Tacoma
Et incurventur ante non
- Location
- far enough away
I've been up for like 57hrs I think. Something wrong like that.
So Meat and I went up to Duchesne today for a little drive to the Duchesne West Court Complex. Security was tight as a drum, I am happy to report... not!
What good is a metal detector when you can enter the building by walking around the damn thing. NONE!
Anyway we amused ourselves during the wait by observing the local fauna. As far as we heard, none of the "women" were in for prostitution. Seems unlikely but that's what we saw damnit.
I got my possible $1,700 fine and 45 days in the clink reduced to a sweet, although still COMPLETELY infuriating and totally avoidable $200, and $30 to the DMV. Wife never paid the registration or insurance while she was dealing with her freakin' crazy sister, and I got nailed for it... 4 times on the way home from Vernal.
Judge was a very kind gentleman, who judged with an eye on the spirit of the law rather than the letter, and who was fair and just in his decision. A genuine credit to the profession. Reminded me of my late grandfather, who was a judge for 40yrs in upstate NY.
Just to drive the point home, I told my lovely wife that I got a $1200 fine and some community service. I will let her think this and twist and stew over it until Saturday, because I am very mean, and because it's the least I can do to pay her back for my troubles.
Went home, saw Badger and the encouraging progress on Meat and Badger's projects, and went to bug Mike at Summit.
I really like visiting Summit. I love the machines, the orderly rows of parts and shiny things I don't understand, the mismatched menagerie of the employees, even that Jersey kid, Brian. There's usually exciting things going on, and ideas talked about that are inspirational and invigorating, and the way things have been going lately, the levity and camaraderie is welcome!! Meat and I drooled over the sweet Hutchinson double beadlocks Mr. Judd showed us, though we noted with some disappointment that they were lacking the correct number of bolt holes. What is this 5-lug crap? I don't understand it.
Then Meat and I adjourned to Casa de Meat, where Meat finally watered the mules. They seemed somewhat nonplussed by our presence, possible because of the lack of water, but more likely because... they're mules. One of them was extra nice though, and walked with us waiting for someone to rub her cheeks or something. I'm not really an equestrian, but I can see the value of mules... maybe I could like horses too, I don't know.
So more ideas and theory were banded about, tire size guesstimations were made, wasps were dodged, Dodges were inspected, musings were mused. And it's likely that I'll never actually pay for a 203, which is awesome. Thanks Meat!
Then I left, feeling sort of drained by all the malarkey of the day. The road was clear and free after Eagle Mountain, but my mind was increasingly taxed by the task of driving straight. So I got out and had some of the water in the cooler in the Hate Tank... and continued. There were some antelope near 5MP threatening to attempt murder on my person through vehicular means, but they made the right decision and let me pass unmolested.
Some several miles later, when the road bends west after the Chemical Depot, their hoof-ed brethren "THE MULE DEER HERD" could not be bothered to show me the same courtesy!!
No, these furred, hoof-ed, grass-chewers decided en masse to change my travel plans. Fearing for the beautiful grille of The Hate Tank, I was forced to modify my route to an "Overland Passage", lest I smash bodily into the whole lot of 20 or so of these infernal denizens of the plain and mount.
Off the road I went, my conversations with The Two Mikes earlier running through my head-- "I've never totalled a vehicle or really wrecked anything, just fender benders..."
And as I missed "THE MULE DEER HERD", I failed to exercise the same caution with "the lurking dirt mound", which, surprised, launched me and the poor, burdened Hate Tank skyward, or what seemed like it, in a spray of dirt and angry, displaced grass and that special, loamy sand/soil endemic to the Desert West.
PING!!! went the hood as a corner broke free from it's mooring! WHAP went the entire hood as, inspired by it's bodily member's liberationg, the whole mess unlatched and billowed upward and my trusty tires sought the comforts of Earth's firmament. KERRR THUNK!! the Hate Tank protested as it felt the heavy weight of being bound to Earth and not free like the birds it had attempted to join in that blue Utah sky! KKKAAAAAABOOOOOM!!!! exclaimed the newly-purchased battery as impact overcame the strength of the moorings that held tight the plates to make electricity... and, causing the plates to hit and show their anger by knocking the ground post out of the casing, taking chunks of that casing with it. DRIP DRIP SIZZLE went the liberated battery acid as it poured over the innards of the underhood space.
OOOOOHHHHHHHH SH********T said I as I came to rest, smoke and dust and adrenaline pumping. "THE MULE DEER HERD", realizing that I was very, very happy with my original travel plan of "taking the road more traveled", beat feet to happier locales and left the abused Hate Tank and my shaken self to consider the question: "What now?"
"What now?" was answered thusly: Survey the damage, assess condition, and formulate escape clause to be implemented posthaste.
Damage was minimal. Battery was destroyed, but the aforementioned water from the cooler washed away the harmful fluid, and mitigated damage to the landscape. Hood was fine, but my faith in it was not. Another conversation sprang to mind, and I thought "No, I shouldn't have said it!" Calls were made, and help was dispatched. Oddly, it was another Mike who came with help, in the form of another battery. THIS Mike is as valuable to me as the other two already referenced. He is always pleased to help on vehicles, and enjoys hanging out in the great outdoors.
He does, however, think I'm crazy.
At any rate, I will be inspecting the balljoints tomorrow as something seems kind of funny, but overall I think the entire could have been so much worse that these minor fees and incoveniences are to be embraced as "the better alternative".
