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#1040349 added November 7, 2022 at 4:20am
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Vegas and the Vicegrip Pliers
I may have shared this before but here it is anyway.
While traveling back to Southern California, we were already way south of Las Vegas, when my 75 Ford Pinto woody wagon had slowed down. We had previously worked on it, fine tuning the engine, and replacing parts elsewhere, so we knew it was in good shape when we left.
I stared at the speedometer. I must have said out loud, "I think...something...is wrong with the car."
Everyone looked toward me. From the backseat, Bob asked, "Why? What's it doing?"
"I don't know why, but I'm losing power."
I took the next, exit, the only one for miles, then pulled over on the crossroad. yet not too far from the highway. Ahead us was the road , sandy flat land, shrubs and a scattering of Joshua trees.
The guys grabbed my flashlight, climbed out of the car, and found my jack. I handed them a small rug, and both of them knelt by the front of the car, then one crawled under.
I had no clue what was wrong with the car and it worried me that we might have to sit there as the sun rose that next morning, and suffer in the extreme heat of the desert, starving and thirsty with no shade from the sun.
Luckily, the guys were experienced backyard mechanics and good at what they did. If they hadn't been there, I can only imagine how I'd have freaked out.
Being there alone would be worse with the car disabled, nothing but darkness surrounding me, plus wild starving animals might be lurking around for a nice hot meal.
I decided not to share my thoughts. I couldn't decide if I was just scaring or amusing myself. Was that a coyote I heard in the distance?
"We figured out the problem. The clutch cable is broken."
"Oh no. Seriously?" I walked away staring at the ground, leaned against my car, wondering just what we were going to do. "Oh,my god."
"We'll figure out what to do. I think we can fix it."
Luckily, the guys were experienced backyard mechanics and good at what they did. If they hadn't been there, I can only imagine how I'd have freaked out. Being there alone, car disabled, nothing but darkness surrounding me, plus knowing that wild starving animals might be looking for a nice hot meal flashed through my mind. I decided not to share my thoughts. I couldn't decide if I was just scaring or amusing myself.
The guys still stood outside the car talking quietly to each other. I could only hear snippets of their conversation.
"...cable... secure it."
"...worth a try."
I opened my door and got in. Gina followed.
"Wow. I never expected this to happen."
"It's hardly the best place in the world to break down."
"True."
The Mojave desert tends to get cold at night and is even colder as the night wears on. It was tolerable while inside the car, yet later wouldn't be. A person could easily catch pneumonia and die in that scenario.
Thankfully Gina interrupted my thoughts. "How far are we from home anyway?"
"Maybe 200 or 300 miles away. I'm not sure how far any civilization is from here."
My mind wandered to the dark side again. The chances of not surviving in the hot desert sun was believable. It probably happened often. I wondered just how long it would take for the authorities to find our skeletons. It almost amused me in some sick and silly way. Or is that called wry humor? Yep, that's my coping mechanism kicking in, and not necessarily true. At least that's what I told myself.
I pulled my jacket tighter and stepped outside.
Mickey was gnawing at his cigarette as usual--a nervous habit. The guys were talking mechanic stuff.
"I've got all kinds of tools at home, but..."
"Me too," Mick said.
They stopped talking and noticed me standing there.
I waited.
"Do you have tools in your car?" Bob asked.
"I wouldn't leave home without them. What do you need?"
"Pliers. Vicegrips, if you have them."
"I do have vicegrips. I'm not sure I have any with me. I probably have a hammer, screwdriver, wrenches, and assorted stuff like an oil filter tool." Could I have left one in the car? I doubted it. "Hold on. I'll check."
That tool was one of my favorites. I had bought several sizes. Aside from them being tools in my home, I had always kept a few tools, a flashlight, along with emergency stuff like, toothbrush and paste, one of those solar blankets,
mouthwash, a washrag, a bottle of water in my vehicle. How far would that go for hours? That's not so bad for two people, but four?
I even stashed clean underwear. Guess it wouldn't matter much if we were all dead by the time help came anyway,but it couldn't hurt.
A few minutes later, my spirits lifted slightly. I held my hand up. "Will these do?"
"Perfect!" Bob rushed over and took the vicegrip pliers. They both darted back to the front of the car, and disappeared. Within minutes they were done.
"We fastened the two ends in the vice grips, and secured the line."
"Oh, thank God!" I guess we're not going to die after all. "Thank you for doing that."
We'd been blessed that these two were there to help. They put my jack and the tools back in the hatchback.
I started the engine and hesitated, hoping their plan had worked. It had to. I drove slowly. When nothing happened, I entered the highway. There wasn't anyone else on the road, but occasionally some cars and a semi truck and trailer passed by going north.
"Stay in that same gear. Don't try to shift it, Bob said.
"Okay. I don't think there's any garage ahead to fix it.The next town is many miles away and there's not much there but a gas station, post office, a few restaurants, and that gift shop where they sell ostrich and other exotic jerky."
"Just keep driving. It should hold."
His words were good news. I sat up a little straighter, bit my lip hoping he was right.
Since it was the 4th of July weekend, plus night time already, we couldn't afford to stop along the way, except f maybe for a pit stop.
I drove all the way home without a problem. It didn't take too long, plus there was no traffic. They talked about other things, while I drove. Probably wanted to make sure I was alert. It helped me stay focused.
Later that week, we permanantly fixed the problem. Yes, it was scary, but it was also a educational adventure. |
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