That's the only word I can come up with.
What possesses someone to ignore and drive around not one, not two but THREE ROAD CLOSED signs with barricades and flashing yellow lights, only to find out that the road is, indeed, closed? But, wait! There's more! In spite of the signs and the fact that the road is under three feet or more of water, they think their vehicles are amphibious.
It's the annual road flooding season in my neck of the woods. Every year certain sloughs and creeks overflow and crest their banks due to rain run-off. Bridges and sections of roadways are covered or washed out. Right now, both the west and the south borders of the ranch are flooded, closing the main road bordering the ranch to the east and a dirt levee road bordering the west side. Happens most every year.
Today, no less than three vehicles - 2 passenger cars and 1 semi truck/trailer stalled out on the main road and had to be towed. The semi was buried up to the undercarriage in the mud on the shoulder of the road. That was at 10:00 this morning. They were still trying to dislodge it at 6:00 this evening. Both cars were 2/3 submerged, up to the windows. They pulled them out without too much trouble, although i' d hate to have to pay that towing bill. Tow truck operators don't care much for getting wet. And then there will be the repair bills...
At least two other drivers had the sense not to try and play Yellow Submarine, and turned around. Smart, right? Wrong. No, they thought it would be better to detour onto the ranch road and try the one lane dirt levee road that I mentioned. Key words: "dirt, one lane". Oh, and "closed, flooded". Both of them got stuck about 50 yards onto the levee, and I mean stuck. So, I hear the inevitable knock on my door. These knuckleheads see the Cat dozer and various tractors and humbly and desperately ask if I can possibly uh, pull them out. Did I also mention generously? Now, having lived in these parts for sometime, I, myself, know first hand how that levee road turns into a gloppy, gluey mess that makes wet Georgia clay look like child's play. I've gotten more than one piece of equipment stuck on that levee myself. Once i had to wait over a week for the water to recede and the mud to dry out before i could pull a tractor out. Sorry, folks, but here's the number for the tow company working on the other mess. Y'all can hang out at the hay barn by the feed lot 'til the tow truck comes. Oh, and don't try to pet the feral cats in the barn, they aren't too friendly. I've seen them run off a coyote one time. (There's somewhere around 40 of them rat catchers, and every one of them tougher than a cheap steak).
I'd hate to see their towing bill, too. The one thing tow truck operators hate worse than getting wet is getting muddy. Can't say that i blame ' em.
Now, you might be wondering why I didn't offer to be a good neighborly fella and help them. Well, I was in the middle of figuring out how I was gonna get the front end loader out of the middle of pen number 3. You see, I buried it up to the hubs dumping and spreading straw hay to build islands for the cattle. Seems i never learn, either. Idiot.
What possesses someone to ignore and drive around not one, not two but THREE ROAD CLOSED signs with barricades and flashing yellow lights, only to find out that the road is, indeed, closed? But, wait! There's more! In spite of the signs and the fact that the road is under three feet or more of water, they think their vehicles are amphibious.
It's the annual road flooding season in my neck of the woods. Every year certain sloughs and creeks overflow and crest their banks due to rain run-off. Bridges and sections of roadways are covered or washed out. Right now, both the west and the south borders of the ranch are flooded, closing the main road bordering the ranch to the east and a dirt levee road bordering the west side. Happens most every year.
Today, no less than three vehicles - 2 passenger cars and 1 semi truck/trailer stalled out on the main road and had to be towed. The semi was buried up to the undercarriage in the mud on the shoulder of the road. That was at 10:00 this morning. They were still trying to dislodge it at 6:00 this evening. Both cars were 2/3 submerged, up to the windows. They pulled them out without too much trouble, although i' d hate to have to pay that towing bill. Tow truck operators don't care much for getting wet. And then there will be the repair bills...
At least two other drivers had the sense not to try and play Yellow Submarine, and turned around. Smart, right? Wrong. No, they thought it would be better to detour onto the ranch road and try the one lane dirt levee road that I mentioned. Key words: "dirt, one lane". Oh, and "closed, flooded". Both of them got stuck about 50 yards onto the levee, and I mean stuck. So, I hear the inevitable knock on my door. These knuckleheads see the Cat dozer and various tractors and humbly and desperately ask if I can possibly uh, pull them out. Did I also mention generously? Now, having lived in these parts for sometime, I, myself, know first hand how that levee road turns into a gloppy, gluey mess that makes wet Georgia clay look like child's play. I've gotten more than one piece of equipment stuck on that levee myself. Once i had to wait over a week for the water to recede and the mud to dry out before i could pull a tractor out. Sorry, folks, but here's the number for the tow company working on the other mess. Y'all can hang out at the hay barn by the feed lot 'til the tow truck comes. Oh, and don't try to pet the feral cats in the barn, they aren't too friendly. I've seen them run off a coyote one time. (There's somewhere around 40 of them rat catchers, and every one of them tougher than a cheap steak).
I'd hate to see their towing bill, too. The one thing tow truck operators hate worse than getting wet is getting muddy. Can't say that i blame ' em.
Now, you might be wondering why I didn't offer to be a good neighborly fella and help them. Well, I was in the middle of figuring out how I was gonna get the front end loader out of the middle of pen number 3. You see, I buried it up to the hubs dumping and spreading straw hay to build islands for the cattle. Seems i never learn, either. Idiot.
