not bicycle related, but an adventure!

[ladyjai]

This story does not include a bike. In fact, it includes something with 4 wheels and an engine! (I don't own a car, so this was more exciting due to that! lol)

My adventure began with a flourish. My boss was sending me out onsite to take some photos. he got me hooked up with one of the company trucks, duely named the "Monkey Truck" for the fact it has a monkey on the keychain, . After obtaining directions to start my adventure we headed over to Survey to pick up the truck. The guys there suddenly were apologetic, and one actually wanted to go take the truck out and wash it. 'It's a dirty man truck', they said. I didn't think that would be a problem, I was going to have to go "exploring" anyway. and dirty means it's a good truck to go exploring, right?

I got the keys and went out to the largest vehicle I've ever operated. a chevy silverado, that went on forever, as wide as a car lane, and had a large covering on the bed, so it obscured any small-tailgating cars. I got it on the road just fine, and it required a little more caution and awareness, but soon we were headed out of town. the project was 50 miles away. and in the middle of just about nowhere. the bit of land I was going to was along the end of a paved road, and beyond it was wilderness. I took some pics, found an open gate and a dirt road, and entered. i was having a blast, went through several small washes, as i made my way towards the base of the mountain they want to create a climbing trail up. beautiful landscape, lovely clouds in the sky too. then i found another offshoot trail, it went down a small ravine and through a wash, and back up, and headed straight for my mountain. Great!

did I mention this is a 2-wheel drive vehicle? big, no lifts, standard tires? yeah.... i got into the ravine just fine. then into the wash just fine. going up the wash, i knew i wasn't going to make it. so I backed up. decided to do a 180 degree turn in the wash. The rest is history. CVL history, that is. during my attempts to self-rescue, I tried calling my friend who was experienced in 4-wheeling and discovered, my cell phone was unable to get a signal! uhoh. I tried to get myself out, and suceeded only in burrying the tires (but not the undercarriage). Finally, distraught, I gave up. There was no way in the world i was getting this bugger out. the monkey truck was stuck fast.

I had nothing left to do, but hike back to the road. there were a few houses out there, so I could ask to borrow a phone. i climb out of the ravine, and another wave of anger/histronics/whateverthatemotionis passed over me. in a semi-circle, approaching fast, furious and stealthily was a big wave of dirt. one of our lovely wind storms covered the southern sky. a few spots of rain heavy areas shone out too. Great, so now I'm going to be stuck out here for who knows how long, and i'll be wet and cold! i did the only thing I could do. i took photos of the approaching storm, and started hiking the mile+ it was to get to the paved road.

At the road, my cell phone worked, so i called our admin... "Hi Jodi, i think I just make CVL history."
"what! Did you break down?"
"Nooo.... I got stuck."
They made arrangements for a tow truck company to come rescue me. I waited over an hour for that thing to show. when it did, it was cool. a Ford 450 cab with the back removed and all kinds of nifty- machine-parts needed for vehicle extraction. I suggested bringing the truck, but he said he needed to scope the land out so he didn't get the truck stuck. "You sure, It's pretty far back,"
"yup,"
ok... I can walk it. I'll have a huge blister, but I'm not one to quit first if i can help it So we walk back. quite a ways in, he figures out i wasnt kidding and wishes he had brought the truck. We walk to the mountain, and he leaves me to go back and get his truck. He's expecting an easy extraction, yay!
and i wait. during that time, i get an uneasy feeling and a sense that i need to get in the truck. i'm not one to get like that, i'd been enjoying myself, but I just felt like i needed to get in. i walked slowly back to the truck, as if anyone was watching to see if i was scared, and get in. Then I have a talk with myself about being afraid, but I don't normally feel nervous, so i stay put and wait and wait some more. i'm starting to worry, and wonder where this guy is. i don't feel uneasy anymore, so i get out, and get my cell to where it will at least tell me the time. i decide to wait til 7, then hike out to see where he is. (15m in later) I settle back in the truck, it was warm there, and the sun was setting.

He arrives shortly after, with a sheepish "I got lost" as he hooks up my truck, he tells me about how creepy it was, with all the voices. "voices? oh, you mean the wind through the plants?"
"well, that, and the wild dogs. made me wish i had my pistol."
wild dogs! I'd seen dog tracks in the dirt in front of the stuck truck. they were big paws, rottweiler paws and larger - i thought it was people out walking their dogs! and there was what looked like dog dung my the main road - very old dried stuff, but with a large dog claw and bones in it.
i remember my case of nerves, and thanked God. I may not have missed anything, but you never know.

he pulled my truck out, and I drove out the road following him. it was after 7.30 before i hit the asphalt and started my 50 mile journey. i called my boss to let him know i was out, and he told me to take the truck to our office, and he'd give me and my bike a ride home.

He was very cool about it. Apparently, it is not wholy unusual for this kind of adventure to take place. CVL has had trucks stuck ON train tracks - strattled, airborne, a truck hit by a train, others stuck in washes, and my own project manager has his share of adventures on site visits, including almost driving a client off an 11ft cliff - in a golf cart!

so, moral of the story: do not go 4-wheeling in a 2-wheel drive truck.
My boss said they'd have to get me a mountain bike, so that i could park the truck on the road, and ride the bike back into the project

[allabouteva]

Wow ladyjai,

what an adventure....First the truck getting stuck, then the phone not working, then waiting, and the guy getting lost, dogs, etc...

Well, the good thing is that you're ok!

Thks for sharing,

e

[DirtDiva]

I wish I had a boss who thought they had to buy me a mountain bike!

[ladyjai]

I wish I had a boss who thought they had to buy me a mountain bike!

prolly won't get a mtn bike, since I don't go out to projects that often, but if i did, I bet they would! my boss is pretty cool.

[Running Mommy]

I was dying when I read that. Mostly because I could TOTALLY see that happening to me!!
So I must ask... Where exactly were you?? I'm trying to think of all the areas in the valley you could have been...