Off-Road Adventures

Yesterday I had my annual off-road adventure. Driving merrily home from town, my mind a million miles away, I suddenly found myself with my front wheels in a ditch, facing a snow bank. Last year it was a mailbox that I took out. The mailbox got revenge by flipping into the air and coming down on the front of my car, taking out the right headlight, and crumpling the front fender. The year before, it was a slow slide down a slight embankment at midnight.

The culprit in all of these cases was black ice -- a hazard I've learned more than I want to know about since moving to Maine. I hope this was it for this year. Maybe I'll have moved South by next year. Anyway, several good samaritans stopped. The first one called AAA on his cell phone (I still haven't gotten used to my new Blackberry). We were in the middle of the conversation with them when two good looking young men came by in a truck and said they could pull me out -- just needed to go home to get their chains. I told AAA I'd call them back if necessary.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the boys returned with chains. After they did some fiddling around trying to get them on, I got in, ready to go. I had already put the car in low 4-wheel drive (I thought) while I was waiting. I started the engine, felt them pull, and revved my motor. The fellow acting as director said, "your wheels aren't moving for some reason." Couldn't figure it out. Tried again. Nothing. Finally it dawned on me. I had stopped in neutral. Easily fixed. Just a little further forward with the shift. A couple of big jolts, more revving of the engine and I was out! The guys would accept no reward and drove off.

Now that the car was out, I surveyed the damage more closely. Only a small hole in the front bumper where some little gadget had been. Some twigs sticking out of the grillwork. Off toward home. Another narrow escape for Jean Boggio.