Post by Explorer 1 on May 15, 2018 20:22:11 GMT -8
This past stay at our home in "the oaks" we were visited by George Szabo the master Mercedes mechanic and master body repairman. He has heard of the remote 7 oaks dam and reservoir reachable only by 4wd and wanted to see what fish it held. So Sunday he came out and we took the trip out in the Tacoma. I has been there before and the last 100 yards or so you have to drive the riverbed to reach the small lake.
I had no problem last October driving the sandy portion and believed I could do likewise in the Tacoma. Turns out there has been some additional water flow and shifting in the sand since I was last out and after crossing a small stream there was a patch of quicksand. Once the vehicle entered this portion it was all over with, I immediately sunk down to the frame and there was no traction either way.
There was no cell service so I sent George ahead to fish as I decided which mountain I would climb to get cell service. I almost called some of you to come out to help. After walking about a mile I found a small amount of cell service on a rock and called Mina back at the oaks, our good neighbor RJ and Anna came on out with their Toyota Tacoma 4wd and some tow straps and chains.It tool about and hour and a half for them to get to where I was. After several tries where we broke two tow straps without my Tacoma moving an inch we left it there and rode back in the rear of the pickup to George's car parked on the pavement near the trail beginning. George gave me a ride home where I picked up the SMB with it's 12,000 lb winch and I drove back to the oaks arriving around 11:30 pm.
Up the next morning taking Mina with me we drove out to the abandoned Taco, hooked up my big chain to the winch and slowing broke the hold the quicksand held. Once out on the firmer sand the Taco easily turned around on its own and back we went to the oaks.
This was after we shoveled out what we could, all that happened was the sand was replaced by black soupy water.
Chaining up:
The rescuer:
Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1
P.S. George said there was "nothing" alive in that lake. Seems the chemicals used to fight the fires a couple of years ago all washed down to the lake and pretty much killed everything that was in it. so we nic named it the Lake of Death"
I had no problem last October driving the sandy portion and believed I could do likewise in the Tacoma. Turns out there has been some additional water flow and shifting in the sand since I was last out and after crossing a small stream there was a patch of quicksand. Once the vehicle entered this portion it was all over with, I immediately sunk down to the frame and there was no traction either way.
There was no cell service so I sent George ahead to fish as I decided which mountain I would climb to get cell service. I almost called some of you to come out to help. After walking about a mile I found a small amount of cell service on a rock and called Mina back at the oaks, our good neighbor RJ and Anna came on out with their Toyota Tacoma 4wd and some tow straps and chains.It tool about and hour and a half for them to get to where I was. After several tries where we broke two tow straps without my Tacoma moving an inch we left it there and rode back in the rear of the pickup to George's car parked on the pavement near the trail beginning. George gave me a ride home where I picked up the SMB with it's 12,000 lb winch and I drove back to the oaks arriving around 11:30 pm.
Up the next morning taking Mina with me we drove out to the abandoned Taco, hooked up my big chain to the winch and slowing broke the hold the quicksand held. Once out on the firmer sand the Taco easily turned around on its own and back we went to the oaks.
This was after we shoveled out what we could, all that happened was the sand was replaced by black soupy water.
Chaining up:
The rescuer:
Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1
P.S. George said there was "nothing" alive in that lake. Seems the chemicals used to fight the fires a couple of years ago all washed down to the lake and pretty much killed everything that was in it. so we nic named it the Lake of Death"