If you’ve made it this far into the site, you probably have a pretty good idea of how the story I’m about tell will end. This is a long post, so you may want to get your snacks and beverage now. Here’s how the story begins…

I’ve owned a few different cars in my past, but I’ve never owned a car that I chose.  The Rover was the first vehicle I’ve ever researched, found, and purchased on my own.  I first drove a Discovery in my search to replace my electrically challenged Volkswagen Passat.  I needed a vehicle that had the ability to tow: boats, motorcycles, trailers, you name it – I’ve probably towed it.  I wanted a vehicle that was great in the snow – the Discovery wasn’t just great, it was incredible in the snow.  

I test drove many cars including a Chevy Astro Van, Isuzu Trooper, Mitsubishi Montero, but by far, the Land Rover Discovery was my favorite.  The first Discovery I drove was located in Minneapolis.  It was a beat up and tired old truck, but as soon as I entered its cabin, the driver’s seat coddled me in leather comfort, the interior wrapped around me like a fine European sedan.  The Discovery was quite impressive to drive – very little body roll and great handling.  Alas, this Discovery was far past its prime.  Shortly after my spree of test drives, my Passat broke down in the rain once again.  A 75,000 volt shock was the last straw – I needed to find a Discovery.

I found my Discovery Series II in Chicago.  Actually, I found two identical Discoveries in Chicago.  After a long day, I struck up an incredible deal on the 2002 Land Rover Discovery Series II and handed over the keys to my ‘95 Passat.  Now I just had to worry about getting home – was I ready to pay $4 a gallon for premium fuel, only to purchase another 20+ gallons 300 miles later?  That question was quickly answered when gas prices plummeted just a week after my purchase.

The Discovery (Disco for short) did everything I asked of it and more. I (and friends) had many great times in and with that truck. From being stuck at an undisclosed location near the Wisconsin River to hauling motorcycles all over the state and taking the boat down to the lake, the Disco did it all. It was especially at home off the road.

Well, that’s all over now. Here’s what happened…

I’ve been trying to teach myself photography for the last year, so I thought it would fun to go out and get some practice shooting things in motion. The ice was reported to be around 15″ thick where the ice races were held. It was certainly thick enough to support our shop truck and trailer:

I spent around 2 hours on the ice snapping photos of the various racers. Now, I don’t claim to be a pro photographer, but I think a good number of my shots show some promise, I just need more practice and to get a bit better with PhotoShop (I’d also like to pick up some nicer glass, but due to recent events, that may not happen for a long time…):

While I was shooting, a few small planes had flown over head and then landed a few miles south from where the ice races were being held (shit picture, I know, I didn’t have a long enough lens):

After I was done shooting the racers, I decided I’d venture south towards where the planes had landed. I drove around 4 miles south, so I was towards the other side of the lake now. There were still plenty of people in trucks on the ice all over the lake, so I had assumed the ice was pretty thick just about everywhere.

I never did find the planes, so I stopped to ask directions to a boat launch in the direction that I needed to go after leaving the lake. The gentlemen pointed southwest and said I’d be able to get out there. I never found the boat launch, but I did see a beach in that area, so I headed towards it.

About 115 yards off shore and doing around 25 mph, suddenly the front end plunges into the water as I hear a loud crunch. The engine stops, the electrical goes completely dead. I’m completely “dead in the water” – the only sound I hear is a gurgling from the front of the truck. I’m a pretty calm and methodical person, still, I’m very surprised that I did not panic in this situation. I thought for no more than a second about what needed to happen next.

My first thought was to try opening the door. I wasn’t under water, most of the truck was still above water – there shouldn’t be much pressure at all on the door. It wouldn’t open.

I don’t remember this, but I must have put the car in park thinking that would allow the door locks to release. Still nothing.

I cycled the ignition a few times to see if I could regain any electrical power. Nothing.

I tried the passenger door. It wouldn’t open.

Then I tried the window switches. Nothing worked. I tried the sun roof switches, nothing.

My next thought was to break a window. I grabbed my aluminum land rover bottle and smashed at the driver’s side window. That did nothing but smash the water bottle and give me a bruised hand.

