| A photograph that, for me, will always be worth a million words. After parking my car on the grass just a few feet off of the road, I began to enjoy the lunch I bought from the Village Deli back in town. About 35 minutes passed and I was ready to fire up the car and head home. Unfortunately, the heavy rain that had been falling all morning long had saturated the ground to the point that my car sunk right down into it. I couldn't get out, and after a few hour wait, the flatbed driver that AAA dispatched determined he couldn't help. While I waited for my some of my family and friends to show up with shovels and plywood, more than a DOZEN different people pulled over and offered to help try to get the car out! Which is heartwarming in itself! Time after time, though, it was agreed that there wasn't much that could be done. However, the most friendly couple on Earth in a wicked awesome Duramax wouldn't accept defeat. At first we tied a rope from his hitch to my back axle and he tried pulling me out -- which after a few minutes resulted in the rope snapping. We then tried jacking up the car and placing pieces of wood underneath, while his wife went around searching for larger planks for us to use. While we started this Plan B, a guy in a Cummins Dually pulled in and joined us -- while the rain grew heavier. After nearly an hour had passed, all of us covered in mud, rain, and who knows what else... I started revving the engine while they pushed hard from the back. The wheels started burning out, white smoke started pluming from the sides... and my car inched... then inched... then LURCHED out onto solid ground!! I offered to send these amazing folks some home baked cookies or a home baked Apple Pie courtesy of myself and my Mom, and they graciously declined -- saying they were all just happy to be a help. My heart is full and I am so so thankful for those wonderful people. There are truly AMAZING people in the world. About the train: Conrail WPOI-16 heading south into Conrail Brown's Yard, having just come across the Browns Road grade crossing. Power was NS SD40-2 #3426 (Built 1966 as KCS SD40 #602) and NS SD45-2 #1703 (Built 1972 as Erie Lackawanna SD45-2 #3677). |