DRAM 3, Dirt Roads Across Maine. The Legend Continues.
- Thread starter Mass_Mopar
- Start date
Mass_Mopar
Don't Litter
There was good news and bad news
Spencer had determined that time, heat, and pressure had sealed up Boomer's leaking upper radiator hose (for the most part).
Ashwin had filled up his 4-runner with 7.5 gallons of not gas, not diesel, but kerosene. Major oops.
Brainstorming a solution became priority #1. We considered draining the tank, but then the problem became what to do with the 15-20 gallons of flammable mixture. Google results suggested we forego draining the tank, and instead add some octane booster and hope for the best. After all, what could go wrong?
At least we had a great view for the momentary hiccup.
With 2 bottles of octane booster down the hatch, we got back underway.
The locals were out that day. Most were driving pickups, but this particular gal was a bit different.
The weather let up for a few minutes, so we made a quick stop for a bite to eat and to stretch the legs.
So far the 4runner had adopted a new smell from the exhaust but no obvious signs of unhappiness, not even a check engine light! Who knew that V6 was dual fuel...
Just before we started the last leg before camp, we had a couple developments. First off, with cell service Spencer confirmed his brother was going to attempt to find our campsite and join us that evening! Sadly, the second development was some sort of stomach ailment in the Porsche, which spelled the end of DRAM3 for Ryan & Restrepo.
One truck down, we headed towards the stop for the night.
We made great time, and had the luxury of daylight for setting up and sourcing the night's firewood. We dragged a dead birch over to camp and got to work on it.
The night was once again filled with fantastic smells as we stayed warm around the fire. Despite this spot's reputation for wind, it was reasonably calm for dinner. That would change as a front swept through over the next few hours. Day 1 had been a success for the most part, and the team was optimistic for day 2, where we'd stop at Pittston Farm, traverse the North Maine woods, and take another shot at the Mountain. That optimism was interrupted when word came through that Spence's brother had turned back before he could make it due to an impassable flooded road... the same road we were scheduled to start with in the morning.
To be continued...
Spencer had determined that time, heat, and pressure had sealed up Boomer's leaking upper radiator hose (for the most part).
Ashwin had filled up his 4-runner with 7.5 gallons of not gas, not diesel, but kerosene. Major oops.
Brainstorming a solution became priority #1. We considered draining the tank, but then the problem became what to do with the 15-20 gallons of flammable mixture. Google results suggested we forego draining the tank, and instead add some octane booster and hope for the best. After all, what could go wrong?
At least we had a great view for the momentary hiccup.
With 2 bottles of octane booster down the hatch, we got back underway.
The locals were out that day. Most were driving pickups, but this particular gal was a bit different.
The weather let up for a few minutes, so we made a quick stop for a bite to eat and to stretch the legs.
So far the 4runner had adopted a new smell from the exhaust but no obvious signs of unhappiness, not even a check engine light! Who knew that V6 was dual fuel...
Just before we started the last leg before camp, we had a couple developments. First off, with cell service Spencer confirmed his brother was going to attempt to find our campsite and join us that evening! Sadly, the second development was some sort of stomach ailment in the Porsche, which spelled the end of DRAM3 for Ryan & Restrepo.
One truck down, we headed towards the stop for the night.
We made great time, and had the luxury of daylight for setting up and sourcing the night's firewood. We dragged a dead birch over to camp and got to work on it.
The night was once again filled with fantastic smells as we stayed warm around the fire. Despite this spot's reputation for wind, it was reasonably calm for dinner. That would change as a front swept through over the next few hours. Day 1 had been a success for the most part, and the team was optimistic for day 2, where we'd stop at Pittston Farm, traverse the North Maine woods, and take another shot at the Mountain. That optimism was interrupted when word came through that Spence's brother had turned back before he could make it due to an impassable flooded road... the same road we were scheduled to start with in the morning.
To be continued...
Last edited:
TheBoondocker
New member
Iam in Great trip so far
CountryHandyMan
Unregistered Maine Guide
I enjoy your writing style, looking forward to hearing more.
Mass_Mopar
Don't Litter
After the worst
night's sleep I've had in my roof tent in quite a while, the wind and the cold would also work their magic on breakfast and packing up. To give you an idea of the wind, I had strapped my ladder to my jerry cans just to make sure I didn't wake up inside a roof tent sandwich.
