Steep Roads

Adventure Location:  Rockport, Texas
Adventure Date: 01/03/2018

It was 0715 when the OFM climbed into Sierra. Sierra was started and the television screens in the dash started spitting out data. It was 27 F as we pulled out of the parking spot. That is way cold enough for the Teams.

After a Whataburger breakfast, Sierra took the OFM across the street to Walmart. Into the store he dashed. Then he started walking. It is too cold outside for him to walk so inside Walmart is the next choice. He walked and walked and walked and it was nice in the warmer air inside Walmart. Finally he was ready to go home. Sierra gladly took us home after stopping a couple of places to take pictures.

Later the OFM went to the utility hookup side of the Castle and notice two large icicles hanging from the Castle under the water inlet. After the icicles were knocked off you could see where the old sun hardened hose was leaking around the brass fitting. So it was off to Walmart for a new hose.

The new hose went on without a hitch. Here is a picture of the new hose with the icicles on the ground under the hose.

In the mail came our new Mountain Passes Directory we heard about from The Bayfield Bunch.

This gives the per cent grade and other important things about the higher and steeper passes a road traveler can encounter in the USA . After looking at several of the passes the OFM personally knows about, he decided that the writer really knew his stuff and the book is worth more than the cost. 

Last year Sierra had a really tough time with the steepest part of Guadalupe Pass in West Texas. It turns out that part is an 8% grade.  Now we know to dodge any grade of 8% or more as it is too much for safe trailering for the Teams. The book was a bit under $20 and can be ordered  from http://www.mountaindirectory.com/ . It took less than a week to get here.

It already showed us a pass or three that we now know we have no business trying to cross towing the Castle.  We will have to tour that part of the country without towing the Castle. That will be a lot better than frying a transmission or engine. Trying to back down a mountain pass road with a fried engine is not our idea of a great way of trying to have tooooo much fun.