Would you 4 x 4 here? (Skeleton Coast)

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graham-xrf

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The fearsome reputation of that coast, littered with bones from historic whaling and sealing industry, and a good many humans who fetched up there and perished, finding nothing to eat nor drink, just the miles of lifeless sand of a freezing cold desert! The place is vast, and most of it is not desert at all. I did visit the very North part of Namibia (Caprivi Strip), but I never did make it to that part of the coast where my Dad said you could go fishing (long rod + big Penn + 6" spinner with triple hook) and pull geelstert and other great fish onto the beach. The treacherous coast is littered with shipwrecks. Zeila of Hangana as recent as 2008, pretty much almost up onto the beach.

I knew that 4 x 4 was obligatory, and I would not trust even the old F-250 without lots of TLC. If you set off, you made very sure lots of folk knew, and one at least at the other end would raise the alarm to come out and fetch you if you were late arriving. I was never in the league of these guys..

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Seriously mad it is when you have a mini-avalanche wake in front of the vehicle!
 
That looks like fun to me!
Although I'd have to go with my brother, a friend or one of my sons......my wife doesn't even like the hills on the back roads here.

That sure is beautiful.
-brino
 
I came across it by accident when looking at a country-music type video, which ran on to another. It showed the place names of famous fishing holes up that coast that my Dad used to mention. I liked the F-250 more than any "Safari" Land Rover (of the day). They were too thirsty, and relatively unreliable. Call me uptight about it if you like, but I always carried as much water, fuel, food, camping kit, and repair spares and tools as I could.

Of course now, one can have every kind of Japanese, Korean, UK and US SUVs that come with considerable luxury (and price). Range rovers, Jeep Cherokee(s) and the like are here dubbed "Chelsea Tractors", apparently popular in London where the closest the owners (Mom's dropping their kids off at school) ever came to "off roading" was maybe a kerb in Chelsea!

For me, it was spotting the signs for "Henties Bay", and "Bennie se Rooi Lorrie", at the beginning of the video - and the wreck of Zeila, looking in surprisingly good condition, but now only a perch for sea birds. The place is awesome everywhere, and the girl doing the singing is clearly in love with the land. If you want bit of translation, you may have to ask @Suzuki4evr. Now, I regret I did not press on and do some F-250 4x4 North of Springbok.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luN011kE72w

Bennie was a child who would play on the beach with his red toy truck, presumably while Daddy was fishing. The red toy truck became a marker for a famous fishing hole. All the way up that coast, the names are informal like that. "Rondeklip", meaning "Round Rock" is a rounded boulder in the water that gets submerged at high tide, and if you know it, and it's the right time of year, you cast a line. "Sarah's se gat", sounding ruder than it should, is another famous fishing hole. "Jakkalsputz" is known for more than just fishing, apparently also a place with a share of those hungry wild dogs.

Long rod fishing with my Dad, from rocks, or beaches, with relatively light (90lb) line, is among my most enduring memories.
 
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If you're looking for a bit of a thrill off roading try the Black Bear Pass to Telluride Colorado. It's tough enough the it's rated for "Expert" drivers only. If you rent a Jeep you have to sign a document saying you will not attempt this trail.

The trail was originally carved into the mountains for mules to get supplies to the mines. It literally had steps at the right distance for the mules to climb one foot at a time. We did it about 15 years ago and would probably never do it again. The couple in front of us had a Jeep with all sorts of gear on the roof. Going down the steps it was so top heavy both the wheels on the right side were off the ground when the left front wheel would go down a step. About half way down the passengers door opened and a young lady stepped out. She said she couldn't stand it any longer and was going to walk down the rest of the way.

Here's a link to a video of someone doing it on an ATV. It doesn't look all that scary until he gets past the steepest part and points the camera back up the maintain.


We did a bunch of these trails back when we were younger and had no fear. We still like the off roading, but don't feel we need to tempt fate that much in our older years.
 
My mom lived in Namibia while in the US Peace Corps 20 years ago, I wanted to visit but she came home on medical before I could get the chance.

I used to go offroading right where the Santa Cruz fires are now with my buddies in their old Fj40 Toyota Land Cruisers. They would sometimes go up to the Rubicon in the Sierra Nevada mountains for a challenge.


John
 
matthewsx said:
I used to go offroading right where the Santa Cruz fires are now with my buddies in their old Fj40 Toyota Land Cruisers. They would sometimes go up to the Rubicon in the Sierra Nevada mountains for a challenge.
John
Click to expand...
Goodness me! The pile of rocks being tackled by that Toyota are somewhat OTT compared to the river beds and ravines I would have encountered. It looks like these guys do that as a sport, choosing bits of difficult terrain. There have to be Jeeps, and various others used for that. I never had any kind of "training", and it was never a sport. I learned by doing what others ahead did. The vehicle was a survival tool. If I could track fast in 2-wheel mode, I did. Anybody behind had to stay behind, because attempting an overtake in my dust would be driving blind. You had to get well to the side to make it, and I was probably already going about as fast as anyone with sense would want to.

Actually, the F250 would not really have stood much chance at that kind of thing. I needed flatbed capacity. Toyota Hilux would have been my next choice, had I not ended up in the UK. I befriended a guy in Francistown Botswana who we first came across by seeing his dust trail while flying crew in a Africair-Wenela DC4 while crossing the Makgadigadi Salt Pan, which is a dried up lake in part of the internal water system there. This place was once featured in "Top Gear". From 10,000 ft, it's just flat white nothing every direction. The pilot actually turned a bit of a circle, and descended to get a better look. It was common then to report such stuff in case someone had to come out with a rescue plane, which for us would have been the Britten-Norman Islander.

The curious thing was that the 4 x 4 was tracking an exact dead straight line across featureless terrain. We were impressed! We caught up with him a couple of days later in the bar of the Francistown "Grand Hotel" (which looked a bit like like a barn surrounded by posh rondawels), and discovered he had been driving to a compass heading. Though he had never been a seaman, he even had a sextant, and he explained that he knew the height when he stood on the Toyota cab, and that the land was so flat, the trick worked! We all were in envy of his kit. Water tanks, extra fuel, HF radio, all sorts of expensive gear. Collecting samples for Rio Tinto must have been a top job!

Definitely awsome countryside in Northern CA. Maybe someday, when we are free of the pestilence, I might get to see it!
Dear me! Pray that we don't have to look at the legacy of fires!
 
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Yes, Rubicon trail is definitely not for the timid. My buddies reported there were bits where they had to winch through.

I have an F250 too. 2 wd 7.3l short box. It's been a great truck and I've had it since new in 1998.

I do know about flat lake beds as well, my buddy and are were Burning Man pioneers. Back in the day you could only find the camp by compass heading.

John
 
I used to do a bunch of wheeling back in the day (hence my forum name). Unfortunately we have lost a lot of the places to closures. Laid my jeep on it's side twice and one roll over on to its roof. Maybe post some pictures if there is enough interest.
 
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