I don't know what it is about playing hooky...   Even when I legitimately have the vacation time available, there is something about an impromptu "mental health" day that reminds me of blowing off school to do something fun!

And this is my idea of fun! I was running truck errands and decided to explore the creek bed I'd always driven by and wondered what it would be like to wheel in.

I think the answer is "soft"...   After burying the rear axle on this stream crossing I needed all 75' of winch cable and my 30' strap to reach the nearest tree.   It took longer to rig the pull than it did to extract the truck.   It's made me think about a PullPal, though...

 No, that's not a JATO tube on the back of the truck...   But now that I think about it, that might the next performance mod! Anyone know a good chassis thrust dyno?
 Oh, I'm going to carrying spare axles in the PVC tube.
 After I got out of the creek bed I hooked up with John and CRWLN to get in a little more work-day wheeling.   But first John welded on the mounts for my new in-bed mounted 60" hi-lift...
 ...then we headed to a river bottom John had been interested in.   This part of Texas is what's know as Carst topography.   That means much of the area, including this river bottom, is underlayed with a solid sheet of limestone.   In this picture you can see the slab my truck is sitting on and, to the right just beyond the big rocks, a sizable drop off where the slab ends.
 Limestone usually provides excellent traction but where it has been submerged the combination of alge and sediment can make it trecherously slick.   It was so bad in places that the auxillary pseudosenji fell flat while walking on the straight and level.   The cow dog, on the other hand, seemed to be employing some kind of alien traction technology...   Ever get the feeling your dogs have a secret life you know nothing about?
 Here I am picking my teeth with the radio antenna.   Note to self: Stop giving myself bad hair cuts in the back yard!
 John twists it up...
 ...on a convienient rock.
 To get a little more articulation we backed him up and took another run at it.   When the weight shifted it almost looked like it was going all the way over! I'm sure it felt like it was from the driver's seat!
 You can see here that the passenger's side rear tire is off the ground and John is leaning to the inside.
 It's hard to tell in this shot but that rear tire is a good 8" to 10" off the ground.
 Here's my truck...
 ...flexing on...
 ...the same rocks...
 ...before regrouping by the old bridge for the ride home.