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| Other than lots of leaves, an electrical mess, an empty gas tank, and a bunch of bird poop, the MULE wasn't too much worse for the wear -- it's now back in business |
Miraculously, our Kawasaki MULE has been recovered . . . and only ~1,000' from where it was brazenly hot-wired and stolen from our shop a month or so ago! "Good neighbor" vigilance lead to an early morning text to Roy -- the UTV had been spotted in a neighboring woodlot, driven (or perhaps pushed) into a thick tangle of dogwood and wild grape less than a quarter mile from our shop. After a call to the sheriff, it was ours to tow home.
I'll spare you all the gory details, but suffice it to say we weren't expecting this. I had already settled with the insurance company, and was resigned to eating a few extra thousand dollars of losses, even after the "replacement" check had cleared. I spent the better part of three weeks scanning Craiglist, Ebay, and other online forums for resale -- both shopping for a replacement and holding out (fading) hope that I might stumble upon our beloved ride.
Even after the recovery (which happened a week ago now already), my communications with the sheriff's office continue -- as they press on to pursue other items that were stolen. Amazingly, the neighboring marsh was broken into just last week. A day or two later, nearly a half million dollars worth of similar equipment was just recovered in Wood County (none of it seems to be ours).
It's a sad state of affairs when you need to convert a conservation project into Fort Knox. But we've definitely had to change our tact. Motion lights are installed. Cameras are now in place. Alarm systems are poised, and locks are now fortified. Anyone highly motivated enough can get into about anything, but we now have a much tighter line of defense.
I feel like the UTV recovery has allowed me to turn the page a bit. It's been a rough month. But now, the insurance check has been returned. The minor damage to the vehicle has been repaired. We are back to management and back to tours. Thankfully, I'm feeling more ready to get back behind the camera . . . back to writing . . . back to business.