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After I got done laughing at this I reconsidered packing along some sturdy wooden stakes and some strapping my next time out in Death Valley. Hey, maybe I could offer someone else stuck a "deal they could not refuse", half the tow charge of the Miller Brothers, to extricate them with the sticks and straps method?
That'd cover all my expenses for just one trip back to my favorite national park.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSwDWbXn9ev/...hare_sheet
Life begins in Death Valley
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Cute hack, but its equally likely that the log or the tie cords would fail before the vehicle was extracted.
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(2021-08-25, 08:07 PM)netllama Wrote: Cute hack, but its equally likely that the log or the tie cords would fail before the vehicle was extracted.
You're probably correct. I don't want to be the first one with a similar video taken inside the park but if I'm desperate it might happen!
Life begins in Death Valley
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Creative solution for sure. All you need is to find a nearby log
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(2021-08-26, 08:59 AM)MojaveGeek Wrote: Creative solution for sure. All you need is to find a nearby log
And logs like that would be hard to find near, for example, the Eureka Dunes!
I've been carrying two small pieces of plywood in case they're needed for traction in vehicle recovery efforts (after reading a discussion on this forum a while back about advice if stuck in sand or gravel), though fortunately since I'm trying to be very careful I haven't needed to use them yet.
Link to my DV trip reports, and map of named places in DV (official and unofficial): http://kaurijacobphotography.yolasite.com
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Yes, I tend to pick up random pieces of wood (lumber) from store dumpsters and such when I rent a car to go out there. I was figuring the floor mats might have some value, not sure. Never been stuck yet though.
Once I was going up the Racetrack Valley road. There was a lot of fresh gravel, must have been dumped in a flood. In order to avoid getting high centered, I had to try to ride the center ridge. But it was not giving me much traction. That road often has high berms, and turning around in the loose gravel was not going to be an option. I had to just tough it out and fight through. I figured the coming back, downhill, it would be a non-issue, and I was right there. A real relief when that gravel ran out.
Now *that* is exactly the info I'd love to be able to ask about at the VC, but all you get is the mantra that says it is a 4WD road. Makes me want to scream. "I've driven it in a sedan 5 times before, I just want to know if conditions are unusual this year". Ask here, much better chance of getting useful info!
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Why didn't/don't you rent an SUV if you are planning to drive the unpaved roads?
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Sometimes I do, but they still have street tires and rarely get 4WD. Clearance helps for sure. But really, there's a lot out there for which a carefully driven sedan is just fine.
