The next morning, I got up at the usual time, drank my usual coffee, and listened to my usual radio... as usual. After the usual routine ended I got to work, bucking and splitting the firewood I had brough in the day before.
Jesse and Steve pulled the three wheeler the 5 yards or so from the overflow creek, onto my trail and had dried out the carberator and cleaned the sparkplug, and swapped out the gas in the tank.
About 12:30, Steve walked up and asked if I could try and pull start him. I said "sure", and fired up my ATV to go give him a tug. The available trail for this was not optimum, as it was only about 20 yards long. On one end was a hill that I would not be able to climb towing him, and on the other end was the overflow creek. My driveway is too rough and to many bends.
We tried three times to get the wheeler to turn over but it refused to start.
They decided to pull the brain box and swap that and a few other parts. i suggested that I go to the creek and fill his water jugs as this had not been done, and it was his main reason for coming this way in the first place.
(Note: The trapper cabin where he is staying is 1.5 miles from the nearest drinking water. See my posting on choosing a homestead site)
With that, we parted and I made three trips to the creek with my pack board to get approximately 17 gallons of water, which I secured to my ATV racks. I returned to splitting wood until I heard from them.
It was about 3pm, when I heard a motor roar to life in the distance. Grabbing my coffee I walked down the trail to inspect their progress. It turned out that a regapped spark plug was all that had been needed.
I suggested that I carry the water across just to be sure, and that maybe I should tow him across as well. They figured that Steve could get across as the water level had dropped about a foot. I was not so sure.
Before crossing they decided that they should test ride the machine a bit... good idea.. They headed off, back towards Jesse's place and I returned to splitting and stacking firewood.
About 4pm, I saddled up and puttered my ATV down to the overflow creek, I was just about there when I heard the sputtering of Steve on his machine, coming my way.
He started across and actually made it through the worst of the current with no trouble, but when he slowed down trying to make it up the opposite bank, the rear end of his wheeler lifted a bit and the current started turning it downstream. looking back with a bit of shock and dread, he gunned his little machine and got enough traction to haul himself out. It had been a pretty close call as I could see him getting swept down stream just like before... I'm sure that crossed his mind as well, and it wasn't something he wanted to repeat!
I followed across without incident, and helped him lash the water jugs to the racks on the wheeler. It was then that it occurred to me that the weight of the jugs may have actually helped get him across rather than hinder him. But at least he was across, and the worst part of the trip was probably behind him. Although there where still a few wet area's he'd have to negotiate.
I told him to call first and get a creek report. If nuthin else I could get water across the creek to him so he wouldn't have to risk crossing until the water dropped, or froze...
I waited until he got his machine started and was heading down the trail, before I turned around and went back to the cabin... It was almost 4:30pm.... quitin time for me here in the sticks
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