Thunder Valley
Thomas Kelly
Published by Thomas Kelly at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 Thomas Kelly
“DEDICATION”
This story is dedicated to my two wonderful daughters, Alivia and Emma. My girls will always be the most important people in my life. I love you Alivia and Emma.
I would like to thank my friend Jessica for her support and confidence in me throughout this whole process. I cannot thank you enough for all your kind words and enthusiasm for reading the crazy stuff I make up. You will forever be my Sunny and Julie.
I could not have done this project without another friend of mine. Mary, thank you so much for all your time and effort. You helped make this dream of mine a reality. So for all the reading and editing, research and support. I give you a special thank you. *HUGS*.
Another person whom I would like to thank is Jason. Your vision of the cover is exactly what I was looking for, thank you for the hard work and the dedication as well.
Thank you to all of my family, friends and teachers who encouraged me and put up with my imagination. I owe you all so very much, I don't think I can put that into words.
“Don't cha wish you girlfriend were hot like me….” “Don't Cha” PussyCat Dolls
“I kissed a girl and I liked it…” “I Kissed a Girl” Katy Perry
“There she was just a walking down the street…” “Do Wa Diddy” Manfred Mann
“Devil inside, every single one of us…” “Devil Inside” INXS
“Is someone getting the best of you?” “Best of You” Foo Fighters
“Here we go for the hundredth time…” “Bleed It Out” Linkin Park
“Run, run, run, run. You better run all day…” “Run like Hell” Pink Floyd
“Tonight's gonna be a good night” “I gotta feeling” Black Eyed Peas
“If it makes you happy it can't be that bad” “If It Makes You Happy” Sheryl Crow
“INTRODUCTION”
The story of Thunder Valley is something that I had parts of in my head for years. It just took a kick in the butt from life to bring it out in the open. I have never written anything longer than a couple of hundred or maybe a thousand words before. The idea of writing a book was pretty far from anything I ever thought I could accomplish. I have always been able to make things up with relative ease, just never had the desire to put any of it down on paper. Well, I guess put it down on a computer.
In the late summer 2009 I had been working as an Ironworker for ten years. I had the fortune to work with some incredible people over those years, and I learned a lot from all of them. I remember most of them very fondly, and I found that their personalities combined would make for some interesting stories. Since I had a lot of time in those ten years to think about the endless possibilities of what people are capable of, I started to come up with the character of Charlie. One of the foremen I had on a job when I first started building bridges was quite the character. He made an impact on me and became the inspiration for Thunder Valley. I would think of all kinds of crazy things. Whether it was on the drives to and from jobs; or whether it was from the endless hours of tying bridge decks, welding clips and decking or just daydreaming, I never lost the idea of Thunder Valley.
Sure there were many variations of how it would work out in the end but the central idea was the same. I was also inspired by a few songs that made me think about what was right and what was wrong. One of those songs was the Sheryl Crow song “If it makes you happy.” I thought that maybe, some people get off on killing other people. And if it makes them happy how can it be that bad? Another song that made me think was “The wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. The line in that song that says, “the lake it is said, never gives up her dead…” That planted the idea that someone could use that to cover up their tracks. I used that idea to set the story in northern Minnesota; it is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
So I had the misfortune to be laid off from my position, and I had a lot of time on my hands. Much like many other people at the time, it was around that time that I shared my idea with my friend Jessica. She liked the idea and really encouraged me to write it down. Once I started to do it, I found that I really enjoyed writing. The result was the story that is to follow. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you.
“Camping Trip”
The sun breaks the sky early on a Thursday morning. It's late June and the days are long. Rico is woken up by Julie, his roommates' girlfriend. Conner and Julie have been up for over an hour getting ready for the road trip up north. Rico is still a little drunk from the night before. Wet Wednesday, happy hour from eight until ten, a guy can get pretty wasted. Especially when the next five days will be filled with more drinking and partying! The annual camping trip of the summer should be the best one in years. He slowly rolls out of bed as she dances around the room singing and shouting for him to get out of bed. When she finally sees he is up and not going back to sleep, she dances her way out of the room. Conner is telling Julie they need to get more ice and more Captain for the trip. Last time they ran out on the second day, and they had to resort to drinking some shitty 3/2 beer from the gas station. For a guy who rarely gets hangovers, that gas station beer really put a hurting on him.
Rico slowly walks down the hall and into the bathroom, splashes some cold water on his face and runs his fingers through his curly brown hair. “Shoulda gotten it cut yesterday, dammit! Oh well too late now, it will have to wait until they get back!” He quickly brushes his teeth and combs his hair, then decides to skip the shower. He thinks to himself 'It's only a four hour drive to the north shore. Lake Superior is going to be amazing this year.' Rico goes back to his room and starts to pack, “Shoulda done this yesterday too!” Julie is still singing and dancing around the house, something about “Don't cha wish your girlfriend were hot like me!” He can hear her almost like she is in the room with him. Conner is starting to get pissy, they still have to load the truck and pick up more booze, and they have to pick up two canoes, as well as Dave and Sam.
Conner knows that Dave will have his shit together and be ready to go. His wife Sam will not be so ready. She will take hours to finish getting her stuff packed and ready. Now Conner is just getting plain mad. Good thing they told her to be ready to leave at seven a.m. sharp, they all know nine or ten is more likely. Just as Rico stuffs the last of his clothes and rain gear into his pack, he remembers to call his Mom and wish her a happy birthday! He quickly picks up his cell phone and speed dials her number.