GOOD EVENING!
So Meat and I went up to Duchesne today for a little drive to the Duchesne West Court Complex. Security was tight as a drum, I am happy to report... not!
What good is a metal detector when you can enter the building by walking around the damn thing. NONE!
Anyway we amused ourselves during the wait by observing the local fauna. As far as we heard, none of the "women" were in for prostitution. Seems unlikely but that's what we saw damnit.
I got my possible $1,700 fine and 45 days in the clink reduced to a sweet, although still COMPLETELY infuriating and totally avoidable $200, and $30 to the DMV. Wife never paid the registration or insurance while she was dealing with her freakin' crazy sister, and I got nailed for it... 4 times on the way home from Vernal.
Judge was a very kind gentleman, who judged with an eye on the spirit of the law rather than the letter, and who was fair and just in his decision. A genuine credit to the profession. Reminded me of my late grandfather, who was a judge for 40yrs in upstate NY. Just to drive the point home, I told my lovely wife that I got a $1200 fine and some community service. I will let her think this and twist and stew over it until Saturday, because I am very mean, and because it's the least I can do to pay her back for my troubles.
Went home, saw Badger and the encouraging progress on Meat and Badger's projects, and went to bug Mike at Summit.
I really like visiting Summit. I love the machines, the orderly rows of parts and shiny things I don't understand, the mismatched menagerie of the employees, even that Jersey kid, Brian. There's usually exciting things going on, and ideas talked about that are inspirational and invigorating, and the way things have been going lately, the levity and camaraderie is welcome!! Meat and I drooled over the sweet Hutchinson double beadlocks Mr. Judd showed us, though we noted with some disappointment that they were lacking the correct number of bolt holes. What is this 5-lug crap? I don't understand it.
Then Meat and I adjourned to Casa de Meat, where Meat finally watered the mules. They seemed somewhat nonplussed by our presence, possible because of the lack of water, but more likely because... they're mules. One of them was extra nice though, and walked with us waiting for someone to rub her cheeks or something. I'm not really an equestrian, but I can see the value of mules... maybe I could like horses too, I don't know.
So more ideas and theory were banded about, tire size guesstimations were made, wasps were dodged, Dodges were inspected, musings were mused. And it's likely that I'll never actually pay for a 203, which is awesome. Thanks Meat!
Then I left, feeling sort of drained by all the malarkey of the day. The road was clear and free after Eagle Mountain, but my mind was increasingly taxed by the task of driving straight. So I got out and had some of the water in the cooler in the Hate Tank... and continued. There were some antelope near 5MP threatening to attempt murder on my person through vehicular means, but they made the right decision and let me pass unmolested.
Some several miles later, when the road bends west after the Chemical Depot, their hoof-ed brethren "THE MULE DEER HERD" could not be bothered to show me the same courtesy!!
No, these furred, hoof-ed, grass-chewers decided en masse to change my travel plans. Fearing for the beautiful grille of The Hate Tank, I was forced to modify my route to an "Overland Passage", lest I smash bodily into the whole lot of 20 or so of these infernal denizens of the plain and mount.
Off the road I went, my conversations with The Two Mikes earlier running through my head-- "I've never totalled a vehicle or really wrecked anything, just fender benders..."
And as I missed "THE MULE DEER HERD", I failed to exercise the same caution with "the lurking dirt mound", which, surprised, launched me and the poor, burdened Hate Tank skyward, or what seemed like it, in a spray of dirt and angry, displaced grass and that special, loamy sand/soil endemic to the Desert West.
PING!!! went the hood as a corner broke free from it's mooring! WHAP went the entire hood as, inspired by it's bodily member's liberationg, the whole mess unlatched and billowed upward and my trusty tires sought the comforts of Earth's firmament. KERRR THUNK!! the Hate Tank protested as it felt the heavy weight of being bound to Earth and not free like the birds it had attempted to join in that blue Utah sky! KKKAAAAAABOOOOOM!!!! exclaimed the newly-purchased battery as impact overcame the strength of the moorings that held tight the plates to make electricity... and, causing the plates to hit and show their anger by knocking the ground post out of the casing, taking chunks of that casing with it. DRIP DRIP SIZZLE went the liberated battery acid as it poured over the innards of the underhood space.
OOOOOHHHHHHHH SH********T said I as I came to rest, smoke and dust and adrenaline pumping. "THE MULE DEER HERD", realizing that I was very, very happy with my original travel plan of "taking the road more traveled", beat feet to happier locales and left the abused Hate Tank and my shaken self to consider the question: "What now?"
"What now?" was answered thusly: Survey the damage, assess condition, and formulate escape clause to be implemented posthaste.
Damage was minimal. Battery was destroyed, but the aforementioned water from the cooler washed away the harmful fluid, and mitigated damage to the landscape. Hood was fine, but my faith in it was not. Another conversation sprang to mind, and I thought "No, I shouldn't have said it!" Calls were made, and help was dispatched. Oddly, it was another Mike who came with help, in the form of another battery. THIS Mike is as valuable to me as the other two already referenced. He is always pleased to help on vehicles, and enjoys hanging out in the great outdoors.
He does, however, think I'm crazy.
At any rate, I will be inspecting the balljoints tomorrow as something seems kind of funny, but overall I think the entire could have been so much worse that these minor fees and incoveniences are to be embraced as "the better alternative".
GOOD EVENING!
