Quicksand Fans

Hello

1. Where do I find slurry ponds and mud in Chester, IL?
2. Where do I find mud in Texas?

The short answer is you have to look for it.

The last time I went on recon in Chester the slurry ponds were either fenced or dried up. They were not easily accessible under the best of circumstances.

DamWatts wrote:Hello

1. Where do I find slurry ponds and mud in Chester, IL?
2. Where do I find mud in Texas?

If someone isn't able to share, I would start by looking at satellite photos of the area you are seeking -- an application like Google Maps or Google Earth works wonders. Pay careful attention to places where rivers meet, and look around for any areas that appear to have wide banks of sediment. Another place to look is near parks along water, and any place where you can access the spot without crossing private property. Make notes of where you are looking so you can save the location for reference and notes later.

After that, you need to go out and look for yourself. This is the more challenging piece. Be sure to bring plenty of water, perhaps a little food or light snacks, some sunscreen and bug spray, and an eye for snakes or other things that might do harm to you if encountered. I would also advocate bringing a large dowel or walking stick -- the latter you would use to not only whack through brush or brambles, but also to check the depth of any mud that you may encounter. You can also use a stout dowel, stick or pole to help stir water into the mud but also to help get yourself out (by having it behind your body as a fulcrum of support as you try to slide your back out and up over the top of the mud).

There are all sorts of additional tips on this subject matter -- what to do when actually looking for mud while in the wild -- they are surely in this forum. Good luck and happy searching!

Texas mudpits tend to find you when you've earned 'em. Problem is these days, that has come to mean sneaking in about midnight at the few places not already claimed by urbanization where they are actively looking for you and hoping you don't have a misadventure with the flora and fauna. Less than 10% of anything seen on Google satellite view turns out to actually be more than six inch deep overly sandy mud and what Google satellite view doesn't clue you to is the past history on most of those mudpits. Rob Blaine pretty much burned up what mudpits there are that are still around by disclosing what goes on there when he got caught at them. I could point you to what few still remain but that would not be right to do as even I will not get near those places, they know you're coming and have relocated their mudpits into deep pits with 100 ft vertical scale walls and an exposed walk of a half mile walk to get to the single ramp down. Oh, did I mention all the quarries seem to have nightwatchmen with night vision gear now. Mudmen are gettin arrested down Texas way these days. My advice is to seek mud elsewhere in places where Rob Blaine didn't get there first to wise them up...

^^WTF.......night vision? Are you playing in the runoff from a gold mine?

mudxdresser wrote:Texas mudpits tend to find you when you've earned 'em. Problem is these days, that has come to mean sneaking in about midnight at the few places not already claimed by urbanization where they are actively looking for you and hoping you don't have a misadventure with the flora and fauna. Less than 10% of anything seen on Google satellite view turns out to actually be more than six inch deep overly sandy mud and what Google satellite view doesn't clue you to is the past history on most of those mudpits. Rob Blaine pretty much burned up what mudpits there are that are still around by disclosing what goes on there when he got caught at them. I could point you to what few still remain but that would not be right to do as even I will not get near those places, they know you're coming and have relocated their mudpits into deep pits with 100 ft vertical scale walls and an exposed walk of a half mile walk to get to the single ramp down. Oh, did I mention all the quarries seem to have nightwatchmen with night vision gear now. Mudmen are gettin arrested down Texas way these days. My advice is to seek mud elsewhere in places where Rob Blaine didn't get there first to wise them up...

If I ever tried mudding I would only go somewhere the owner knew me, and I knew I wouldn't get arrested


Which probably means I will never do it! sigh......

I first saw the night vision action at a quarry in California over a decade ago. I guess this is just part of the continuing Californication of Texas, the quarries are drastically increasing their security. I think what is actually driving it though is petty theft in rural areas, that in itself due to increasing population of a type that brings a cultural propensity towards petty theft with 'em. And, of course, the meth epidemic in rural areas, they gotta pay for that stuff somehow and it looks like the quarries have started taking hits and have deployed countermeasures. Real bummer around here actually, not nearly that bad in a lot of other areas of the country. If you're in one of those areas, enjoy your mudpits while the gettin' is good...

QUIXXSANDER wrote:
If I ever tried mudding I would only go somewhere the owner knew me, and I knew I wouldn't get arrested


Which probably means I will never do it! sigh......

Two words:

Public land.

It helps if you're not hung up on a specific kind of mud, which I'm not. If it's deep and sinkable, it's good, far as I'm concerned.

Nessie

In Texas there is a large stretch of the Red River that is BLM land. That means you already (somewhat) own it! Also, there is a long stretch of the Prairie Dog Town Fork that is state land. Both of those areas have decent mud to play in. However it's easier to get to if you have a good ATV! Otherwise you can expect to hike 4-8 miles!

Don't ask for exact locations. If I told you of a place I found today, it would likely disappear tomorrow! The sand around the Red River changes consistency hourly at times!

mudxdresser wrote:I first saw the night vision action at a quarry in California over a decade ago. I guess this is just part of the continuing Californication of Texas, the quarries are drastically increasing their security. I think what is actually driving it though is petty theft in rural areas, that in itself due to increasing population of a type that brings a cultural propensity towards petty theft with 'em. And, of course, the meth epidemic in rural areas, they gotta pay for that stuff somehow and it looks like the quarries have started taking hits and have deployed countermeasures. Real bummer around here actually, not nearly that bad in a lot of other areas of the country. If you're in one of those areas, enjoy your mudpits while the gettin' is good...

Would those be the Glen Ivy pits you speak of in CA??