“Happy Birthday, Mom! I just wanted to tell you that, and I will take you out for dinner when we get back from the trip… I love you and I hope you have a great day... I know Mom but we always go this weekend every year, it's the only time we can all get off of work… All right, have a great weekend and say hi to Grandma for me.” She reminds him to pack an extra pair of clean underwear, just in case, and his toothbrush. “Thanks Mom! But I'm twenty-five years old I can take care of myself!” he says to her. Then he hangs up the phone and goes to get the extra undies and his toothbrush.
A few more minutes and the three of them will start to load the truck, a big old Chevy Suburban, four doors and lots of room. The truck is two tones black and silver, there's no rust on it the body is in remarkable shape. Conner calls it his 'Sub', because it's big and solid, it's dark and will go through anything. The roof rack on top is sturdy and will hold the two canoes an even a cooler if it comes to it. As long as Sam isn't out of control this year, everything should fit just fine. Conner is very particular about how things are packed into his Sub; he has a place for everything. Rico on the other hand just starts tossing things in left and right, irritating the shit out of Conner. After about ten minutes of Rico 'helping' Conner has had enough. “God Dammit Rico, get the hell away from me and let me pack the truck,” he snaps.
Rico laughs and walks away, “Whatever! Man I was just trying to help.”
Conner glares at him and says, “If you want to help, just stay over there.” He is pointing to the yard beside the truck.
By about seven the truck is loaded up and they pile into the old beast. Conner is driving, it's his truck and he knows how to get the most out of his baby. Conner would sell his mother for a bottle of Captain, but wouldn't take a new Tahoe for his old Suburban. “It's got character!” he says with pride.
“Pray that we get there and back!” sings Jules.
Then after a few tries she fires right up and they are on the road, “She is just cold blooded, no worries!” Conner is worried about what Rico will say.
“It's the fucking end of June! How the hell can it be cold blooded? It's already 85 out and only getting hotter! Cold blooded my ass!” says Rico.
“Maybe we should all pile into your piece of Skylark!” snaps Conner. Rico thinks to say something smart but decides against it. He has a 1987 Skylark, its faded orange and is in pretty bad shape, but it starts everyday and gets him to work and the bar. What more could you ask for?
“The important thing is that we are on the road, right guys!” Jules speaks up to break the tension. She knows that this could get ugly fast if she didn't speak up. Rico and Conner have been friends since the second grade, that doesn't mean they are without their disagreements. They fight like brothers, but, they always have each other's backs. Conner is fast to fight. He is six foot two and a solid two hundred ten pounds; he can hold his own in any scuffle he may get into. Conner has a crew cut that hides his blonde hair. He has light blue eyes and a winning smile. He drinks and smokes too much, he is ultra competitive, but a good sport. He works at City Audio, selling stereos and speakers. Conner is also a self-confessed ladies man, in his own mind anyways. Rico, Dave and his other friends used to call him 'Con her' for his ability to say anything to get a girl into bed. All that changed when he met Julie, she is short in stature but she carries a quiet confidence Conner could not resist. The fact that she is dark skinned, with a great body, sense of humor and can handle his shit is a huge bonus. They have been dating for about four years now. Julie wants to get married and they have been talking about moving in together for like two years, but she keeps her own apartment on the other side of town.
Rico can talk his way out of a fight. Rico is a bit shorter than Conner at five foot eleven and weighs about one hundred eighty; he has long curly brown hair, hazel eyes and a nice smile. He is a construction worker, and a good one at that. Rico has a natural ability to be good at just about everything he tries, whether it's a sport or anything else. He has never had a girlfriend for more than a couple of months; he is a smart ass of the highest order. Always quick to make a joke he can also piss you off and make you laugh in about ten seconds flat. He has a crazy side and will try anything once.
The drive to Julie's parents is about a twenty minute drive on a good day, but leaving at seven-fifteen on a Thursday in Minneapolis, it's bound to end up a forty-five minute drive easy.
“Fucking road construction sucks!” Conner complains, “When is this shit gonna to end Rico?”
Rico says, “There are two seasons in this state, winter and road construction. Building new bridges, roads and buildings take time man. This shit doesn't build itself.”
Conner and Rico continue to argue about the time and cost of building roads and bridges the whole drive. Soon enough, though, they have stopped at Julie's parents' house and picked up their canoes. Two old, aluminum relics from the 1970s, they are big, heavy and wide. One of them has a large dent in the front and several long scratches on the sides. The other one is in almost perfect condition, other than a few scratches on the bottom. Dave and Conner hate them, but they won't sink and they are pretty comfortable for day trips.
“You can fit two coolers in each of them!” says Rico, “What more could you ask for right?”
They will take three or four day trips down the local rivers in North Point. Sam found a campsite online for only twenty-five dollars a night. They have showers and electricity, running water, and they offer pickup and drop offs at the local rivers, especially for day trippers.
Rico thinks to himself that it sounds too good to be true, “There must be a catch! Only twenty-five dollars a night! They probably overcharge for everything else, firewood, little shit that you forgot to bring. Probably going to be ten bucks for two pieces of wood! I'm not sure I like this idea,” he says aloud.
Conner chimes in, “The last two years were way too expensive! I must've spent like five hundred last year and four hundred the year before! This is the way to go! Roughing it, tents, and sleeping bags, out in the elements!”
Julie says, “Yeah Rico, roughing it! Tents, showers, electricity, bathrooms, the whole nine yards.”
“Really back to nature right!” says Rico.
