Holy Mud.

[nfpgasmask]

First off, I just want to say thanks to Scott for making and maintaining this forum. Without it, I would not have met my Reno boys, and I quite honestly don't know who else I would have called, except maybe a tow truck, which would have probably cost me a few stacks at least.

Now, onto the fun. At the end of our street, is a dirt road, which leads down a small hill to a shallow (in places) drainage canal. I wanted to cross this little waterway to get to the dirt road behind it, which leads off into the foothills. There is another way to get to said dirt road, but it is kind of outta the way. So I drove along the canal until I found a suitable crossing spot, and I took it. Everything was great until I reached the other side which was basically a freakin sink hole of quicksand. As soon as I got across I was stuck. This is the kind of mud that when you stand on it you will sink in up to your knees in seconds. The VX is slightly heavier than me, and so this is what happened.

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/01.jpg

My front right tire was all but completely covered. I knew I wasn't getting out of this mess alone.

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/02.jpg

So I called Clint who thankfully lives only one exit away. And he came right away. Thanks again, dude.

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/03.jpg

I broke out the tow strap and got unstuck rather quickly with Clint's VX pulling.

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/04.jpg

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/05.jpg

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/06.jpg

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/11.jpg

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/07.jpg

After I got out and back on flat road, I felt the wobble. There was so much mud packed into my wheels that my VX was riding incredibly off balance. I went to the car wash and pressure cleaned as much of it out as I could, but I think I am going to need to take all my wheels off one at a time and really get in there, which sucks, but I gotta do it.

Anyway, stay away from those tar pits! And thanks again, Clint for the rescue.

Bart

[kodiak]

WTH! How did you get so stuck in the mub and stay so clean.
Do you have some kind of mud retardant paint you need to tell us about.:p

[Ldub]

VX BROS R U L E ! ! :thumbup:

[CrnCnn]

Not a problem homie. Thats what friends are for, especially when friends have a VX.

I wanted to go explore with you some more but as noisy as my front end is I hate to push my luck.

[Moncha]

Now that's what I call love!!!

[etlsport]

good story! being rescued by VX buds is the best!.. not that ive ever gotten overzealous and pushed the VX to the point of getting stuck... :angel:

[VehiGAZ]

Nice work guy!

But how did Clint keep so clean and un-stuck getting to the other side of the drainage?!

[nfpgasmask]

First off, let me just say that this was the first mud hole I have found in Reno. It totally caught me by surprise. Reno is 99% dry, rocky, dusty, and dirty. So this mud was unexpected, to say the least. We had some rain in the last 2 days, and that probably did me in. That little spot is where the mountain run off goes, and I guess it was just water logged and super deep. As soon as I was in it, I didn't bother too much trying to get unstuck myself. I gave it a couple goes, but all that accomplished is sinking deeper. So I called Clint. :)

Now I am riding incredibly off balance. Tonight when I get home I am going to NEED to remove each wheel and clean everything up as best I can. I'm worried my pads and rotors are gonna be trashed after this. :(

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

I wanted to go explore with you some more but as noisy as my front end is I hate to push my luck.

That trail goes all the way back into Storey Co. We took it all the way to Lockwood! I think with my GPS we could find the Petroglyphs that way with no problem. There is a pretty deep network of trails back there and tons of spots to shoot and camp close by.

Bart

[Ldub]

Now I am riding incredibly off balance. Tonight when I get home I am going to NEED to remove each wheel and clean everything up as best I can. I'm worried my pads and rotors are gonna be trashed after this. :(

Bart


Your discs & pads should be fine, but you might want to think about re-packing the front bearings...:_wrench:

[nfpgasmask]

Your discs & pads should be fine, but you might want to think about re-packing the front bearings...:_wrench:

Hmm, yeah. Maybe I should. From looking at my photos, do you think my bearings could have gotten flooded with mud?

Good thinking, Dubster.

Bart

[Ldub]

Hmm, yeah. Maybe I should. From looking at my photos, do you think my bearings could have gotten flooded with mud?

Good thinking, Dubster.

Bart

It's possible, I've found red muck inside my hubs after splashing through 3-4" deep puddles up in northern MN. All the dirt up there was red due to the high iron content of the soil, so there was no doubt where it came from.

[CrnCnn]

Oh, My VX is dirty. I just have yet to get pics. I actually haven’t washed the VX since around April. We just got some rain so it looked clean. Cari was playing in the surrounding puddles in her Jeep while we got Bart out.

[Scott Harness]

VX BROS R U L E ! ! :thumbup:

What he said!!

[creeg]

Awesome story!

[tom4bren]

Bart - mud is the best wheeling!!! IMHO

Eric - Never stuck? :eek: Kids - how quickly they forget Shenandoah???

