towing the line

yes, i know it's not spelled that way. i know, as all you word weenies know, that it is properly "toeing the line" and at the risk of having you snort with disdain i will spell it this way intentionally because here it's kind of funny.

so i think i mentioned to you that for my maine roadtrip i decided to go up to eustis, maine.

it's unusual for me to set out with a plan and a destination, but when i was idly looking at maps of places i MIGHT go, i was sort of scanning for mystery caches because i like to solve a few of an area's puzzles because i like to sample a variety of things and not just blow through on the easy grabs.

and if you're looking at a cache map of the eustis area, there's a little know of challenge caches and when i looked at them, they sounded super fun, so i decided to just drop everything and go do them.

so i wrote to the cache owner to check and see if i might find the finals before i'd gone and logged all the stages and then log them properly later, because sometimes you run into a cache owner who will delete your logs if you sign a final before you've gotten the greenlight even if you've done all the work and that can be a pain.

and the CO said i should come by the house for some trail advice and also to borrow her inreach because, you know, wilderness. when i passed her house in the morning, it was too early to drop in on someone you know, let alone someone you've not met yet.

and passing the house was totally non-stalkery, because it happens to be on the road to a campsite i often use.

i thought i'd spent the first day in town getting my feet under me and picking up some easy car caches.

i headed up the time pond road.

now, while it was muddy in spots, it wasn't anything worse than, say, MY road in the springtime, so i didn't think much about it. the sides of it were kind of gushy in spots, but if you don't try to pull off into the mud you ought to be fine.

and i was fine, too, sensibly avoiding the edges of the road where it was mushy and as i climbed in elevation everything was better drained and much firmer and hen i got eight and a half miles up the road and went to pull over but shouldn't have done and immediately i knew enough to try to get out but it was already too late.

i got out of the car to look at how things had lined up and heard a giant gurgling sound as what could only be termed quicksand sucked the passenger side of my car in right down to the frame.

but i've still got two wheels on solid road, so i figure a truck and a tow rope ought to do me just fine.

i had seen three jeeps out on the road earlier in the day, and not all together, so maybe someone would come by and pull me out.


not so much.