On the short drive to Dave and Sam's they stop at the liquor store and pick up the 'necessities,' Captain Morgan, Coke and ice. Along with some Hard Lemonade, and a few cases of Bud. They also get some bottled water and some snacks for the trip. From there it's off to Dave's house. They pull into the driveway of the small town house; all the houses look exactly the same, at eight-thirty-five.
Rico, Conner and Julie have a pool going on what time Sam will be ready. Just as they all pile out of the truck, Dave busts out of the front door. Dave is six foot four, about two hundred thirty pounds, he works out four or five days a week, he has short brown hair and a fu-man-chu mustache going on. He is in a near panic, mumbling something about how long Sam is taking. “She isn't even close to being ready! I'm sorry guys, but you know how she is!” They really do know how she is, she packs and repacks three or four times, checks and rechecks her 'list'.
Conner is on the verge of a huge meltdown, “God dammit, Dave, we have been going on this trip every year since we were in high school! Can't she get her shit together just one freaking time?”
Julie tries to calm Conner down, “Conner relax, this trip is supposed to be fun for all of us, give her a break!”
Rico has stayed pretty silent about how long Sam takes to get ready every year is about to explode with rage! He starts to say “Jesus...”
At that very moment the garage door opens and there stands Sam all ready to go! “What the hell took you guys so long to get here? We've been ready to go since seven!”
Conner, Julie and Rico can't believe their eyes, Sam has never been all packed and ready to go before. They stand with their mouths open, speechless.
Dave is laughing so damn hard he is almost crying. Rico and Conner stare in disbelief.
“Seven years and you're finally ready to go on time! What gives?” Rico asks.
Sam starts to explain, “I'm so tired of being the butt of all your jokes and all your sarcastic shit!” Then she sees Dave out of the corner of her eye. Now he is crying, running over to the truck and damn near tackles Conner. Sam starts to laugh and picks up one of her bags, walking it over to the 'Sub'.
“We've been all packed up for like two days!” he says.
Conner and Rico finally start laughing and so does Julie.
“Let's get this show on the road!” Dave yells.
“The First Sign of Trouble!”
After Dave and Conner pack everything away, they all pile into the truck, everybody but Rico.
“Where the hell is he?” barks Conner.
Sam says, “He went to bathroom, I think.”
“Christ he has the bladder of a four year old! He went like an hour ago,” says Conner, “Rico better not have to stop every damn rest stop this year or I will kick his ass!”
Julie chimes in, “Do you guys remember, what like two years ago, when he damn near pissed his pants because Conner was so angry, he wouldn't pull over till Rico threatened to piss in the backseat!”
Dave and Sam started to laugh along with Julie.
Conner, however, was not so amused, “That fucker was seven deep into a twelver of Bud before we got out of the cities! He deserved to be in a little pain for not sharing!”
“Now, now, now Conner you know you can't drink and drive,” cries Sam through her laughter!
“Well it would have made the trip easier on me if I had though. What the hell is taking him so long?” huffs Conner.
Rico kicks the door open and steps out into the garage, buttoning his shorts and buckling his belt. He turns to the side and hollers. “Whoa! Do I look like I lost some weight? Think I dropped about five pounds in there! Damn taco bar.” He hits the garage door button on the way out.
Sam is disgusted by what Rico just said; she is trying to control her gag reflex. Julie and Dave are yelling for him to, “Hurry up, we have to get going!”
Conner is waiting for just the right time. As Rico struts in front of the truck, Conner blasts the horn. Rico jumps about a foot into the air, trips over his feet and falls down. Everyone in the truck is laughing now. They can hear Rico saying, “Holy Shit, I thought I got it all out! Now I'm not so sure.” He stands up with his hand on his ass, like he's crapped.
“Better go and wipe again!” yells Conner. He is laughing the hardest because in all the years he has known Rico, he has never seen him jump like that. Not even the time they were kids, when they went to their first haunted house! All of the other kids were scared to death, but Rico was laughing the whole time. Never jumped at a movie, loud noise, nothing. He just could not be rattled! Conner felt a bit of satisfaction for getting Rico like he did.
When Rico finally composes himself enough to get in the truck, Sam and Julie are laughing so hard tears are coming out if their eyes. Dave is complaining that his stomach hurts and Conner is beaming from his accomplishment.
With the tension fully broken they can finally get on the road. Conner tries to start the Sub, nothing. He tries again, nothing.
Rico sensing an opening says, “Don't worry people, She's just cold blooded. Right Conner?”
Conner doesn't say anything, he just rubs his hand on the dash of the old Sub and tries again. This time the engine turns over, sputters a bit then roars to life. “See just needs a little touch!”
Sam is worried about being stranded on the road in the middle of nowhere. “Isn't this how all horror movies start? Ya know truck breaks down in the middle of bum-fuck-Egypt, and...”
“BAM!” shouts Dave, “They all get slaughtered by a deranged serial killer! Ha ha ha!”
Everybody jumps and Sam slaps him hard on the shoulder! “Knock that shit off! It's not funny.”
Dave rubs his shoulder and apologizes, “I was just kidding, besides that kind of shit. All together now.” Putting his hands in the air and waving them like a conductor. “Only happens in the movies,” they all say at once, then, start to laugh.
Just to keep the peace Julie talks Conner into stopping and getting it looked at. Her Uncle is a mechanic and has a shop on the way out of town; Rico thinks something must be wrong because Conner agrees way to fast.
“Better to be safe, then sorry! Right?” says Conner. As he pulls out of the drive and makes his way to Uncle Scott's shop. The small shop is just north of St. Paul, is nice and organized, tucked away in small courtyard with a tire place, exhaust, and quick lube. Scott is not at the shop when they pull up, very strange for Scott, he is always on time. 'You have to be on the ball when you are the owner of a small business.' he was fond of that saying.