I was actually slinging a fair amount of GLUB when we left the campsite.

[LittleBeast]

If only everyone was as Johnny on the spot with there cameras, I feel like I was there! Here is the opening scene of the VX movie, basically sums us all up, here to help a fellow VXer, simply because we are all so freaking unique that our extension of ourselves, the VX, brings us together no matter what junk we get ourselves into.......

[nfpgasmask]

Bart - mud is the best wheeling!!! IMHO

LOL, mud is fun when its not you in it! I think mudding is fun in a vehicle you don't care so much about, but in my VX, no sir, I don't like it!


If only everyone was as Johnny on the spot with there cameras, I feel like I was there!

I've actually started carrying my small point-and-shoot camera with me all the time, but in this case I had my good camera with me and I had about 30 minutes on my hands while I was stuck to just sit there and take photos. There were a bunch of wild horses roaming around the area at the time too, I snapped these two shots of a cute baby and another shot of the sun setting.

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/09.jpg

http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/10.jpg

In this shot you can see the little canal I crossed. Stupid.
http://www.nofuture.com/lj/07-21-08/08.jpg

Bart

[tom4bren]

"LOL, mud is fun when its not you in it! I think mudding is fun in a vehicle you don't care so much about, but in my VX, no sir, I don't like it!"

I can relate:)

I used to have a cool pic of my old Dodge stuck to the frame rails in muck ... with a 113 (Armored Personnel Carrier) pulling me out. Really nice shot but lost in the divorce.

[Triathlete]

I think you should return your wheels...they are defective. Those "teflons" are supposed to shed the mud!:bwgy:
Have fun getting all that mud out of everything...for the next couple months. I avoid the stuff now if possible.

[nfpgasmask]

I think you should return your wheels...they are defective. Those "teflons" are supposed to shed the mud!:bwgy:
Have fun getting all that mud out of everything...for the next couple months. I avoid the stuff now if possible.

Well, tonight I am going home, and removing each wheel one at a time to clean everything out. I will scrub my baby's underbelly if I have to. I will probably be at it for 3 hours. Hopefully not more than that, and yes, avoid mud I shall. As I said before, this was 100% a surprise. But thinking back, I guess it was a pretty stupid idea to begin with. :)

Bart

[tom4bren]

"guess it was a pretty stupid idea to begin with."

But a great Kodak moment.

[etlsport]

Eric - Never stuck? :eek: Kids - how quickly they forget Shenandoah???




i have no idea what you are talking about.. ;Db;

[mdwyer]

We may just have a calendar submittal pic...

Agreed. That first pic is beautiful. You sure do have a lot of colors down there!

[CrnCnn]

Nice work guy!

But how did Clint keep so clean and un-stuck getting to the other side of the drainage?!

Hows this? I played in the mud a bit on the way in and on the way out.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jimmylongwong/IMG00073.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jimmylongwong/IMG00074.jpg

Cari was driving back and forth in all the surrounding puddles, hoping some one got stuck
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jimmylongwong/IMG00552.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jimmylongwong/IMG00553.jpg

[nfpgasmask]

Agreed. That first pic is beautiful. You sure do have a lot of colors down there!

Take a look at this higher res version:

http://www.nofuture.com/Dsc_4271.jpg

I am *SHOCKED* with the vividness and clarity the D80 with the 18-200 Nikkor lens is producing. I think also the time of day helped (sunset/sunrise is magic hour), but still. I am in :heart: with this camera setup. If only I had this lens for for Moab!

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah so I pressure washed the wheels for like 10 minutes on my way home from work, and then when I got home I rolled around underneath and removed anything I missed with the pressure washer. I think I am pretty much good to go now. I may still get the bearings repacked anyway, just to be safe.

Bart

[tom4bren]

you do take some great pix Bart. Have you ever surfed around pbase to compare to other amateurs?

[nfpgasmask]

you do take some great pix Bart. Have you ever surfed around pbase to compare to other amateurs?

Amateur? Come on man, at least give me "pro-sumer"!! :)

Yeah, I've been on pbase and flickr, a lot of nice work on both of those sites. Photography is great, been at it since high school. The more I do it, the more I do it. It is sort of an addiction I think. Since I moved out west I have been documenting my life with photos on a fairly regular basis, and is makes looking back a lot more interesting when you have all the photos to go with the memories. And digital photography is simply amazing. I am still awe struck by how many photos you can take on a 4 GIG SD card, and everything is immediate. I just love it. I think everyone should take photos as often as possible and everyone should blog. With the ease of digital photography and the Internet, human beings have been creating a modern digital history of society. Imagine what Deadwood or WWII history would have been like if everyone back then had a digital camera and blog to keep up to date?

