Basic rules for off-roading

Because I was so happy with my new alternator, I went for a little spin on some local farm tracks, it was getting quite late in the evening, so I didn’t ask anybody to come with me ( Here I already broke rule nr 1.) It was pretty muddy and I switched to low gear within 300 meters, great fun until I got almost stuck in some really deep ruts! I don’t have a winch (* yet…) so it was a rather scary moment.

I heard from a friend that I could return to my house on a small track though the forest, I soon found the track and I was a great drive. But at the end of the track the road was closed, I drove back in reverse with no backing lights (there was no way I could turn, with a deep ditch on the right and huge trees on the left) and tried another track. Same story again.

After taking a few turns that resulted in the same road blocks, I decided to go back on my tracks… After almost an hour of searching I found my way back out of the dark forest. So lesson nr.2… (note: it turned out that these roads are open in the summer, because there’s a campsite in the forest, which is closed in the winter)

What have we learned:

1. Never go off-roading alone if you plan to get stuck without a winch

2. Don’t take any roads you don’t know where they will end

3. It’s easy to get lost in a dark forest

4. Driving in reverse without backing lights is very difficult

5. Cell phones don’t work in remote places (even in the Netherlands)

6. A navigation system is useless when the maps are not accurate (when does TOMTOM incorporate farm tracks and by-roads on their maps?)

7. Leaving your toolbox open in the back of your ambulance gives a great mess