You were traveling overland to get to a destination, so it counts.
When I was 19 I had a flat fixed at the local garage in Arcata CA on my way home from college. 45 miles later I was on the side of the road with 1 lug nut still there with 3 threads left. Borrowed one from each wheel and got going again.
Adjusted carb to a fast idle to make it back home after throttle cable broke on 68 Chevy a long time ago.
Left a trail of ATF from Clear Creek offroad park to Hollister in a 69 Chevy back about 1987. 4:11 positraction worked well, but the El Camino lacked ground clearance to play in the 4x4 park.
Changed water pump in a parts store parking lot in Eureka, 360 miles from home on a 69 Chevy back then too.
Broke valve spring on same 69 Chevy near Ferndale, CA. Drove it that way all the way to Vegas. Pulled both heads, had them redone, changed cam, then drove back to Eureka CA.
Same Chevy had to be pulled after sinking to the axles in soft sand dunes at Clam Beach, CA one 2 AM adventure.
Blew out waterpump bearings and threw all belts, Somoa Peninsula, CA
69 Chevy torque converter grenaded internally somewhere north of Ukia CA.
Rebuilt Holey carb in Los Banos, CA parts store parking lot.
Changed a fuel pump in 76 Cherokee in the Napa parking lot in Coarsegold CA.
Brake power booster blew on 76 Cherokee while on the breaks hard in traffic. You couldn't slide a credit card between it and the car in front of me when I came to a stop. Bent steering wheel from pulling up with both hands while pushing brake with both feet with all my 6'4" 285 lbs pumped on adrenaline.
Been towed twice from near Cramer Junction to Mohave CA, once with a dead transmission in a 69 Chevy, and the other time a dead shorted battery in a 68 Chevy. Years apart, same tow truck driver.
Changed belt tensioner and idler pulley in a parts store parking lot in Vegas on an 03 Chevy.
Cut wrapped up steel belts off a inner dually when the tire exploded somewhere outside of Las Cruces, NM. That was fun going with only a multiplier on hand.
Changed lower radiator hose on the top of Sams Town parking garage (Vegas) on an 84 Z28 mid day middle of summer about 1990 ish.
Drove 76 Cherokee for 10 years with two ratchet straps holding the transfer case to the rear crossmember, broke mount off of adapter plate while wheeling. Straps let the frame flex a bit better so wasn't in a hurry to fix it.
Replaced a crushed bumpstop spacer in the 03 Grand Cherokee with a petrified piece of 2x4 found at the campsite in Warm Springs/Saline Valley.
Crushed skid plate and crossmember into oil pan in 2001 Tahoe on Mengel Pass in Death Valley. I could see witness marks on oil pan when I pried it out (that was a close one!).
Changed a fan clutch in a park parking lot in Burns Oregon.
Put the electric fan blades through the radiator doing a water crossing in a 69 Chevelle on a road it shouldn't have been on. It was a little deeper than anticipated! Limped 10 miles to find someone with a phone.
Lost function of GM HEI distributers twice over the years on the open highway.
In the Malheur forest in Oregon loaned my battery so the team could weld up a broken off road trailer frame. Everyone was bitching it was too hard to pull the battery on their new Rubicons.
Lastly, 3 times in the last 2 years lost power steering on a treacherous road in 01 Tahoe (water pump bearing went and threw belt on a curve 1st time, pulley shaft broke on a curve second time, and unknown the third time, it just started working moments later after I stopped and popped the hood to find nothing out of place). I think the Tahoe wants to kill me.
Stuff happens if you spend time on the road, that is all I recall off the top of my head while distracted by work (LOL). Modern black box digital vehicles scare me. They either work or not, and not much you can do. So know your vehicle, carry tools, and most importantly perform due diligences on preventative maintenance.