Bart

[tom4bren]

"pro-sumer"!!

I wasn't sure of your status so played it conservative. Your photos look pro quality but didn't know if you actually got paid for it.

For my blunder - you may take a photo of some of the mud you got stuck in & throw it at a picture of my Proton.

BTW: The main reason that I like digital is that due to my LACK of expertise - I take 30 pix & pray that 2 turn out.

[nfpgasmask]

"pro-sumer"!!

I wasn't sure of your status so played it conservative. Your photos look pro quality but didn't know if you actually got paid for it.

LOL, no, actually I was exagerating it anyhow. I am nothing more than a hobbyist photographer who has been at it since highschool....


BTW: The main reason that I like digital is that due to my LACK of expertise - I take 30 pix & pray that 2 turn out.

True. Digital does allow a lot more room for error, and a lot more photos, so chances are, you are gonna get at least a few decent shots when you take 200 photos. Problem for me though, is that when I take 200 shots, I want at least 100 good ones, and 50 really nice ones, and 25 stunners and at least 3 or 4 jaw dropping photos. I think there is a definite advantage when you are using nice gear, there is no question. However, I think that quality equipment combined with a strong working knowledge of real photography priciples, and a good understanding of the camera and lens itself, will yield better photos every time. And then there is the "extra mile" that good photographers go to get that special shot. I think creativity does play a part, but there is a lot of technical and a lot of experience.

That said, I think a person with all of the above except for the expensive gear can really take nice shots if they know what they are doing, even if they are using a $200 point and shoot.

Its too bad Jofotoz and Pho2gr4 aren't here to add their 2 cents!

Bart

[tom4bren]

"Problem for me though, is that when I take 200 shots, I want at least 100 good ones, and 50 really nice ones, and 25 stunners and at least 3 or 4 jaw dropping photos."

Sounds like I need to start that poll after all:)

[kodiak]

Bart has some awesome photos. The best pick I’ve ever seen of my baby was one of Bart’s. Print out an 8X10 of my big bee and I’ll give you 5 bucks for it. Then you’ll be a Pro!:p

[nfpgasmask]

Sounds like I need to start that poll after all:)

A poll? :rolleyes:


Bart has some awesome photos. The best pick I’ve ever seen of my baby was one of Bart’s. Print out an 8X10 of my big bee and I’ll give you 5 bucks for it. Then you’ll be a Pro!:p

Which photo are you talking about? I have SEVERAL awesome shots of your bee in Moab. I bet a lot of the ones my wife probably took. I can send you full res shots of whatever ones you want. In fact, I am still planning to get a DVD and book together. August is my month off from travelling/camping/etc. So I should have time to get a lot done (videos, VX Madness updates, etc). Anyway, upload the photo to Walgreens website and go pick up the print at your local Walgreens 2 hours later. 8x10s are like $3 or something. We have used that service for prints several times with pretty good results. I can't wait for Elko. I have a storyboard drawn up for the opening scene!

Bart

[kodiak]

This is it! That would be so cool if you could send that to me. :clap:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/031.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11772)

[nfpgasmask]

This is it! That would be so cool if you could send that to me. :clap:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/031.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=11772)

Sure. I can send it tonight from home with a few others. Can your email accept hi-res (5-6 MB) files?

Bart

[kodiak]

It can, Thanks again!

[nfpgasmask]

It can, Thanks again!

16MB zip file comin' yer way.

Bart

[kodiak]

They are amazing, Thanks! You just made my day. :dance:


16MB zip file comin' yer way.

Bart

[Gussie2000]

Oh yes !

Nothing is better to have your VX towed by one of yours:)


Better than one VX is two VX's together :p

[pbkid]

hey bart did you learn a lesson about mudding without other vehicles nearby to help???? :bwgy:

would have been a bad time if clint wouldnt have answered his phone huh?


yea i wish i had some photo's, the other day i got my VX stuck about half way up the doors in some mud...took some bumpings and yanking by my sisters xterra....had to crawl out the window and on the roof to hook up the tow strap in back...

[Dumke]

Take a look at this higher res version:

http://www.nofuture.com/Dsc_4271.jpg

I am *SHOCKED* with the vividness and clarity the D80 with the 18-200 Nikkor lens is producing. I think also the time of day helped (sunset/sunrise is magic hour), but still. I am in :heart: with this camera setup. If only I had this lens for for Moab!

Bart


Very nice bart. ya I just bought a D80 and have the basic lense. I have been takeing a crap load of pictures trying to learn what i am doing. The hobby is is expensive tho but still fun. Thier are already other lens's I want but due to cost the basic lens that came with camera will have to do for now.