Julie says, “Wonder where Scott is? I've never known him to be late for work.” She takes out her cell phone to call him when he pulls into the parking lot. He is going about forty miles per hour, trying to get the shop open on time.
Scott pulls into his parking spot by locking up the brakes on his Subaru. He jumps out and walks as fast as he can to the front door and without even missing a step the door is open and he is turning on signs and lights, turns on his computer and starts the coffee maker. Scott is not a coffee drinker, hates the smell and the taste of it, but his loyal customers love it so he suffers through the smell. He is so focused on opening up the shop and getting ready for the day, he didn't even notice his niece and her friends in the big Suburban. Julie and Conner get out of the truck and go inside. The doorbell rings as they push the door open, nothing fancy, just lets Scott know if someone is in his shop while he works on cars and trucks all day. The bell is sort of quiet in the office and waiting room, but it is very loud in the shop. Scott has 17,000 songs on his iPod and he blasts that through his stereo in the back.
“Hi, Uncle Scott!” Julie shouts, she makes her way to him as he looks up and smiles.
“Jules, what brings you here today? Hi Conner. I thought you would still be waiting for Sam to finish packing. Or are you just killing time until she's ready?” Scott jokes. When he looked up he had seen Sam, Dave and Rico getting out of the truck.
“Julie is worried about the Sub not starting and getting stranded in the middle of nowhere!” says Conner.
“I'm not that worried, I just want it looked at, could you check it out Uncle Scott?” says Julie.
Scott looks at Julie with a smile and says, “I'm extremely busy here! I mean look around at all my customers waiting in the lot!” His arm rises up pointing toward the empty parking lot!
Rico is walking through the door as Scott is making his statement, he looks at the lot he was just walking in from and says. “Yeah, it's a damn zoo out there, almost got killed walking through all the traffic!”
There is an awkward silence as they all look at each other.
“The economy is killing everyone right now, people just can't afford to get the little things fixed like they used to.” says Scott. “What seems to wrong with her this time?” Scott has worked on Julies friends' vehicles for years, and Conner's Sub, is one of his favorites to work on. Its big and old, has a lot of room to work, and move around the engine!
Rico starts to say, “Well Conner says that she is just cold blooded!”
Conner glares at Rico and tells him, “Shut up Rico! Don't you have to go to the bathroom again?”
Rico hangs his head and keeps quiet.
“I am just having a bit of trouble when I go to start it! No big deal, just wanted to have some reassurance. If you know what I mean!” explains Conner.
Scott nods his head and tells Conner, “Pull it in the shop. We'll get to the bottom of this, don't worry.”
“I'm not worried in the least; I just want to keep the ladies happy,” says Conner.
Rico shouts, “Yeah keep the ladies happy, or you won't be getting any on this trip either!”
Conner is not amused by Rico, but he smiles and knows he's right! He jumps in the driver's seat and puts it in gear; he left it running just in case. Scott had walked through the shop with Julie and was opening the overhead door. Slowly motioning Conner to turn his wheels to the right or left then puts both hands up to stop him in the right spot!
“Pop the hood,” he says as he pats the hood with his palm.
Conner reaches down and pulls the handle, as if the starting problem wasn't bad enough, it comes off in his hand. “Son of a Bitch!” he screams as he holds the handle up to show everyone!
Sam gets this frightened look on her face, “See I knew it, something's going to happen on this trip.”
Dave puts his arm around her and says, “Come on Sam, if that's the worst thing that happens on this trip it will be a great trip!”
Rico walks over to a toolbox full of wrenches and other hand tools; he knows exactly what he is looking for! He finds the pliers in a drawer and walks over to the driver side of the Sub, sticks his head in and grabs the broken wire with the pliers and gives it a pull, just like that the hood releases and Scott reaches under and pushes the release on the hood. He looks up and says “Conner, kill the engine.” Conner does what he's told. The engine stops running, sputters one or two times, then nothing. Scott pokes around, looking here and there, and then he sees what the problem is. The battery cable has come loose, a minor problem, he grabs a small wrench and tightens it right up. Then he tells Conner to “fire it up.” Conner turns the key and the sub roars to life.
“Wooooooohooooooo!” yells Julie, “Thanks Uncle Scott, you're a life saver.”
“Life saver, more like a trip saver,” says Conner, “How much do I owe you?”
“This one is on the house,” Scott responds.
Julie walks over to her Uncle and gives him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you so much, you're the best.”
“It was nothing,” says Scott. “You better get on the road if you want to get up there before it gets too late. Drive careful and have a good, safe trip.”
“We will thanks again!” They all say at the same time.
Once more they all pile into the Sub, and one more time Rico is nowhere to be found, “Is he going again?” asks Dave. “What the hell?”
As Rico walks out of the main office he has some cups and a few bottles of pop, “You guys thought I was in the bathroom again huh?”
Sam is a coffee drinker and so is Dave, Julie and Conner are in between. Rico can't stand coffee. So, when he gets in the truck he hands two cups to Dave and Sam and he hands Conner and Jules each a bottle of Coke.
“Let's go!” he says happily.
“On The Road”
Now behind the wheel and confident in the fact that the Sub will make it all the way up and back, Conner is in a better mood. Everyone is in a more relaxed mood, in fact, they are all in agreement on what to listen to on the radio. It is a very rare occurrence, indeed. Rico, Conner and Dave are all into Rock and Roll, classic or hard rock. It doesn't matter to them.
