Video What not to do in Slab City

Matt Derrick

Retired Wanderer
Staff member
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
10,563
Reaction score
13,912
Location
Portland, OR
Website
youtube.com
what an exciting... adventure...?
 

Dmac

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Messages
1,253
Reaction score
1,218
Location
Lincoln ne
I have been stuck in the sand before, it sucks! these guys were quite a ways off of the main road, by the looks of it. Must have hit it going kind of fast to make it that far.
 

Matt Derrick

Retired Wanderer
Staff member
Joined
Aug 4, 2006
Messages
10,563
Reaction score
13,912
Location
Portland, OR
Website
youtube.com
when i got to the slabs back in 2010 with my full size school bus, it was super late and i tried to pull of the side of the road and got us stuck in the sand. some folks from salvation mountain came over the next morning and pulled us out with their tractor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dmac

Dmac

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Messages
1,253
Reaction score
1,218
Location
Lincoln ne
@Matt Derrick , yeah, you don't have much of a chance to push a full sized bus out of the sand. I owned both a jeep cherokee and cj-5. got them both stuck in sand. If you get stuck in a 4x4, it's usually pretty bad. I was out 4 wheeling, so I had chains and a come-along and I got out easily enough, but it took a long time.
 

TMG51

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
86
Reaction score
283
Location
Burlington, VT
I once rescued a car load of asian women in Slab City when they got stuck in the sand.

I was up past the water towers where it's just sand and not really roads, lying on the roof of my van, sunning, wearing just shorts and sandals. Then I heard "essscuuuse mee!" and looked to see 7 asian women with a brand new SUV stuck in the sand. They looked to be tourists that had tried to drive up around the back of Salvation Mountain. Not sure why they thought that was a good idea.

I went over and started digging their wheels out, and explaining to them how to drive out, use less throttle, etc. Each time they'd just stomp on the gas and dig the same hole again without listening to what I was saying. So finally one of them said, "Will you drive it?"

Sure. So here's this sweaty sun baked dude from squatter city USA and they invite me to take their car. So I tapped the sand out of my sandals, climbed in, drove slowly out of the sand and up on to high ground... they ran over thanking me. But then they still didn't know how to get out of town. I tried to explain it to them but they were as good at hearing road directions as they were with hearing vehicle recovery directions. Instead I just told them I'd lead them out with my bigass van and they should follow slowly behind me and put their wheels the same places I put mine (ride the high points in the bad spots of road, etc). They did exactly that and I brought them back to the main road. Again they ran over to me and excitedly thanked me. They wrote a little thank you note and gave me $20. I didn't bother to explain that I was actually employed and just happened to be in the middle of Slab City - I'm sure they thought I was a total bum, so I let them feel good about giving me money.
 

TMG51

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Messages
86
Reaction score
283
Location
Burlington, VT
@TMG51 What, no "happy endings"?

It was like 3 generations of them. I'm sure if Grandma wasn't there I could've taken a couple of the younger ones into the back of the van.

In all seriousness though I was content just to help them. Asians have weird steel wool pubes anyway.
 

About us

  • Squat the Planet is the world's largest social network for misfit travelers. Join our community of do-it-yourself nomads and learn how to explore the world by any means necessary.

    More Info

Latest Library Uploads