Post by SeaRat on Jul 26, 2022 17:58:14 GMT -8
Here is a dive log entry from a 2010 dive:
Well, here's the challenge. Please from the information below, name this SUV, and the manufacturer. Here are photos of the VIN plate, and the vehicle itself.
IMG_3315 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
A flash photo I took today of the bumper of this vehicle.
IMG_3316 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Here is a non-flash photo, which shows more of this wrap-around bumper.
Unknown SUV engine area by John Ratliff, on Flickr
And here is the engine. It is an 8-cylinder engine.
Unknown SUV at High Rocks by John Ratliff, on Flickr
More of the engine compartment.
Unknown SUV ID#007 by John Ratliff, on Flickr
Several years ago, I took this plate off what appeared to be the left door frame.
Good luck!
John
Dive #3-2016
Locution: High Rocks, Clackamas River
Weather:
Sunny, air temperature somewhere around 75 degrees F at the time of the dive.
Water conditions:
I was surprised that the water visibility was only about five feet. Water temperature was somewhere around 56 degrees F (I had no thermometer, and no dive computer, but needed my gloves for this dive).
Dive Plan:
This was a truly vintage dive, and I used a single steel 72 with my Professional Aquamatic-regulator. (Darned spelling check wants me to change that word to “Aquatic.”) I wore a full wetsuit, 22 pounds of weight, hood, boots and gloves, plus my knife. No float—I kinda gave that up for the time being after being tangled in the line badly on my first dive of the year. I wanted to dive the Hammerhead Unit, along with this regulator on a K-valve to see whether it is in fact a restrictor orifice, which it looked to be upon examination of the first stage (I have several). I also used my Super Stag fins, from White Stage, which are a natural rubber. I also wore my Para-Sea BC, because it has my car key on it, and the equipment strap for carrying my fins, mask and snorkel. I selected a Scubapro three-window mask (a newer silicone one) with my Aqualung Impulse snorkel. I also wore a nose-clip under the mask for ease of clearing my ears when swimming with the Hammerhead Unit.
Dive:
I entered the water at 10:32, and knew I needed to get the dive done as I was due in the AVID class at the Health and Science High School at 12:15 PM. So I started the dive above High Rocks, swam underwater below the rapids, then circled around to the eddy on the other side of the river. The regulator did well in supplying me enough air for hard swimming. The river had dropped a bit from the last dive, about half a foot, but the current was still ripping in the rapids. I stopped swimming as it took me downstream, then swam quartering the current to get to the eddy. While in the eddy, I surfaced to check where I was, and continued in the back-current toward the rapids that I had already swam under. This time, I was swimming in the opposite direction though, with the current (they are tricky here, but the current reverses toward the middle of the river). As I approached the rapids again, I noted that the river rock had stacked up in the main rapid’s current, and that there was somewhat of a trench on my (downstream) side now. I went over the trench, into the current and headed again downstream.
As I was whisked downstream by the current, I found a large rock to get behind, and stop my downstream progress. I was at about 20 feet, and decided to swim my dolphin kick with the Hammerhead Unit, and go upstream. I found that I could go about ten kicks against the current, which I estimate at least 3 knots, then needed to stop to catch my breath. This was because of the exertion, and not the regulator. As I progressed upstream, I crossed to the far side of High Rocks, and hit the “wall,” actually a cliff swimmers jump off of. I swam further upstream, and recognized the submerged SUV (my own little wreck), which had rocks up to seat level holding it in place in the river bottom. This car has been there over ten years, and each year reveals more and more of it as the river slowly tears it to pieces. There was a submerged log, about six inches in diameter, just above the wrecked car, and rather than hang onto the car (potentially damaging it further), I “walked” up with my hands to the area above the seat, which only showed its springs. The windscreen was gone, but portions of the dash were there, and then the engine compartment. Looking down at the engine, there was a rectangular object that seemed out-of-place in the rusted hulk. It was a cell phone! I picked it up, and tucked it into my BC pocket, knowing that the velcro is coming off that pocket now (it’s only been in use for 30 years).
After finding the phone, I headed downstream again, still keeping to the deeper areas to use more air. I did want to see how this regulator performed in the water at low tank pressure. Then I started seeing salmon redds (nests for eggs). I started counting them, and got to about ten when the rocks got courser and there were no more. Downstream a bit further, in shallower water where the rocks again were small I saw more redds, and counted up to 18 (eight more) as I went downstream.
I found a metal container of some sort, bigger than I wanted to carry back on the dive, so I surfaced to see where I was (just upstream of the pedestrian bridge), and went down again.
