hauling the muffler out of the mud
Posted by Zonie on February 05, 2023 at 21:50:41
I had planned to go mudding last Sunday afternoon, but I had a flat tire Sunday morning, and I found that those things aren't as simple to resolve as they once were. In January of 2022 it took 15 days to have my transmission rebuilt. This time it took me two days to have a tire replaced. It wasn't that my mechanic was terribly busy. It's that the parts runner took all day to get the tire from a parts warehouse in the same city to him. The supply chain is still in chaos.
The chief mechanic was nice enough to warn me that it wouldn't be done on Monday, so I got out my emergency bus pass so that I could at least get in half a day's work. Rain was forecast, so I had hoped a consolation prize would be to wait in the rain for the bus and walk home from the bus stop in the rain, but the rain hit southwestern Arizona instead of us (a very rare thing outside of hurricane season).
When trying to replace the emergency bus pass I had used, I found some difficulty even there. It seems I must look much older than I am to the store staff. The first clerk asked, "Reduced fare?"
I said, "No, I'm only 56. I'm not eligible for that." She searched her drawer and said she didn't have any full fare passes. She sent me to another clerk.
The other clerk asked, "Reduced fare?" Again I said I needed full fare. She had to search for some time but eventually found the correct bus pass.
In addition to the rain being a no-show, our cold snap was ending, and Julio bemoaned the approach of spring. I said, "It's only going to get to the 70's this weekend. That won't be so bad."
He said, "But soon it will be in the 90's."
I suppose for a furnace operator that is bad news as it's usually about 40° warmer in the furnace room than it is outside. Still I told him to enjoy the nice weather while we've got it.
Saturday morning I had some yard work to do, but in the afternoon I finally got to go mudding. Naturally without rain and with warmer weather, a lot of opportunities had evaporated, but I recollected there were some really deep ruts and holes in the power line trail on the state trust land just south of Dynamite Road, an area I hadn't visited in a long time. I figured I'd take the northern approach and search for mud from Dynamite Road south to coyote central and then return.
I did find one deep puddle but was surprised it didn't flood my tall cowboy boots, and the water was rather clean, getting rid of the dried mud that had been there. I found a couple more puddles that were good for splashing mud on my boots and overalls.
Heading southeast I reached Pinnacle Vista Road and had some difficulty crossing because of heavy traffic. It was by a high school, and from the equipment I saw loaded into vehicles, it seems they were having a lacrosse tournament there. I had formerly associated that sport with the Northeast, but it seems to be gaining popularity here.
Eventually I made my way out of the civilized area and back to the desert. The strong sunshine was causing me to hit my canteen rather often, but I had in mind a mud hole near Jomax Road that was usually deep as a possible wallow. Unfortunately it had been splashed almost dry by trucks, so I kept going south.
As I got close to coyote central, I finally found a good mud puddle for wallowing, and I cooled off nicely in there. Soaked with cool mud, my thirst diminished, and I continued to the main water hole.
I found a lesser water hole with an old Christmas tree floating in it. I pulled it ashore and found some other Christmas trees had been dumped in the area. I found some more good stomping mud and then crested the ridge to the main water hole.
The winter rains had filled up the water hole nicely, and it was green with algae, but it would do for a "clean-up" of most of the mud on my overalls. As I waded in, a young man on a dirt bike waved at me. I guess I'm becoming a fixture in the area. Of course it was very uneven under the water line, but I had been there many times and knew where most of the deep spots were. I found some areas about thigh deep and I could crouch down for cleanup.
I was wading back and saw a piece of metal sticking up out of the water. I pulled at it and eventually managed to pull it out of the mud and drag it to shore. It was a large muffler and had the inscription "Toyota" on it. I assume it came from some kind of heavy-duty truck. I left it above the water line if the owner wants to come back to reattach and rehabilitate it.
During one of the few periods when I was on speaking terms with the day shift foreman, he had rubbished the wholesome reputation of hiking, saying, "I know why you guys hike. You're looking for places to hide bodies." I've found so many strange things in that water hole I'm surprised I haven't found a body yet. Hauling that muffler out of the bottom mud got me muddy again, so I waded back in for another cleanup.
Finally getting out, I felt the pressure of flooded cowboy boots, but I noticed that the winter rains had allowed a lot of grass to grow, so I sat down in some, so that I could remove and dump the boots and put them back on without getting a lot of sand and gravel in them. That made the walk back far more pleasant. I got back to Dynamite Road just before sunset, and my overalls were almost dry by then, and I looked halfway civilized. It was a very satisfying day.
- Re: hauling the muffler out of the mud LeviLovR 13:16:37 2/06/2023
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- Re: hauling the muffler out of the mud Zonie 17:31:57 2/06/2023
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- Re: hauling the muffler out of the mud Zonie 17:31:57 2/06/2023
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