Right. There I was in the shadow of US Highway 231, but off the pavement on
a dirt/sand access road that would have supported anything they had to send
out (it's a work road for the bridge). But it wasn't paved, so no dice.

Jim

On Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 10:55 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> Hmmm..... .  The dispatcher in this case asked if the tow truck could
> reach the vehicle without leaving the pavement.  That throws a serious
> glitch into AAA service.  Many, many public roads are unpaved.  If AAA will
> not travel beyond pavement, a lot of us may be in more trouble than we
> thought.  One certainly does not have to go "off road" to leave the
> pavement behind.
>
> mcneely
>
> ---- Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > Not only won't tow services get you but if something happens neither
> will most ambulances and your insurance won't cover you or the vehicle. You
> need to be cautious when going off road.
> >
> > Dennis
> >
> > From my phone.
> > ________________________________
> > From: Jim Felder<mailto:jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
> > Sent: 4/17/2013 10:37 AM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM<mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Subject: Triple-A won't extricate you from just any old where
> >
> > This may have been covered before, and it is not strictly Vanagon
> content,
> > but I was in a Vanagon last week when it happened to me.
> >
> > Looking for places to get on a river, I naturally found myself under a
> > bridge. I was a long day from home on a multi-day Westy trip to research
> > rivers in part of my state. The surface I was on went from hard-packed to
> > deep sand in one short moment, and I could not see it coming. The front
> > wheels dropped down and quickly the back wheels had dug in. I had to dig
> > out under the muffler for clearance to be extricated by a local who,
> > because I travel with a very long tow strap, was able to pull me out from
> > the hard packed road.
> >
> > While locating a local, I called AAA, which has always provided me with
> > really good service when I have needed it. "Can the service vehicle get
> to
> > you without getting off the paved roadway?" I was asked. I replied that
> you
> > couldn't even see the paved road from where I was. "We can't help you,
> > thanks for choosing AAA today. Is there anything else I can do for you
> > today?"
> >
> > I thought that I might ask her to pave the access road, but thought
> better.
> >
> > Don't wander farther off the beaten path than your tow strap will reach.
> > And don't tell me to buy a Syncro. Even the four-wheelers I encountered
> > would not cross over to me on the soft sand.
> >
> > : )
> >
> > Jim
>
> --
> David McNeely
>