TR: Getting to the Drips in Coal Wash

[Udink]

Last weekend I met up with some friends in Ferron, then headed into the San Rafael Swell along the Dutch Flat Road. We were planning on trailering our ATVs to the Coal Wash staging area then riding along Coal Wash to see the Drips, which is a natural spring that drips out of an overhanging cliff. We figured it would be an interesting sight in winter, but we didn't expect to have such a hard time getting there. Emery County is usually pretty good about plowing the snow off the main roads, but we were still about ten miles from the staging area when we came to where they'd just stopped plowing. We tried pushing through the snow, but my friend's truck couldn't make it up a hill through the deep snow, so we decided to back our trailers down the hill and just unload the ATVs where the plowing stopped. My friend managed to get his truck and trailer stuck in a snow-filled ditch while backing down.

Heading up the hill
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IUF23ERI/AAAAAAAAH7Y/w_Yv6SmR-yQ/s800/IMG_5272.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/B2xPBefBwwayd6mvpGNlfg)

My friend, stuck in a ditch
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IVFeE7FI/AAAAAAAAH7c/vXqnRXpV3yc/s800/IMG_5276.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HJ6wBp2TH5OSGL3PkWrJ3g)

Pondering what to do
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IWg2C6qI/AAAAAAAAH7k/iyaRcMfRir0/s800/IMG_5286.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QokjEo83EKn9rl5UpEh4IA)

After digging a lot of snow out of the ditch and giving it several tries, he still couldn't get his truck out. I dropped my ATV trailer and pulled in front of him and tried pulling him out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZnKad9EfqU

I couldn't even pull him out with my truck. Eventually, after dropping his trailer, he managed to finesse his truck out without my help. I had meatier tires on my truck and I was able to hitch on to his trailer and pull it out. We went back the way we'd come from and unloaded the ATVs, then rode on toward Coal Wash.

At one point we came upon a frozen puddle that took up the entire width of the road. My friend was in the lead, with the wives and a kid in the middle, and I was taking up the rear, so I missed all the action. Apparently he'd driven over the frozen puddle, but broke through the ice halfway across and somehow lost the bead on his tire in the process. He put a ratcheting strap around the circumference of the tire to apply pressure against the rim, then inflated the tire using a small compressor, and it re-seated the tire against the rim and got us back on the road.

The puddle
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IfYS6O1I/AAAAAAAAH8M/x7aTol3FXu4/s800/IMG_1726.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pjTtg8AgvEdWFY6rZL3B9A)

Inflating the tire
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10Id0ryREI/AAAAAAAAH8E/Ck5L9vx3PMo/s800/IMG_1721.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XouBm1qTYN2DObBmA9avng)

Ratcheting strap around the tire
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IeaZDdQI/AAAAAAAAH8I/ycZmeimYxrw/s800/IMG_1722.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jsGYWTwEsSYZSt65P7_Itg)

Morrison formation hills along the way
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10If4HqKOI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/VzENeHVyUTc/s800/IMG_1728.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cCF_uD0ZFiuqeQLC3knVeQ)

The Red Ledges
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10Igqbhv7I/AAAAAAAAH8U/sf7XX3-Ii9w/s800/IMG_1732.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ISXdqOhLVcUllZRWFT8-2Q)

There had only been one vehicle on the road since our last storm, but its tracks only went as far as the Coal Wash staging area, so after that we were pushing through fresh snow. We reached the Drips pretty easily, and it looked pretty cool.

On the road
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IhaOdfkI/AAAAAAAAH8Y/YLiR9KaS_BI/s800/IMG_1733.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WMJqYsUs-DsT2lu3zrAgrA)

The Drips viewed from the trail
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IiBdu6nI/AAAAAAAAH8c/KvLZVU0l9UE/s800/IMG_1737.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nCjva4zvzJ2yWYjMsv0q2w)

Closeup of the Drips
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10Ikd6V-RI/AAAAAAAAH8k/6cYKcJ6MgKw/s800/IMG_1741.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BUK-bH9Y-3CUjHClswa1oA)

Still flowing despite the cold temps
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IllRM4eI/AAAAAAAAH8s/95qzfSpitVQ/s800/IMG_1743.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kxC7xnWWXcVBjbN9nTQA-A)

Icicles
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10Imjf_gvI/AAAAAAAAH8w/yjyhaD5EfIk/s800/IMG_1748.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MFV3FmrwHt8vbCjTUj9Cjw)

The ATVs parked on the trail
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IoPnPnUI/AAAAAAAAH84/zqisNW303gE/s800/IMG_1755.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8gdYSQHxy9qT9Q0bKO6ByA)

