Me and the kids, along with my sister (forever known as TaNece) and her kids left for out of town. The game plan was to have Dan bring her car to meet us later on in the week. Three days later, Dan is leaving to meet us. TaNece's car will not start. He just got done driving the car earlier in the day. He decides to pop the trunk to jump start the ole battery. Holy cow! Not really a cow. Nor a muskrat. But kinda. A rock chuck. The bugger dove down into the engine. Dan tried poking the varmint out with a stick. Several rakes, brooms, etc. were not being helpful. The darn varmint chewed on a few wires. He donned on some heavy snow boots and thick gloves. He was going to catch this thing in 96 degree weather. He's at it now for over an hour. Dan decides to drive the car up Koen's ramp (see other video) to help him get under the engine better. He duct tapes a screwdriver to the end of a stick and Dan is ready for vengeance. The rock chuck squeals his words back at Dan. He got a couple of quick jabs but nothing too penetrating with the screwdriver tip. If this was his car, he would have shot the dumb animal by now. He no longer hears the squeals and figures the thing has run off. While packing, he's taping some engine wires together and he sees it run out. But runs on the exhaust pipe. He decides to drive and burn the little bugger's feet right off. He Dukes and Hazards over the railroad bumps for good measure.
There is no way that thing is still hanging on...even after 2 hours of travel. He finally arrives at Lava late at night. Still no squeal after poking through the engine with another resort guest's broom. Daylight approaches. We all wake up eager to hear the story of Dan and the rock chuck. He takes us out to the car. Him and my dad lift the hood up. Hands react too fast but not fast enough (I didn't rush to the animal, heck no! If that thing can with stand Dukes of Hazards over the railroads and some jabs of a screwdriver, it is indestructible) to grab the devil himself, the rock chuck. Over night that rascal ate through wires all over inside--frayed off and devoured. I'm beginning to feel like Chevy Chase and the whole squirrel thing at Christmas.After replacing the wires to two major things and one being the A/C in the car in Pocatello, my sister could finally take her car and family home. TaNece mentioned a few times that "Only bizarre things happen to you and now they are infecting those around you." Doubt she'll ever want to swap cars (or personal belongings) anytime soon for vacations or what not.
**side note: About the same time our neighbor down the road had a similar experience with a rock chuck. His rock chuck decided to make his freezer in the garage his home. After chewing the wires of the freezer, my neighbor discovered him hiding between the wall and freezer. After poking the animal, laying out poison and even shooting him (he missed and hit his freezer instead) he was giving up hope of getting that thing out. But he finally did. And later on we found out that rock chucks chew on wires because they like the salt--like a salt block for cattle.

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