Side B Runs - Santa Flora to Quinam Beach (Pics)
Posted: June 26th, 2011, 4:16 pm
3stagevtec wrote:Anyone interested in a drive to Quinam beach??
It gets fun from here!
They are clearing a trail through the forest to the beach from Santa Flora side. I was told that it was an existing road that was over grown. The trail should be free to play on for both the carnival weekend and the weekend after..
A 4x2 can make it 90% of the way there, but you will need 4x4 for the slightly muddy areas..
Anyone interested in a drive?
lighthammer wrote:3stagevtec wrote:Thinking about it, this Sunday might be too soon.. Still open for other opinions but the 20th seems best as we can most prepare..
Amm, other than the lil off roading / trip, you guys wanna organize some food to eat at the beach? Something simple to eat like curry duck / roti.. Items can be purchased or cooked.. maybe a cook on the beach?
Yuh wah go Manzan fuh a lime orrr??
Or maybe Tyrico?
I know a spot in manzan just after the river mouth where you can access the beach to drive. Once it in low tide, you can drive around and do donuts if the place empty... right next to the river mouth.
Might be a good spot to park up and lime a bit.
Not much offroading there though, unless you want to get stuck in marshy swamp or drive on the beach.
so.... when?
This sunday?
3stagevtec wrote:lighthammer wrote:any other plans beside the south-run?
Anyone up for Devil's woodyard afterwards?
there kinda boring to be honest, unless you all know some trails in the area.. last time I went, the tallest mud volcano I saw was about a foot high by 4 feet wide..
Morne Diablo Volcano on the other hand...
well worth the drive!
Some important stuff for all our journeys.
lighthammer wrote:claries - the essential gear may include the foll:
- tow rope 15-25feet long or snatch-straps with shackles
- shovel
- garden boots
- flashlight
- bottle of water/drinking water (maybe 2-3 litres)
- walkie talkie (if u have a pair)
- first aid kit
- small tool kit incl. 10,12,14 spanners, locking pliers, pliers, phillip's + flat head screw drivers
- complete jack & spare tire kit with changing tools
Other than that, just the basic stuff for a lime
- food
- snacks
- cooler full of drinks
- co-driver or navigator (Gf's and wives do very nicely here)
We'll have a couple of experienced 4x4-drivers on the run with us, and safety is always first priority with FUN as a close second!
As far as driving techniques go, most of us have a little bit of experience going off-road, but there's always room for improvement.
I found a few articles here on the http://www.4wdaction.com australian off-roading magazine about driving properly off the paved path.
Tackling a series of challenging ruts is great fun, but it always pays to have a closer look before tearing into them. Consider the lines that are available and how the truck will react to these lines. When looking at ruts, try to see the route in your head – it’s a bit like imagining where the water would run down the hill when it rains. The rule is to plan at least three moves ahead and to have already walked the track to form an overall plan of the entire attempt.
The most important aspect to rut driving is to know the underside of your vehicle intimately – where are the diff pumpkins located on the axles, what else hangs down below the chassis rails, and where other vulnerable components are.
When going downhill on wet slippery mud, it can be a real advantage to stay in the ruts. In this situation, the ruts are often the only thing that keeps your 4WD on the right track. Avoid using the brakes wherever possible, so idle down in first gear, relying on engine braking. If the wheels start to slide out of control, a little throttle can help to recover grip and direction.
Source Article: http://www.4wdaction.com.au/articles/tips-and-techniques/44582-stuck-rut
And more from the same article....
...Driving at the edges of ruts can allow the shoulders of tyres to find traction. To successfully use this technique involves turning the wheels as if trying to drive out of the ruts, but only using enough steering lock to catch the outer front edge of the tyre on the rut edge. This can give the tyres something to find traction on, while the ruts themselves act like rails. If muddies are fitted, then the more aggressive side biting treads will have a greater effect with this technique....
...... If traction is lost in muddy sections, then working the steering from left to right can find grip where there isn’t much traction. Maintaining forward momentum is the key to successfully getting through muddy ruts, but there needs to be a balance between enough speed and too much speed......
...Always use a smooth throttle action and gently feed in power when required.....
lighthammer wrote:And here's another article to read up on, "How to get unstuck"
http://www.4wdaction.com.au/articles/tips-and-techniques/42787-coming-unstuck
lighthammer wrote:Right fellas...
So 3stagevtec and myself went down to santa flora today to scout out the trail and plan out the route.
Basically it's down past fyzabad health center, down into santa flora. Approx 25 mins from KFC gulf view with no traffic.
