----- In response to an email from a friend inquiring whether I'd found my iPhone after 'losing' it.
Nope- Alan didn't find my phone. The short version of the rest of the story is that I do have my phone -the glass is cracked/broken but it works. Let me tell you a LOONNNNGNGGGGG story.
The back story- Jen, Kim and I rode mountain bikes at Wildlife last night-Alan joined us after work. We all left for Ludys. Just as I arrived there I realized that 'd left my iPhone on the hood of my car while at WPSP. So, I ordered me up a beer and burger drove back to the parking lot, figuring the phone would have slid off right away on the bouncy exit. With Alans phone, I called around, looked around and drove, and stopped at spots along Taylor road, with no luck. After we ate, Alan drove back to look around.
I drove home. Alan came in just behind, having no luck. I hit the 'locate my iStuff' on my iPad to find my phone -it appeared to be at the bottom of the hill on Taylor road near the rumble strips, off the right edge. That made sense to me. It must have stayed stuck to the hood until I was braking over the rumble strips. So I headed back out at 10:45 wearing flimsy sweatpants with no more elastic in the waist, sturdy shoes, a headlamp, flashlight and Alan’s phone to call 'Bev' and stalk my phone using the Google Latitude app.
I pulled off the edge of Taylor road, called 'Bev' and heard no response. Yes, I did have the ringer on. Checking Google Latitude- it showed my phone about 1.5 miles SE of that spot at the corner of a field/pasture. Huh?! So I started thinking that I was tracking some animal that liked the ringer on my phone, or the rubber human smell. Not really logically thinking that the only animal that could probably do this would have been a chimpanzee, or one heck of an awesome raccoon.
I drove down Goetz Rd to Christ Church Rd and parked at the base of a gravel lane to a barn. I walked west up behind the barn. Reaching a sturdy fence topped with barbed wire, just beyond, over a rise, were about 5 pairs of glowing eyes. I had no idea what kind of animals were attached to those eyes…so I retreated to pick a different attack point to the phone.
Driving back on Goetz Rd a bit, I parked at an opening to a bean field and walked NW. Hitting another sturdy fence to a pasture-like field, I surveyed to find no eyes…so climbed over and trekked across that pasture to the NW and over another fence into a cornfield. All the while, I feel like I should be in a 'hood somewhere, stylin’ my droopy drawers, hoisting them up every so often. I couldn't even put the phone in a pocket, as that pulled them down to full moon status.
I rimmed the cornfield heading north and met another sturdy fence. My phone was still maybe a quarter mile due north across a pasture. Knowing how close I was to Wildlife Park, not knowing just exactly where their property ended, and seeing how well trodden the perimeter of this field was...I stood a long while debating whether to go on. I decided to retreat again and go into the park at daylight and approach from the park road.
I walked the corn and bean fields back to my car and checked Google Latitude one more time from Alan’s phone. WHAT!!! My phone has moved SE across Christ Church Rd into a creek line. This dang animal must be loving my phone!
I drove back to Christ Church- picked a cornfield running east into the ravine and hustled to cut this animal off from any further south-eastward travel. At this point I have no idea what time it is, and I don't care...I'm so close to this phone, it's alive, and I want it back! I would wrassle me a grisly bear if it came to that!
All the while, I am really enjoying my impromptu night orienteering event. I just can't find the darn control! It's a pleasant temperature, low humidity, a light breeze, no mosquitoes, partly cloudy and a moon just beginning to rise in the east...what time was that??? My only regret was knowing that I'd still go to work tomorrow/today....
Ok, so out of the creek line, attack from a bean field head in west- I find a nice little 4wheeler trail with glowing spider eyes all about. Makes me wonder what else is falling down my t-shirt, shoes, and droopy pants. I should be standing right on top of my phone. Checking Latitude, that phone hasn't moved. I see me moving- and I'm running circles around it! I turn off my headlamp (wow is it dark!) and call Bev- hoping to see a glow and hear the ring. Nope. So I walk more circles until I am certain that the phone can't be found - the animal must have taken it underground or buried it.
I make my way back to the car and head home, eyes burning, sleepy, and wanting a shower to wash the nature off of me. Getting home- I open the iPad to 'find my iStuff' again. And the dang phone looks to be back on Taylor Road. So I recheck Google Latitude on Alan’s phone- it says "Fooled you! hahahaha! LOOOOOSSSSSERRRRRRRR." Ok- so I trust the iPad now- but can't take it with me to track because it needs an Internet connection to work. So I memorize the exact point on the road-which now looks to be in the median where the lanes separate before the stop sign.
No, I simply can't go back right now. I must wait for daylight...shower...nap....2 hours later- 5AM- I'm back in the car for the 35 minute drive to Taylor Road.
Pulling off just after the flood berm, I walk to the median and voila! a face down iPhone is just shouting at me to pick it up. I didn't even have to call it.
I've already researched how to do-it-yourself iPhone glass replacement- there's a great uTube video if anyone else needs such a thing.
The moral of the story?? so you expect something like...never put your phone on the hood of a car??? well, no-
I'll say: Never trust Google Latitude, cuz the car hood thing is probably gonna happen again someday. Maybe just so I'll get in another good night-o*
*(orienteering)
~bev
