Gravel Roads Confound Secret Service

Sioux Falls Argus Leader ^ | 12/08/2001 | Staff Reports

[SoDak]

Although Vice President Dick Cheney had good luck hunting pheasants during his recent stay at a Sully County lodge, the Secret Service didn't fare as well when it came to driving on nearby gravel roads.

Two Secret Service agents were in accidents - one involving the rollover of a large sport utility vehicle. The vice president was not riding with either of the agents, who were apparently on routine patrol.

[billorites]

"Both accidents occurred Nov. 5 in Sully County."

Well, so much for the undisclosed secure location!

[go star go]

when i was a kid we used to drive gravel roads at 70 miles an hour or so. you get used to them...

[SoDak]

Sully county is about the size of Rhode Island, so it would likely still be undisclosed and secure. By the way, if the secret service needs it, I'm willing to give lessons on driving the gravels, as long as they are buying the beer. ;)

[Straight Vermonter]

"Some of those guys hadn't ever seen one," Stahl said. "It's just good-ol' county gravel roads. If you get too far to the edge, you can get all topsy-turvy. We see a lot of them around here."

Never seen a dirt road? Wow, it hardly seems possible. I remember when I saw a paved road for the first time...

[AngrySpud]

"It could have happened to anybody."

No, just to someone who was driving too fast.

Watch for some news story to comment on SUVs' tendency to roll over too easy.

[IronJack]

You can't beat the pheasant hunting in South Dakota. Not even in Iowa. But I learned a long time ago that those birds are smarter than I am. They don't go walking 10 miles through corn stubble carrying a 50-pound shotgun so they can blast some pot-bellied old geezer and cook up his rubbery, gamey carcass. They just hide in the brush and fly up 10 steps behind wherever you are, laughing all the way.

Hunting pheasant without a good dog is like humping a pack full of cement blocks uphill to your sister's ballet recital.

[gcruse]

. I remember when I saw a paved road for the first time...

I remember, back in the 40's, seeing a steam engine
navigate a grade crossing right in front of our car for
the first time in my life.  Man, that was awesome.

[meyer]

The best vehicle to have on a gravel road is a 2 wheel drive pickup truck. So much fun can be had. Yeeeee Haw!!!!

[SoDak]

I've never used a dog. But then I had the advantage of knowing the terrain almost as well as the pheasants.

[Husker24]

Ive taken gravel roads at 70mph quite often, as long as i know the road. I was with a friend once and he was driving 120mph on gravel one time, that was a little much for me, I was getting kind of pissed. People that live in out in the country are used to it, just dont over stear, and over brake. Its best just to let your foot off of the gas and not brake while slowly easing away from the side of the road when in a hairy situation.

[Valin]

By the way, if the secret service needs it, I'm willing to give lessons on driving the gravels, as long as they are buying the beer. ;)

What a guy! It's a dirty thankless job but somebodies got to do it.

[alloysteel]

So much for keeping the whereabouts of the Vice President out of the news....although this news item is actually a few weeks old, and does not disclose the present location of VPOTUS.

[BlessedBeGod]

Looks like Clinton screwed up Secret Service training, too.

[Pistias]

70 is d*mn scary--floating down the road! Just DON'T move the wheel!

[go star go]

I suppose it's like driving a boat. You anticipate. :-)

[Leisler]

Even worse is coming the other way, on a curve. Nobody do noth'n!

[Prince Caspian]

when i was a kid we used to drive gravel roads at 70 miles an hour or so. you get used to them...

Handles more like a boat than car. Don't make any abrupt moves.

[ParityErr]

During wheat harvest we never needed guns much less dogs. We would drive our 4x4s throught the stubble until a pheasant would fly up. Now since pheasants fly in a straight line and at about grill height it was easy to chase them down and whack them with the grill. We would then stop, pick them up and toss them into the pickup bed. During harvest was the only time we could eat them without having to worry about chomping down on a lead pellet.