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Welcome To Mopar1973Man.Com LLC
We are privately owned, with access to a professional Diesel Mechanic, who can provide additional support for Dodge Ram Cummins Diesel vehicles. Many detailed information is FREE and available to read. However, in order to interact directly with our Diesel Mechanic, Michael, by phone, via zoom, or as the web-based option, Subscription Plans are offered that will enable these and other features. Go to the Subscription Page and Select a desired plan. At any time you wish to cancel the Subscription, click Subscription Page, select the 'Cancel' button, and it will be canceled. For your convenience, all subscriptions are on auto-renewal.
First off, I have to say that I'm not going to say what I'm going to say for any self gain or prestige that I could gain from it, but more to just share a very unique experience. I have dealt with many things in my life, but encountering one such as this one, is definitely something that will put you into another class.
What the heck 'am I talking about here? Where 'am I going with this? Well, sit down, shut up, and listen!
I have to start back about 3 years ago. I met my wife on a blind-date on valentines day. Naturally, it was a blessing from God; That I would meet a woman such as her. Later, I would come to find that not only was she a gold nugget, but so was her parents. Its not very often you come across a good woman and in-laws! Well, we did not tie the knot extremely quickly after starting to date. I lived in the Spokane area all my life and have rarely ever set foot somewhere else in my life. Sure, the occassional trip would venture me somewhere, but nothing like this.
I got into hunting when I was 16. Sticking to deer, as that was the "thing" to do! It took me north out of town, and even a week-long trip to the colville national forest. Venturing into the "wild" and seeing and experiencing the lighter side of life. I found hunting to be a very fulfilling activity in many ways than one. People find hunting to be a primitive and sick thing. As if it were a sport and killing animals was not fun! I can tell you, that even though I never had to struggle to have meat on my plate, I never took it for granted. At first, it was just a good way to get into the woods and enjoy the peace that comes with sitting in the woods. That adrenaline rush you get from sighting in that antlered critter and pulling the trigger on it, is something that only doing can explain.
But now as time has passed, things have changed in the 7 years I have been a hunter. I have slowly looked at things differently now. Well, as slow as this world would allow me. Now, with the economy, being unemployed, putting meat in the freezer is no longer a fringe benfit of enjoying the labor in the wooded areas. It is now a fight for survival by the grace of God. Facing steep prices for beef at the supermarket, and the injections of every cocktail known to man imposed on cows in the sake of food safety. Staying true to the virtues of pure, natural, meat, or as others would coin the over-rated term, "organic". You bet your arse! A hunter, actually eating the true organic meat! Man, if only those bunny-hugging liberals knew!
As I was saying, my wifes family is like striking the lottery. I shared the same views, values and ideals as they did. Leading to joining them in the hunting expeditions that they hold dear to their traditions. Initially, I found the state of Idaho, the border being less than 30 miles away, to be something along the lines of a festering canker sore. Thinking that the whole state was a flat land and only producing taters. Imagining a straw-hat, overall-wearing, farmer with a dip of chew in the lip, riding along in an old tractor on the side of the highway. As you pass by, he turns to look back at you as well, and the only thing that you can remember passing is how googly-eyed and crazy-insane he looked. Little did I know, that my narrow thinking had lead me to a humbling experience.
As I ventured to the north part of Idaho visiting my girlfriend and her parents for a good bonding experience, we got to talking. Sharing stories and experiences. Her father had done and seen it all. Growing up in the Salmon and Kamiak areas of Idaho where as he would say, "God would have to pipe sunlight us just to see!" Naturally, he was a boy who grew up, "without." Living on the basic necessities of life and surviving off the, "Fat of the land." His mother was a white woman, and his old man descended from the Sioux tribe of North Dakota. There is even a town in ND with their last name. His greater grandpa, somewhere down that great gpa line, is Sitting Bull. Now, you can take my word for it or not, but I know, what I know. This man is like a spitting image of sitting bull. You would never think that my wife could come from him as she is only 1/4 indian.
His old man was a drunkard, as most indians ended up being. Very abusive and beating him and his siblings as a way to let off some steam. My wifes dad, at the age of 8, learned to take a punch from a full grown man. That did not sit too well with him. The old man ventured to take a few heated ones toward the old lady. This was the last straw. So what the old man done as a routine, would be to pan for some gold, enough to go into town and get drunk for a few days and then come back home in the sticks and recoup just long enough to do it all over again.
