I've driven this track from my house up the hill so many times, but I'm usually alone, so I don't take photos as a rule.
It rained this weekend, non-stop, all day Friday through to Sunday afternoon, then it sort of stopped. So I jumped in the truck and went for a 2 hour reccie to find the start of the track that goes over the mountains northwards to Azuga and on to Brasov.
Had no intention of going far, the going was very wet and that would be quite dangerous on the mountain soil tracks, it's very easy to side-slip over the edge on the ridge, or contouring, anyway I went...
The first difficulty is always this stream crossing. Scuse the rubbish, but the villagers have a lot to learn about environmental protection
.
So I parked up at the top of the hill and took a walk down to see what state the track was in. As usual after rain, the trickle was more of a stream and the left hand bend means the rear left wheel wants to slide sideways down the gully. If I'd did it would be curtains, so I decided to go straight on up the stream (to the left of these photos).
P
That pesky 30mm diameter concrete pipe is a pain. Anyway, if I keep hard right my left tyre just rubs it, no wonder the side walls on my ATs are shagged! Going this way means a tread wash then a tight left up the stream bank to bring me back around onto the track.
Now for the left turn up the bank. There's a big rock that's too heavy for a weedy fella like me. I'll winch it away one day, but for the moment it's doing no harm.
View attachment 18476
So so pretty much on full steer left, lockers off, she climbed her way up.
This is is the nice grassy bit that takes me back to the track...
Once back on track, the next part is easy. It's steepish, rocky and very muddy, but the 80 eats it up no problem.
The right hander next can be messy in the wet. It's solid clay in the dry, but I've had it sink over the axle here, up to the top of the rim.
To try to avoid that, I put her in low 3rd fully locked, and got some momentum behind her. It needs it here, because there's a half meter step up out of the mud at the end of the curve. If you stop on that lift, it's a non-starter a second time and nothing but the winch will pull you up.
The momentum trick worked though, and up we went!
It's a narrow track with occasional rocks either side, so a bit of care is needed to save tearing a sidewall, the only criticism I have with GG ATs is the weak sidewalls.
To the top, where we meet the asphalt road. It's a bit of a step up, but nothing for the truck.
Then it's back into high and up the serpentine asphalt track, over the top, then the steep hairpins down to Secaria.
Using goggle earth, I followed the river upstream, across bridges and shallow fordings, and then climbing up the slippery track. I didn't take any photos of this part, I spent most of my time fully locked trying to make some way. It was so slippery on the ATs, at times I was even sliding backwards.
Anyway, I got to a suitable turning area, knowing that I had found the right track for the mountain ridge ride I want to take the August Romania 2015 trip on.
So so on the way back down, I had the luxury of stopping for a few snaps.
A little patch of snow, you just have to drive through it, don't you?
This is where it was the slipperiest, where I was sliding backwards on the way up!
And and on down till we were back on the black stuff.
To the left turn back down my track...
It it drops quite steeply from the road. Why is it steep just never looks steep on photos?
And and back to the muddy, now left hander, with the drop-in...
Which of of course is invisible on a photo...
Back through the stream the way I came up, many times I've got too close to the edge, so I play it safe now.
This is part is particularly muddy, fully locked to get up this in the wet, there's no option other than winching if you stop.
Then it was an easy run back down to the house...
These are from last weekend when it was sunny!
I also seem seem to be short on drab winter shots of the house, so here's an Autum photo!
Home safely to a hot supper before leaving back to Bucharest...
Edit, and I wonder where half the photos have gone to... They all show in the edit function
It rained this weekend, non-stop, all day Friday through to Sunday afternoon, then it sort of stopped. So I jumped in the truck and went for a 2 hour reccie to find the start of the track that goes over the mountains northwards to Azuga and on to Brasov.
Had no intention of going far, the going was very wet and that would be quite dangerous on the mountain soil tracks, it's very easy to side-slip over the edge on the ridge, or contouring, anyway I went...
The first difficulty is always this stream crossing. Scuse the rubbish, but the villagers have a lot to learn about environmental protection
. So I parked up at the top of the hill and took a walk down to see what state the track was in. As usual after rain, the trickle was more of a stream and the left hand bend means the rear left wheel wants to slide sideways down the gully. If I'd did it would be curtains, so I decided to go straight on up the stream (to the left of these photos).
PThat pesky 30mm diameter concrete pipe is a pain. Anyway, if I keep hard right my left tyre just rubs it, no wonder the side walls on my ATs are shagged! Going this way means a tread wash then a tight left up the stream bank to bring me back around onto the track.
Now for the left turn up the bank. There's a big rock that's too heavy for a weedy fella like me. I'll winch it away one day, but for the moment it's doing no harm.
View attachment 18476
So so pretty much on full steer left, lockers off, she climbed her way up.
This is is the nice grassy bit that takes me back to the track...
Once back on track, the next part is easy. It's steepish, rocky and very muddy, but the 80 eats it up no problem.
The right hander next can be messy in the wet. It's solid clay in the dry, but I've had it sink over the axle here, up to the top of the rim.
To try to avoid that, I put her in low 3rd fully locked, and got some momentum behind her. It needs it here, because there's a half meter step up out of the mud at the end of the curve. If you stop on that lift, it's a non-starter a second time and nothing but the winch will pull you up.
The momentum trick worked though, and up we went!
It's a narrow track with occasional rocks either side, so a bit of care is needed to save tearing a sidewall, the only criticism I have with GG ATs is the weak sidewalls.
To the top, where we meet the asphalt road. It's a bit of a step up, but nothing for the truck.
Then it's back into high and up the serpentine asphalt track, over the top, then the steep hairpins down to Secaria.
Using goggle earth, I followed the river upstream, across bridges and shallow fordings, and then climbing up the slippery track. I didn't take any photos of this part, I spent most of my time fully locked trying to make some way. It was so slippery on the ATs, at times I was even sliding backwards.
Anyway, I got to a suitable turning area, knowing that I had found the right track for the mountain ridge ride I want to take the August Romania 2015 trip on.
So so on the way back down, I had the luxury of stopping for a few snaps.
A little patch of snow, you just have to drive through it, don't you?
This is where it was the slipperiest, where I was sliding backwards on the way up!
And and on down till we were back on the black stuff.
To the left turn back down my track...
It it drops quite steeply from the road. Why is it steep just never looks steep on photos?
And and back to the muddy, now left hander, with the drop-in...
Which of of course is invisible on a photo...
Back through the stream the way I came up, many times I've got too close to the edge, so I play it safe now.
This is part is particularly muddy, fully locked to get up this in the wet, there's no option other than winching if you stop.
Then it was an easy run back down to the house...
These are from last weekend when it was sunny!
I also seem seem to be short on drab winter shots of the house, so here's an Autum photo!
Home safely to a hot supper before leaving back to Bucharest...
Edit, and I wonder where half the photos have gone to... They all show in the edit function
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i would have to find a shop at the far end so i would have an excuse to do it every time we ran out of milk 
its true pics never do justice but its plain to see in yours that it will be fun 
