Why four wheel drive is necessary

This past Saturday started like any other day. Andy got up and went to work. I slept in.

I was awakened by the land lord calling to tell me that the water was out (again) because the pump had frozen in the single digit temps and they were doing their best to fix it.

I didn't have nearly as bad an attitude about it as I did last time because it wasn't a holiday and I didn't need to go anywhere. Plus, we still had power and heat. So, no big deal, I'd wait it out.

About an our after that first phone call I got another one. From a very unexpected person.

My little cousin, Ashley.

This is how the conversation went:

Me: Hello.

Ash: Hey Joanna, it's Ashley (I knew that already thanks to caller ID). My mom wanted me to call you because me and my friends drove up to (insert high altitude mountain name here) last night. It was snowing really fine snow when we got here, but we didn't think it would do anything and now we're snowed in because we brought my car (a Scion). Can you help us? My classes start on Monday. I really need to get off this mountain.

Me: ::long pause::

So many questions ran through my mind. Like: Did you check the weather before you came? Why did you bring your car? Did you check the weather before you came? Why didn't you just ask to stay with me? Did you check the weather before you came?

I did, eventually, ask all my questions, but right then I just told her I needed to call Andy to see if he could get off work to rescue her and her dumb ass friends. I think she told me she loved me about ten times (I knew that already) and I also think she was on the verge of a major breakdown, something I understand completely. We do share bloodlines. A little compassion and understanding goes a long way in such situations.

So, after many phone calls back and forth, Andy was fortunately slow enough at work to get a couple hours off with our friend Tyler who drives a two wheel drive car up here and is used to driving in the snow. Off we went to rescue them.

Let me interject here that three of these kids go to college up here and even if Ashley (who goes to college in South Carolina) didn't have enough forethought to check the weather, they certainly should have. Unless of course they were complete morons; something they affirmed for me about five minutes after I met them. What does this mean for the future of our country?

We did successfully pull them up and over the mountain. And there were two front wheel drive cars there, so we pulled the other one out too. Because The Hulk is a beast and totally awesome.

My Uncle called and thanked Andy and I over and over for sacrificing our Saturday and saving his little goofball. To which I replied that it was much more entertaining than what I had originally planned for that day, which was taking down the Christmas decorations.

Plus, by the time we got up there the sun had come out and the view was breathtaking. So, all-in-all a good way to spend a Saturday.