Ok, I'm at home trying to get warmed up after a morning in the outdoors in what can only be said are winter conditions...no snow but 40 degrees and a steady rain. So, I'll try to tell the story as best I can.
The setting is on the road to one of the good viewpoints to view Mt St. Helens. Often, it is plowed open by now but we have had too much snow this year so you can't even get close. You can't get anywhere on that road to even catch a glimpse right now. There are 3 signs up that say Road Closed 20
miles ahead, but still they come.
The logger was plowing into one of his units. Knowing the way people are on that road, he has permission to keep the gate closed. He plowed the area in front of the gate the very last.
When he was plowing the little area in front of the gate, a nice SUV comes up with two women in it (men also do this). One got out and asked him how to get to St. Helens. He told her that no way could she get there as there was too much snow. He couldn't even get up the road with his 4x4 truck. She then said well, her SUV was not just a 4 wheel drive, it was much better. It was an ALL wheel drive. He told her it didn't make no difference, she would get stuck. She only had highway tires on her rig. She argued and he said he felt like slappin' her. She then asked what that yellow thing was that he was driving. Maybe he could drive them up to the volcano in it? He told her that it was too far, too slow and no room for anybody to ride. Besides, he was ready to go home. She then got back in her SUV with ALL wheel drive and said she would drive there then--to the volcano. He asked her if she had $100 cash? She said no. He said then he wasn't going to pull her ass out when she got stuck unless she had $100 cuz that's what it would cost.
She got in her SUV. Meanwhile, her friend got out and asked if the logger would take her to town if the other got stuck. She said they had been on a road trip for the weekend and it had turned into a bad road trip and she didn't think she would stay friends anymore after this. I think he said he'd haul her to town.
Anyway, the ALL wheel drive vehicle started up the unplowed road, but not far as she chickened out and backed back down. She told the logger he was right, and they went on down the hill towards town. Not only was there too much snow, but there was also a locked gate on that road too. End of story.
That's the mentality of a lot of our visitors. So, I spent the morning in the rain cutting more bent over trees so the shiny new round (the ones lately seem to be round shaped) SUVs won't get scratched or dinged. Since gas prices ar so high, it seems to be only the high end $$$ ALL wheel drives that are going up there.
I'm warmed up now, time to go to town.
