So much outdoorsy stuff!

On one of the many weekend getaways, some friends and I heard about a beached whale near Invercargill. Naturally, we wanted to see it. After a quick burger stop, we set out with warmth and sub both in abundance. As we got closer to the beach, the sun gradually started to disappear. And the wind was picking up. We never made it to the beach; the beach literally came to us. The road was soon covered in sand and visibility was limited to 10 meters. As far as we could see, there was no one else on the road and a friend proposed backing up to prevent sand from flying into the engine. So I turned the car around and realized that I couldn't see behind me (a combination of a trunk full of gear and a few heads were in the way, in addition to the sandstorm.) I didn't want to drive into anything, so I open my door to peak behind me and... WHAM! CRACK! SNAP! My door had just been blown off the hinges and hit the hood of my car yet was somehow still attached. A few seconds after I realized what at happened, I grab the door and pull. But nothing happens. My friend in the passenger seat leans over and together we are able to pull the door into its rightful position. But it won't close...the door is out of alignment. So the guy in the passenger seat holds the door in place, leaning across my lap to do so, while I slowly drive us out of the sandstorm. At this point a cold rain had started to fall so water and sand were flying into the car through the crack between the frame and the door. We pull into a gas station and try to pry the door back into place with tension and several pocket knives but to no avail. We were here on a Sunday and by this point it was past 5 o'clock, meaning most mechanics were probably at home. Eventually the sailor of the group pulls out some parachute cord, cracks the window, and ties the door to the car. As we drive home the rain eventually stops, which delights me because I am no longer getting rained on. It's quite funny that I had the best car of all my friends; the engine didn't make funny sounds, everything worked, and it got great gas mileage. And half of all other international student card had already broken down. Yet on our last weekend outing, my car finally needed repairs. Everyone else was apologetic about what had happened. But I was smiling, knowing very well that the events of the day would one day make a great story.