Here is how the 2006 year started for us. So sit down, buckle your sled-belt, and enjoy the ride - it's a bumpy one!
Monday, January 9th:
Our business got robbed overnight, just a few days before our scheduled trip to MN for the first time. They took more than pocket-change, more of around $52K. We were about to cancel our trip when we decided, what else do we have to lose right now? Maybe we could use a break-away from all of the stress to keep ourselves sane! (So little did we know!)
Thursday January 12th:
We were heading up following some of our friends, driving in the fast lane passing through St. Paul during rush hour traffic at about 70 - 75MPH. Traffic was crazy. I was pulling our 2 sleds, and our buddies up front were pulling their 2 sleds + another friend's who was riding with us. All of a sudden our friend's trailer ahead has his trailer drop off the hitch, caught by the chain, and starts fishtailing bad, crossing back and forth between the shoulder, fast, and middle lanes. How he avoided hitting anyone is beyond me! I look over my shoulder & somehow manage to switch lanes to avoid him, & as I look back, I see our friend's sled (who's sleeping peacefully in our truck at this time) pull out from it's lock downs, come off the back of the trailer, & land on the highway upside down in the fast lane! The only sounds that came out of my mouth were a lot of S#!+'s, etc. which of course woke the sleepy ones. Our friend, still dazed and confused, sees us passing his sled....in the fast lane...upside down....cars dodging it left & right....After both trucks getting safely pulled off the road, we ran back to the sled hoping that no one would slam in to it. Miraculously, no one did. We dragged it off the road, flipped it over, and to our amazement the sled started right up with getting only little road rash to the kill switch and one panel of paint. (hey, it was a Polaris! :)
We get to our destination. Our whole group was still pretty shook up from the excitement, so we all agreed to just hang out for the night and ride in the morning instead. A few hours later, a couple of guys decided they wanted to go ride and headed out to meet up with some other friends that had come up later. ...Well, they didn't make it back. One of them hit a tree that night and totalled his sled. He walked away from the accident just fine.
Friday January 13th:
The rest of us went riding the next day, while in the back of my head the entire day were recaps of everything that has happened this week, knowing that TODAY was FRIDAY the 13TH!! The 'el crasho guy hung out at a close bar & got friendly with the locals. We got back and crash had found a local that offered to open up his heated garage with tools, etc. to work on his sled. They gave it quite the face lift and after several non-stop hours, it was rideable again for the next day!
Saturday January 14th:
I woke up & had checked to make sure everyone & all of our sleds were in-tact and that we had survived Friday the 13th with the week's adventures thus far. Everything checked out OK, and we all came back that night in one piece. I marked this as a good day!
Sunday January 15th:
It was time to head back for the long drive home. Once again, we were following our friends (when will we learn?) We had stopped for breakfast, and stayed there just long enough to be, what I guess we would call, at not so perfect timing. I wasn't driving this time. We made it about 5 miles down the road when one of the tires off of our friend's trailer ahead of us came off as he was driving about 60 MPH, which rolled into an on-coming car going the opposite direction - also going 60MPH, which took out their entire driver's side front-end (driver & passenger were OK). The tire then launched into the air which hit our truck at 120 MPH (well why not?!) It hit our hood first, bounced just enough to clip the very top of the roof & the rest hit our windshield. If the tire wouldn't have been caught by an inch from our truck roof, it would have went completely through our windshield, hitting me directly in the head & I would not be here today. Our windshield was shattered & caved about 8" infront of my face, but did not completely break through. Glass was all in our truck and everything & everyone in it. We could not drive our truck (without hanging our head completely out the window to see.) Being an 8 hr drive, and in the dead of winter, we opted that would not be the route we should take. Who knows, we may hit a bird or something! As it was Sunday, all window repair shops were closed. So, we were forced to stay another night.
Monday January 16th:
Monday came, and so did a huge snowstorm. On-road window repair shops do not work in the snow. So, we were going to be stranded yet another night. (What a surprise!) But someone that worked for the hotel offered to take us to his personal garage for the window-repair work to be done, which was awesome. Finally, late that afternoon, we were fixed and ready to roll. We made it back home in one piece. ...I haven't made it back up to MN yet...
That's my jynxed sled-week from hell story!
That's right, I run this $hit!
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Looking forward to 2013!!
SUMMER SUCKS!!!!
