be needing to eventually buy new maps since, CLEARLY, Mapsource and
> Roads and Rec suck rocks.)
>
> Here's my log for the cache:
>
> (The log right before mine, dated February 23 -- which I had not read
> because I only had the GPS -- is: I tried to go down some roads that I
> should not have. Turned the jeep around. tftc)
>
> My log:
> Found the cache. We also went down some road we shouldn't have. However, I
> slid off the road while in the process of turning around and now have
> several thousand dollars of damage to show for it. I think I hate this
> cache.
>
> Do NOT go past the sign that says "Road Closed When Muddy." There IS no
> road.
>
> There are people who are willing to call a tow truck and if that doesn't
> work they'll bring in friends to help. They are also willing to chuckle,
> point and give great advice, "It does tend to get a bit scary down here
> after dark." Luckily, a few men, young and old were willing to pull my truck
> out with their truck. They also, luckily, had a tractor available to pull
> their truck out. Thank God for the kindness of strangers or one overweight
> middle aged geocacher, her kyd and kyd's friend would STILL be on the road
> that isn't there. The GPS will tell you it's there as will the paper maps,
> but, according to our rescuers, "There are trees THIS big growing where the
> maps say that road is." Turns out, we're rescue #2 of the week. The last guy
> was a salesman from Pennsylvania.
>
>
> Of course my log makes it sound a little more simple than it really was. It
> was hot. DAMN hot.  We were over a mile into a road that clearly showed on a
> map. We came down a hill, made it through a very muddy spot: HA road must be
> CLOSED, to only realize that, what I couldn't see before going through that
> spot was that there was more water around a bit of a curve, hidden by brush.
>  I made a great attempt to turn around, but the back end slid into a ditch
> and in trying to get out of that I nose dived into the ditch.
>
> I can't begin to describe the mud. The girls waded through with their shoes
> off.  I had on the fake Birkenstocks (the indigenous peoples here call them
> "potato shoes") and was hopeless.  I did find a pair of old tennis shoes in
> the truck and after leaving a note, taking a waypoint and writing down the
> coordinates in case the GPS died we starte to walk out.
>
> After we had found the cache, we passed a house about a hundred yards down
> the road.  They waved. We waved.  They later decided to come looking for us
> because we hadn't come back.  By this time we were heading back up the road.
> Of course the girls were 1/4 mile ahead of me.  Grandpa said, "Betchyer
> stuck down there ain't ya?". Grandma said, "You're the second one this
> week."
>
> Grandpa said they'd go back and call the guy with the tow truck that they
> usually called when this happened. And, off they went.
> The girls headed up the road for cell service. We had managed to get just
> enough half-calls out to start to alarm the friend's dad, "Tim, this is
> Nancy. We're stuck. Do you know anyone with a tow truck....  no I don't know
> where we are but I can give you GPS coordinates."
>
> Grandpa came back with a neighbor in another 4 wheel drive truck.  We met
> up on a hill. I stopped them and asked if I could have a ride back. When the
> kid lowered the tail gate and I said it was too high I couldn't get in, the
> guy said,"Just give me your keys and we'll get it out."
>
> They did. I actually think that's when the damage ocurred.  It would have
> been impossible to get to the front and pull it forward.
>
> Meanwhile, I had no idea where the two girls are. They were supposed to go
> until they got cell service to let Friend's dad know we weren't dead. Gramps
> told them they should just stay there. All in all, by that time I was much
> more concerned with them than the truck.  I AM from the "Big City" as the
> indigenous peoples also like to point out.
>
> Eventually my truck was freed and while someone went for a tractor to pull
> the other truck out; we took the opportunity to escape.  I should say that I
> offered to pay for their help and it was turned down. When I got back to the
> the house, I had gathered up all the cash that was in the truck and told
> Grams that I was putting in her mailbox so no one could say "no".
>
> Turns out, this is a regular happening. The road has two names; it
> straddles county lines and neither county wants to put up a "Dead End" sign.
>    Grandma and Grandpa are the parents of the cache placer.  I sent a little
> note to the owner asking her if she'd please put a little note on the cache
> page to not go down that road. SHE DID!
>
> While we are OK, my truck is not. It will need a new bumper, front panel
> that goes above the bumper,  fog light, passenger side mirror, right front
> fender/quarter panel. The entire truck will need to be buffed and most
> likely the entire passenger side, hood and roof repainted.   After driving
> it tonight and while cleaning the mud from the steering wheel, hubby thinks
> the ball joints will need to replaced too.
>
> So. Here's one for lunch table lol.
>
> Nancy
>
>
>
>  ****************************************
> For List Info or To make _ANY_ changes to your account, including
> unsubscribing from this
>  list, click -----> http://www.freelists.org/list/geocaching
>
>  Missouri Caches Scheduled to be Archived  http://tinyurl.com/87cqw
>  Missouri Geocaching land policies --> http://tinyurl.com/lgyy84
>  Missouri Geocachers Forums -->http://mogeo.ipbhost.com/index.php
>
>


 

 ****************************************
For List Info or To make _ANY_ changes to your account, including unsubscribing 
from this   
 list, click -----> http://www.freelists.org/list/geocaching
 
 Missouri Caches Scheduled to be Archived  http://tinyurl.com/87cqw
 Missouri Geocaching land policies --> http://tinyurl.com/lgyy84
 Missouri Geocachers Forums -->http://mogeo.ipbhost.com/index.php

Other related posts: