Assateague Run 20201024
Photo used with permission by Amanda W from Amandabandoned
Warm Fall Beach Run
On an unseasonably warm late October Saturday, I rode out with members of the CORE 4x4 club to Assateague Island for a beach drive down to the Virginia Border, a 24 mile round trip drive on the sand. I was accompanied by my son, and my friend Amanda from Amandabandoned to take some pictures of a beach house near the Virginia border that has seen better days. Weather-beaten and derelict, it was a great example of what a beach house at the far end of a limited access beach, protected by the National Parks Service, would look like after many years.
It was a great run, with numerous sighting of the famous Assateague ponies, both up on the dunes and down by the water.
On our way down, we came across a huge diesel GMC truck that was stuck up to his frame rails in the sand. After he got stuck, he seemed to think more throttle was going to get him out, but instead it just buried him deeper. A Jeep Gladiator was attempting to help, but they did not have the appropriate recovery gear to enact a safe recovery. We quickly stepped in, replaced the tow straps with safer semi-elastic snatch straps, with closed ends, and made another pull attempt by the Gladiator. Unfortunately the truck didn’t budge. I took my jeep around, connected a second snatch strap, and we double-teamed the pull. This time we were successful in getting him out.
Lessons learned: air down properly, always carry a snatch strap, and when you start to bog down, get off the throttle and don’t bury yourself further.
After that we continued down the beach to the border, where we stopped and set up for lunch. I got to try out my roof rack mounted awning for the first time. It worked great. As many cheap amazon purchases go, however, it will need a little diy to make it work perfectly. It was missing a nut or two, and the guy line guides are no good, and will be replaced by better ones. Also the cheap nylon cord is too slippery to tie an effective taut line hitch, so it will be replaced by paracord soon. Other than that, it worked great and I look forward to getting more use out of it.
All in all, a great trip with a fun group. My son can’t stop talking about taking the Jeep to the beach, which counts as a win in my book. I’m lucky that these are experiences I can share with him, and seed that sense of adventure in him!
Visit the core4x4.org website for the trail report of this trip, and see more pictures.
