A Life Wasted

The Camper

If it seems I was bouncing about with no real purpose, then I've captured the essence of things. After the two close calls in the woods I decided I had enough of that for now. Not sure what inspiration sent me in this new direction but I ended up stealing a large camper trailer from the company that manufactured it. It was just sitting there waiting to be transported so I backed up to it and dropped it on the Tahoe's trailer hitch and drove away with it like I owned it. As I was doing so it occurred to me that if a cop spotted me, I was done. Couldn't very well out run them while pulling a thirty-foot camper. But nothing happened as I drove away.

This thing worked out pretty good. Camp grounds were cheap and they never asked for ID when you checked in. It also helped that I now had a kitchen as I could cook my own meals, which also saved money. I was amazed at how different I felt having the camper as a mobile base camp. I was able to sleep in the same bed every night, take a shower in the same shower and cook in my own kitchen. The camper had the unexpected effect of allowing me to relax and settle down. It also allowed me to accumulate things. By this I mean steal. In no time I had a computer and printer, which I was able to leave permanently set up. At that time camp grounds were just starting to add internet access, so I found one of these and settled long enough to make myself a few decent driver's licenses. The licenses wouldn't pass a computer check, but they did work for routine inspections and hotels if needed.

In one thing my plans had not changed. My primary focus was still to stay free so that I could return home at the end of the year so that I could be with my family when things went crazy when the year turned to zero. The only real close call I had was in Ohio. I had the camper set up at a campground as a base camp and was out roaming trying to make some much needed cash. Something I tried didn't go well and I ended up with an Ohio State Trooper after me. Fortunately, he didn't get behind me, but had seen me from a distance and was attempting to catch up. I managed to get out of his sight and off the interstate, but from what I heard on the scanner I knew he was looking for me on the back roads near where I was. From that traffic I also knew he had help coming from in front of me and they were effectively boxing me in.

From flying my small plane over this area of Ohio I knew the roads looked like giant squares. They were in fact boxes of one square mile each. From the air they looked like a giant chess board, but on the ground with the police after you what they were, was a trap. Because they were all perfectly straight, and the land was almost completely flat farm land it was easy to see across to the roads on either side of you, making me easy for the cops to spot even if they were on the next road over. And as bad as this was it would be much worse if they brought in an airplane or helicopter. Having seen that view myself I knew there would be no hiding on this clear afternoon.

My mind was racing for a solution when I spotted a small patch of woods between fields. And I mean small. But what it had that drew me to it was a dirt road going into it with a welded pipe gate held in place by a padlock. I didn't hesitate. I stopped, cut the lock off, drove through then locked it with my own lock. I then drove to the deepest part of the woods and covered the Tahoe with my camouflage tarp. With the SUV covered I took a good look around, then hit the ground as a State Trooper drove by at high speed. I couldn't see the road, but his car looked so close that I couldn't believe he hadn't seen me. The woods were so thin that I felt like I would be spotted if they just looked my way. But as I stood back a little and looked at the tarp covered Tahoe I realized that it was reasonably well hidden.

I settled back in the driver's seat, turned off the engine so there wouldn't be an exhaust to be seen and listened to the hunt on the police scanner. It didn't take long before they realized I was outside of their trap and they began back tracking. About fifteen minutes later I heard one of them say, "What about those woods." Another said, "Check the gate. If it's locked there's no other way to get a car back there. I held my breath until I heard the first cop say. "It's locked." That was all I heard. I'd put the tarp on so fast that my little window was on the opposite side and from there I couldn't see the drive I came up on. The cop could be walking up on me now and I wouldn't know it. I thought about getting out but decided to sit tight. I wondered what his reaction would be to see the tarp covered vehicle. Since the engine was still making soft cracking noises as it cooled from the hard drive he'd know immediately I was the guy they wanted. I had to wait five long minutes until I heard that same cop's voice on the scanner reporting his new position.

I sat there without moving until nine o'clock that night. When I used my key to open the lock I spotted the lock I had cut off laying on the ground. In my haste I had dropped it on the ground. It was amazing the police officer hadn't noticed it when he checked to see if the gate was locked. I was a guy who planned things through and was usually ready for the unexpected, like having the bolt cutters, locks, camouflage tarp and even the police scanner. But criminals always make mistakes. Like I did dropping that cut lock. Sometimes it all comes down to luck.