Stupid southwest drainage gulches...

[TMG51]

Where I come from, we send our storm water under the roads. :dodgy:

These friggin' gulches they put in the roads out here for drainage shake up my van way worse than any speed bump ever has. I swear I've gotten air off one before.

Anyway, yesterday, pulling into a grocery store right downtown San Diego, I crossed one such friggin' gulch. I saw it and slowed down, not going fast to begin with, but it still shook my van, as they always do. I parked, got out to head to the grocery store, and realized something was wrong when I heard water flowing. Looked back to see water gushing from my gray dump valve. "Aww ****," I proclaimed loudly. Got back in the van, and sped off leaving a trail of sudsy water and confused onlookers.

I ditched quickly into a back street. Dumped the contents of the tank - they were coming out one way or the other. The flange which the valve bolts to had broken, evidently just from the shaking going over that gulch (it was probably the original). Drove to the nearest RV store, got the parts, reconfigured the plumbing in the parking lot of Home Depot, glued on a new flange, bolted on a new valve... so it's fixed, and maybe it'll be good for another 18 years.

But man, screw those gulches.

 

[ArtW]

Tanks: convenient but vulnerable
pray the black tank never does that, eww!

 

[highdesertranger]

I have seen them get tore off by people off roading their RV's. hint of the day, don't drive through the blue water puddles. highdesertranger

 

[jimindenver]

Why do you think I have the trailer nose down when it travels, more clearance for the plumbing. Then again I am still waiting to see a real off road experience out here. So far the jeep trails have been kinda cute.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Ha, thanks for the laugh (at your expense.) I believe I would have done the exact same thing and blew outta there. Look on the two bright sides, it wasn't the black and now the grey tank doesn't need to be emptied.

 

[ZoNiE]

^
Winner!

 

[TMG51]

To be clear, my valve did *not* hit anything, there was no clearance issue, it just vibrated the fk apart.

Also, I don't use my toilet, so my black and gray tanks are both gray water, in effect.

But apart from that - feel free to continue laughing at my expense! Ah, it's all resolved now. Right now I'm at Sunset Cliffs and just took a shower, no leaks, and took this picture standing atop my van... all is good.

 

[jimindenver]

However it happened, it would suck. It's a good thing you had the ability to set it right.

 

[Txjaybird]

  YOU JUST AIN'T RIGHT  

TJB & Q

 

[TrainChaser]

"These friggin' gulches they put in the roads out here for drainage shake up my van way worse than any speed bump ever has."

What are those??? I've seen roads paved down into and then out of dry river beds (which are stupid enough), but that can't be what you mean. Or do you mean unpaved washboard roads? Like this? https://d22izw7byeupn1.cloudfront.net/journals/PHYSICS/synopses/images/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.012203

 

[BobBski]

I owned an RV like yours, 89 Ford Falcon. In the 12 years I owned it that happened 3 times up in Alaska. Pain in the hiney for sure.

 

[highdesertranger]

"I've seen roads paved down into and then out of dry river beds (which are stupid enough),"

so lets review, old roads follow the natural lay of the land. dipping in and out of washes, they have many switch backs going up and down mountains. they are basically leaving the terrain in its natural state.

bring on the new roads we can't have any of that, let's bring in the heavy equipment. we will fill in and install culverts or bridge any natural wash. we will cut mountains down, we can't have a grade over 8%.. after all we all need to drive at least 70mph. then we need to fence our road to keep animals from roaming on it, creating barriers to their natural movement. if it's in the way way dynamite it. move millions of tons of material. if the environment doesn't fit our road we will make it fit no matter the cost, environmentally or financially. you tell me what's stupid. highdesertranger

 

[ArtW]

I think that might be why so many roads in Europe are so much nicer drives than here, they were mostly built following the lay of the land
same with state highways in Texas, for the most part

 

[Almost There]

"I've seen roads paved down into and then out of dry river beds (which are stupid enough),"

so lets review,  old roads follow the natural lay of the land.  dipping in and out of washes,  they have many switch backs going up and down mountains.  they are basically leaving the terrain in its natural state.

bring on the new roads we can't have any of that,  let's bring in the heavy equipment.  we will fill in and install culverts or bridge any natural wash.  we will cut mountains down,  we can't have a grade over 8%..  after all we all need to drive at least 70mph.  then we need to fence our road to keep animals from roaming on it,  creating barriers to their natural movement.  if it's in the way way dynamite it.  move millions of tons of material.  if the environment doesn't fit our road we will make it fit no matter the cost,  environmentally or financially.  you tell me what's stupid.  highdesertranger

That was just one of the many things I loved about driving Route 66 on my eastbound trip this spring....the original roads where they still exist followed the lay of the land. In a lot of places the old road is laying along side the Interstate which provided the exact contrast HDR writes about above. All the fun of driving has been flattened out in the interest of speed!

Yes, I had to keep an eye out for the dips in the road and cattle gates and yes, I had to slow down for them, but man, it was a much more relaxing drive!

 

[TrainChaser]

HDR (who doesn't like to be contradicted):  "..so lets review,  old roads follow the natural lay of the land... basically leaving the terrain in its natural state."

Try saving money doing that in a highly-populated city that gets lots of tourism. Like directly behind a large Las Vegas hotel/casino, just half a mile east of the Strip (Paradise Rd), on the major N-S artery from the main airport, and is slightly downhill from a large desert drainage area.  The dip was about 8 to 10 feet deep and filled quickly with fast-moving water.  People drove into it at night and drowned.  It flowed under the Strip, through the parking area under the hotel, which had a large metal flood gate to trap the bodies coming from the western drainage.  As soon as the rain began, tow trucks would line up in the parking lot of the local strip club, waiting for morons who thought they could get through the water.

But is WAS natural.

 

[jimindenver]

Nature has always had its ways of thinning the herd.

 

[highdesertranger]

is it natural for morons to drive through a flash flood? I would say yes, you can't fix stupid. so are you saying we need to make all roads safe for morons?

about 2 years ago massive thunderstorms passed west of Needles causing huge flash floods on I40, US95, Route 66, and basically every road in the area. 2 people where killed, guess where? on I40 where several bridges across washes were washed out, they drove right off the washed out bridge into the flash flood because the bridge was gone. they are still not done repairing the bridges on I40 and there are still detours. they just started repairing the bridges on Route 66 last month. only US95 has remained open with no detours since the flooding. guess what US95 is one of those roads with no culverts or bridges across washes. Caltrans had it reopened with no detours in 2 days because all they had to do was bring in their loaders and clear the muck. highdesertranger