The adrenalin happened when we got stuck in a bar ditch. The driver's side axles were buried up to their hubs in deep goo-goo. Frankly, it looked real bleak. We were far from help--the road behind us was blocked with at least two feet of snow and we hadn't seen another vehicle for many miles. Luckily, our four wheel drive Zuk got us out of that jam and back on the road again. "Hey, we're still flying--let's GO!"
We were blocked off on yet another road as well and had to take a long detour to get back to easy-going paved roads near Blackfoot, Idaho. Along that route we paralleled the Lander Cutoff--an Oregon Trail Legend--and learned about the river access points for the Blackfoot River. We also observed a unique geological feature for which we have no explanation. (Pictures soon.)
When we got back to farm land, we decided to take farm roads all the way home. I was a pleasant way to end the trip. We arrived home at 4:45. We traveled 164 miles.
The GPS showed we were stopped a total of 1:45 on our trip and our total drive time was 6 hours. Our actual trip speed average was 22 mph. but the average when we were moving was closer to an average of 30 mph. There was a LOT of snow beside the roads and a LOT of water flowing every which way, including over the roads in many places. Some spots were very greasy and some were still covered with sheet ice. Some were still muddy and others showed signs of serious mudder action a few days ago. The ruts could have swallowed the Zuk! Luckily, the dust wasn't bad yet. Traffic was light. Between Bone and Idaho 34, we saw only one vehicle. Highway 34 was fairly busy, of course, and we counted perhaps 20 vehicles. Once back on dirt on Blackfoot Reservoir's North Access Road, we saw only two vehicles between Idaho 34 and the Fort Hall Reservation.
When we reached the inflow east side of Blackfoot Reservoir, we put in a HAM radio call to the Sedgewick Peak repeater. It was 35 miles from our point of TX. Amazingly, someone in Logan Utah, (KF7LUB) picked up our signal and we carried on a nice conversation. That was fun.
We both totally enjoyed the trip. Even though we were in the vehicle for nearly 8 hours, we weren't tired when we arrived home. Susun went into the ard and started gardening. I dug up some dandelions and then went shopping and helped fix dinner.
I spent a lot of time trying to fix the maps for this post. Our GPS let us down on this trip. Well, it wasn't the fault of the GPS--but the fault of the operator! Above are the waypoints for our 164 mile trip today. Below is a partial track map superimposed over the waypoint flags. The GPS dropped the track about half way through the trip. It's back to the drawing boards to find out the "why" of the dropped track. In the meantime, we will be taking a LOT more waypoints on the next trip. Many of the waypoints you see in the top map were put in by hand when we got home. That's not the way it's supposed to work. We will get better for the next trip! You can click here for an interactive version of the waypoint map up above. Each waypoint has at least a title and some waypoints have notes and more.
We filled the gas tank Saturday noon. It took 5.65 gallons and cost $21. Our mpg was an even 29!!!! What's really odd about this Samurai is that normal city driving nets a 25 mpg. When we are out in the boondocks driving in second and third gear, we get BETTER mileage then we do around town. Go figure.
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