It began just like a normal day......

 6:48 am - Monday - November 21st - GNHS - 49° F, 34% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the northeast.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 71° F.  On this date in 2018 we were having dinner at one of the best BBQ places we have ever eaten....Brother's BBQ in Campbellsville, KY with some of our shift friends......↴

Sunday began innocently enough with two RZR rentals...one went out a little after 8 am, and the second at 10 am.....the first was a 4 hour rental, so we expected them back around 12 pm, and the second was a 6 hour rental, meaning we would not expect them until 4 pm.  One of the owners of Colorado Outback Adventures, Bob Williamson, arrived from Durango, CO Saturday evening around 7 pm, and he was at the office shortly after the 8 am rental went out.  He had brought with him another Polaris RZR 4 seater to add to our rental inventory, but the tires needed changing.  He had brought 9 mounted Polaris wheels with him, so we quickly changed out those four tires.

Around 10 am the customers with the 8 am rental returned to advise a check engine light had come on, so they had 'limped' back to the office.  The code in the computer for #4 RZR said it was a misfire, just like the one we had on #2 the other day, so Bob drove it around for a couple of minutes in LOW just like I did on #2, and the code cleared.  Everything seemed fine, so we sent them back out.

Around 11:30 am we got a call that the check engine light had returned, and would not clear, so I headed out with RZR #5 to make an exchange just like I did the other day.  I had a general idea where they were, so I headed out toward the Bat Caves, stopping to call TLE about 1/3 of the way out to see how close I was to them.  She advised me my tracker (#5) wasn't working, so she had no idea where I was in relation to them.....she could see their position on the computer, but not mine......doh!  That makes it much harder.  She said it appeared they were not that far off the main road, which is where I was, and that they were just south of my position, but I could not see them anywhere. I ended up driving all the way to the Bat Caves, never seeing them.  Of course, as luck would have it, I had no cell coverage at the Bat Caves, so I just began to head back hoping I would come across them.

I was about 2/3's of the way back to the office when I got cell service again, and called TLE....she said Bob had returned and was out in the RZR he had brought down from Colorado to help me find them.  He reached me in about 10 minutes, then asked me to follow him.....his tracker was working, so TLE was able to direct him to the customer's location.  Unfortunately, I had to stop for oncoming traffic, and when I started up again I had lost him.   I wandered around looking for him for about 20 minutes before deciding to just head back.....I had no cell service, and I had no idea where Bob had gone.  

Just as I returned to cell service I found the abandoned #4 RZR just off the trail, so I assumed Bob had found them, and towed the RZR back to the main trail.  I called TLE and confirmed that he was returning the customers to the park, and would return with a tow strap so we could tow the disabled RZR back to the park.  In about 20 minutes he returned, and we successfully towed #4 (with me at the steering wheel) back to GHNS.

Of course, the day gets even better at this point.  It turned out the problem with #4 was a broken drive belt, which is rather simple to replace, and while Bob did that I finished changing tires on one of the Kawasaki's.  While that was ongoing a customer of GNHS rode up in his RZR asking if he could borrow our trailer to retrieve a broken down ATV near Niland.  After some discussion Bob decided to have me drive his truck with the trailer into Niland to get his Rhino, while Bop finished installing the new drive belt on #4.  He told me to charge them whatever I felt it was worth, and that I could keep it.  I told the guy it would cost him $100....rather mercenary of me, no?  It was late in the afternoon (about 90 minutes until sundown) and I knew we would not get back until sundown if all went as planned.....I was tired, and not really in the mood for the adventure, plus I knew a towing service would charge him way more than I was.....he agreed, and we were off to Niland.  As it turned out everthing went as planned, and we arrived back at GNHS about 10 minutes before sundown.

Now it gets even better.  While I was gone TLE got a call from the 6 hour rental customer that he had had an accident, and #2 RZR was disabled, Bob and Kyle had driven out the tow #2 back, however, when they arrived on site it was way more than disabled.....one of the front wheels, and axle were broken.....there was no way it could be towed, so they had to return, get Bob's truck, and trailer and head back out as the sun was setting to retrieve the broken RZR.  That will be a very expensive bill for the customer at $500/day for loss of use of #2, plus the repairs, which will be between $5,000 and $10,000....ouch.  If you do stupid stuff with these things it will cost you an arm and a leg.

While Bob and Kyle headed out to recover #2, TLE and I put everything away, and closed up shop for the day....and what a day it was.  We both worked 9 hours, and I never got a lunch....there just wasn't time.  I took a long, hot shower, and then consumed a couple of large adult beverages before eating dinner, and then falling asleep around 8 am....I was one tired puppy!

Thank for stopping by!