My favorite adventure buddy was with me last weekend. We chose a beach adventure and took B2 (Beach Bomber) out on Saturday. We saw some unbelievable rock formations that were usually submerged but were exposed due to the low water level from the minus 2.4-foot tide. The only adverse event on the trip was that we should have brought a grill, made burgers on the beach, and enjoyed the view more.
We had so much fun and were so taken with the area that we returned on Sunday to catch another minus tide. On the way down the street, we started hearing a couple of knocks which we immediately determined were coming from B2. We parked B2 and did a quick inspection as soon as we could. Initially, no visible damage was seen, which surprised me because, from the sounds, I thought we had dropped a driveshaft and were dragging it. We attempted to drive back to my house, but I kept looking at my side mirror and watching my rear tire grow! Wow, I’ve never seen an expanding tire before! We immediately stopped the rig and saw my left axle come entirely out of the rear differential, and the rear differential ate itself and shot out a chunk through the pumpkin.
It was at this moment that I learned to roll with it. Angus, my adventure buddy, and skilled mechanic, immediately said we needed a tow. Never in my life have I called a tow truck for myself. I have always self-recovered either out of necessity from location or due to money. It wasn’t easy to wait, but I did and enjoyed the time with Angus.
My dad was a demanding teacher and didn’t do well with keeping calm during situations. This made any event with Dad problematic. This is one of those traits that I didn’t want to carry forward and thankfully haven’t. Angus and I have been through countless experiences in which a calm and collected style was necessary. We have experienced everything from flooded dry suit on a New Year’s Eve dive, paddling up a river in a jetboat due to the jet unit being inoperable, completely removing a jet drive and reinstalling it out in the middle of nowhere and doing this while the boat is in the water during a fall moose hunt. Yeah, the list keeps going.
The two of us enjoy finding beauty away from populated areas. The draw to go to these unpopulated areas tends to be arduous if you don’t plan well or when difficulties arise. I also must admit that I love those challenges. I love going slow and discussing ideas; we have always made it home.
Last Sunday was the first in many ways, from getting a tow to being broken down on the street and not doing anything to initiate recovery. One of the personal challenges I was dealing with was that we were taking a lane of traffic on a two-lane road. Thankfully I live in a great town (Homer, Alaska), and the fellow locals are impressive! Not one vehicle beeped or negatively did anything as they waited patiently for oncoming traffic and then went around us. Also, we had countless people stop and check on us, and a handful got out and looked at the rig to see if they could help. This was phenomenal for my soul. The remarkable events continued as we discussed the situation and determined this was a complete first for us. We were on a road that was easily accessible in the middle of the day with a glorious amount of sunshine, a great view out to the water, and, best of all; we could see a pod of whales out in the distance.
I don’t want to sound like some Zen master but trust me, I kept working out ideas to get the rig home without the tow truck, but Angus did a fantastic job keeping me on track for the tow truck. We got excellent service from A.C.E. Towing, and B2 is sadly parked until I have the time and funds to get her going again.
As for the whole experience of the events on Sunday, wow! I am so thankful that I am not like my dad and that my son and I had a surprisingly good time in another stressful event. I’m working hard on continuing to pursue being more relaxed and using Sunday as a reminder that rolling with it is a terrific mental attitude rather than getting worked up.
I need to start getting my day going. I have a challenging weekend that I am looking forward to, and I will be sharing more next week after I process everything.
Take care, be safe, and thank you for taking another journey with me.
Leave a Reply