I purchased this car in Early 1985 for $4300 plus a ’77 Pacer Wagon in trade (The link isn't to a picture of my car - It is simply representative of my Pacer Wagon!), and was impressed by the traction 4 wheel drive afforded me in snow during late season storms. It seemed nothing could stop this car! 2 feet of drifted snow, on a hill? No problem! Goes right through like it is not even there!

Anyway, after being impressed by the seemingly un-stoppable traction this car had, my ex-brother in law and I went exploring the abandoned iron mining area around Crosby – Ironton, Minnesota, one weekend in April 1985. We went through a few mud puddles like they weren’t even there, climbed several old ore piles, pulled a pickup truck out of a stuck situation, and generally had a good time exploring out in the woods.

We were trying to find a way to the top of yet another old ore pile, when we came upon this mudhole. I made a deal with the kid – I make all the decisions about speed and path through the mud, and if we get stuck – he digs us out. I wasn’t going to get dirty. I didn’t want to blast through at 20 mph for fear I would hurt my car, and I know insurance wouldn’t pay to fix damage I caused by a stunt like this.

So I went through slow and easy, figuring that if forward motion stopped, I could easily back out. Well, forward motion stopped. So did backward motion. So I listened to the radio while the kid brother dug. We also jacked up the car, and placed logs under tires. And dug some more. We got nowhere.

Picture Captions:
Now what?!? (after working an hour or so), Everyone returns to help, The ex-wife with a plan, "Pull", and the mudhole after the fact.

So we locked up the car, and hiked a mile or so back to town and explained the situation to my in-laws. They kind of smirked, and grabbed a couple of shovels, a chain and tow strap. My father in law, mother in law, kid brother in law, wife (all to be), friend of the family and me all piled in their Ford pick up. On the way out to the car my mother in law made some comment like "This is way off the beaten path!".

Care to see a map? (24k) Just click!
Care to see an aerial photograph? (42k) Just click!

A few minutes later, we arrive at the site. Everyone piles out (even the family dog) and wonders what the hell we were thinking! A few minutes later the car is out, the equipment stashed, and all are on the way back to town.

The rest of the weekend I'm wondering if this car will ever come clean, and what damage have I done soaking it in mud for a couple of hours. As it turns out, a full service car wash was able to get it clean, and no damage was ever clearly shown to be a consequence of this event. The front wheel bearings needed to be replaced several months later, and that may have been due to the dirt and water from being stuck axle-deep for a couple of hours!

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