2012-01-20 58 13

Location

Just meters away from the end of a logging road north of Tidaholm.

Participants

Plans

Check out the driven route google maps here!

Since I was going down to Onsala for my mom's 65th birthday anyway this weekend, why not try to get some virgin graticules on the way down. And what do you know, 5 of them lined up next to great roads like E4, 26, 193, 46, 47, E20 and E6. This time, going East-West was going to be easy. And three of them were virgins! Time to deflower.

2012-01-20 59 17
2012-01-20 58 14 Virgin Tranås, Sweden
2012-01-20 58 13 Virgin Skövde, Sweden
2012-01-20 58 12
2012-01-20 58 11 Virgin Uddevalla, Sweden

Expedition

Going from 2012-01-20 58 14 to this one takes a bit of a detour since Sweden's second largest lake is in the way. But no problems getting to Tidaholm. I take the ringroad and onto a tiny gravel road. The GPS leads me onto another goose chase and I have to backtrack 500 m to find the right logging road. At the end I'm doing a big circle to turn the car around on what looks like a frozen puddle. Well it used to be a frozen puddle, now it is just the ice shell of a puddle that has drained away. Anyway, I'm skidding sideways since the surface of the ice has melted a bit so it is bambi on ice with the car.

All of a sudden I hear a big CRACK! and the car comes to a halt with a jolt. And it won't move, I hear spinning tires and the car has a bit of a list.

Turns out the ice under the right tires was much thinner and has cracked so both right wheels are stuck in holes in the ice, and underneath was a 5 cm space and then the grass pretty much. I can easily get something heavy and crack the ice and make a clear path on the grass so they will have traction.

Worse however is the left side. The ice there is too thick to be cracked by hand, or any of the tools I have. And the ice is so wet and slippery I have trouble just standing on it myself. And without a locking diff all that happens is the left wheel spinns and melt the ice a bit. I try rocking the car, I contemplate if I can pull the car by hand from outside the ice, and try getting a log underneath the wheel. Nothing works. I'm stuck. Then I realize that I have all the tools for changing a brake caliper, that I planned to buy north of Skara in the back of the car.

So out comes the racing jack and I jack the car up and pull up some heather and put it underneath the wheel and lower it. This time the car actually moves 5 cm before the heather shoots back and the wheel starts spinning. So another jacking, more heather. Now it moves 10 cm. Another jacking and now I lay a whole route of heather for the left wheel off the ice. It..... moves... slowly and then get grip and I'M OFF! Mother nature is my BITCH!

I'm panting, but I get out and walk the 15 m from where the car stood to the spot and take some pics. And more defloration! Now a light detour to the salvage yard to buy a, as it turns out pimped out red, brake caliper. And then off to 2012-01-20 58 12!

MNIMB -- Carl-Johan @58.2125,13.9496 10:11, 20 January 2012 (EST)

Photos

Here comes the sun
Wet ice, no traction, racing Jack, heather under driving wheel
Right side through ice, left just spinning
Got loose! MNIMB!
Svenska Grammofonstudion. Am I going to make it to their party later tonight? @58.2125,13.9495
Car from spot
The spot