We (Leon) decided it would be fun to drive the Dome Road again as last time we only went a mile or two due to time. The road is 17 miles to Route 4 near Los Alamos I believe. I say I believe because we never made it the entire 17 miles. We did a little over 9 miles before we got stuck in a snow drift.
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| Starting Out Near Cochiti Golf Course |
We started the trip in Cochiti where there is barely a dusting of snow, but as we got further the snow covered the ground more and got a bit deeper and then the snow drifts across the road got more numerous. I always have confidence in Leon's ability to drive through anything under any conditions. But we GOT STUCK.
We're usually prepared for things, but of course we had no shovel or chains. Leon dug the snow out from under the tires with the dog's bowl while I went and stripped bark off the dead pine trees. Getting unstuck is WORK.
Thank goodness for the pine trees which perished in a forest fire years ago, because there wouldn't have been bark or anything else to use for traction. Putting sheets of bark in front and behind the tires kept them from spinning once the tires grabbed the bark. I may not have been a boy scout, and I'm not exactly MacGyver, but I'm not too shabby when it comes to problem solving.
I never have the camera out during the height of any drama. Here are some other photos of the trip.
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| Starting out on mostly dirt |
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| Using A HulaHoop May Cause Trees To Fall On You |
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| Rocks Fall On Cars Or Come Close |
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| Cochiti Lake |
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| Where We Got Stuck (the first time) |
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| On More Solid Ground (Snow) |
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Leon: Smile For the Camera
Me:I Knew You'd Get Us Out Of Here Before Spring
Benni: I Dunno, I Was Plenty Worried |
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| Headed Back Down |
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If We Got Stuck In The Mountains Until Spring
Would We Have Had To Eat the Dog? |
3 comments:
So glad you escaped! I would have had the camera out immediately and I would have gotten "the look." What the hell does that hula hoop sign mean if not a hula hoop. Are you not supposed to dance to Barry White or KC and the Sunshine Band (doing the bump) against the trees?
Welcome to New Mexico! Where the snow piles higher and deeper. Now buy a folding shovel and some tire chains, and take them with you next time you sally forth into the wilderness, you crazy Yankees!
Grin.
Yankees, my foot. If we'd been driving up to Vermont in winter we would have been much better prepared. As we were in Cochiti Lake where there was no snow, we just didn't think we'd run into trouble. No need to buy anything...we have everything we need in the garage. The scary part was not the snow but the precipitous landscape which gave me a bit of vertigo.
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