This is one of those places that kids learn a lot about nature just by being outdoors. So every week or so we take a ride up here, check on the progress of the frog eggs, tadpoles, snakes, poison ivy, frogs and fly traps.
I have been stuck in the mud (the worst yet) and got a flat tire (which led to my tire upgrade), so even though this place is tame by off-road standards, it has provided some interesting "moments".
I get a couple minutes in 4-Wheel-Drive if the weather has been wet, and the kids get to play in the water. The first time I came out here, it was still early spring. It looked like the trail might go further so I brought the whole family and we headed out to see where the road went.
After crossing a small trickle, we found the trail went up a hill and ended in brambles. So I turned around and started back out the way we came. On the way in, the trickle had evidence of someone getting stuck (lots of tree branches and deep ruts) so I had crossed downstream a couple yards. It went well so I figured that going back out I should do the same thing.
It didn't work out very well. As soon as I had dropped off the bank into the stream, the whole vehicle became mired. The upward slope on the far bank was steep enough that the front wheels didn't get any traction. I couldn't go backwards because the rear bumper was up against the bank.
Needless to say, my city-dwelling wife was not amused and got more nervous by the minute. The Jeep was not going anywhere and certainly was not going to sink or capsize, but we were pretty well stuck. Well to make a long story short, I was able to jack up the rear, put some things under the vehicle, and then get it facing downstream. Then I drove downstream a few yards and exited the streambed. The only problem was that I was still on the wrong side of the stream. So I decided that I had best try the route that everyone else had used in the past.
The sides of the stream were less sloped and even though the area looked muddy, it turned out to be pretty easy to cross it. That was the last time we crossed that stream. Maybe on another day when another vehicle is there I might try again...
These days, we just go out and see what's swimming around in the stream and talk about what's happening. The kids look forward to it as much as I do.
Note: Since this is primarily about the kids, there are some other shots below that were taken about the same time as the off-road pictures. This is powder-puff off-road stuff, but it is a place we regularly go for the kids sake so it is here for both reasons. Hard-core Off-Roaders will probably be bored by these photos...
8/2001
We went up here to see if we could find the frogs that grew from the tadpoles and found the entrance blocked with sawed logs. It was still possible to go around them but it seemed likely that they were placed there to prevent people with cars from entering. So rather than push it, we have stopped going here. :-(
Waypoint
Lat/Long. Description 167 N 39 14 37.6 W 77 17 11.8 Entrance
| Image | Name | Size | Description |
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Hugh Webb plowing garden | 102K | Spring 2001 |
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Hugh Webb plowing garden | 108K | Spring 2001 |
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Hugh Webb plowing garden | 129K | Spring 2001 |
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Watching Hugh plow the garden | 66K | Spring 2001 |
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