Midwestern's Road from Hell Post: Lolo Motorway

Wow!

The fearless path you chose to navigate has to be respected.

With all the adventures you have taken over the last few years, I imagine this was nothing special. For the rest of us, it was special indeed.

All of us T1N owners can sometimes wish we had a 'true' 4 wheel drive system available, or at least a rear locker. I suspect you do too after this last adventure. Chains and tractions ramps works, with all the mud, outside and in, notwithstanding.

You have developed the cajones from many such off road adventures to back you up over the last few years.

Good on you and yours, and thanks for continuing to share your adventures here in the states. You are an inspiration.
 

fosterama

Active member
Greasing around on mud is a terrible feeling and 4 wheel drive doesn't matter when gravity dictates which way your van goes on snake snot roads.
While Jen and Jonathan were doing their awesome epic self rescue- my wife and I had a not nearly as gnarly situation in Utah.
We camped near Bears Ears about 4 miles in from pavement and had over an inch of rain overnight despite the forecast of "showers".
Wednesday I scouted the track out for a ways and it seemed kinda wet and sketchy but tried to drive out anyway.
After 5 minutes the sand turned to clay and we were hosed for any kind of traction.

muddy tracks.JPG

We were slopping around down the mud and as soon as the road went slightly off level the rear end slid down into the bank while the front wheels stayed higher and there we were at a 45 degree angle with the left quarter panel rubbing against the bank and roots.

tracks at a 45 degree angle.JPG

Luckily there was a brief sandy patch and we got enough traction to get centered again.
We camped right there for the next day and a half till the roads dried out enough to hit the highway.
No damage except for a scuffed rear panel and a big scare for what could have been more dire consequences.

quarter panel scuff.JPG

A lesson I've had before got ignored about muddy roads.
We should have stayed at the higher campsite all along till it was dry enough but impatience got the better of common sense...

:bash:
 

glasseye

Well-known member
We should have stayed at the higher campsite all along till it was dry enough but impatience got the better of common sense...
:bash:
That's the whole trouble with experience as a teacher. With experience, the test comes first. THEN the lesson. :idunno:

I've been nearly caught in that exact same scenario. Good on ya for simply staying put for a day or so while things dried out. But isn't a rainstorm in the desert a delightful event? :rad:
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
To be fair, that was an alternate route to/from the Lolo Motorway. The actual motorway is rocky, and much nicer after some rain. Easily doable for a shorter 2WD with skilled driver. It was also very scenic.

The entire region was bone dry, but it literally started raining that morning.

We were over by Bears Ears about 3 weeks ago. That clay really turns slick after even a briefest shower. We had to pay close attention off the pavement.

In West Australia the Pilbara is an interesting place. Dry for some 10 months of the year, most of the roads are built on or across washes, and are basically this mix of dust and rock. When rain is forecast, everyone leaves the backcountry in a hurry. After just half an inch of rain, the roads become 12" of sticky mud, and are closed. If you drive on a closed road, you are liable for road repair in the 10s of thousands of dollars.

It wasn't until the late 70s that most of the "rivers" were bridged at a height above 4ft or so. The old crossings (basically water covered concrete for weeks) are still there, and many are now rest areas/free camps. They have no guard rails, 2-4ft drop offs, and can have 5+ ft of raging water flowing over them in the wet.
 
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vanski

If it’s winter, I’m probably skiing..
You’re really lucky to have a helpful partner MWD! Every time I get stuck I have to do 100% of the work and there’s little to no optimism (although I always get us out of the dicey situation every time).
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Yeah, she's got her quirks, but she's a keeper. We have a lot of experience with this kind of thing though. We often come across situations that seem insurmountable or unsolvable but cool heads and mutual trust has managed to bring us through. Although it took a while for us to get there.
 

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