bill keitel
worthington minnesota
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Joined: 11/15/2007
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(Attending the Minnesota Bison Educational Conference)
The Starship has foundered.......as the sun is setting...I find myself walking down a dirt and clay road. Twelve miles from the nearest town (of 300 people), five miles to the nearest black top road. The wet & snowy blizzard is just starting. It seems like a television advertizement of a really bad situation.
I know there are people and a house about a quarter mile down the road. This is deep north woods and bear country. Telephone service is very limited, at last ,..I get through to the sprinter emergency towing service line.
I explain my situation. I'm not in Emily MN., I'm not out on little pine road (the black top), I'm beyond ....not on the dirt road......but off the dirt road on a smaller road that leads into the deep woods of my mother and father inlaws property (about 1/8 up a winding pathway.
The StarShip has run aground......up to its axles in spring thaw......and mud. I had nearly made it to the cabin and in the last thirty yards hit a warm soggy pocket mud. I'm far, far, far from a decent road and surrounded by darkness, snow and tall trees.
I explain to the attendant on the other end of the phone line that this is the phone call that should not be taken lightly.........as this blizzard approaches and my future seems quite uncertain. She explains to me that she'll find me a tow truck. I'm relieved but skeptical, I'm not certain that a tow truck can approach my location.
Twenty minutes later I get a phone call from Lyle at Lake Roosevelt Towing.....he's on his way. We meet at the dirt road ,that leads up the lane, that leads to the cabin. He looks a bit incredulous.........wheres the StarShip? I explain that its up this smaller roadway. He gets a stern look on his face and proclaims "that is not a road!"........well.....thats where we can find the Starship! The precipitation is sleet and rain and its making all things soggy.
He politely asks me to hop in and help him negotiate the slippery drive up toward the cabin....and we find the resting place of the ship. After one look....he asks me "how do you expect to get it out?" I politely ask, "I thought that was your job?" We both realize the tenuous situation, as the StarShip has run aground betwixt looming trees and soggy bogs!
My four wheeled luxury house is sinking in the boglands of the far north aborial forrests.
I ask Lyle (the tow truck man) "If this was your vehicle what would you do?" he states "I'd winch it out, hook to the bumper and race down the muddy slopes as fast as we can!"
My initial reaction is that backing a Sprinter van down a muddy and now.....a very rutted road during a blizzard seems a bit fool hearty. Lyle looks at me and says rather loudly.."fool hearty?" hmmm I reacess my situation and recognize that term "fool hearty" only belongs to one person in the tow truck!
I gain some resolve and ask him...."Okay.....what do I do?" Lyle says" after I chain you up (the sprinter van) , you'll stay six feet from the end of my truck. If I stop or slow down....you do the same or you will incure.....an untold amount of damage to the back of this fancy vehicle." "I'm gonna pull you kind of fast, you put the StarShip in reverse and don't slow down".
At this point I'm quite unnverved but the alternative is to leave the Ship until summer.... until the road (excuse me...Path) drys out.
We do the "winch" thing....he hooks up the chain and we slip and slide down the buttery path toward the dirt roadway. I'm free at last! on solid terra firma.....life has been restored to my domicile & automotive soul!
Its time to settle up with my new friend Lyle.....I'm thrilled that it is under $200.00 ....what a great lesson for me. I'm also given my choice of complimentary stickup calendars. One says "thank you" from Roosevelt Towing Service....the other is a girly calendar (same size) with pictures of unclad women with magnificantly endowed breasts. Hmmmm...I didn't realize this type of calendar still existed? Given the choice of a free calendar....I would normally consult my wife....she's no where to be found and I was able to get one of each for her approval!
As we settled in for the evening blizzard, I boldly stuck one to the dashboard and secretly affixed one by the mirror (behind the door) in the bathroom! I will leave it up to the reader to decide which one was placed in the deep recesses of the sprinter!
My adventuring and offroading days are over. I'm stickin to the straight and narrow......unless the streambed has a gravel bottom.
Tomorrow we are heading out again on the front end of a blizzard.........stay tuned!
Exercise caution and use good judgement,
latcho drom/safe journey
bill and lauri keitel
On edit: Moderator edited out an address.
* This post was
edited 04/10/08 10:07pm by an administrator/moderator *
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juliev
Minnesota
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Joined: 07/29/2004
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Oh no! What a headache - you're lucky you got out alive, with an intact vehicle and no problems bears (or skunks). We've put some heavy duty commercial type tires on our PW Sprinter, with "aggressive" tread. No problems on our muddy driveway or road this year, thank goodness.
By the way, we were in Worthington on Sunday. Marv says he knows you....
Julie
_____________________________________________________________________
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~ Lao Tzu
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Rodger
Tucson, AZ.
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Glad you made it out safe, and no damage. 
Now ya know the wife is gonna find that calendar in about 5 seconds. 
Visit My Roadtrek
Hey, check out the new RV.Net Blogs!
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iowa
Los Angeles
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Joined: 01/01/2008
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Rodger's right about the calendar.
But, hmmmm, can you post some pix before the trashman comes?
Miss April might be nice.
But aren't they all?
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fla-gypsy
North Florida
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Joined: 04/19/2005
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Good story
05 Super Duty XLT CC 5.4/3.73 5 sp auto Torqshift
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Lynne Jayzee
Asheville NC
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Joined: 04/01/2003
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The foolhardy part came way before you got stuck...how much time have you spent with that calendar since your post?
- LJZ
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GailS
Indialantic FL
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Joined: 03/07/2007
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Bill,
I enjoyed reading your short story this morning. I love "happy endings".
We also have a Sprinter and I was glad to hear about the good service you received from the Sprinter emergency towing service. We have emergency road service with our insurance company, but nice to know you received such good service from Sprinter.
Gail
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antiquedrose
Texas
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Joined: 01/17/2008
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Oh to be so eloquent! Wonderful. Thanks for the great story.
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ARcruiser
Benton, AR USA
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Joined: 12/19/2001
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Great story! Thanks!
Straying from the flat ribbons of bituminous carbon mixtures was rewarded handsomely - with two calendars and a great story!
When the one calendar is ordered removed, PM me and I'll send you my address....
2 Big Cruisers, The Little Man, and Bailey / ARcruiser's Class B's (the first 8)
Rig #8 Under Construction! / Here's the Project Thread - I'm actually working on it again!
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1995brave
San Antonio, TX
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Joined: 01/24/2006
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I know what that spring thaw can do. When i was little we lived on a farm in PA. We headed out one morning and the road was firm, came back at dusk and it was raining/sleeting, got about half way down the road when the station wagon hit one of those pockets, bam, we were stuck up to our axles. Closest farm was 1/4mile down the road, raining harder and there are six of us, neighbors put us up for the night. Next morning got out his tractor and tried to pull the station wagon out, started to bury the tractor in the mud. Went back to the farm and got another logging chain, hooked it up to the other and tractor was then on firmer ground and we were able to pull the SW out and drive home.
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