George got stuck
I’ve been a bit off my axle the past weeks.
The weather and my lack of shelter have put me in a state of perpetual hibernation. Only to be awoken for short and senseless drives.
An exception to this boring sequence of non-events was a visit to my dear friend André and his family. No, he is not a car but merely a man. Albeit one who has been co-driver on one of my more interesting drives and since then a Land-Rover enthusiast.
So, after having a rude awakening on a cold Saturday morning they took me on a drive to the not so wonderful city of Almere, they simply can not handle a vehicle like me in those narrow urban streets.
It must be said that it turned out to be quite a lovely day, dry and sunny.
Anyway, the drive to Almere was as tedious as any other drive on the highways, so no surprises there, and consequently nothing to report.
It seemed that in the developing areas of Almere, at least in certain parts, there is actually a terrain suitable enough to be enjoyed even by me.., or so it seemed.
After the mandatory pleasantries that have to follow any reunification of humans we could finally take of and seek out this promised off-road terrain.
At first glance it did look promising. It was large, that’s a plus. And a lot of motocross machines so one can assume it is rough terrain.
As we prepared to set out on an exploratory drive a Series III 88″ showed up and this was indeed a sight for sore eyes. After a short “lay of the land” chat we finally set of.
It was a tranquil, easy drive, no mud, no deep water, no soft sand and no big hills. There was nothing to worry about. We did a couple of small hills, just to be able to say we did something.
Then I hear the Mister offer the wheel to André. Now this sends a shock up my taillight. André is a nice guy and I hope he will join the ranks of Land Rover owners, but never before has he driven the likes of me in his life.
They switched places and under the guidance of the Mister André took of… Low box, first gear… second gear… easy does it. Driving thru a puddle, a big puddle, but not deep. So far, so good. Then, turning hard right we aim for an embankment.., going up. At least, that was the idea. André tried to tackle the ascend with out much coaching. Half way up he stalled my engine, not enough speed. That’s okay.., first time… try again… after that he learned fast. Going up and down like a pro in no time at all.
Then we came to another type of embankment, or rather, two in a row. One goes down and directly after that.., one going up, a “V” shape, if you will. On the first try André failed, on the second try.., again.., failure, not quite getting over the top. Eventually he did get through and the victory was tangible.
Off course, The Mister with his infinite bravura had to out perform this newbie. He immediately proved his skill by powering up and over an embankment. It must be said that the performing and the powering were ultimately my doing.
Probably realizing this himself the Mister made it more challenging for himself by taking on the “V” embankment.., the first time was not a problem, but after turning around and preparing for the second, slightly more difficult I was getting nervous and feeling quite hot.
Actually, I was so hot that steam was rising from within my engine bay. My water was running precariously hot!
Previously, in a momentary lapse of reason, the Mister had incapacitated the thermostat of the radiator fan; it didn’t want to switch off. Granted, in winter there doesn’t seem to be much use for a cooling fan, but when one starts driving thru sand at slow speeds and high revs one can use a bit of cooling.
After reconnecting the fan, replenishing lost water and turning on the engine I was able to cool of to an acceptable temperature level.
With everything cool again it would have been perfectly acceptable to turn around, drive back and call it a day. But no.., the Mister had something to prove, to whom I do not know. Off we went for another “V” embankment. This time not making it up the other side, sliding a bit sideways and consequently not being able to back up in order to create speed and try again.., we were effectively stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Eventually, it took us 45 minutes to get out of this awkward situation by digging away a lump of clay in order for me to back up just enough to make a run for it. Even then we got stuck in the soft sandy top layer of the embankment and more digging had to be done.
The decision to go home was easily made.
Near the exit of the playground it seemed the adventure would last just a little bit longer. Remember that 88″ I told you about at the beginning of this tale? Well, suffice it to say that his owner was terribly glad to see us.
He ventured of in to a patch of reed with black mud, no place for an 88″ without back-up.
Naturally we ventured in after him, not getting stuck again being our primary goal. We made contact, extended the winch cable, attached said cable and majestically pulled the 88″ from his predicament. This was a successful rescue, George saved the day.
Be cool…
George
“The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more.” – Ed Parker -
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