Slipping my Cherokee's transfer case into "Low Range", I began my descent. Being a stock unit, my transfer case's "crawl ratio" provides adequate engine-braking for most of my off-road driving. My off-road trips tend to be relatively sedate, and I can descend most hills with just occasional taps of the brake pedal. In this case, however, I did not want to exceed a speed that was greater than a slow walk. I did not want to severely damage my wheels, and I didn't want to lose control of the vehicle. So, I "rode" the brake most of the way down, which, under normal circumstances is not a good idea.
Hearing one's tires flopping around on their wheels is an unnerving experience, and there was no doubt in my mind that my tires would be shredded by the time I made it to the highway. At this point, though, they'd become expendable.
So, down I went. Steering clear of the biggest rocks, with my heart pounding, I made it to the shoulder of the highway. The two right tires had actually slid off their wheel toward the insides of the wheel-wells. Otherwise, there was no damage to my Jeep, nor any major damage (there seemed to be a few scratches) to the wheels.
Now, all that was left for me to do, was call the Automobile Club of Southern California. And have them tow me....where?
The nearest cities were Inyokern and Ridgecrest, which were thirty miles to the north and north east, respectively. This wasn't too bad, and the distance was well within the one hundred mile limit of my "enhanced" towing service. But, I didn't know of any tire shops in either of these cities. I figured that I'd call the Automobile Club and find out if they could recommend one. This was easier said than done, however.
I had no cellular service. Locking my Jeep, I trudged up the hill, hoping to find a better reception. Or, at least some reception. My cellular telephone provider was, and still is Verizon Wireless, which I've found to provide reception in most of the out-of-the-way places that I've visited. The truth is that I just didn't have the stamina to make it all the way to the top. Or even close. After hiking about a quarter of a mile, I found that I had a bar or two on my phone's display, so, I called the Auto Club. This was to no avail, however, because there was just too much static for me to hear the dispatcher. It was time to implement Plan B.
At this point, I just wanted to get home. Did I mention that it was already 3:30 PM on a Saturday?
Running down to my Cherokee, I got in and powered up my Kenwood dual-band ham radio. I tuned to the local WIN System (a nation-wide network of repeaters that are linked to each other via the internet- see www.winsystem.org) and put out a call requesting assistance. I local ham - who happens to live in Ridgrest-heard my call. I explained my situation to him, and, not only did he call the Automobile Club for me, but he called a tire shop in Inyokern. He relayed the tire size and type (I figured that my tires would have to be replaced, and I thought that I might as well upgrade to all-terrain tires while I'm at it). This shop had the tires I needed in stock, and its manager offered stay open past his normal business hours (they closed at three- I was lucky that he answered the phone) - for a $100 fee. Oh, the new tires themselves were Bridgestone Dueler All-Terrain tires. These were the only all-terrain tires that he had in stock.
While I was waiting for the tow truck (I'd insisted on a flat-bed truck), a California Highway Patrol officer pulled up. I told him that everything was under control. "Do you have water?", he asked. "Plenty.", I replied. He proceeded on his way.
Forty minutes later, I was en route to Inyokern in the cab of the tow truck. By 6 PM, was driving down Route 178 on my new Bridgestone tires, which had cost me $1000.00- including tax and "after hours fees". Those tires turned out to be great. The tread was "aggressive" enough for the type of off-road driving that I do, and the tires provided a decent on-road ride as well. In fact, I've gone through two sets of these exact same tires, since that day. I'm able to get them locally for $600 installed, though.
Some may wonder if the shop took advantage of me. I don't know for sure. What I do know is that had I had the Automobile Club tow me home, I would have exceeded the one hundred mile limit, and I would have been charged towing fees. These fees may have negated any savings on the cost of the tires. I believe that I made the best decision, under the circumstances.
Of course, driving off-road with "on-road" tires was a bad decision- and one that I have not repeated since.
I learned the hard way that all-terrain tires have thicker sidewalls and resist the type of punctures that left me stranded on that hot summer day.
Ham radio did prove to be an asset, and this experience- which could have been avoided in the first place- reinforced my belief that those driving on off-road trips should have ham radio licenses and ham radio equipment installed in their vehicles.
Happy Trails!
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