Back in spring of 2007, I made a special trip down to Berlin, NV, for my photography book on Nevada, which I still haven't finished. I chose that particular time of year for two reasons- the snow in the mountains where Berlin is situated made for potentially interesting pictures compared to the dirty and dusty nature of other ghost towns, and because the tour of the inside of the mine was supposed to be available. A close acquaintence of mine had previously delayed the trip because she intimated she wanted to go, but unwilling to be held back, I told her a few days in advance that if I did not hear from her by 7AM, I would leave without her. I did.
Things went well until I got on the road. There was a lot more snow south of Fallon than I expected, which was fine as long as I stayed on the paved roads, but you can't get to Berlin from any direction just using paved roads. My valiant Saturn pushed forward anyway, over the hill from Middlegate, and it may have been on this trip that I photographed the shoe tree. I made it to Berlin and was completely alone. The mine was closed. The snow, however, made the town look cool as I suspected it would.
At length, I determined I would also like to see Ione and the pony express memorial and station on US50 enroute home, so I departed from my scheduled route and headed north into the unknown. I found Ione without too much trouble and pushed on to where the unmarked, unpaved, and infrequently traveled road met up with NV SR722 so I could connect with US50. I drove up east of Black Butte towards the border of Lander County, and it was there I met my first hiccup.
The map I had at the time was not as detailed as the ones you can get online now. When I arrived at a juncture of six different and unmarked dirt roads, I wasn't sure exactly where to go. Gas and time constrained me to choose the perfect one, as I had insufficient fuel to circle back around to Middlegate (I could have probably stopped in Ione, but I was too cheap at the time admittedly). I chose one, and I drove through the muddy soil, increasingly but as yet unfrequently littered with patches of old snow.
As I drove up what I later discovered to be Buffalo Mountain, I momentarily lost control of the car. The snow was now a few inches deep, compacted a bit, but I reasoned I was near the top (I was not). Just as I decided I was going to stop and put on chains, I rounded a corner and slid off the side of the road. I dug out snow from around the wheels, which was a foot deep off the roadway where I sat, tried to get enough traction to put on chains, and prayed as the afternoon sun began to wane. Only Carole knew where I had gone, and nobody knew to look for me on the dirt connector through the Toiyabe National Forest just south of SR722. I needed a miracle.
No sooner had I risen from my knees in the snow, than a white pickup truck rounded the corner. The man noticed I was off the road and pulled up next to me. He told me he was out hunting mountain lions. He had tools in his truck- a saw, a shovel, and other things. He cut branches off the trees while I dug out snow from around my car and where the tires would go to drive up onto the roadway. We laid the branches down to give me traction. He drove up behind me and pushed me back onto the road. Then, he followed me for about a mile as I carefully and slowly made my way towards the junction. As suddenly as he had come, he vanished from my rearview mirror.
To this day, I cannot describe the man or the vehicle or anything else in any greater detail than I have on this blog post. What it has always meant to me, whether the man was what he said he was or an angel sent from afar, is that God knew exactly where I was and how badly I needed his help and sent someone to help me get back home. From there, I made my way without incident back home so I could work the next day. Nobody ever asked me about what happened that day.
What I know happened that day has been for me an ensample of the Atonement of Christ. Without Him, all men are lost and fallen and doomed to wander in the wilderness. Without Him, all men will die in the wilderness of sin. For those who believe Christ, trust in Him, and obey Him, Christ steps in and saves us, putting us back up on the road and providing us the comfort and assurance that He can and will see us safely to our destination as long as we keep our eye on Him. Some day, I hope God will tell me who my savior was that day, and if he was a man, I thank him most congenially as a friend, neighbor and man. If he was sent by my Savior, then I thank God for his watchful care and for this powerful and poignant example of His love and assistance.
Have a blessed day. Godspeed.
Things went well until I got on the road. There was a lot more snow south of Fallon than I expected, which was fine as long as I stayed on the paved roads, but you can't get to Berlin from any direction just using paved roads. My valiant Saturn pushed forward anyway, over the hill from Middlegate, and it may have been on this trip that I photographed the shoe tree. I made it to Berlin and was completely alone. The mine was closed. The snow, however, made the town look cool as I suspected it would.
At length, I determined I would also like to see Ione and the pony express memorial and station on US50 enroute home, so I departed from my scheduled route and headed north into the unknown. I found Ione without too much trouble and pushed on to where the unmarked, unpaved, and infrequently traveled road met up with NV SR722 so I could connect with US50. I drove up east of Black Butte towards the border of Lander County, and it was there I met my first hiccup.
The map I had at the time was not as detailed as the ones you can get online now. When I arrived at a juncture of six different and unmarked dirt roads, I wasn't sure exactly where to go. Gas and time constrained me to choose the perfect one, as I had insufficient fuel to circle back around to Middlegate (I could have probably stopped in Ione, but I was too cheap at the time admittedly). I chose one, and I drove through the muddy soil, increasingly but as yet unfrequently littered with patches of old snow.
As I drove up what I later discovered to be Buffalo Mountain, I momentarily lost control of the car. The snow was now a few inches deep, compacted a bit, but I reasoned I was near the top (I was not). Just as I decided I was going to stop and put on chains, I rounded a corner and slid off the side of the road. I dug out snow from around the wheels, which was a foot deep off the roadway where I sat, tried to get enough traction to put on chains, and prayed as the afternoon sun began to wane. Only Carole knew where I had gone, and nobody knew to look for me on the dirt connector through the Toiyabe National Forest just south of SR722. I needed a miracle.
No sooner had I risen from my knees in the snow, than a white pickup truck rounded the corner. The man noticed I was off the road and pulled up next to me. He told me he was out hunting mountain lions. He had tools in his truck- a saw, a shovel, and other things. He cut branches off the trees while I dug out snow from around my car and where the tires would go to drive up onto the roadway. We laid the branches down to give me traction. He drove up behind me and pushed me back onto the road. Then, he followed me for about a mile as I carefully and slowly made my way towards the junction. As suddenly as he had come, he vanished from my rearview mirror.
To this day, I cannot describe the man or the vehicle or anything else in any greater detail than I have on this blog post. What it has always meant to me, whether the man was what he said he was or an angel sent from afar, is that God knew exactly where I was and how badly I needed his help and sent someone to help me get back home. From there, I made my way without incident back home so I could work the next day. Nobody ever asked me about what happened that day.
What I know happened that day has been for me an ensample of the Atonement of Christ. Without Him, all men are lost and fallen and doomed to wander in the wilderness. Without Him, all men will die in the wilderness of sin. For those who believe Christ, trust in Him, and obey Him, Christ steps in and saves us, putting us back up on the road and providing us the comfort and assurance that He can and will see us safely to our destination as long as we keep our eye on Him. Some day, I hope God will tell me who my savior was that day, and if he was a man, I thank him most congenially as a friend, neighbor and man. If he was sent by my Savior, then I thank God for his watchful care and for this powerful and poignant example of His love and assistance.
Have a blessed day. Godspeed.
1 comment:
What a great experience. I love the concept of God knowing where we are -- took me to this quote (unknown author) that I love and refer to often:
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”
The beautiful part of all this is that it's true. Love it! Great thoughts, as always.
Post a Comment