This weekend I ended up between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Only in my case, in the usual Tami form of having to be different, I was sideways across the road, stuck between a rock and nowhere, hanging over a ditch.
The day started well. My friend Carol and I decided to make a girl’s day of Comstock Christmas. Hearing of big crowds in Virginia City, I decided to show her some lesser-known places around the Comstock Lode.
We were blazing trails, visiting mines, mills, and cemeteries. Silver City was the first stop of the day; the South Comstock Shaft, schoolhouse, and cemetery.
Our second stop was the Gold Hill Cemetery, where we visited the Jones Brothers grave. Their ill-fated journey began 150 years ago. It was the only grave visited since it snowed. I left a horse in memory of their trusted steed who stood over their frozen bodies until the search party found them.
I got distracted by history, and Carol reminded me of our reservation for lunch at the Cider Factory. I hesitate to mention the little-known restaurant for fear I wouldn’t be able to get a table. My one regret of the day was not having dessert.
I will admit, I let people scare me off from C Street. But, I wanted to show something special to Carol. So I decided to head to the Combination shaft and take a picture of the girls out with their Jeeps while the guys stayed at home.
All went well until I decided to take the seemingly flatter and easier road to get back to VC and see the Christmas trains. But, you know what they say about the best-laid plans.
We reached a point when I questioned our route, but Carol was familiar with the road. We were slipping and sliding, but it was a fun route, and we were almost back into town. The final hurdle was an uphill slope with a turn at the top. Carol and her Jeep took it like a champ. In my first attempt, I started spinning wheels. I backed up and tried again with the same result. Thirds time? Not a charm. On the fourth attempt, I made it to the top of the hill and began to feel confident; until Honey Badger’s rear slid out.
The slide left me between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was stuck between a tree and rock in the front and hanging over a ditch in the rear. I high centered with two wheels off the ground. I tried to move this way and that, but I didn’t have an inch of space. Even Austin Powers couldn’t have gotten out.
Carol and I had the knowledge and equipment to get my Jeep out. We were smart and had two vehicles, emergency supplies, and communications. We had a plan to get me out, but we were worried about causing more damage. So Carol posted in an off-road recovery group and messaged several local friends.
I am amazed by the kindness of Jeep groups and off-roaders. We had several friends respond almost immediately. Our friend Troy was getting ready to drive several hours to get to us. My friend Steve was getting back into town and already making preparations to grab recovery gear and head up. What amazed me was the number of people who didn’t know us who offered to spend their Sunday before Christmas to recover a Jeep.
Fortunately, Carol’s friends Max and Carl lived only a few blocks away, so they were at our location with fantastic speed. Their plan was the same as mine, use a winch on the front bumper to turn me in the right direction. It seemed like only a minute, but they had me turned around and back on route.
What I learned was I was missing one critical thing, confidence. I knew how to get Honey Badger out, but I lacked the trust in myself to do it. I seem more training in my near future.
Feeling disappointed, we headed to our final stop of the day, the Virginia and Truckee Chrismas trains. We arrived mid-train schedule, and the fantastic engineers and train historians gave us the history of the engines, cars, and stations. Finally, we got to visit the historic 1872 engine, Reno, which returned home this summer after a long career as a movie star.
I haven’t been feeling the Christmas spirit this year. But then, walking alongside the train, Carol put her arm through mine and said how good friends and memories are created. We stayed for the Christmas Lights train to arrive, which is a fantastic site. Then, as we were leaving, the station filled up with families with young children singing Jingle Bells, and finally, it felt like Christmas.
12-20-2021
Follow me on social media:
Leave a Reply