Its a snowy day, and we always heard The Colonel make reference to a very specific experience with a GMC Suburban, since he's around this might be the ideal time.
Lets see, Oh yes he is will to share.
Q- Colonel when did this experience occur?
A- Guys a few years ago, its was a 1/2 ton 4x4 GMC Suburban with a 4 speed manual transmission, base model with black rubber mats. It was snowing like today, and I asked to take the Suburban to make it home that afternoon.
Q- Big deal you jumped in a 4x4 and drove home.
A- Driving home was not a big deal, its the next morning trying to get back to work.
Q- Again what is the big deal you drove to work.
A- Not that simple, it snowed for the better part of the night, the next morning was a case of serious snow, with side streets literally blocked.
Q- Now you seem to have a story?
A- It gets much better, it was fluffy snow, I remember dealing with snow up to the hood to get through a few side streets.
Q- That must have been fun?
A- The idea is that if you hear a loud clunk you probably hit something (a car) buried under the snow, did not hit anything.
Q- Keep on going....
A- By the time I reached a major route, which are not cleared, I noticed that I am the only vehicle on the road, strange feeling, one of the busiest routes in Canada, no traffic, I'm driving in about 20 cm of snow with the snow curling on each side of the truck.
Q- Perhaps you should have turned back?
A- Its a huge 4x4 Suburban I think it even had a Positraction in the rear differential, it was fun with no traffic, what an experience all by myself in the truck and on the road....really cool. As I reached opened country I start to notice that the drifts are very high.
Q- You mean the country roads with areas swept by the wind, and other with drifts?
A- Not a country road, a major highway, I'm alone and cutting through drifts, when the whole truck shudders. I reach the exit I need to take, its a case of a 4 meter drifts, I'm not taking that exit, and I surely don't want to drive further either.
Q- What did you do?
A- Did a U turn on the highway and drove back to the previous exit.
Q- You drove on the opposite direction on an major highway?
A- Yes!! I was still the only vehicle. It was that bad of a storm.
Q- Lets see you cannot take your exit due to 4 meter drifts, you return on the same side of a divided highway, you must have been a little concerned.
A- By then I must have been a little concerned, drove back, took the previous exit, but I had a lingering feeling that it was going to be futile, since the little side road was littered with abandoned cars, 4x4's are not monster trucks that drive over cars.
Q- You never made it?
A- Wait it gets better, I manage to turn around on this narrow side road, and see a fellow in a car, I stop and go to the car, the fellow has spent the night in his car. I guess he was cold, it took him a while to start speaking coherently.
Q- Now you rescue a fellow that spent the night in his car, you are on a side road what will you do?
A- Side road in the middle of a field, the wind is howling, and I'm cutting some serious drifts, suddenly a vehicle is coming on the opposite direction, I flash my lights, I want to tell this guy to stop and turn back, since he has nowhere to go.
Q- This sounds interesting, side road, wind, drifts....
A- The vehicle never slows down and I move over and end out getting into a higher / thicker section of a drift.
Q- What happened?
A- I was not going to slow down not to lose momentum, I'm punching through drifts, you know when the snow explodes and covers the windshield, those drifts. This particular drift, after the snow exploded, covers the windshield, I step on the gas and I'm not moving?
Q- Something broke?
A- Yes I thought the same but what could break so instantly that the truck no longer moves, and I have a feeling that I'm on top of something.
Q- The Suburban was on top of the drift, in the middle of nowhere, with a howling wind, tell us you don't even have a shovel....
A- You got it....as I get out I have snow to my waist, the 4 wheels are turning, I don't have a shovel, I have the fellow I rescued a few minutes earlier in the truck. He's happy, very happy since he is warming up. I am deeply unhappy (an understatement) especially that I am dressed for work.
Q- By now you are a little cold and a little wet, and a little frustrated.
A- At one point the vehicle that never stopped comes back on the road, not it stops, and there are 2 or 3 guys in the vehicle, guess what....they have shovels. As you can imagine removing packed snow from under a Suburban even with shovels is a bit of work. At one point it finally gets down to solid ground / snow.
Q- What did you do?
A- The fellow that I rescued is warm, and I am cold, wet, not pleasant. I remember bringing this fellow home or very close to his house. never made it to work that day.
Q- Colonel any lessons that you learned from that day?
A- If you are alone in a 4x4 and the situation deteriorates, either turn back or stop. If you are going to have fun in the snow with a 4x4 bring friends, proper clothes, shovels, and absolutely a full tank of gas. Snow drifts are a lot of fun to smash through until you jack yourself up on one, that's when you need the friends, shovels. When you are good ans stuck with a 4x4 you absolutely need friends to get yourself out of that situation.
This was in an "old school" 4x4 with tall tires, tow hooks, skid plates, steel bumpers, monster gas tank, locking transfer case, positraction.
Q- Colonel, Thank You now we know the famous Suburban story.
A- Yes...now you know!
Thursday, December 10, 2009 
Are human beings really that social? How social are we? How competitive are we? How understanding and generous are we, especially during challenging economic times? How much WIIFM (what's in it for me) is exercised? Put a few human beings together it gets political, and opaque.
