Rescued

Today is Tuesday, May 18.  I dropped John off at the trail head just off I-10 and went back to the motel to take care of some business online.  I left at checkout time, and drove back up to Big Bear Lake, stopping along the way at the outlet mall to hit the stores I had missed yesterday.  Ended up buying only a hair barrette.  Well, I'm not much of a shopper anyway.  Took advantage of being alone at lunch and eating at the A&W hotdog place.  John won't touch food like that (for good reason), so I cheat and pig out when I'm alone.  Ever try their chili cheese fries?  Um, um.  It's Slim Fast tonight for me.

I went on to Big Bear Lake and got a campsite at 7,000 + feet.  On Wednesday morning, I took a walk around the campground, tried to meditate and do some yoga (somethings I am trying to get into) and had lunch before John called and was stuck on top of a nearby mountain with a very out-of-sorts knee.  He gave me directions to come and get him.  I followed the fire road (not an easy thing in my Oldsmobile) to the end.  No John.  Tried to reach him by cell phone, but of course, no service.  Went back down the fire road and finally connected with him by phone.  He was at the end of another fire road.  He had misread the map.  He said it looked like it was do-able from his end, so I went to the start of the road and it was totally washed out at the bottom end.  Then, there was no way to reach John.  He had had to go up to the top of the mountain to get cell service, and was now down by the road thinking that I would soon appear to pick him up.  I couldn't get through to him about the road being washed out. I am, as it is said, not a happy camper.  I don't imagine John is, either, but....

So, what else is there for me to do but wait by the bottom of the second fire road.  Sure enough, about 45 minutes later, down comes a 4-wheel drive pickup, with just about the nicest couple in it you'd ever want to meet.  They live down in the valley and take every excuse they can to use their 4-wheel drive truck up in the mountains.  When John last got off the phone with me, he saw them coming around the bend and moved as fast as  he could to flag them down and ask for a ride down the mountain.  They dropped him off and we visited and said thank you every which way we could, and they were off to go back down the mountain.  But, get this, about 3 hours later John and I are at the campsite and here they pull up in a different car and stop in front of our campsite.  Almost didn't recognize them at first in the different car.  It appears John had left a map in the back of their truck and they came all the way back here to bring it back.  How nice is that???  One thing about most of the traveling we have done in our life is the generosity and friendliness of so many of the people we have met, whom we will never see again, but who are the best reasons to go see the world.  Scenery is secondary.

John's rescuers