Blackstone M813's Recovery+2 M35's Pic

[bulldog_mack13]

- I went up to Blackstone again yesterday and helped Daniel/dm22630 get his 3 M813's and Don's 1 M813 home. While there I ran into my buddy John W. at the fence waiting to get his 2 M35A2's back home.
Mike/maddawg308 rode up with Daniel and his other friend to help drive/tow the trucks home. Im sure they have alot to add. I was glad to be on hand and helping when I can.

I did get to drive a HEMTT and my wife got to play with the new M1114 while we checked it out. 100% new Humvee , hasnt been deliverd to the unit yet.

Sorry I didnt get alot of pictures , I was running around alot - Enjoy

 

[dm22630]

A big thanks to Jay, his wife, & Mike for helping me out!

This was the easiest base to get on to....no dogs or mirrors underneath my truck required! (for once). The GL lot had all kinds of cool stuff & both the M813s we drove were jumped w/a HEMTT. The first one had trouble starting.....so he sprayed some ether in the air intake & a HUGE cloud of black smoke 2 seconds later, the truck was running.

The trip back was.....LONG.....

We didnt get off the base until 1:30pm & it took 7 hours to go the 180 miles back home. There ended up being ONE gas station that had diesel pumps that we could pull into & then the hose wasnt long enough to reach the tank, so we had to fill up both trucks with 5 gallon cans. That took about an hour or so.

Anyway, finally pullled in my house at 8:15 last night & today I feel like someone beat the crap out of me.....I can barely move.

4 down...

4 to go....

I need mental help.

 

[HeadWizard]

Jay-

Thanks again for your help on this mission. Looks like my topless 813 got towed home, well, to Daniels anyway. Sorry I couldn't make it - this work situation is a BIG problem right now.

Glad the family had fun playing with the equipment.

Thanks also to Mike, Daniel & friend. I probably owe a few "soda -pops" for this one.

Don

 

[maddawg308]

...and I killed a streetlamp in Blackstone when I didn't make the turn wide enough. Oops. Good thing the cop was nice, said that as long as I paid to replace the streetlamp no foul. My insurance is working on the details, but I figure one streetlamp post won't be too big a deal for them to work out.

Rt. 460 went down a couple really small roads for tandem 5-tons in Blackstone, and a lot of little cars in the way didn't make life better. Not to mention I wasn't used to the sheer size of the vehicles.

Tight roads with no shoulder most of the way back weren't fun. I was glad as all get-out when Daniel, leading the way home, chose the 4-lane highway bypass near Culpeper for the rest of the way home instead of the 2-lane mountain backroads for the remaining 60 miles back.

I slept like a baby for 12 hours last night, I was exhausted.

Don, you owe me several adult beverages. No soda pop.

 

[HeadWizard]

Don, you owe me several adult beverages. No soda pop.

As many as you'd like, my friend. FUBAR if you prefer.

 

[bulldog_mack13]

It was awsome to help and glad to meet you guys in person.

Me and my little car had to drive home jelous of all the 5 tons running around.

 

[pevrs114]

Guys there's much easier bypasses rather than following the 460business signs through blackstone.

If you come out the main post gate, continue STRAIGHT instead of turning left towards Blackstone. When you get to the end of that road, turn RIGHT and it will take you by a small lumber yard and right out to 460. It will be a few miles east of Blackstone but it is truck-friendly. Wide turns are no problem, and no stop lights, businesses, or traffic. It's the way all the maneuver units come into Pickett, even with trailers and howitzers they don't have any problem. I'll mapquest it and get you the exact road names.

 

[pctrans]

Aw c'mon you wimps. Thats half the fun about Blackstone; heading through town then southbound with a 68 foot rig!!