Julie is a hip-hop girl. She is always singing and dancing; she is very pretty and knows how to dance! At five foot three, she is very petite, long brown hair and big brown eyes, she is a complete knockout! Always a peacekeeper, she avoids conflict and is generally in a good mood. Quiet and confident, she has a very creative sense of humor and tries to look on the bright side of things. She is the manager of Sooper Cuts, a small beauty shop in Eagan. The shop is small but they have a loyal client base, and a good location.
Sam is a total country girl. She is a schoolteacher, in Richfield. She teaches seventh grade English and loves her job. At five foot six, she is average but pretty in her own natural way. She has long, sandy blonde hair with highlights, blue eyes and a killer smile. She is very confident and very organized. She has book smarts but not so much on the street smarts. Always wants to improve herself and save the world.
Dave is very submissive to his wife, he may be bigger than she is, but she is in charge. Dave will do anything Sam asks or tells him to do. He has light hair and green eyes. Dave is not a fighter, he prefers to drink his way out of issues or hide behind his wife. He knows he doesn't stand a chance in defying her, but he acts all tough in front of the boys. They all know who wears the pants in their family.
So on they drive getting back on 35 north. Trying to fight through traffic. They listen to Jac Danyls in the morning, your typical morning show DJ. Jac is loud and very opinionated. Right now he is complaining that “the Twins need to trade for more power and some veteran pitching! It's a good three weeks or so until the all-star break, and they are five games out of first place, damn Kansas City is two games up on them and they are horrible. We need a new manager, new coaching staff, and don't even get me started on the ownership.” Just as he is about to lay into the owners he is interrupted by his co-host, Ronee Black. Ronee says, “Jac my man, we have a call from a listener that says he has the answer to all of our prayers.”
Jac will never pass up the opportunity to tear down somebody's idea quickly says, “Let's hear this freaking idea, so who do we have on the phone?”
“Callers name is Rick O.!” says Ronee.
“Uh hello, am I on? My name is Rico not Rick O!” Everyone in the truck turns to the back seat where they see Rico, with his cell phone up to his ear and a big grin on his face.
On the radio, Jac says, “Uh yeah whatever Ricky, what is your bonehead idea?”
Rico says very confidently, “First of all, I want to say that I am a long time listener, first time caller. We need to bring in A-Rod, Manny, Big Papi, Johan, and just for the hell of it let's get Barry out of 'retirement' for good measure. Then we fire the coaching staff put in a call to TK and let's go win us another World Series title! I will hang up and listen to your response. Thank you and Go Vikes!”
Conner damn near runs into the car in front of him, swerving at the last second. He cries out, “Why the hell didn't you warn me you were gonna do that Rick O? Christ we almost just hit that guy!”
Sam says, “Hush, I want to hear what Jac has to say!” No one really thinks Jac's opinion really matters but he is usually pretty brutal with people he doesn't agree with.
“...Um Jac are you going to waste your breath with a response to that Rick O?” asks Ronee. “...Uh Jac are you OK? Wow ladies and gentleman we have a first on this radio show, the Great Jac Danyls is officially speechless. Never thought I would see the day, but here it is, mark your calendars people!”
Julie claps her hands and bounces around in the front seat, “Wooooooohooooooo, way to go Rico, you have done the impossible!”
Just then on the stereo, “What the F.beep? That is quite possibly the dumbest f.beep.king idea I've ever had the displeasure of hearing. It's so f.beep.king stupid it sounds just like something the Twins would do!” Says Jac. “That f.beep.king Rico is either a genius or he needs mental therapy, either way he is alright in this DJ's book! Call back anytime Rico my man!”
“Holy S.beep! Jac are you kidding me?” cries Ronee. “Maybe you're the one who needs therapy! But that is just dumb enough to see happening!”
“All right now can we get back to the question at hand? How much will this trade cost us?” Jac trails off as Conner turns the radio down.
Dave is in tears again, so is Sam. Conner has lost it behind the wheel and has to pull off to the side of the road! Julie is almost hyperventilating. “Where the hell did that come from Rico?” she asks once she has caught her breath.
Rico shrugs his shoulders and says, “What? I was serious! I thought it was a great idea!”
“I can't believe you got the great Jac Danyls to invite you back on the show! In twenty years of listening to him I've never ever heard him be speechless and invite someone back on the show!” says Julie.
Conner agrees, “That was amazing, good work Ricky O!”
After a couple of minutes on the side of the road Conner has it together enough to get back on the road. Now if they can just stay on the road, they should be in Duluth by one in the afternoon. Another forty-five minutes up the north shore to North Point and another thirty minutes northeast of there to the campground!
Driving by the Casino and rest stops they make very good time. Rico doesn't have the problem he had last year and the year before. No drinking on the drive up this year. Once they get into Duluth, they decide to stop and take a rest.
Rico asks Conner. “Hey man can we stop and stretch our legs for a little bit.”
Dave goes out on-his-own and agrees, “Yeah I could use a little walk”
Sam who didn't show it earlier wasn't feeling that great asks, “Hey can we stop at a drug store? I need to pick something up! My stomach is kind of upset.”
Julie also agrees and Conner finds the nearest exit and pulls over, He pulls into a Walgreen's parking lot and they all pile out of the truck. The guys slowly walking around stretching their arms and legs, yawning, wandering around. They are all looking up and down the street, and the parking lot.
Sam gets out and grabs Julie by the arm, dragging her into the store. Julie looks annoyed but calms down when Sam walks to the EPT aisle. “Oh my God Sam, are you serious? Does Dave know? How late are you?” Julie asks.