Finally, I felt a bit of restriction in breathing, and surfaced to switch to my snorkel. I wanted to preserve the psi in the tank so that I could get a reading on it when I got home. I was close now to my exit, and so swam to the rocks. I tried getting my Super Stag fins off (they had Dacor rubber straps on, as the original ones rotted off—but the fins are in like-new shape). I couldn’t get the fin off, so I finally took off my glove and got my fins off. As I was doing this, I noticed a number of very small fish, less than an itch long, in the shallows. I think they were salmon, but could not be sure. They moved as I got my handhold on their rock, and pulled myself out of the river, actually crawling up onto the rock before attempting to stand.
Special Problems and Solutions:
I got home, and found out that there was only about 150 psi in my tank! The first gauge I put on it actually did not register, then I used my Scubapro gauge on my Trieste II, and it read 150 psig. My Professional Aquamatic regulator, which I thought had a restrictor in the orifice, does not. I need to use this at a minimum with a J-valve in the future. This regulator worked better than I had thought it would, and I demanded a lot of it by swimming against the current. It has the same venturi as the Calypso, but a slightly different lever system. The current did not affect the breathing, did not cause any free-flow, or allow water to enter the second stage. It is a solid design.
The Hammerhead Unit, along with the Super Stag fins, worked very well.
I had fun with the cell phone. I took it to my AVID class at Health and Science High School, told the class that I had made a dive in the morning, and found a cell phone. I then asked if anyone wanted the phone as a project (I had tried in the last couple of years to re-habilitate submerged phones without success). One of the students right behind me got really excited, and really want the phone. I handed it up to her, and two other students get right up and went up to her. They had the phone stripped in less than a minute, and had given her instructions on what part to take off, and how to potentially dry it out (with rice). I found out a few minutes later that she had accidentally dropped her phone into a toilet while on vacation to Kosovo last year.
The Scubapro mask was somewhat problematical, as it is clear silicone and had a black plastic around the lens. But the silicone let light through, which gave a bright line reflection, almost like a second window, on the lens that I could see. It was distracting at times close to the surface.
Using the nose clips under my mask proved very valuable in clearing my ears while swimming with the Hammerhead Unit. Because I was using this unit, my hands were not available to pinch my nose. This is the first time I have used this combo in open water.
Locution: High Rocks, Clackamas River
Weather:
Sunny, air temperature somewhere around 75 degrees F at the time of the dive.
Water conditions:
I was surprised that the water visibility was only about five feet. Water temperature was somewhere around 56 degrees F (I had no thermometer, and no dive computer, but needed my gloves for this dive).
Dive Plan:
This was a truly vintage dive, and I used a single steel 72 with my Professional Aquamatic-regulator. (Darned spelling check wants me to change that word to “Aquatic.”) I wore a full wetsuit, 22 pounds of weight, hood, boots and gloves, plus my knife. No float—I kinda gave that up for the time being after being tangled in the line badly on my first dive of the year. I wanted to dive the Hammerhead Unit, along with this regulator on a K-valve to see whether it is in fact a restrictor orifice, which it looked to be upon examination of the first stage (I have several). I also used my Super Stag fins, from White Stage, which are a natural rubber. I also wore my Para-Sea BC, because it has my car key on it, and the equipment strap for carrying my fins, mask and snorkel. I selected a Scubapro three-window mask (a newer silicone one) with my Aqualung Impulse snorkel. I also wore a nose-clip under the mask for ease of clearing my ears when swimming with the Hammerhead Unit.
Dive:
I entered the water at 10:32, and knew I needed to get the dive done as I was due in the AVID class at the Health and Science High School at 12:15 PM. So I started the dive above High Rocks, swam underwater below the rapids, then circled around to the eddy on the other side of the river. The regulator did well in supplying me enough air for hard swimming. The river had dropped a bit from the last dive, about half a foot, but the current was still ripping in the rapids. I stopped swimming as it took me downstream, then swam quartering the current to get to the eddy. While in the eddy, I surfaced to check where I was, and continued in the back-current toward the rapids that I had already swam under. This time, I was swimming in the opposite direction though, with the current (they are tricky here, but the current reverses toward the middle of the river). As I approached the rapids again, I noted that the river rock had stacked up in the main rapid’s current, and that there was somewhat of a trench on my (downstream) side now. I went over the trench, into the current and headed again downstream.
