The Story

The scoop on the Shortbox and the cow is that Mr. Kyrk was driving along (going on a one day trip up north) at about 50mph and went around a big dump truck on the side of the road that was broken down. As soon as he came to the rear of the dump truck, the cow jump out from in front of the dump truck into their path and he hit it. The damage was pretty bad, but not so bad that he couldn't make it all the way back here (about 3+ hours). They had to fill the radiator up every so often because the radiator fan hit the radiator when it was pushed it and put a small hole in it. The big defensive front guard shoved into the hood, quarter panel, and everything else in the way. The original front bumper got pushed around and it punctured the front passenger side tire (he bought a new one on the road). They are planning to bring it to a body shop here in Haiti (it surprised me that they exist here, but they do have them). We are all very thankful that Mr. Kyrk, Juanis (spelling?), and Darlin are OK!

In Haiti, it has been known that people get real upset (even to the point of killing the driver) when people hit and kill their animals. When a cow is all you have and you have been taking care of it and need it for food, money, whatever, you can kind of understand why they would be upset. However, many people actually DO care about their animals and thus keep them tied up or fenced in. This area where he hit the cow is pretty know for animals jumping into the road. It is not like in the States where on highways there are regulations for how far the growth of grass, trees, and shrubs need to be away from the road surface. Here there are trees and bushes that are so close that you can scape the side of your vehicle as you drive by. With no fencing on the roads, the animals are free to wonder onto the road surface. This is Haiti.

Boring Car Stuff...

Yesterday, I built a battery box for under the hood of the old Landcruiser because a new battery for it didn't fit in the old one. I also rewired the tail, signal, and brake lights so that they work now (only one back-up light worked before). I also managed to pull the frame back together of the Pathfinder that I posted a picture of a few days ago. I used a come-along to pull it together, then I welded it and added a welded-on support strap. I am sure that it is NOT as good as new, but I hope that it at least lasts a few months (if not more). We shall see. Today I plan to put it all together and drive it around to see what happens.