You do take very good picture and your right I suck @ pictures and my vegas trip I just took pictures turn out really well.

[nfpgasmask]

hey bart did you learn a lesson about mudding without other vehicles nearby to help???? :bwgy:
would have been a bad time if clint wouldnt have answered his phone huh?


Well, that's the thing. This mud came outta left field! I totally didn't expect it. I mean, I knew it was wet, but a freakin bog?!?! Yes, if Clint didn't answer I would have had to call Ascinder and hope he wasn't working and then after that I would have been up the creek, almost literally!

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

Very nice bart. ya I just bought a D80 and have the basic lense. I have been takeing a crap load of pictures trying to learn what i am doing. The hobby is is expensive tho but still fun. Thier are already other lens's I want but due to cost the basic lens that came with camera will have to do for now.

The kit lens is really not bad at all. 90% of the photos we took in Moab this year were with a kit lens. You already have the D80, which is a SWEET camera, so you are pretty much there. Now just save up for this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-18-200mm-3-5-5-6-ED-IF-Zoom-Nikkor/dp/B000BY52NU/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1216931084&sr=8-1

Its beauty!

Also, I HIGHLY recommend these 2 books:

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-Scott-Kelby/dp/032147404X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216930878&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photography-Book-2/dp/0321524764/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216930878&sr=8-2

They are cheap and very easy to read and understand. They are loaded with excellent tips and tricks for taking every different kind of shot. The books also tell you about different tools and lenses to use for particular situations. Well worth it if you plan to get more into digital photography.

Bart

[Dumke]

sweet, awesome and ty bart.

[taylorRichie]

Bart if you're ever in a bind feel free to call me if the other two guys fail to show up...

It's only a 6 hour drive... Hope you keep some MREs in the VX ;)

[pbkid]

hey, well im glad that you did get a hold of clint....because i hate seeing my vx brothers in trouble....

:dance:

[CrnCnn]

I still cant believe how deep you sank. I wanted to try and drive through some of that while we were out there. The other way though like north to south. Just blast through it... oh well. I could try now im sure its hardened some.

[nfpgasmask]

Bart if you're ever in a bind feel free to call me if the other two guys fail to show up...

It's only a 6 hour drive... Hope you keep some MREs in the VX ;)

LOL, thanks man. Actually, I don't keep any food in the VX, but I do have 2 rolls of TP in there in case of emergency!


I still cant believe how deep you sank. I wanted to try and drive through some of that while we were out there. The other way though like north to south. Just blast through it... oh well. I could try now im sure its hardened some.

That's all you, bro! :) Personally, I don't like driving in mud. The stuff was like GLUE on my rims. I literally had to put the tip of the pressure washer right up to the clumps to break it free. Rediculous.

Bart

[snowtrooper1966]

Hey, Bart!
I am sure you are aware your creek crossing snafu is now forever immortalized in the History of the vehicross part 3! It is a great pic, even though it was not where you were expecting to be.
Kind of reminds me of what could have happend to me if I had tried to cross the snowbound road the first time I was scouting the Laurel Lake trail. Except I would have probably rolled the Dragon and caused great bodily injury to myself and the SnowtrooperJr on Father's day. Almost the same;), but I did not have a camera, and the closest VX rescue would have been you, Clint or Beau....

[nfpgasmask]

Hey, Bart!
I am sure you are aware your creek crossing snafu is now forever immortalized in the History of the vehicross part 3! It is a great pic, even though it was not where you were expecting to be.
Kind of reminds me of what could have happend to me if I had tried to cross the snowbound road the first time I was scouting the Laurel Lake trail. Except I would have probably rolled the Dragon and caused great bodily injury to myself and the SnowtrooperJr on Father's day. Almost the same;), but I did not have a camera, and the closest VX rescue would have been you, Clint or Beau....

Yeah, i got stuck for a few minutes in the snow once down here, but snow is a little easier imo because it melts fast under the hot VX. Even still, that was a little nerve racking because I was way up a mountain and if I would have had to walk it would have been bad....

Its just a good reminder that wheeling is best done with more than one vehicle!

Bart

[tom4bren]

"I literally had to put the tip of the pressure washer right up to the clumps to break it free. Rediculous."

Helps if you don't bake it on for 3 days before you try to wash it off.:)

[nfpgasmask]

"I literally had to put the tip of the pressure washer right up to the clumps to break it free. Rediculous."

Helps if you don't bake it on for 3 days before you try to wash it off.:)

Yeah, I know, I should have went straight to the cleaner, but I didn't, I drove around for about 40 minutes and then washed it off. Its so dry out here (except for in that mud hole, go figure) it hardens almost immediately.

Bart