32 replies to this topic

[longhorn1]

Great story Smoke

[kmcintyre]

To make a very long story shorter---you remember an ill-thought out Raygun government program to sell off the public land- so we could pay off the national debt?  Well it was called the Asset Mgt Program and it was being pushed rather hard the new administration and all of us field BLM offices were supposed to identify land that we could quickly sell off!  As is usually the case, they did not think out how the program would work (no details or thought of how the planning process works-just do it) ; the only land we had identified in our land  planning process  for sale/disposal was out in a place called the Madeline Plains. The MP is a typical high desert salt/sage brush sandy alkali flat that closes to vehicles with the first drop of rain in the fall until late spring when it dries out. 

 

We got a call from our state office-saying we had to put  up some land and do all environmental clearances now because DC wanted the figures right then-be danged that it was February and you could not drive or walk out there! So, anyway, off we went, and things went well for the first mile or so and as I came around a blind curve all I could see was water, water everywhere, and I could feel my 3/4 ton Power Wagon begun to sink, so I tromped on the gas spun the wheel and tried to make a u-turn and almost made it out.I ended up with the front stuck up to the doors and the rear end sort of sticking up at an angle.  I was one of the several different rigs stuck that day and mine the last one they tried to pull out.

 

So there was  my truck stuck.as was a truck that tried to pull me out and one of those German Unimog fire rigs that came to the rescue both of us and had also gotten  stuck.  By the end of the day we had all the rigs unstuck except for mine, so we headed in and planned to come back the next day and pull it out. Well it rained the next day and my truck sat out there until it dried out in May-drove it right out then -no worse for the wear (except to my reputation that is and a new understanding  of the  inspirational  leadership of  our new political bosses).  It also became sort of a landmark out there because you could see the tail end sticking out of the water from 395. Sorry if that took so long to tell it -there is no such a thing as short "getting unstuck" story !

 

Smoke

Wow... that's the winner of a story!  Thanks for sharing.  I doubt I could have slept at night knowing it was out there for that long.  I'm surprised no one vandalized it but glad they didn't!

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Smoke for the interesting story.

Frank