As I was whisked downstream by the current, I found a large rock to get behind, and stop my downstream progress. I was at about 20 feet, and decided to swim my dolphin kick with the Hammerhead Unit, and go upstream. I found that I could go about ten kicks against the current, which I estimate at least 3 knots, then needed to stop to catch my breath. This was because of the exertion, and not the regulator. As I progressed upstream, I crossed to the far side of High Rocks, and hit the “wall,” actually a cliff swimmers jump off of. I swam further upstream, and recognized the submerged SUV (my own little wreck), which had rocks up to seat level holding it in place in the river bottom. This car has been there over ten years, and each year reveals more and more of it as the river slowly tears it to pieces. There was a submerged log, about six inches in diameter, just above the wrecked car, and rather than hang onto the car (potentially damaging it further), I “walked” up with my hands to the area above the seat, which only showed its springs. The windscreen was gone, but portions of the dash were there, and then the engine compartment. Looking down at the engine, there was a rectangular object that seemed out-of-place in the rusted hulk. It was a cell phone! I picked it up, and tucked it into my BC pocket, knowing that the velcro is coming off that pocket now (it’s only been in use for 30 years).
After finding the phone, I headed downstream again, still keeping to the deeper areas to use more air. I did want to see how this regulator performed in the water at low tank pressure. Then I started seeing salmon redds (nests for eggs). I started counting them, and got to about ten when the rocks got courser and there were no more. Downstream a bit further, in shallower water where the rocks again were small I saw more redds, and counted up to 18 (eight more) as I went downstream.
I found a metal container of some sort, bigger than I wanted to carry back on the dive, so I surfaced to see where I was (just upstream of the pedestrian bridge), and went down again.
Finally, I felt a bit of restriction in breathing, and surfaced to switch to my snorkel. I wanted to preserve the psi in the tank so that I could get a reading on it when I got home. I was close now to my exit, and so swam to the rocks. I tried getting my Super Stag fins off (they had Dacor rubber straps on, as the original ones rotted off—but the fins are in like-new shape). I couldn’t get the fin off, so I finally took off my glove and got my fins off. As I was doing this, I noticed a number of very small fish, less than an itch long, in the shallows. I think they were salmon, but could not be sure. They moved as I got my handhold on their rock, and pulled myself out of the river, actually crawling up onto the rock before attempting to stand.
Special Problems and Solutions:
I got home, and found out that there was only about 150 psi in my tank! The first gauge I put on it actually did not register, then I used my Scubapro gauge on my Trieste II, and it read 150 psig. My Professional Aquamatic regulator, which I thought had a restrictor in the orifice, does not. I need to use this at a minimum with a J-valve in the future. This regulator worked better than I had thought it would, and I demanded a lot of it by swimming against the current. It has the same venturi as the Calypso, but a slightly different lever system. The current did not affect the breathing, did not cause any free-flow, or allow water to enter the second stage. It is a solid design.
The Hammerhead Unit, along with the Super Stag fins, worked very well.
I had fun with the cell phone. I took it to my AVID class at Health and Science High School, told the class that I had made a dive in the morning, and found a cell phone. I then asked if anyone wanted the phone as a project (I had tried in the last couple of years to re-habilitate submerged phones without success). One of the students right behind me got really excited, and really want the phone. I handed it up to her, and two other students get right up and went up to her. They had the phone stripped in less than a minute, and had given her instructions on what part to take off, and how to potentially dry it out (with rice). I found out a few minutes later that she had accidentally dropped her phone into a toilet while on vacation to Kosovo last year.
The Scubapro mask was somewhat problematical, as it is clear silicone and had a black plastic around the lens. But the silicone let light through, which gave a bright line reflection, almost like a second window, on the lens that I could see. It was distracting at times close to the surface.
Using the nose clips under my mask proved very valuable in clearing my ears while swimming with the Hammerhead Unit. Because I was using this unit, my hands were not available to pinch my nose. This is the first time I have used this combo in open water.
Well, here's the challenge. Please from the information below, name this SUV, and the manufacturer. Here are photos of the VIN plate, and the vehicle itself.
IMG_3315 by John Ratliff, on FlickrA flash photo I took today of the bumper of this vehicle.
IMG_3316 by John Ratliff, on FlickrHere is a non-flash photo, which shows more of this wrap-around bumper.
Unknown SUV engine area by John Ratliff, on FlickrAnd here is the engine. It is an 8-cylinder engine.
Unknown SUV at High Rocks by John Ratliff, on FlickrMore of the engine compartment.
Unknown SUV ID#007 by John Ratliff, on FlickrSeveral years ago, I took this plate off what appeared to be the left door frame.
Good luck!
John
I spent about 20-minutes this afternoon thumbing through "Car's of the Fabulous Fifties", lots of close but that stinking grill throws things off--GRRRRR! 
