June 11, 1995 - It seems like a long time ago that I got stuck in my 1987, very highly modified Bronco.  Yeah, you're talking about a truck that has a 4" lift, front and rear lockers and a 10,000 lb winch.  Yet, I managed to get it very stuck.

Well, this is when I lived in Fresno, CA.  Lovely place, really!  Fresno is a four-wheeler's paradise, as it is located near to some of the most beautiful scenery that you can imagine and there are lots of trails!  On this trip, Dad and I were driving down an easy, typical Class-2 dirt road that barely required 4WD toward Peckinpah Meadows, east of Fresno, in the Sierra National Forest.  Easy, as all you have to do is to keep your eyes open, watch out for "stuff" and just drive.  

Photo:  Beautiful Soquel Meadow, in the Sierra National Forest.  Notice Fresno Dome, in the center of the photo.  On a clear day, you can see Fresno Dome from the city of its namesakee.

We were just driving down the road when the right front of the Bronco just sunk and we came to an immediate stop.  It seems there was a small scream, unseen from the road, that was undercutting the road we were driving on, and when we came along, the road collapsed.  You couldn't see the water from inside the Bronco.  So, Dad and I got out the shovels (I always carry two shovels so I can share the fun) and the high-lift jack and went to work.  

Photo:  Oops, my tricked-out Bronco is stuck after driving down the trail, underminded by a small, unforseen, snow-melt stream.

After about an hour of digging, jacking and shoveling we were able to drive out of the stuck.  Looking back on this incident, I don't know why I didn't just use the winch, as it would have saved us a lot of unnecessary work!  At least I got my excersise quota for the day!

Photo:  Free at last, after a lot of digging, and a couple of beers.