Sorry guys, got a little side tracked. As things started to slow down, I started to worry a more about the logistics of the new situation I faced. It was now Tuesday and I had to wrap up my hunt Thursday evening, deer or no deer. I had to make a run up to Minnesota for a meeting on Friday, then head back to CA Friday afternoon. I was hunting down near Red Oak, a small town without much available for people in pickles such as I was in. There was a small hole in my radiator, so I wasn't going to be driving anywhere without at least a visit to the mechanic for a bubble gum repair. Both headlights had been busted from their mounts. One went a little wall-eyed, like it was looking for owls. I figured worse case I could get them rigged back into place with some baling wire.
At about 11:00, I figured I'd better go and see if I could find someone to doctor up the radiator, so I called Stan for a pick-up. He suggested we go down to the local body shop in Corning, an even smaller town. He knew the owner of the shop, well, unfortunately for him. Between he and his wife, they'd been in his shop 4 times in just over a year because of suicidal critters. When we rolled up, Frank came out and saw my stickbow in the back of the car and commented that he used to shoot one of them before he got too busy with work. I explained my predicament and told him I had to leave town in just over 48 hours. He started inspecting the car and writing down all of the parts that were going to need to be replaced. I was a little dumbfounded, all I needed him to do was try to fix the radiator temporarily. "Uh...how long are these parts going to take to get in? I have to leave THIS Thursday" I said. "Oh, I'll have them in by noon tomorrow and your car will be done by the end of the day". I was floored!