Sam tells her, “I'm not sure how late? Maybe a week. No, Dave doesn't know. We are not ready for this; we agreed to wait till we were older and can afford it!” she is almost in tears.
Julie says, “Hey cheer up, kids are great! You should know that!”
“I do know that, but Dave is skid-dish around kids and I'm afraid he will be upset!” Sam replies.
They pick out a test and pay for it! Then they both head to the bathroom. A few minutes later they emerge from the bathroom and head out to the truck where the guys are waiting.
“Are we all ready to go now? Did you get what you need honey?” Dave asks.
Sam says, “Yep we're good to go!”
“Good, we still have an hour and half to go!” finishes Dave.
The rest of the drive is relaxed and beautiful. Very scenic, Pine trees and rocks on one side, Lake Superior on the other! The road is winding and steep in some places, flat in others. The view is breathtaking in every direction though, Iron ore ships and other small boats dot the Great Lake. There is a lot of traffic on the lake this time of year, there is quite a bit of traffic on the roads by the lake this time of year also! Very easy to get distracted and miss a turn, and then you end up driving for miles in the wrong direction. Sam had to map quest where the campground was located, when she booked the campsite. Now about thirty minutes north of Duluth she digs out the map and tells Conner and everyone. “Look for a sign for Co. road three, it should be just a little ways farther, we don't want to miss the turn. The name of the campground is Thunder Valley Camp Center.”
Conner slows down a bit and they all start to look for the road signs. Among all the pine trees and rocks, is a mile marker sign with several bullet holes in it. A little bit farther is the sign for Co. road three. It is also full of bullet holes. “Damn people and their guns always shooting the road signs,” says Conner. The sign has so many bullet holes the number on it is almost completely gone.
Conner slows the big Sub down and makes the left turn onto the road; it is a narrow two lane road with no lines and no real shoulder to speak of. They continue to drive for about fifteen miles, the road curves around back to the northeast, then, they are looking for another Co. road 301, it runs north and is a little bit narrower than Co. road three. They drive another ten miles or so and they see a sign for Thunder Valley Camp Center. Conner pulls on to the small dirt road, it is very narrow and full of potholes. Conner is driving a bit fast and is having fun swerving back and forth avoiding the ruts and holes. After a few miles on the road another sign for T.V.C.C. Conner is driving too fast and misses the turn. He slams on the brakes. Luckily, he only has to back up about fifty feet.
“Holy shit!” says Julie.
Conner says, “Wow that came up fast, everyone OK?” He doesn't wait for anyone to answer, he just slowly turns down the fire road and makes his way toward the campground.
“No wonder the price is so good,” says Dave. “They save money by not having a decent road to get to it on!” The trees on the side of the road are old and starting to grow over in places. The road is curvy and very hilly, in some parts it almost looks like it will completely disappear.
“This would be a fun road if it weren't so freaking bumpy!” Rico exclaims from the back seat. He is being bounced around like a rag doll, along with Dave and Sam.
Sam starts to say, “Hopefully the road gets better here...”
BAM. A sound so loud everyone thinks it's a gunshot, the right front side of the truck slams down to the ground.
“Julie, get down,” Conner yells, “Jesus Christ is someone shooting at us?” He hits the brakes and pulls over to the side of the road.
“What the hell are you doing? Step on the gas!” screams Julie. “If someone is shooting at us we have to keep moving, go go go!”
Conner thinks about it but he knows that something is wrong with the Sub, “I can't go there is something wrong, I can barely control it!”
Dave and Sam are huddling close together as the truck slows to a stop. Rico is the first one to grab the door handle and get out.
“Be careful.” says Sam with a terrified look in her eyes.
Conner slowly opens his door and slides out of the seat; he makes his way to the back of the Sub crouching down like he has seen people do in the movies, trying to stay out of the shooters line of sight. Rico has made his way to the back of the truck also. They both sit there with their backs to the Sub, scared and unsure of what to do next.
“Why the hell would someone shoot at us?” asks Conner. Inside the truck they can hear Julie and Sam crying, Dave is trying to keep them calm.
After looking around for a few seconds Rico calmly stands up and starts walking back to where they heard the shot.
“Rico get down!” shouts Conner.
Rico turns back towards Conner and says, “Hey man it's OK no one is shooting at us check it out!” He is pointing towards the huge pothole on the side of the road. “We just hit that hole and...” he walks to the front of the truck, “it blew out the front tire! No big deal well just put the spare tire on.” With that he opens the front door and lets everyone know what happened. They are all relieved and get out of the truck to help in the tire change.
Dave and Conner start to unload the truck to get to the spare tire while Rico gets the jack and loosen the bolts on the flat. Sam and Julie decide that it is alright to wander down the road and check things out.
Julie asks Sam, “What are you going to tell Dave? I mean are you going to tell him now or wait till we get home from the trip?”
Sam thinks and says, “I'm not sure yet, I want to take the test again, maybe it was wrong! I'm so scared, that he will freak out, I don't want to ruin the trip.”
“Come on do you really think Dave will freak out?” asks Julie.
“Dave can barely take care of himself, let alone take care of a little one!” Sam responds.
“Maybe Dave will surprise you. I'm sure he'll be OK with it!” Julie says.
Just as she finishes her sentence, they here a sound coming down the road, they make their way back to the Sub quickly.
“Hey there is a car coming!” says Julie.
