Syncro Westfalias @
The Range Rover Test Area
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Syncro Westfalias @ |
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On a gorgeous fall morning, two Syncro Westies attacked the Range Rover Test
Area, with good results. Derek Drew and I took our '90s and our families out
for a little mud, muck and Syncro Madness.
The spot is some old farmland that the Range Rover people (US headquarters are in the DC metropolitan area) have set up for demonstrating their vehicles. It is traversed by a series of very rutted 'two tracks' up and down moderate hills, into gullies, in both woods and open land. Many of the 'roads' in the open areas remind my wife of central africa, where she worked for several years.
Its nice to go to a place like this with a buddy vehicle to keep you out of trouble (or to share the trouble you get into). We did find trouble, too. Recent rains had left standing water at all the low points, and recent Range Rovers had made some gnarly ruts in the clay soil: their tires are much bigger than the Syncros!
No gates for the Range Rover Test Area, just bulldozed up a couple of large berms up at the end of the paved entry road to keep out the riffraff. Up and over we went, and in about one minute we were pretty nicely stuck.
Now, Derek's philosophy is that to get anywhere interesting, you have to be willing to get stuck. When we had just gotten past one mud pit when the lead vehicle got caught just at the begining of a second. Those Rover ruts are deep! We hooked up a tow strap, and with the diff locks on, backed up like a little train, retreating to the more solid stuff between the two quagmires.
We de-aired the BF Goodrich Radial All-Terrain size 27LT8.5-14 tires (both vehicles run these: they are the ones you want, folks) to about 18PSI, reconnoitered the mess on foot, repositioned to attack from the side, and proceeded through.
Soon we were
at the "Pyramid", an eight foot mound of dirt set on a little plateau.
Three sides have been packed at somewhere between a 25° and 45° angle,
and there is just enough room on top to stop your vehicle for 'hero photos'.
For added effect, there is standing water (actually, standing mud) around the
base. The key to climbing this little hill is the friend of all VW Bus drivers,
momentum. You get a running start, and head for the hill, prepared to launch.
First you hit the mud, which sprays up all over the side windows giving you
a tunnel effect, and then you realize that there is nothing in your forward
range of vision but this hill, and it is about five feet ahead of your windshield.
Of course, your windshield is forward of the wheels, and a millisecond later
you see nothing but blue sky as you start the ascent. In another millisecond,
the hill levels out abruptly (somewhere along here, reliable witnesses report
your front wheels leave the ground) and you are perched on top, ready for your
photo opportunity!
The
kids love driving around in mud, so next we played in the mud for awhile, before
heading off onto another trail. This one had even bigger muddy ruts, and you
could easily stuck on the high center. I had the lead, driving somewhat contentedly
along, more or less with right wheels on the center, left wheels on the left
'shoulder', which was rapidly disappearing into a pile of brambles. I knew I
had to get over onto the right shoulder, thought I picked the right space, but
it was not to be. All of a sudden, we were stopped with the right wheels in
the right ditch, left wheels up on the high center, frozen in time, and frozen
at what looked to be about a thirty degree angle. We did not breath. The engine
was running. I slowly turned the wheels full right, gave it some gas, and the
tough little Syncro Westie crawled up the right shoulder. We were safe again,
and even level.
Derek watched this from behind. He reports that first he thought no one should move, because it seemed like we were so close to tipping. When we did not go over onto our side, he wanted to measure the angle to establish a data point: take a Syncro Westie with four passengers to n°, and you will not (likely) tip. Much as I might like to have the data, we just wanted to get out! My wife and I both have some training and experience in judging bank angles of aircraft, and we are certain it was somewhere around 25-30°.
Of course,
all this stopped Derek who was following us, and, losing momentum, he ended
up stuck. We got some debris (a refridgerator door, and wheel and tire), threw
them into the the offending mudhole, and he was out after a few tries and letting
out a little more air from the tires. All in all, it was a beautiful fall day.
Derek's rule prevailed: ready and willing to get stuck, the Syncro Westies went
places and did things I never would have considered before. We all had a great
time.
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Note: |
The Range Rover Test Area is unfortunately no longer accessible to the public. |