Wrong turn 80 mile 4 wheeler adventure

July 4, 2014   

Barney picked the guys up this morning and took them to his village of 26.  They enjoyed themselves with all the food and festivities.  They were very impressed with their hospitality. 

Now for their unbelievable adventure.  No pictures but I will help you visualize.  One of the miners in the village invited them to come to his mine 20 miles away to look at some equipment.  Dave borrowed Barney’s 4 wheeler and George rode with the miner in his Pickup.  The old miner told Dave to take off ahead of them and gave him directions to follow the main road.  Since it was dusty they let him get ahead of them so they lost sight of him.  George noticed there was a fork in the road and Dan was heading on the less traveled road.  George informed him that Dave probably took the road that looked more traveled.  The old miner said, “No he probably came this way.”  George kept insisting otherwise but they continued on.  Well, they arrived at the miner’s place and no Dave.  George had the phone and camera and Dave was out lost somewhere.  So after George got to the job site and no Dave he was a little worried.  The clouds were rolling in.  The miner gave George a gun, a jacket, a nap sack and mosquito spray and a tracking device and sent him off on his 4 wheeler.  So George heads out in search of Dave.  About 5 miles out, he runs into Dave who finally figured he must have taken a wrong turn.  Dave has already gone 20 miles the wrong way and 20 miles back tracking plus another mile and ½ back to town, in order to make sure he was heading the right way and then another 20 miles to the mine site.  So Dave has 60 miles plus under his belt on a 4 wheeler and George 5.  They both go back to the mine site and check out the equipment.  They had a quick cup of coffee and decided it was time to head back.  The weather turned nasty and cold shortly after they left.  George has been bucked off the 4 wheeler several times in the past so he wasn’t real crazy about riding back with Dave.  George had his jacket and Dave had his rain coat and away they went.  They were pelted with rain for about 10 miles.  Dave was slipping and sliding and George was back seat driving telling him to slow down.  Dave said he had his hood shielding his face and was driving with one eye going fast.  Took them an hour going out and Dave made it back in 45 minutes.  So George says, “Too fast.”    After they crossed the Independence Creek about another ¼ miles, they noticed a 4 wheeler at right angles into the ditch.  Then they could see a guy staggering out of the ditch.  As they approached, George said he was about 6’6” and about 300 lbs.  He was in a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers and soaking wet from being thrown into the water in the ditch.  He had gotten thrown off.  They asked him if he was ok and the guy said, “I’m invincible.”  He said his dog got in front of him.  I guess the dog was riding with him apparently on his lap and had obstructed his view.  They guys said this guy said he was invincible about 5 times and assured them he was fine.  They watched him get back on the road and continued on their route.  Of course I made sure to get the story that the dog was ok.  Poor dog.