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stranded motorist, rattlesnake and surprise thunderstorm


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Posted by Zonie on March 12, 2023 at 03:24:33

The weather has been mostly cloudy lately. NWS said it had to do with the latest "atmospheric river" aimed at California. The rain wasn't expected to reach us until Wednesday, and then it would just be light showers. Today the clouds looked different. Under the middle and high clouds there were some spreading cumulus clouds that looked unusual.

Well NWS was right about it being warm today. I drove to state trust land and had a wallow in a big mud puddle to cool off. I continued stomping and splashing along the power line trail, and when I got about ¾ of a mile east of Tatum Boulevard I saw a truck parked on a feeder trail with the hood up and heard it struggling to start.

The truck had a camper shell and was occupied by a middle-aged man and a large dog. I asked if he needed help summoning help. My mobile phone was in the car. Given how muddy I was planning to get, I didn't figure it prudent to take it with me on my hike, but I could go back and get it. He said he was in communication with someone. He asked if I had a vehicle I could bring there. I said my car was a Honda Accord and I thought it unlikely I could drive it on the power line trail safely. He asked me if I fell in a mud puddle. I said I had wallowed deliberately, saying it was a great way to keep cool while hiking. He thanked me for trying to help. I continued on and found a man with a truck and told him there was a disabled motorists. He said he "might swing by there later." I don't think he did.

It occurred to me that I might get my battery charger from my car, so I turned back. I saw another truck and tried to flag down the driver, but he ignored me. I got the battery charger out of the car and walked back to the stranded motorist's truck. This time I tried to stay out of the mud.

When I got to him, he tried to recharge his battery with it, but it gave a "check engine" symbol, and it seemed something other than the battery was the problem. He tried to start it again a couple times, but the engine wouldn't turn over. He said the person he telephoned wasn't going to help. I asked if the two of us might push his truck to Tatum Boulevard where it might be easier for him to get help. He said given how uneven the trail was, that wasn't possible. I asked if I could give him a ride anywhere. He said he couldn't leave the dog behind, because it would destroy the camper. It occurred to me that he was probably living in that camper. I was reminded of Del's experience several years ago encountering a woman who was living in the Maine woods in her truck.

Dejected that there was nothing I could do to help him, I returned to my car with the battery charger and stowed it back in the trunk. Philosophically I mused that all this back and forth was getting me some exercise.

By this time I was almost dry and starting to sweat, so I treated myself to another lengthy mud wallow. I got up and encountered a rattlesnake that was definitely rattled by my presence, so I made an abrupt right turn and got out of its way. I wanted to head back to the vicinity of coyote central, but I didn't want to pass that stranded motorist again, so I headed north and took a different route.

The sky to the north was definitely getting dark, and through a gap in other clouds I could see that one of the clouds was definitely a cumulonimbus. As I hiked on I could see lightning strikes, and as I approached the main waterhole I heard some fairly loud thunder. Ironically by this time the sun was shining where I was, making a stark contrast with the dark sky to the north and east.

I went to see the debris of the main waterhole. This time there was a 55 gallon drum. I waded in and found that there were quite a lot of holes in it. That helped to drain the water and get it to shore, but it seemed the holes were from rifle fire. I assume it was some sort of floating practice target. Nearby were beer cans and a Smirnoff bottle. Maybe they thought alcohol would improve their marksmanship.

I turned around and headed back. A strong cool breeze blew from out of the thunderstorm, but the storm was clearly moving east over the McDowell Mountains. I had for a time entertained the hope that Zeus would do the cleanup, but I felt only a few raindrops. Cleanup was with the garden hose in my back yard.


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