Earth tries to swallow my buddy.

[paulmbowers 236]

I believe it's bad luck to be superstitious, but yesterday's ride seemed to be a little unusual. My buddies John and Brian and I ditched work and parenting and left for Plaster City about 10. The weather there was beautiful, and there were few people (it was early). We had no real plan, just buzz around the desert, lunch at BluInn, back to the trucks and back home in the evening. We made a few passes at Sand Dam (sand was nice) and started off up a wash in the general direction of BluInn. I was hungry- no lunch.

I was leading up an interesting wash- there was no water, but had been a few days ago, leaving a beautiful cracked-mud surface with plenty of traction. The wash was beginning to peter out, getting kind of narrow, but still navigable. Then, I hear on the radio some sort of commotion.

John: Uh, I think I'm a little stuck.

Brian: Just gas it up a bit.

Smartass FakeName (out of sight): Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot your guys were riding 450s, maybe I was riding too fast for you.

John: Uh, Paul can you come back fast? We have a situation here.

I spin around and ride back down the wash, and here's what was happening (taken about 10 mins after I got there):

When I arrived, John and his bike were still sinking. Ever hear the term "that sinking feeling"? John certainly had it. You gotta figure you get stuck and start sinking, the muck is over your boot tops, and the bike is rapidly being swallowed by the earth. John had no idea if and when the bike (and him) would stop sinking. Well, the bike stopped about halfway up the ignition cover. Over the hubs, deep in the mud. And not just any mud, this was like gooey, sucking clay.

I had just ridden over the identical spot not 20 seconds before John did, and I didn't feel anything unusual. I realize the pictures make it look like we were riding in a lake, but that's from us stomping around. When I rode through, it looked all the same- a "dry" wash with a cracked mud surface. Had been riding on that surface for about a mile, and there was plenty up ahead.

So, I get out my handy tow strap, believing we'll all pull on the strap and haul out the bike.

Might as well have tied the tow strap to a house or large commercial building. The bike was SO STUCK it was nearly impossible even to deflect it side-to-side.

We stacked up fallen branches on either side of the bike so we could walk on the mud without sinking, and began to work on the front wheel. We dug- difficult, because the mud creeps back into wherever it was removed- and got a branch under the tire. Two guys rocking the bike side-to-side gradually, slowly allowed the branch a grip. Of course the branch would break, and we'd be off looking for another. And lose some ground in the process. FInally, after an HOUR of hard work, we got the front wheel out of the muck and sitting on some small logs.

Now the rest will be easy. We'll start the bike, get the rear wheel spinning which will break the suction and either push it onto the embankment or pull forward and out of the muck.

Nope. The bike, revved up, with the clutch nearly out, would not turn the wheel. Nearly burned out the clutch. That's a LOT of torque.

So, we spent another HOUR, lifting the front of the bike and putting logs under the motor, then pushing down on the front end while lifting the back. Then repeat. Each time, we'd get a quarter to half inch of the rear wheel from the muck. These are three reasonably smart, strong-like-ox guys. At times we just stood, shaking our heads, wondering wtf?

Finally, we pulled it free. Here's what the muck looked like, John thoughtfully pointing to the goo:

Here's the scene:

Yikes. Here's the BIG lesson. We were in a wash, many miles from civilization. The terrain surrounding the was was nearly impassable for anything but a dirtbike- no tow truck or jeep could have gotten to that spot without risking a similar experience. Had he been riding alone, or even with one other guy, I'm not sure how the situation could have been resolved.

[TrophyHunter 15]

Sounds like fun.

[dirt dame 559]

Been there, done that, alone. Dissambled the bike as far as I could, then dug the bike out and drug it to dry ground and reassembled it. If you have ever noticed what a big tool bag I wear, that is the reason.

[Beezzz 6]

Adventure Riding!!!

Solo riding would have been a walk out nightmare for me. Miles in boots. Mimi, tools? You pack tools?

Beezzz

[dirt dame 559]

Adventure Riding!!!

Solo riding would have been a walk out nightmare for me. Miles in boots. Mimi, tools? You pack tools?

Beezzz

Almost always in a group, and always always if I am by myself. I originally planned to walk out of my situation too, but 12 miles (a lot of uphill) in mud soaked clothes and boots in January (of 05) at mid afternoon on a weekday didn't seem logical. No cell service and nobody else would have been able to reach the spot. It took about 3 or 4 hours to get the bike free and put back together (missing some hardware). Made it back to my truck just as the sun had set. Then the bike needed to be disassembled again at home the next day to be properly cleaned. I was on a regular riding route and, because of recent heavy prolonged rains, was surprised by the earth giving way and water gushing up, then both the the bike and I sinking (and falling over).

