Oceano Dunes - May 30, 1998  

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We could see that the river was high, and that people were already having problems getting across. The "approved towing company", affectionately known as the vultures, were out in fine form, taking credit cards or cash to pull people across after they failed to make it on their own.
 

With enough clearance, tire size, and 4-wheel drive, the river was really no problem. As Scott shows us while playing around on the highest bank he could find. We all splashed around for awhile, basically showing off for the accumulated masses who were gathered to watch the unlucky suck water into their engines with one large gulp.
 
 

This guy was driving a Toy that should have been able to make it, but somehow he did not. The vulture cruised out, and for a measly $150, pulled him the remaining 150 feet to high ground. He then started to figure out why his engine would not crank over, and what he might want to do with a wet air cleaner element. I loaned him a spark plug wrench, and he pulled out his plugs, cranked it over to pump out the water. After replacing the plugs, but not the wet air cleaner, he started it up, and went on his merry way. Now I know why all the spares parts list always include an air cleaner and an oil change. It is nice to know you are prepared for a water problem when it is YOUR truck that sucked the water.
 
 

This guy had a lowered Chevy and should not have been anywhere near the water. He also had no money for towing, so he cried for help when the vulture offered his services. Scott was glad to help, and pulled him over to the high ground where I learned a valuable lesson about hanging around the creek. If an idiot does something real stupid, be sure you have a lot of patience before you offer him a hand. This guy had no tools, and very little clue about what a spark plug was, and what would happen when he sucked water. I loaned him my plug wrench, and was stuck for 2 hours while he tried to pull all 6 plugs out of his 4.3L Vortec. Nice engine, but hard to work on in a small truck, and lack of experience does not help. He ended up losing a couple of my tools into his engine compartment, was not able to get it to run, and finally Scott towed him off the beach. He left the Chevy in a 2 hour parking spot on the pavement. Scott had learned the same lesson the night before, losing a 4 D-cell Maglite, and getting his whole tool box doused in salt water while trying to help out a j**per who had gotten stuck in the river in the dark.

I was there too, and managed to get a few pictures of my truck, before almost rolling a gutter ball while "Bowling" but that is another story. The affects of El Nino were evident on the beach, as there were several ponds in low spots.

I left my truck back a reasonable distance and watched as Chris pulled Scott out of a hole he drove down into.
 

  Scott dropped into a bowl that looked like the pit with the giant worm in it from Star Wars. Chris maneuvered around until he could get a good angle, and had to pull Scott out of the hole in reverse. He got the job done as the others watched.

When Scott wasn't stuck, he made some nice donuts in the sand.

 Tracy was trying hard to make it up and out of a hole while Eric was with me watching. She did make it on her last try.
On Sunday morning, we went our separate ways. I went over a pretty dirt road from Arroyo Grande to the small town of Pozo in an inland valley. I enjoyed this drive even more than the playing on the beach. The signs said the road was closed, but when I got to the top, the gate was open. There was a spot where a culvert had washed out, and a deep gully bisected the road, but a slow crawl through it made short work of the tough spot.

The hills were green, and the wild flowers were out in profusion.