The pickup would turn over but would not start. It was like it wasn't getting any fuel. The fuel tank was a quarter full. Or maybe something jarred loose on the rough and washboard North Fork Road that stopped working when I shut off the pickup.
We were way up the North Fork Road near Polebridge, Montana. Then off on Forest Service Road 376 'Hay Creek'. Then at the dead end of a side road: Moran Basin Forest Service Road 5241. We were six to seven miles from the North Fork Road which was over 30 miles to the next town, Columbia Falls. The electricity-free community of Polebridge is mostly only the Polebridge Mercantile and the Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe.
We were way out in the middle of nowhere on a late Friday afternoon. Cell service? Forget it. Hopes of another vehicle driving by? Forget it.
Our choices were mostly:
- Walk almost seven miles to the North Fork Road where an occasional car would drive by,
- Spend the night and wait to be rescued (we still had a little food left),
- Be bear food.
Fortunately, I had turned around before shutting off the pickup. The road was narrow at the dead end and I had to do a "Y" turn before finally getting turned around, something not possible with a dead pickup.
I didn't like our choices, and since the pickup was pointing downhill, I put the shifter into neutral and began to coast down the mountain. The pickup unfortunately is not a stick shift so I couldn't pop the clutch to start it.
I had the pickup's key turned on so the steering wheel would not lock. No power steering or power brakes. The narrow forest service road had a drop off on one side for a few miles. It also had a few hairpin curves. I had to use a lot of effort to safely steer and brake the pickup without losing momentum or going off the road.
After about three miles I reached the Hay Creek Road and turned on it. It too mostly went downhill.
Often I had to ride the brakes to stop from going too fast as I could easily coast over 30 mph. We had two instances where the road began to go uphill. The first time I had plenty of momentum to get over the rise. The second time was iffier. We all held our breath that we would make it over the top. I made plans to jump out and push while the pickup still rolled as once it stopped I wouldn't be able to push it uphill. But we crested the hill at a little under 10 mph.
Once we came to the North Fork Road I pulled off to the side of the Hay Creek Road. The North Fork Road was mostly level and I wouldn't get far with the momentum I had. Certainly not the 30 plus miles back to the next town, Columbia Falls.
There are not many houses along the North Fork Road but there was one across the road.
No one home.
But as I walked back to the pickup a couple in an older Ford Bronco stopped. No cell service here. She got out and stayed with Joyce and Kendra while I rode with him to the pay phone in Polebridge. Why didn't I ride with both of them? There was no room in their backseat as it was filled with guns. I didn't have change for the pay phone so she gave me $1.50 in quarters.
The pay phone at the "Merc" in Polebridge didn't work. The woman behind the pastry counter let me use her phone. Note: be sure to stop in at the Merc and have a roll or donut or other pastry as they are delicious!
I couldn't reach Wyatt so I called Kendra's daughter who said she would come and get us.
While we waited over an hour for Corrine to arrive, the home owner across the road came home. He and I looked over my pickup some more but couldn't figure out why it wouldn't start. He said there was no problem leaving my pickup overnight there as no one would touch it, and he would keep an eye on it for me.
To pass time Joyce, Kendra, and I played the "I went on a vacation and..." memory game. Kendra won.
Finally Corrine arrived. She had three young kids in the middle seats of her mini-van. Joyce and I crawled in the back seats. Two of the kids were boys aged 5 and 8. They were typical boys and Joyce and I were 'entertained' by their wrestling and minor fighting to test who was stronger. Typical boy behavior.
It was well past dark by the time we got to my house and Joyce's and Kendra's cars. My pickup would wait until Saturday.
Wyatt must be away this weekend as he wasn't home Friday night or Saturday morning through noon. I called Dan and he said he would go with me to my pickup and would tow it if necessary. I had checked the pickup's owner's manual and found that, even though it was an automatic, it could be safely towed. As a four wheel drive I could shift the transfer case to neutral to allow it to be towed without damaging the transmission.
*whew!* Good, as having a tow truck come so far up the North Fork Road would be expensive. I don't have Triple A.
Saturday afternoon after finishing up some fence work Dan drove over.
My vehicle still wouldn't start and again neither of us could figure out why. So I connected the tow strap and we were off.
It took almost two hours to get my pickup home. The North Fork Road is mostly gravel and and very washboard. It began to rain and my windshield got muddy. The wipers slowly worked but the washer did not. Whenever a vehicle came up behind us I turned the flashers on. Closer to Columbia Falls we had a long stretch before the vehicle behind us could pass. The flashers were hard on the battery. It took a little while to regain power for my windshield wipers. By the time we got through Columbia Falls the battery power was gone. The wipers didn't work nor did the flashers. Through the wet windshield I could still see Dan's pickup's taillights and some of the florescent yellow tow strap.
We mostly took back roads. One time we had to stop for a herd of geese to slowly waddle across the road.
But we made it home safely.
My pickup may not run but it is reassuring to have it sit in my yard and not 50 miles away in the forest and mountains.
Never a dull moment.
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