Rico looks up from changing the tire. Dave and Conner turn to look at the oncoming vehicle. It is an old Ford truck, “Must be fifty years old” says Conner. Turns out to be fifty-five years old, a 1954 F-150. The truck is in very good shape, not cherry but still no rust and no dents; very unusual for a truck that old in MN. The driver is an old man in his mid to late fifties; he has black hair peppered with gray and white. He has a big bushy mustache, thick glasses and an old John Deere hat on. He slows down and stops. He slowly gets out of the truck. He has on a dirty pair of overalls and a dirty white T-shirt.
“Need any help? Nnn. Did you hit that pothole? Nnn. I've been trying to get that fixed for years now. Nnn. Where are you headed? Nnn.” he says.
“No I think we have it under control, thanks anyways,” says Rico.
Sam says, “We are headed to Thunder Valley Camp Center, ever heard of it?”
“Heard of it, yeah I've heard of it. Nnn. You're about five miles from the main nnn office. Just keep on this road and you will run right into it nnn. Nice place, I know the owner, tell him to give a good site nnn. Not one of the ones he gives the tourists, nnn but the good one! He'll know the one. Nnn.” The old man says. When he is finished he climbs back into his truck and waves, “Drive careful and watch those potholes, nnn HAHAHAHAH!”
He fires up the old Ford and drives away, swerving side to side, avoiding the potholes.
“Thanks!” They all say and wave as he drives off down the road. “What's with the nnn thing?” asks Conner.
“Ahh leave him alone, sounds like he is clearing his throat, he seemed like a nice old man.” says Julie, “Good tip about the site huh?”
“Yeah great tip if he is serious!” says Dave.
“All right, let's get going!” Rico says as he stands up and packs up the jack and flat tire!
“Damn we should've asked the old guy about a tire shop.” says Conner. “Oh well we can ask when we get to the campground, let's roll!”
They pile back into the Sub and get on the road. Five miles down the road they see a big, worn sign; Thunder Valley Camp Center, with a big arrow pointing to the left.
“Thunder Valley”
Conner pulls the wheel to the left and hits the gas. They pull into the campground and start looking for the main office. The main office is just an old, it is a big house though, two story house. The front door has a sign next to it that says 'All campers must check in here!' Then it gives the office hours; Monday- Friday; six a.m. to ten p.m., Saturday and Sunday eight a.m. to eight p.m. It is a little bit faded, but in pretty good shape none-the-less. All around the office are Maple, Oak, Pine and Birch trees. They almost seem to block out the sun in some places, giving the office and surrounding area kind of a creepy, unfriendly feel. The courtyard in front of the office in contrast is wide open, with a small pond and some short Pine trees on the far side of it. The grass is green and lush, very well maintained. There is a huge fire-pit in between the office and the pond; it must be ten feet around and a foot deep. Big stones about the size of basketballs and watermelons form the outside of the pit; there are some big logs and pieces of wood left in there from the last fire. To the right of the fire-pit is a narrow road that leads through a rather large stone arch, it is about eighteen feet tall and about three feet wide. The road forks shortly after the stone arch. To the left, are the regular campsites, to the right are the cabins. Five cabins are on the side of the road, about three hundred feet apart. Trees help to separate the cabins, making them feel very private and cozy. The cabins are made of logs, with two small windows in the front, a small porch and a swing to the left, large flower pots are set on the right side.
On the left side of the fork are the campsites, ten sites about seventy feet apart, alternating so that one site doesn't have a direct view of any other site. They are huge, must average forty feet across and they are flat with two large picnic tables, and a fire ring in the middle. The fire ring is made of an ornate steel frame that has two legs sticking up and a grill that flips over the top for cooking. Close to the road on all the campsites is a wooden post with an electrical box on both sides. About six feet from the electrical post is a metal post that has a water spigot sticking out of it about two feet off the ground. There are also a few poles with rope running between them for tarps and clothes can be hung.
Directly in the middle of the cabins and the campsites is a large building made of brick, there are no windows on the building. There is a door on either side of the building, one is marked Men and the other door is marked Women. Inside there are two large rooms and a smaller room with three sinks and a large mirror running the length of the sinks. Through an opening that a door would fit, is a room with four toilets. Two on either side, all of them are rather big and have rails for people in wheelchairs or that have trouble getting around. Through the next door is a room with four showers, two on either side with two curtains separating them. One curtain can be pulled to hide you while you undress and the other can be pulled to shower in private. There is another door, which is locked and says authorized personnel only. The room is just a mechanical room and not that important, but it holds the two giant water heaters and all the electric circuit boards.
As Conner pulls into the parking spot directly in front of the office and puts the sub in park. Once again, they all pile out, stretching and looking around at the size of the campground.
Sam says, “What do you guys think? This is amazing right! This is even better than the stuff I found on the Net.” The photos she found on the Net were probably five years old, they didn't show too much of the grounds. They did show the pond and the fire pit, but the size of the campsites was not very clear.
Dave excitedly says, “Yeah honey you are so right this place is amazing, look at the size of those sites and the fire-pit right over there!” He is pointing at the fire-pit and the pond behind it.
Conner and Julie are standing next to each other holding hands, staring at the pond and the stone arch, wondering what the rest of the campground looks like. They are whispering to each other, “Do you think we can sneak away somewhere and have a little fun?” says Julie.
“Oh I don't think that will be a problem! There are places to hide everywhere.” replies Conner.
Rico is looking around amazed at the size of the sites and how secluded they appear. He is wondering to himself what the catch is going to be, there has to be a catch this place is too good to be true! “Wonder if there will be any women around this weekend? I hope so, or this may be a lonely trip.” he says to himself aloud. He looks around to see if anyone heard him, but the others are all too involved in their own conversations to notice what he had just said.
