I was stuck alongside the road on Hutton Ranch Road on a recent afternoon when my car slid off into a two-foot shoulder of snow. What made matters more insane was the fact that I got out (while the car was idling) to check the “conditions” and closed the car door behind me — now I was LOCKED out of my running car stuck in two feet of snow.

I’m cold, it’s 17 degrees. It was a pretty good feeling of helplessness and then, voila! the Flathead County citizenry came to my rescue!  Many cars stopped and offered any assistance they could and I worried that I could cause an accident as there was really not much of any shoulder, just “snow” pile up.  

A sweet gentleman (I think his name was John Taggart) and his wife and three beautiful children became my host “family” coming to my rescue. They kept me warm in their red Dodge van while I called the auto club. The auto club was busy and didn’t know when they could get a truck to my rescue, but, “It would be by 5 p.m. for sure,” I was told. Five p.m.?  With my car running? She told me to call the police. I did, and a young officer came out and swiftly got me back into my vehicle where I proceeded to wait for another contract truck in the area to help me out. As I waited and was getting cold, another gentlemen knocked on my window and asked if I needed to be pulled out.

SURE, and a few moments later I was on my way home.  

Thank you, good Samaritans! —Linda Johnson, Kalispell