At this point, about 20 seconds (or so it seemed) had elapsed. In the first 10-15 seconds, the truck stayed pretty water tight – no water was entering through the door seals. However, as the truck pitched down slightly, water was given a path through the ventilation and was quickly entering the cabin through the lower vents. My boots were sitting in water at this point.

I tried pressing on the sunroof as hard as I could. I was able to see about 3 inches of daylight, but I couldn’t overcome the mechanism. As soon as I released pressure, the sunroof closed.

As I looked forward over the hood I could see water almost up to the windshield, the front end was pitching down about 15 degrees. It was time to cease activity in the front seats and try elsewhere.

I hopped into the back seat and tried the rear doors. Nothing. The window switches were still not working. I looked forward and could see water gushing in through the lower vents and the upper vents were starting to flow water. I could see the water level on the windshield now. I Looked down and my boots were sitting in 6 inches of water. I knew I didn’t have long.

I think 30 seconds had elapsed by now.

I jumped into the rear of the truck and tried the rear door. Nothing. Then I looked down at the floor and realized I still had my 5 ton come-along in the truck. I thought to myself, “This is probably my last chance to escape this thing, this better work.” I picked up the come-along, and swung that thing as hard as I could at the rear window.

Glass shattered everywhere, cold air gushed into the rear. Freedom.

I climbed out onto the rear bumper and was now standing in 6″ of water with my feet planted on the rear bumper. There was a man and his son about 200 feet away walking on the ice. He was shouting, “Don’t walk, crawl!”

I was about to dive onto the ice when I remembered my camera and cell phone were still in the truck.

You’re damn right, I climbed back in there and grabbed my camera bag from the back seats (about $2,500 invested in that thing) and then grabbed my iPhone from the center console. I forgot my headphones.

As I climbed out again, I looked to the front of the truck. Water was now gushing in quickly through the upper vents. The water level inside the truck was now even passing above the center console.

I threw my camera bag onto the ice, then dove flat onto the ice. I crawled maybe two feet and then realized that the ice was plenty thick to walk on. I got up, picked up my camera bag and then calmly walked to shore.

It took no more than 45 seconds for the truck to settle on the bottom of the lake. As I watched, I realized that the front passenger/right side window had opened. It wasn’t open while I was trying to escape the truck (and after seeing the truck out of the water the next day, it certainly wasn’t shattered). I have no idea how or why it went down.

The man that saw it happen right in front of him had called 911. He handed me his phone. I asked the operator not to send medical attention. I had blood all over my hands, but the cuts were minor. Only my pants had become wet, and I had moisture wicking long underwear on underneath.

While waiting, I snapped the photo that portrays the imminent death of my rover that you’ve likely seen by now:

I waited about 20 minutes in the cold air, adrenaline still pumping through me, before 2 deputy sheriff’s arrived. They couldn’t believe how calm and collected I was. I was actually smiling and joking around with them. They took a statement and shortly after the DNR warden showed up – I thought I was going to get the double wammy – a ticket from cops and the DNR.

Turns out I didn’t get ticketed by the police and the DNR warden told me I had 30 days to remove it before I started receiving a daily fine.

I asked the sheriff which towing company may be equipped to extract the truck. He said that he could not recommend a company as that would be showing favoritism and is illegal. I replied, “At this point, I really don’t fµcking care about that. Just tell me three different companies and I’ll pick one.”

He caved in and said that I90 Enterprises was close by. I told him, “Sounds good, let’s get them on the horn.” He had dispatch call them and ask them to come to our location.

They arrived in 10 minutes and couldn’t believe it. They had no idea how they were going to get it out. They formulated a few plans, but decided to wait until the next day to start on anything (it was 3:30 in the afternoon at this time). They estimated the truck was in 4 to 5 feet of water. Then they asked me what kind of truck it was. “It’s a Discovery”, I replied. They responded, “Son of a bitch, one of them real tall motherfµckers. Must be at least 6 feet of water there.”

What did I do next? You’re damn right, I went to the bar. “I’ll take a Jameson on the rocks, a double. Wait, make that a triple. You better pour a second one while you’re at it, I’ll be needing it.”

And that’s the end, well, it’s the end of this chapter in the rover story. Now begins the recovery, rescue, and replacement of the Rover.