Post date: Sep 14, 2013 10:25:50 PM
Sat 14th 4:30
UTV out to the highway on Horse Thief Pass. The road surface is already drying out and there are only a couple of slick spots in the usual places (e.g., on the upgrade just north of Nachee), but I think by tomorrow most cars will be able to drive it, at least down to Comesco. I was pleasantly surprised at how passable the road was at least out to the highway. I saw some evidence that Highway 27 was scraped, at least in the vicinity of the Horse Thief Rd intersection - so maybe the state highway guys have already been out there.
The Berrenda Creek crossing was a little rough. There is a steep bank on the south side of the creek up to the road and it's underwater, so invisible. I didn't take any water onto the floor boards of my Polaris Ranger, so the bank drop off was probably less than a foot high. I'm pretty sure most 4-wheel drive trucks could handle it, but would not recommend driving a car over it yet. I took it in 4-wheel low and climbed right over the bank but felt like I hit a wall at first. It was a little easier driving south to north on the crossing (still not recommending it for a car). If the water in the creek continues to drop (i.e., no more rain upstream), I might be able to use a shovel to flatten and slope that bank enough to drive a car over it.
Also, looked at the Berrenda Crossing by the Ranch Headquarters. It looked like someone drove over it there. The water was still moving pretty fast over the rock ledge and there was a bank of sand built up on the north side of the crossing that could give a car some trouble. Anyway, tomorrow is another day...and likely to be better still.
Ron K