Hoodoos at the Red Ledges on the way back out
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10Ioj3YkfI/AAAAAAAAH9A/zPuI3knSYkk/s800/IMG_1757.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ippsjie9rT9d8idK4SHl0w)

The Red Ledges
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/S10IpPvb1UI/AAAAAAAAH9E/QrUccryeUNA/s800/IMG_1758.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yfguCqaUJ4RkZwba39jMgg)

It was worth the trip out there, but we could have explored more of Coal Wash if it wasn't for getting stuck. That was still a fun part of the adventure, though. My friend is good at getting stuck--this isn't the first time we've had to dig his truck and trailer out of a ditch:

http://udink.org/pictures/11032006/img_6487.jpg

http://udink.org/pictures/11032006/img_6477.jpg

There are a few more photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/CoalWashTheDrips#

[REDFOX]

Looks like a great trip. I enjoy the 4x4 experience as well when I go on outings. I noticed in the video the strap attached to the hitch ball. After seeing the ball break off and go through my friends radiator, I would never allow someone to pull me that way. Since your buddy is always needing your assistance, he should buy you a hook or shackel reciever for your truck. :2thumbs:

[Udink]

I noticed in the video the strap attached to the hitch ball. After seeing the ball break off and go through my friends radiator, I would never allow someone to pull me that way. Since your buddy is always needing your assistance, he should buy you a hook or shackel reciever for your truck. :2thumbs:
Yeah, I know...I wasn't totally comfortable with that setup, but at least his end was attached firmly to his truck, so I knew I was pretty safe. :lol8: I didn't even think to throw a blanket over the tow strap, but watching it on video it sure looks dicey looped around that ball hitch.

[Cirrus2000]

Looks like a great trip! Love the Drips.

When I read this:

My friend was in the lead, with the wives and a kid in the middle,
I wondered, so, how many wives does he have? :haha:

[moab mark]

Just wondering why you guys didn't unload those four wheelers and get rid of the trailer before you tried to yank him out? What in the freak happened in the sand? Now that is stuck. :2thumbs:

[Udink]

Just wondering why you guys didn't unload those four wheelers and get rid of the trailer before you tried to yank him out?
The trailer is a side-loader, and the loading side was down in the ditch, so we couldn't even get the ramps down to unload. Dropping the trailer helped get his truck out, but that still left the trailer down in the ditch, then my truck was able to pull it out.


What in the freak happened in the sand?
That was right after some serious flooding in October 2006, and the road crossed through a wash that had completely filled up with sand. We were the first full-sized vehicles over the road since the sand had piled up, and he just took the wrong line through it and got into some really deep stuff. Rocking back and forth only put him closer to the edge of the road and off into a ditch.

[moab mark]

Looks like a great trip. I enjoy the 4x4 experience as well when I go on outings. I noticed in the video the strap attached to the hitch ball. After seeing the ball break off and go through my friends radiator, I would never allow someone to pull me that way. Since your buddy is always needing your assistance, he should buy you a hook or shackel reciever for your truck. :2thumbs:

Here's a trick that is a little safer, if your hitch has some drop to it take it out and flip it over. Then slide the loop of the strap over the receiver. Gravity will keep it on, better then towing on the ball.

It's to bad the digital photo days were not around years ago. I use to spend alot of time jeeping in the snow. I have got some hilarious pics of when things went south. Nothing better then a well built locked up Jeep with a nice V8 under the hood. :nod: Until you get it stuck :frustrated:
Mark

[jman]

"it's not a trampoline." haha

[Wasatch Rebel]

Looks like a fun trip. :2thumbs:

[accadacca]

Nice report. Getting stuck is fun. :haha: Love to see the adventure! :five:

[kd7kmp]

Have your friend get some "better" tires. I spent last weekend out at Topaz Mountain with my scouts. The paved road was all clear, but as soon as you turned off you were blazing a trail through 8" of power. Then when we started the left turn toward the amphitheater the snow depth was between 12" and 15". Last month I purchased a set of Goodyear Wrangler Authority tires from Wal Mart for my 1990 Suburban. They did awesome in the snow. The size is 31x10.5 R15. We had another guy along with us wearing a set of the old reliable BFG All-Terrains--285/75R16--on his F250 Super Duty. He kept getting stuck in the deeper sections and did a lot of backing out. I eventually took over the lead and, let me tell you, those 'cheapo' Wal Mart tires took me through everything without stopping. Gotta love good tires!

Kevin