My little propane bottle for the stove was nearly empty, but I was determined to finish it off before swapping in a fresh one. The wind was determined to prevent both a cup of hot chocolate and my efforts to cook eggs. Alternating between re-lighting the burner and packing the contents of the tent continued until I was frozen stiff and fed up. The icing on the proverbial cake was a frozen spring-loaded pin in my ladder, which until I could figure out how to un-freeze, would prevent all further packing. ****.
One thing at a time. New bottle of propane hooked up, and my breakfast finally happened. With some protein finally on board, I had an idea for the ladder: Drill. The aluminum was soft and I had a hole in the back done in no time. With a whack from the hammer, the pin was dislodged and the ladder stowed. Success.
The other happy campers were all going about their morning chores at a similar slightly-frozen pace.
Getting underway, we were all excited about the travels that lay ahead. We didn't have to wait long to find the flooded road.
Luckily for us, daylight revealed a foreboding sight, but one that was easily traversed.
Our first major stop for the day was Rockwood, where both man and machine enjoyed the facilities before we would make the push for Pittston Farm and the North Maine Woods. There may have been a few jokes about correct pump selection tossed around on the CB :elkgrin: With the 4-runner running just fine and the additional gasoline diluting the mixture, the worry of a kerosene-induced problem faded into the past.
At Pittston Farm, we took the opportunity for a group shot.
It was my first time stopping here. Built in the early 1900's by a paper company in support of their log drives, today the farm is an impressive destination all by itself. If you're in the area, it's a must-see.
Coffee cups filled and pie purchased, we headed around the corner to the 20-Mile checkpoint and the entrance of our North Maine Woods leg.
All was going smoothly until.... what the hell is that noise??
To be continued...
night's sleep I've had in my roof tent in quite a while, the wind and the cold would also work their magic on breakfast and packing up. To give you an idea of the wind, I had strapped my ladder to my jerry cans just to make sure I didn't wake up inside a roof tent sandwich.
My little propane bottle for the stove was nearly empty, but I was determined to finish it off before swapping in a fresh one. The wind was determined to prevent both a cup of hot chocolate and my efforts to cook eggs. Alternating between re-lighting the burner and packing the contents of the tent continued until I was frozen stiff and fed up. The icing on the proverbial cake was a frozen spring-loaded pin in my ladder, which until I could figure out how to un-freeze, would prevent all further packing. ****.
One thing at a time. New bottle of propane hooked up, and my breakfast finally happened. With some protein finally on board, I had an idea for the ladder: Drill. The aluminum was soft and I had a hole in the back done in no time. With a whack from the hammer, the pin was dislodged and the ladder stowed. Success.
The other happy campers were all going about their morning chores at a similar slightly-frozen pace.
Getting underway, we were all excited about the travels that lay ahead. We didn't have to wait long to find the flooded road.
Luckily for us, daylight revealed a foreboding sight, but one that was easily traversed.
Our first major stop for the day was Rockwood, where both man and machine enjoyed the facilities before we would make the push for Pittston Farm and the North Maine Woods. There may have been a few jokes about correct pump selection tossed around on the CB :elkgrin: With the 4-runner running just fine and the additional gasoline diluting the mixture, the worry of a kerosene-induced problem faded into the past.
At Pittston Farm, we took the opportunity for a group shot.
It was my first time stopping here. Built in the early 1900's by a paper company in support of their log drives, today the farm is an impressive destination all by itself. If you're in the area, it's a must-see.
Coffee cups filled and pie purchased, we headed around the corner to the 20-Mile checkpoint and the entrance of our North Maine Woods leg.
All was going smoothly until.... what the hell is that noise??
To be continued...
Last edited:
CountryHandyMan
Unregistered Maine Guide
I see the bridge at 20 Mile is still a mess of busted boards and homeless nails. I was camping up that way Friday night and that wind was horrible.
TravelsWithRalph
Adventurer
Great write up. Enjoying seeing the whole trip from a different perspective. Thanks,
Mass_Mopar
Don't Litter
Sorry SmoothLC, not sure if that's Will's or Jonathan's breakfast setup but it isn't mine. Spence, you took that pic, any clue?
Mass_Mopar
Don't Litter
The diagnosis was
a stuck valve in Spencer's air line, causing the compressor to continue running.
The proposed fix: heat. First up: propane torch. After a few minutes, propane torch was abandoned and plan B was drawn up: The lovely checkpoint attendant's hair dryer! After a few minutes on high, valve was un-frozen, air system was happy, and a hair dryer might have just earned a spot in next year's tool box.