So I sympathize with these guys.

[paulmbowers 236]

Yes, it would have been an awful walk. The REAL good thing, however, was that it was not raining. A strong downpour would have easily and very quickly flooded that wash.

[tlking6 0]

Yipes!! I've seen that muck before out there but never that bad. My son hit some once and his bike planted and he flew over the handlebars. It didnt take us long to get it out as it was only his front wheel that got buried.

[paulmbowers 236]

And Tracy, I remember your repeated warnings about the coastline of Salton Sea. Now I know.

[OUTERLIMITS 0]

I'm wondering if you guys stayed in the wash beyond Kane Springs Rd. Looks very similar to a wash I took at night one time (the one just east of the wash that runs to the trestle). We missed the exit and began to approach San Sebastian Marsh area and the thing quickly closed up on us with thick brush on both sides. That was in the summer, but it would have been nasty in the rainy season long before hitting the marsh. It just looks very similar.

[Strega 0]

I've had that happen, and it took FIVE of us to pull the bike out, it was INSANE. Major suckage.

[paulmbowers 236]

I'm wondering if you guys stayed in the wash beyond Kane Springs Rd. Looks very similar to a wash I took at night one time (the one just east of the wash that runs to the trestle). We missed the exit and began to approach San Sebastian Marsh area and the thing quickly closed up on us with thick brush on both sides. That was in the summer, but it would have been nasty in the rainy season long before hitting the marsh. It just looks very similar.

Possibly. I don't know my way around very well- just go ride/explore. But we were riding the bikes through the brush on several occasions.

[sandiegoland 0]

Looks like a BIG hunk of bread dough in the spokes. Major suction to break free of there... wow!

[paulmbowers 236]

and that mud didn't slump out of that wheel. If we didn't poke it out with sticks, it would have dried that way- it was that thick.

[blind_in_1_ear 0]

sakes alive?!?!?!

i know how that can happen, still shocked when it does....and yeah good thing no rain.

glad you all worked together, and brute human vs Earth battle...FUN Friday!!!!

Blind

[jed 0]

And I thought I was riding in some mud today! Geez.

[bikeslut 1]

Sorry I missed that ride :air_kiss:

[paulmbowers 236]

Sorry I missed that ride :air_kiss:

Liar.

[bikeslut 1]

Sorry I missed that ride :air_kiss:

Liar.

sucking mud... TWO hours... No lunch... Let me me call a helo... Although from your desription it wouldve come crashing to the ground

[paulmbowers 236]

I actually entertained the thought. But it would have had to be a helluva helo. Not your $1500 freelancing type. More like the Ivor Commercial heavy lift type they use to place giant air conditioning systems. But even then it probably would have torn off anything on the bike it was attached to.

But I considered it.

p

[tlking6 0]

And Tracy, I remember your repeated warnings about the coastline of Salton Sea. Now I know.

Yep, imagine that level of ugly with the smell of decade's old rotted fish!

[Spaugh 1]

Slow poke 450cc friends, fancy radios and GPS. :)

All you really needed was the 8$ map to tell you san sebastion marsh is off limits to motor vehicles for a reason.

[dirt dame 559]

Slow poke 450cc friends, fancy radios and GPS. :)

All you really needed was the 8$ map to tell you san sebastion marsh is off limits to motor vehicles for a reason.

And of course, usually the term "marsh" doesn't hide clues about what kind of terrain will be encountered.

[Spaugh 1]

If you are going to go romping around the desert, you need to know where you are.

Here is THE map.

ab yuha map.

you can get it from many places on the web or even barnes and noble. and its water\mud proof.

[bikeslut 1]

Slow poke 450cc friends, fancy radios and GPS. :)

All you really needed was the 8$ map to tell you san sebastion marsh is off limits to motor vehicles for a reason.

I know you're just bustin' his chops, cuz that's how we roll, but: I've ridden with both those guys... They are good riders. The fancy radios averted a possible disaster... The gps wouldve been the difference between life or death possibly...

Of course a map is good, too...

[Spaugh 1]

Slow poke 450cc friends, fancy radios and GPS. :)

All you really needed was the 8$ map to tell you san sebastion marsh is off limits to motor vehicles for a reason.

I know you're just bustin' his chops, cuz that's how we roll, but: I've ridden with both those guys... They are good riders. The fancy radios averted a possible disaster... The gps wouldve been the difference between life or death possibly...

Of course a map is good, too...

ya radios and gps can get you out of a crappy situation, but a cheap map could have avoided the area in the first place.