Yesterday was a nice day so I decided to take a short trip into the Mountains with my 16 touring. I drove South to Longmont. I then turned West and drove through Lyons up to Pine Wood Springs. I stopped in the Bakery and had a cup of coffee. I then continued up to Estes Park. I stopped at and had lunch in Estes. It was starting to get late so headed down the Big Thompson River Canyon towards Loveland. When I got down the canyon about half way to Ward I passed a modern car with the hood up beside the road. There were two men outside the car and a couple of kids. They were trying to use their cell phones. I knew that cell phones usually don't work in the canyon. I found a place to turn around about a half mile down the road and turned and went back. When I got to them much to my surprise they had managed to get out on their cell phone. They had contacted a Towing company but the tow truck driver would only allow 2 people to ride with him, and there was 5 in the car. I offered to transport three of them to Loveland and they gladly accepted. I don't know what they would have done if the tow truck had arrived. It was too far up canyon to walk to any shelter and it was getting colder by the minute. They might have found a cabin somewhere, I don't know. It would have been a long cold walk and they were from Florida.
Years ago on the Run for the Sea, an annual weekend tour we had for years on Long Island, I had a similar experience with my '10 T. The tour was always in September and it often rained so it was also known by those who participated in it regularly as the Rain for the Sea. It had been raining very hard for hours and at a four way stop intersection where there was a dip in the road I came upon two young men in an MG-B that had stalled in the intersection and was now in water over the rocker panels and rising fast. They were soaked and the interior of their car was flooded. I pulled up next to them and offered them my tow rope, which they quickly attached to the front of their car, and I towed them out to higher ground. With their car now out of the flood waters I drove them to the nearest town where they were able to get a tow truck. Even with water up to my running boards the T never skipped a beat. Needless to say, the young men were both thankful and totally humiliated at having been rescued by a car that was over 85 years old at the time.
There's never a newspaper reporter around when you need one! While we were out there Thanksgiving, my wife and I went to Estes Park after visiting you. Made me really want to make a Leafpeeper Tour one of these years. I was amazed at all the destruction still visible after the flooding. When we have a hurricane, there are droves of people and equipment everywhere cleaning up and doing repairs. I guess I never really thought about it, but, you can only do so much working in a canyon with one road in and out. Be careful, Dave. You're a good Samaritan and a good example for the rest of us.
WTG, Dave. And they all got a good story out of it to boot. They'll be talking about the stranger in the old car that rescued them for the rest of their lives.
Val Aoupios:
I really had a good laugh when you said they were humiliated by having been rescued by an 85 year old car.
Danial: The kids were tired and hungry, I let them and their grandfather off at a MacDonalds. I would bet your right about them remembering their trip to the mountains and the ride in a T.
Last spring I was taking the TT no doors for it's first trip to town. Our local Hitch Hiker saw me coming and Did not know what to think when I stopped. Hopped in and off to the 7-11 for his Beer.
A Christmas story to warm the heart. Good for you, Samaritan Dave.