By Tim Bean
This mostly happened two weeks ago at Deep River County Park in Lake County, Indiana. I only toned down the groundskeeper’s language, which is typically salty enough to peel wallpaper. But Scrump is real.
I thought we were going to die in the 4×4 Kubota. It tipped on the narrow trail and nearly fell twelve feet onto jagged chunks of concrete. I gripped the oh-shit handles of the Kubota even tighter and waited to feel the worn trail give way beneath its tires.
Luckily, the Japanese build off-road vehicles as well as they once built televisions. The groundskeeper gunned it, mashing the pedal gracelessly. The tires spun, bit and then dug in. The engine whirled and roared and we heaved back onto the trail, emerging from the dense second-growth forest of northern Indiana and onto cracked, gray pavement. Safe, for now.
