Four Peaks misadventure

Richard, Alex, and I drove up to Four Peaks today. Well, we got close to the end of the road. First we will look at my pictures. You see Alex playing on a pile of dirt, a few pictures of the mountains covered in snow, and a picture that shows the road we came in on, with the Fountain Hills fountain in the background. It looks so nice, doesn't it? Well, it was a little more stressful than that. Anyway, look at my pictures first.

Four Peaks misadventure

There was a lot of traffic up there today. Lots of ATVs and dirt bikes and pickups zipping back and forth. Many times I had to get over to the side of the road to let somebody by in one direction or the other. We were near the end of the road at the top when an ATV came toward us. As I had dozens of times before, I moved to the side of the road. The critical difference this time was that the road had a layer of compacted snow on it. The feeling of my sinking heart matched the sinking of my right tires into the ditch. The tires just spun on the snow. Locking the axle didn't help at all. I was not happy. I don't think Richard was, either, but at least he was polite. Alex was having a good time. Finally, something to relieve his boredom.

A mile or two back, we had stopped to take a picture of a couple (for them, with their camera) in a Polaris ATV (a Ranger, I think). They caught up with us now and offered to pull us out. Their ATV had a winch that could pull 8000 pounds. That should do it, but I didn't see what would keep the ATV from being pulled to the truck. The guy parked it against a tree. Then it was a piece of cake. I was impressed. I was also very pleased. Thanks, Erv! Not a scratch on the truck. Yea, Polaris!

I've started a shopping list: tire chains, winch or come-along, shovel, etc. Or maybe I should just stay out of those situations. Sure, like that's gonna happen. I just need to be prepared. The locking rear axle has gotten me out a few jams on dry dirt and rocks, but it's next to useless on snow.

Click below to see Richard's pictures. There are a few of the truck as it gets pulled out. There's an action shot of Erv running the winch. Richard had two of him doing that but in the other one he was just standing there looking bored. I like this one.

Four Peaks misadventure Richard

There is also a good picture of Alex next to something that is not a snowman, but I don't remember exactly what it is. Alex said a lot of strange things today and they kind of run together (there was something about a whale telling him to use his instincts so he could fly like a chicken). Alex doesn't just think outside the box; he thinks in a parallel universe.

We don't have any pictures of the rest of our adventure. It probably would have been rude to take pictures of that guy that was in so much pain he could barely move. It looked like maybe he went into a corner too fast on his dirt bike and smacked into solid rock or dirt or something that was not nearly as soft as a cholla. I bet he would have rather hit a cholla. Like many bike riders, he couldn't relax until his bike was taken care of. We loaded it into the truck and he got in the jeep that was there. The bike didn't look like it was in very bad shape. The gas tank was cracked, though. The jeep had to go very slow. It's a long, bumpy road. It probably took them several hours to get him down. I just hope he made it OK and went on to an emergency room. Even if nothing is broken or ruptured, I don't think he's going to be able to move much for about a week.

I asked Richard if he wanted to go check out FS172 with me next weekend. He laughed, but he didn't answer. Hmm.