It was an overcast day. I saw the road less travelled and I decided to take it as I had no serious time constraints. I bid farewell to Electric Jester and Jay & Christine of the Tardisdeli and took the back road. It was a little over grown but hey, this is what I do. It was slow going from the start, then five minutes in I came across the first obstacle; a two foot deep washout and the road was getting bushier. I got out and estimated the washout and what I had to do. A bit of manoeuvring and I was through. Then came the first fallen tree, a bit tricky but I could just fit under it ~ took some of the rotten bark off of it with the top of my tailgate hinge ~ good thing the Miss Lil' Bitchi is a P25. Next I found myself driving down a very narrow causeway with two black water bogs either side full of cat tails. It was at this point that I saw a ten or twelve foot puddle in front of me that was connected to both bogs. I got out, found an old branch and began sounding the puddle. It ranged between one and two feet deep.... what the hell, I might get wet! Actually it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be ~ but just an hundred yards down the way was yet another obstacle. A few trees had fallen. I suspect one had come down bringing the rest with it. One was at an angle with a number of big branches hanging down like bars. The tree itself (about a foot in diameter) was fairly high so I removed the branches with my chainsaw. Next was the tree on the ground that blocked half the way. It was roughly one and an half feet in diameter so I first cut it at an angle, then straight (the bar on my saw is not that long). I did this a few times and I had enough space to get by, yet still under the high side of the leaning tree. The other tree that was sticking out a foot off of the ground was not that big and I dispensed with it without too much ado. I carried on, cringing every time I heard the screeching sound travelling down the sides of the Miss Lil' Bitchi but after a while the road let up a little. then I saw something yellow through the trees... it was a bridge! Right on! A new logging road! I was so looking forward to getting off this one and as I emerged from behind the foliage.... there it was... a great big barrage. I was speechless. I couldn't believe what I saw. This is where I remembered that I had my camera with me and actually started taking pictures for the first time on this leg of the journey:
Apart from getting the wheels caught up in roots and the forward/backward manoeuvres, she handled quite well! I think next time I will keep the camera up front with me so you don't just have to take my word for it. By the way, I washed the Miss Lil' Bitchi and I break out the cutting wax this evening.
Falco.
Good Ship 
