I passed a wrecked snow plow. . .

Sometimes I think of things that happened a while back.  Way back.  This was in the early 1960's while I was in college.  Times were different then, we trusted people. We felt safer, maybe because the news was not so much about great scary things.  I think the only people who scared me were the Russians.  Can you say missiles in Cuba?

For the younger readers, this is all before cell phones and few people had credit cards.  My stepfather's dad died.  Mother and Papa Jack dropped one of their cars off for me to drive to the funeral later that week.  I forgot to cash a check for gas, food, emergencies.  My roommate had cash and put it out on our dresser for me.  I got up early to get on the road. 

As I started driving, it began to snow.  This is pre interstate highways in Kentucky.  I am on a mostly 2 lane mountain road.  Sometimes there was a third lane to pass trucks on hills.  The snow got worse, and I was skidding into the other lane.  Not good.  Then as the road went up the hill to Livingston, a little town on the Rockcastle River, I was really slipping and sliding.  I saw a truck with a snow blade hanging over my lane and partly in a ditch.  Great, the snow plow can't make it, how can I?  Well, after a lot of crying, cursing and praying I got to the truck stop at the top. 

The parking lot was full of trucks and the restaurant was packed with truckers.  They told me the road south was worse and not to attempt the trip to Corbin.  I asked for a phone, opened my purse and no money.  Wallet left on the dresser. The owners let me make the call anyway. A crying little blonde girl goes a long way in the South.  I called Mother to tell her I couldn't get there. I told her I had no money and that I was scared to drive down the river side of the road back to college.

Two truckers were listening and said they would either load my car on their flat bed or one would drive me back to school. One of them talked to Mother, gave his background, name, maybe even his social security number.  They bought me breakfast and then figured out how to get me off that mountain.

The parking lot was too crowded and slanted to load my car, so one drove me.  Today that is asking for major trouble: axe murderers, rapist, kidnappers.  I guess I was lucky.   We followed the truck and he broke a path in the snow for my car.  I was safely delivered back to school and the two truckers drove off. 

I have had friends and family who are truckers.  They are just people like the rest of us, some nice some not so nice.  I lucked out and had very nice.