With dues paid and permits in hand, we began our trek through the North Maine Woods.
Even with the low ceiling of grey above our heads, the road was as scenic as they come. The rolling hills combined with the parallel snakes of tire tracks formed the perfect picture of Maine adventuring.
The famous Golden Road was in great condition, and made for smooth and speedy travels.
The Telos checkpoint arrived in short order, spelling the end of our North Maine Woods travels. They had a timely warning posted:
It was a welcome pit stop. The attendant was curious about our trucks and impressed with our ambitious plan of seeing the ocean by the next night. Outhouse visited and mud cleared from my lights, we were back to the dirt.
I don't remember if it was Spencer or Will who piped up over the radio that there was a scenic outlook over a lake coming up, but either way, they were right. And when I said "over" a lake, I meant "on" the lake. The rocks looked a bit sharp but we assembled for a picture anyway.
The base of Mt Katahdin was just barely visible through the shower.
After a brief break for lunch at Kokadjo Trading Post, the topic of how to handle the treacherous mountain pass from DRAM2 was front and center. We had 3 options: Go around it, go over it, or split up and do both. Part of the group really wanted to tackle it, part of the group really wanted to skip it, and the rest of us could go either way.
A compromise broke out. We decided to climb to the summit, take in the view, and then decide if we would come back down the (relatively) easy side, or proceed down the rock-garden side. To the mountain we went.
The roads leading up to the mountain were fantastic. As we twisted and turned, various peaks would pop into view through the encroaching foliage and disappear with the next turn. It was an exciting and nerve wracking approach, as we were really off the beaten path now. As we climbed, the foliage got tighter and tighter. As Ashwin passed through the brush ahead of me, it looked like his paint was coming off in small clouds as the branches scrubbed the mud from the side of his 4-Runner.
We had considerably less snow this year than DRAM2 had seen. Nevertheless, we hit the snow line around 2000' and continued to the summit of 2300'. The cloud ceiling seemingly rose with our ascent, and rewarded our adventure with a breathtaking vista.
a stuck valve in Spencer's air line, causing the compressor to continue running.
The proposed fix: heat. First up: propane torch. After a few minutes, propane torch was abandoned and plan B was drawn up: The lovely checkpoint attendant's hair dryer! After a few minutes on high, valve was un-frozen, air system was happy, and a hair dryer might have just earned a spot in next year's tool box.
With dues paid and permits in hand, we began our trek through the North Maine Woods.
Even with the low ceiling of grey above our heads, the road was as scenic as they come. The rolling hills combined with the parallel snakes of tire tracks formed the perfect picture of Maine adventuring.
The famous Golden Road was in great condition, and made for smooth and speedy travels.
The Telos checkpoint arrived in short order, spelling the end of our North Maine Woods travels. They had a timely warning posted:
It was a welcome pit stop. The attendant was curious about our trucks and impressed with our ambitious plan of seeing the ocean by the next night. Outhouse visited and mud cleared from my lights, we were back to the dirt.
I don't remember if it was Spencer or Will who piped up over the radio that there was a scenic outlook over a lake coming up, but either way, they were right. And when I said "over" a lake, I meant "on" the lake. The rocks looked a bit sharp but we assembled for a picture anyway.
The base of Mt Katahdin was just barely visible through the shower.
After a brief break for lunch at Kokadjo Trading Post, the topic of how to handle the treacherous mountain pass from DRAM2 was front and center. We had 3 options: Go around it, go over it, or split up and do both. Part of the group really wanted to tackle it, part of the group really wanted to skip it, and the rest of us could go either way.
A compromise broke out. We decided to climb to the summit, take in the view, and then decide if we would come back down the (relatively) easy side, or proceed down the rock-garden side. To the mountain we went.
The roads leading up to the mountain were fantastic. As we twisted and turned, various peaks would pop into view through the encroaching foliage and disappear with the next turn. It was an exciting and nerve wracking approach, as we were really off the beaten path now. As we climbed, the foliage got tighter and tighter. As Ashwin passed through the brush ahead of me, it looked like his paint was coming off in small clouds as the branches scrubbed the mud from the side of his 4-Runner.
We had considerably less snow this year than DRAM2 had seen. Nevertheless, we hit the snow line around 2000' and continued to the summit of 2300'. The cloud ceiling seemingly rose with our ascent, and rewarded our adventure with a breathtaking vista.
Last edited: