1. For a week or so, Cas and I have been batting the idea around of going up to the Prichard Tavern for a bite to eat and to drink a day beer or two (or three . . . ). Saturday, when Byrdman and I were at the Lounge, the subject came up and Byrdman said he'd like to join us (GREAT!) and today turned out to be the day for the three of us to head up the river.
So, Cas and I met up with Byrdman in Enaville. We piled into Cas's pickup and we headed for the west fork of Eagle Creek (the road to the Ancient Cedar Grove) so Cas could check out the trees that blew down during the winter wind storms and make plans for cutting firewood.
Our drive up the unpaved road along Eagle Creek was going just fine until we encountered a woman and her dog coming the other way in a side by side. We pulled over a bit and so did she and we passed each other and we heard a sound we didn't like.
None of us wanted to hear Cas say, "I think I've got a flat."
But that's where we were at.
Cas got out. Byrdman and I followed suit and Cas didn't actually have a flat. He had two. Both tires on the passenger side were goners.
2. It was now time to ponder.
We were several miles from the main highway.
We had no cell service. (I sent Christy a text just to double check and she didn't receive in until a few hours later.)
We'd each had a beer.
We cracked open another and started walking down the road, hoping that people who live on down the road would have a land line and let Cas call Silver Valley Tires; if we had to, we were ready to walk the several miles to the Prichard Tavern.
We'd walked about a mile and off to the right a guy had set up camp and his two black labs, on chains, began barking at us.
The guy, whose name turned out to be Rick, came out to see what the commotion was about and either Byrdman or Cas called out to him that Cas's pickup was disabled and asked if he could give us a lift to the Prichard Tavern so we could call for help.
He agreed, but told us he couldn't leave his dogs at his campsite.
No problem. The dogs joined Rick in the cab and we piled into the bed of Rick's pickup.
3. We arrived at the tavern. Cas and I ordered a beer. Byrdman had things to do later and wisely switched to water.
Cas got a hold of Jeremy at Silver Valley Tires and Jeremy said it would take him about 20 minutes to get a couple of tires mounted and then he'd load them up, hit the road, and head for Prichard.
Jim and I needed a ride back to the Silver Valley. On the tavern's land line, I couldn't reach Christy's 509 number to see if she could pick us up, so I called Ed and fortune smiled on me and Byrdman. Ed had just walked in the door after delivering gravel to Blanchard, ID and said he'd be happy to come up, have a beer, and drive Byrdman to Enaville and drive me home to Kellogg.
So, Cas, Byrdman, and I sat at a table on the patio, each enjoyed a burger and some fries, and it wasn't terribly long before Ed arrived and then Jeremy.
Jeremy seemed unconcerned. He told me as I headed toward Ed's car, "We'll get her done."
I trusted that. And sure enough, later in the evening, Byrdman and I got a text from Cas telling us he was back in Kellogg and so was his truck. The damaged tires were beyond repair, but his truck now had new tires and was back in action.
So, the day was a success! Cas got to check out the fallen trees up Eagle Creek. We all got to have lunch and beers at the Prichard Tavern. We had a great time and, as a bonus, even got in a pretty good walk.
And, to top it all off, we've got an epic story to tell over and over and over again for as long as we live.
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