[GeoStL] Re: SPAM-MED: Our Geocrashing Adventure.
- From: "ZLA Solutions" <Zeke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 May 2010 07:58:34 -0500
-
Nancy, I'm sorry the car needs so much work but I am impressed with your
focus on the goal. To quote you, "... I nose dived into the ditch ... After
we had found the cache, ...". Most muggles would expect you to get the car
unstuck and skip the cache.
I understand about taking roads that aren't there, fortunately without the
unhappy circumstances. At MOGA, our GPS kept telling us to drive through the
lake because the old roads are still in the NAVTEC maps.
Regards,
Zeke
-----Original Message-----
From: geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:geocaching-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ehamemail
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 12:25 AM
To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: SPAM-MED: [GeoStL] Our Geocrashing Adventure.
-
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
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from this
list, click -----> //www.freelists.org/list/geocaching
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