|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It all started out easily enough, as Casey, Tim, and a host of family and friends were camping at Long Ravine Resort, located on the shore of beautiful Rollins Lake, just east of the town of Colfax, which is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, about half way between Sacramento and Reno. Casey and Tim had planned the trip for weeks, and had taken quite a bit of time to plan, and prepare an elaborate camp. Not to mention that we allowed them to borrow Sharlene's van and my truck, as their vehicles weren't large enough to hold the amount of camping "stuff" that their expedition required. Yes, it was a strange sight watching two of our vehicles drive away without Sharlene and I...
Photo: This is just a small portion of the massive camp that Casey, Tim and company set up at Long Ravine campground. All of our generosity came with a price, as I wanted to pay them a visit over the weekend, as we were curious as to what their camp looked like, and neither Sharlene nor I had ever had the opportunity to visit Long Ravine. Sneaky me, as I planned to time our visit so we'd arrive at lunch time, so I could feast on the hot dogs that Casey planned to grill on the propane grill she borrowed from us! Saturday, July 11, 2009 turned out to be weather-perfect, as the day dawned clear, bright and warm, but not at all hot. It turned out to be fortuitous that we had planned to pay them a visit, as Casey gave us a call from her cell phone and detailed a few items that they'd neglected to bring along -- you know how it is when you're on a camping trip; you always forget something... so before making the hour drive from our house to their camp, we stopped at a couple of big-box stores and purchased the necessary supplies.
Photo: Beautiful Rollins Lake offers boating, fishing, swimming, jet skiing, and practically unlimited watersport recreational activities. It turned out that they had quite a camp, as it was a community of about 20 people, with several large tents, all clustered around an open area that contained a fire pit and plenty of comfortable chairs. They even had a separate tent they used for a cook shack, which made for a deluxe camp and helped to keep the pesky mountain yellowjackets at bay. My prophecy was fulfilled, as I was able to enjoy a lunch of two grilled hot dogs. Note that I love hot dogs, and I'll drive an hour for a lunch of hot dogs. You don't believe me? Read all about my hot dog adventures on another section of this web site... Anyway, after an hour of visiting and enjoying a delicious lunch, we decided to head home, as we had things to do, and we didn't want to infringe upon their "mini-vacation" for too long.
Photo: Raylin and Kaylene enjoy a lunch of hot dogs. I've always got my eyes open for new diversions, and today was no different, as on the way to camp, I'd spotted a small sign, labeled "Cape Horn," which would direct you from Rollins Lake Rd., north on to Norton Grade. In case you're thinking that I'm at the southern tip of South America, don't... Cape Horn is a very scenic spot on U.P.'s Donner Pass route, and a very difficult section of railroad to construct back in the 1860's by the Central Pacific Railroad. I've been to Cape Horn many times, but I'd always hiked in, so if there was a quick and dirty way to drive in, I was game for that. I wasn't in the mood to do too much exploring, since Sharlene and I were in our 1996 Toyota Camry, but since the road was paved, and the sign promised that Cape Horn was only four miles away, why not check it out and file it away for future reference when the railfan urge arises? So we turned off on to Norton Grade Road, followed it for a bit, and then turned east on Cape Horn Road. After following the still-paved, winding road, we finally came to an unmarked intersection; I followed my instinct and continued east, eventually going under Interstate 80. I later found out that this unmarked road was Carpenter Road, thanks to my GPS.
Photo: This is what happens when you can't see a 6" drop off the road, as you're trying to turn around. That's the Interstate 80 undercrossing in the background of the photo. As we emerged from crossing under the interstate, I could see the railroad tracks in the distance, so I knew we were heading in the right direction. On the east side of the interstate, Carpenter road becomes a narrow, still-paved, winding road that begins to wind up a small hill, in the direction of the railroad tracks. However, we weren't to reach the tracks, as we rounded a blind corner, we came to a locked gate that prevented access to the railroad tracks by car. (I'd guess it would be less than a quarter mile hike to the tracks from here) Nothing else to do but back up a couple hundred yards to the interstate, or find a wide spot to turn around in. I'm not a huge fan of backing up for a hundred yards or so, so I elected to use a wide spot in the road just a few yards behind us. So I simply backed the car to the spot, swung the back end up against the cliff, and gingerly nosed the car forward, towards the dropoff. It was to be a three-point maneuver, as there appeared to be ample room to turn the Camry around and be on our way. It wasn't to happen... you know what can happen to the best laid plans of mice and men, as the front end of the car went off the pavement with a slight THUD, and all forward motion stopped. I gently goosed the gas pedal, but all I got for my efforts was the sound of gravel rattling against the fenders, and the smell of burning rubber. I killed the engine and got out to take a look, and it didn't take a dose of rocket science to ascertain the fact that we were stuck, and wouldn't be going anyplace.
Photo: We had the doors open for ventilation, as the temperature was around 90 degrees. I simply chose the wrong place to turn around. In retrospect, I should have backed down the hundred yards or so... The road and the turnout were wide enough, but the problem was that I'd picked the exact spot where the pavement dropped off about 6", as I couldn't see the drop-off from the car. If I'd been a couple of feet in either direction, I'd been ok, but a low-slung, 1996 Toyota Camry sedan can't overcome a 6" drop, so here we were, with no alternative but to call for help. Getting stuck isn't fun, but if we HAD to get stuck, we'd picked a pretty good location and date, as: 1)
We we within sight of Interstate 80 And probably the most important thing to be happy about was both of our cell phones worked. Hallelujah! So it was simply a matter of calling AAA, explaining to them our predicament, give them our location, and wait until the tow truck arrived. Inconvenient to say the least, but not at all life-threatening.
Photo: The locked gate is barely visible in the photo, and it's good that Carpenter Road doesn't receive any traffic. We passed the hour-and-a-half wait by talking, surfing the web on our cell phones, and picking wild blackberries from a nearby bush. By the time Dan, the tow truck driver arrived, we were bored, hot and tired, but Dan, and Sierra Towing are professionals, and he had us on our way in only a matter of a few minutes.
Photo: Dan, the tow truck guy, is starting to winch the Camry around.
Photo: Dan attached the winch to the front of the car and gently pulled me forward, and placed a 4x4 under the rear wheel to soften the fall. When he had me clear of the road, he had me drive slowly forward. There was no damage to our Camry, but it did get very dusty from this encounter with the dirt. When will I ever learn to "look before I leap"? I've been stuck before, click on this link to visit some of the stucks that I've had, but I've never been stuck in the Camry before, despite the fact that I've been driving it for over 10 years, and its been all over the western United States, and on some of the wild roads of Baja California. I guess as long as I go to the mountains, there will be stucks, so I plan to keep my phone charged, my AAA membership current, and plenty water in the car. Sierra-Towing-AAA Towing Copyright(c) 2009 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custon photography for any occasion...
|