It's a bunch of old logging trails that cut through the forest. There's a contractor there right now who's clearing a new pathway and logging some trees. This new path will have direct access to Quinam beach, one of the southernmost beaches in Trinidad.
However this new trail is being used by heavy equipment, and in its current condition is almost TOTALLY IMPASSABLE by our stock vehicles, it's most definitely a Grade 4 trail. Guys with liftkits + mud tyres could possibly make it through, but even they will have some difficulty. The tractor driver said today that they'll try to level it out tomorrow, and hopefully we'll get some sun to dry up some of the slush & mud.
However there's another, older trail, that's got a solid gravel base that goes from the contractor's camp, all the way to the main road which then leads straight to Quinam beach. However the end of the trail which leads to the main road is blocked by a locked gate. The good news is that directly to the right of this gate, is a small path through the trees that can be used to access the main road, all we have to do is clear a few saplings with cutlasses and then drive our trucks through. I believe that even 4x2 trucks would be able to make that exit to the paved main road.
The real fun in this trail however, is a small side-path that cuts through the forest and runs parallel with the main trail. There's an entrance to this path not far from the beginnig of the trail, and we believe it goes all the way through and rejoins the main trail approx 1/4 mile down the road. 3stage and I tried to go through it, but didn't go all the way cuz of time constraints (he had to go to work).
That pathway itself is a dirt path, just large enough to fit one vehicle at a time, however it's a little boggy with mud and has loose top soil, soggy enough to sink your foot in slightly in some spots - not too different from the Blanchi Trail we did last year.
Guys with All-Terrain tyres should be able to make it through with a bit of a challenge (I know Jeremy and Droppa will def. want to go!) but guys with highway tyres are better off going to the exit and walking back up to meet us through the trail. Not saying that you guys can't go, but it will be with great difficulty and with highway tyres you're guaranteed to stick.
While 3stage was trying to come back out through that side trail, he got stuck on an incline and had to winch himself out. At one point, the topsoil was so boggy that even though he had full parking brake on, the Grand Vitara started to SLIDE BACKWARDS and I had to grab it by the A-Pillar, and dig my heels in to stop it sliding down the hill.
Will post some pics later on in the evening - but trust me, it's a great trail and almost guaranteed to be FUN. The newbies will enjoy it, some may be scared but we have experienced guys with us so no worries.
Allyuh update the Roll Call, it's not limited to any number, any and everyone can come.
lighthammer wrote:Right and now the pictures of the reconnaissance mission today...
This is where the contractor's camp is located
These are the machines that are doing the logging and clearing of the new path (Lumberjack CAT). 3Stage and I got to ride shotgun on one of these today - what an awesome and powerful machine!! The driver took us down the new path, since our trucks definitely would not have made it far at all!
This is the kind of terrain on the new path - only heavy machinery could pass through. And it gets worse, much worse. There's hard surface underneath all the slush, but stock vehicles won't have the ground clearance to get through, you'll end up bottoming out.
But the driver said they'll try to level out the trail before sunday, and hopefully with some hot sun, the trail will dry out so there's hope for those who want to pass through. Or at least try to.
Some of the "better" parts of the new track.... looks passable, but proceed with caution! There are deeper and more difficult parts on the new track - I just wasnt able to get pics of it cuz the Lumberjack was bouncing around too much in the deep ruts.
Now there is an older track, with a gravel base that we can definitely run on. The approx distance is prob 1 1/4 miles total, maybe less than that. 4x2 vehicles can make it through to the end, and possibly with assistance go through the side-track to bypass the locked gate at the end.
The side-path that runs through the forest and rejoins the main path looks passable, but it'll take some good driving and some assistance to get through.
3stage and I tried to go through, I walked it and he came down with the GV. But due to time constraints, and lack of turning room, we decided to go back after a good bit in. He couldn't make it up the hill though, topsoil was too boggy and slippery so he had to winch himself out.
I got to press the button!
So instead of getting ourselves stuck even more, we decided to come out of the side-path, and see how far we could get towards the gate. Made it all the way, saw the locked gate with the main road just beyond, plus the pathway through the trees to the right of the gate to bypass and reach the main road - we'll just have to clear a few small trees with our cutlasses and then we can drive through. I feel even the 4x2 guys can make it through that part of the trail, to reach the road.
As far as the road goes, 3stage said it goes all the way down to Quinam Beach, which is only a quick 10 min dash down. And heading back out, it goes all the way back to Siparia, so we have an exit for those who want to head home after the off-roading fun.
Anyway, time was drawing close for our departure, so after a couple 3-point turns into the bush, we headed back to the Contractor's camp and then headed back to the main road and into Fyzabad, then home.
But not without some antics first.....