“Let's get checked in so we can get our camp set up!” yells Rico.
Sam and Dave turn and start to walk towards the office, as do Conner and Julie.
Rico is at the door waiting for the rest of them, when he sees a girl walk out of the first cabin on the right. She is quite a ways from where he is and he perks up when he sees her, hoping she walks closer to them. Instead she just stands at the edge of the little porch, does a little stretch and turns to sit on the swing. She appears to have a beer in her hand. She is taking small drinks of it as she sits on the swing. Rico could tell from her stretch, she has a nice body; her dark hair is in a long ponytail. He can't see much more without looking like a freak or a creep. This is a distance call, and he doesn't want to get his hopes up till he sees her up close. Sam, Dave, Conner and Julie get to the door at the same time.
“Hey, snap out of it.” says Sam as she snaps her fingers in front of Rico's face.
Rico looks toward her and says, “Uh, what? Yeah let's go!”
Conner turns around to see what he was staring at, when he sees the girl sitting on the swing, “Ooooohhhh, Rico's in love!”
They all turn at the same time and look at her. She sees them all looking at her and she waves at them politely, seeing her wave Rico waves back at her and smiles. This may be a good trip after all he thinks. He turns around when Julie finally grabs his arm and gives him a pull, “Yeah, yeah I'm coming, geez gimme a break,” he says.
They all walk into the office and look at the pictures on the walls, stuffed fish and other critters, hung on the wall. There is a huge bear standing in the corner, it looks like it is going to walk over and tear into the guests as they sign in. There is a big map on the wall next to the counter. An arrow right in the middle that points to the TVCC. The arrow says 'You are here!' There are rivers that are highlighted and local attractions are shown, things like the Duluth aquarium, the Lift Bridge, Grandma's restaurant, Two Harbors all the big tourist traps. There is a bell on the counter, which says 'Ring for service.'
Sam walks up to the counter and rings the bell. Nothing. She rings the bell again. “Nnn just a minute, hold yer horse's nnn! I'm coming... nnn.” says a man from another room.
Conner and Rico look at each other and laugh a little, “Is that the same guy?” whispers Rico.
Conner shrugs and whispers, “sure as hell sounds like it nnn.”
Julie hears Conner mocking the old man and slaps him hard on the shoulder. “Knock it off you two! Be nice,” glaring at Rico. The only reason she doesn't slap him is because he is too far for her to reach around Conner. She makes eye contact with Sam who obliges Julie and slaps Rico just as hard as she had slapped Conner.
“Damn, Dave get control of your woman!” cries Rico as he rubs his shoulder.
Dave starts to laugh but quickly puts on a straight face, and says, “Julie is right you guys, be nice!” He wasn't thinking that, but he didn't want to be in the doghouse already on this trip. Dave figured, sooner or later, she will be upset with him. It never fails, he goes a little too far in her eyes, and she will give him the cold shoulder. When she is upset the only thing he can do is keep his distance, eventually she will come around and they will make up. Then she will try to make it up to him in her own special way. He smiles at the thought, but straightens up right away. He doesn't want her to think he is laughing at Rico and Conner's joke!
The old man walks around the corner and says, “Welcome to Thunder Valley Camp Center, nnn how can I help you?” He finally looks up and recognizes the five of them. “Ahhh it's you guys again, nnn. Sorry about the tire back there, nnn”
“That's quite alright,” says Julie.
Conner butts in and asks, “Can you tell us where the nearest tire shop, or garage is? That spare won't hold very much longer!”
“Nearest shop is in Two Harbors, nnn tell you what though. I can fix it up for you in my shop nnn, no charge, since I haven't fixed that pothole yet. Nnn” Charlie says almost whimsically.
“Wow, that would be great, thanks a lot,” says Conner.
“Well now let's get you checked in, nnn,” the old man says. He looks down at the computer on the desk, and despite his age and looks. He swiftly looks up the reservation and gets them registered. “We have two sites open right now. Nnn I think that number three is the right one for you guys. Nnn”
Conner interrupts again and asks, “Back on the road you mentioned 'the good' site!” Julie lands an elbow in his ribs, “What? I was just asking.”
“Don't be rude, he has already offered to fix the tire, don't push it,” says Julie.
“So I did. Nnn. It's OK Miss, number three is the best site we have, nnn it is the closest to the bathrooms and showers. Nnn, Can be pretty handy after a long day on the river. Nnn”
“We offer transport to three rivers from here all are about, nnn, forty-five minute drive. Nnn. They all end about twenty minutes from here, nnn. You can spend all day on the river though. Nnn.” Says the old man. “Just let me know when you all want nnn to leave and we will load you up and go nnn. Site number three is through the nnn arch and left at the fork, second site on the right.”
Conner reaches for his wallet to pay for the campsite; he usually pays for everything and gets money from everyone after-wards. The old man holds up his hand and says, “Keep your money for now, nnn. We can settle up before you leave. Nnn”
Rico thinks to himself aha there's the catch. He just keeps adding shit up on you, charge you for everything. Then he hits you up at the end of the trip. He keeps the thought to himself, but can't wait to get outside to share his theory. Conner puts his wallet back in his pocket and they all head for the door.
“Forgive me, names Charlie, I own Thunder Valley. Nnn Sorry to mess around with you, out on the nnn road, I just like messing with people nnn... Let me know if you need anything. Nnn”
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(Pages 1-26 show above.)