On one of these cycles, it just so happened that God must of had pity on him. As he went into town to do the usual drinking escapade, my father-in-law waited for him. Taking up arms with a Springfield 1903. A rifle that proved to be much taller than him. But it did not matter. As night set, his mother did the usual. Sitting by the fire and working on whatever she could to pass the time. She retired to bed, and he slipped off with the rifle. Making his way to a good vantage point on the usual trail his old man took back home. Well, it was that time for his old man to come back home after that 3-day run. My father in law was going to lie in wait for his old man so he could let him know what it was like to get a punch from a high-powered rifle. To feel the heat and pain that he had imposed on his mother and siblings. He was going to kill him for being such a crappy father.
But as it was in the stars that morning, his father never showed up. The first time it had ever happened. Thats when they decided it was time. Time to pack up the essentials and make a new life without the pain. This is when they had eventually made it up north here in Idaho.
My father in law grew up to be a provider of the family, feeding and caring for his other siblings and mother. Sure, he was young, and a middle child, and everyone else was capable and able bodied to care. Everyone had to pull there weight. Him and his brother would go into the mountains for days, even weeks hunting for meat. They had never known there was hunting seasons until they reached their teenage years!
He lead on to his adult life, being a hotshot jumper, tradesman in construction and a soldier in vietnam. He also was a police officer for a time. Although, he was eventually forced out of the work because of so many people wanting him dead. Guess thats what happens when you start taking too many people down for selling drugs. Naturally, with all this trauma, you are gonna see some sh!t! I have sat with him many of nights hearing all his stories. Its always a joy to listen to everything he has seen. Some have been very saddening and some funny. But all, were as real as life. He struggles now, to sleep, to walk, to function. He was injured in his late 20's from a construction accident that broke his back.
I tell you, if someone should be dead, it should have been him. From everything he has experienced, he suffers from agent orange, E-tool to the forehead(which almost scalped him), wildfires crowned out, broken back(twice), buried alive in trenches(a few times), shot in the war, stabbed(cop) and vehicle accidents. This is no joke. This boy oughtta been dead long ago! But, he keeps on truckin'! The doctors say that just by his back being broken, he should not WALK! The x-rays always come out lookin' like mashed potatos!
Why would I mention all this stuff to you, you sit there and think? Well, because of what I will tell you, from all the things this man has seen and experienced, there is still one thing like me, that will always get our hairs to stand up on the back of our necks. Causing us to get into a jigger formation, scanning, listening, feeling out the surroundings for something so sinister, it causes me to still have nightmares, and especially lose sleep.
I cannot from now on, EVER rest and sleep like I could before this happened. I will always wake up every couple hours, feeling this presence, watching, thinking, analyzing. I really miss sleeping. I especially miss going into the woods, sitting down and taking that afternoon nap between the morning and dusk. I also miss that restful 10 hour sleep I got in my tent. Where you wake up, just at the right temperature. No cars, no people, no sirens, nothing. Just PURE silence. Well, maybe not pure, but silent enough to hear the wind rustling through the trees as if God himself were singing you awake. The birds singing and chirping. Everything peaceful, well, except for that damned chipmunk that always is in the tree right next to your tent. Squaking away rapidly, giving you up to every living thing in the woods.
It started off with a question by my father in law. A very random question that I had not given any thought in a long time growing up. This lead into a conversation of poking at the curiousity in us. The, "WHAT IF ITS TRUE", thing. I had considered the possibilities of it, but had never experienced such a thing. So, we decided that a annual summer camping trip was in order. I was privelaged enough to be in the presence of such a beautiful place that they had camped at for over 20 years. A spot that is hidden in the open, as they say. An area that produced many fruits of labor to help fill the freezer and put the meat on the table.
Mind you, the summer camping trip, would be the first time that I had set foot in this place. We decided on a day, which all I can remember now, was a day later in the month of July. We got up that morning, packing our gear and goods in our trucks. We did not get out of town until about 2 or 3pm. It took a while to get into the mountains and into this sweet spot. Finally, reaching the area, only with the sunlight fading under the cover of the canyon we positioned in. We quickly made camp and got everything setup so we could enjoy the next 4 days without much labor.
Eating dinner by the fire, and finally winding the night down with all the camping trip snacks and games. Finally, it was time to hit the sack and pass the evening with sleep. To bring the day ahead to anew. But what I had that evening, was something I had never expected to manifest.
!@#$%^&*() Its late boys, gotta stop here. I keep get back to yapping when I can get the time. !@#$%^&*()