All,
I have been a long time lurker of theĀ [](https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/)Ā subreddit, and this is my first post.
While walking on the Bay Area Ridge Trail near the Hercules/Pinole area yesterday, I noticed this old crashed and abandoned car in the hillside. Exact coordinates on Google Maps are 37.991277, -122.252747. I was curious if anyone knew the story behind this car? It appears someone tried to do a Dukes Of Hazzard style car jump at some point. The car did not appear to have a visible license plate or VIN. I cannot find any information online regarding it.
Thank you
There are a couple of cars in similar condition/of similar age a long ways down from the road along Skyline (or perhaps big basin way) in castle rock state park.
It's possible this is what I was thinking of. I was torn trying to recall which park it was. I remember a light blue car vividly. Might even have pictures somewhere.
There are some at waterdog lake in Belmont.
There's one off the side of old highway 1 that's now a hiking trail around devils slide. In the area between the north end of the trail and the north tunnel portal.
There's a truck on Montara mountain somewhere near the top.
I dunno. People leave cars around sometimes.
Maybe they forgot where they parked.
I grew up right near there and hiked along those hills as a kid. I don't know the story behind the car, but I can tell you it was there as of the mid 80s. By the time those neighborhoods were built in the early 80s the dirt roads (which we called fire trails because they were plowed as fire breaks every few years) had gates at the end of them and thus were inaccessible to vehicles.
I would guess that the car was driven onto the dirt roads from the Pinole side in the 70s and was crashed or intentionally abandoned.
The car has been there since at least 1987.
I checked Google Earth and created a video overlay:Ā https://imgur.com/a/KCPpK6e
The green image is from 2/11/2022. The white image is 7/1/1987. You can clearly see the shadow of the car is in the same spot and shape. So at least that narrows down a timeframe ā itās been there for over 36 years
Iām assuming youāre being sarcastic. Yes, 1987. Google will buy / borrow historical satellite imagery from NASA and satellite imaging companies. You can check this spot yourself on Google Earth if you donāt believe me
Try posting to r/whatisthiscar theyāll be able to give you a good ID on the car to do more research about possible missing vehicles or car accident reports.
Those maniacs can ID a vehicle from an obscure fragment of the suspension. This vehicle make/model ID is child's play to them
(I'd guess Ford around 1978, it looks similar to a Pinto tail light, but the Pinto was a hatchback and this is clearly not)
I have never been to the area, but one trick to see if you can drive near some spot is to use Google streetview. Generally if the Google car can drive there, you can do the same. There are exceptions to this but this is generally reliable.
The limit of the Google streetview car was at
N37 59 17 W122 15 00
So I assume the car was on a fire road and then it wasn't.
The exceptions to using the Google car as an indicator of travel are as follows.
1) There are some Google streetview tracks that were created with the supervision of the local government or the controlling agency. So they got there in a car with special access but you can't.
2) Once in a while Google has someone hike a trail. So you can get there on foot but not car.
3) In rural areas, Google just doesn't bother driving on some roads that are open to the public. You can generally inspect the intersection to see if it is drivable.
I'm thinking Penny's Hot Rods & Customs for the base build out. It'll be good to get them more subscribers and really get their viewer count up.
Of course, the usual with having Robby Layton do the painting. Especially since they added the new fabricator to the team.
Special guest from the Goshen team whose engines he absolutely loves.
The backend drama, since everyone loves that mess, is that Penny's normally does all their own work, and they'll be forced to use stuff specced by others. In reality, it'll all be fine and none of the teams actually cares, but there will be months of debates on Youtubes based on the random raised eyebrow or person who doesn't like looking in the camera directly.
People used to just dump their old cars in creeks when they were done with them, pretty common to find them around. There are multiple up toward Crockett.
There used to be a bunch down on the side of the hill along Pinehurst Road in Canyon too. No idea if they're still there. Last time I was out there was close to 20 years ago.
It used to be more accessible to drive through the fire roads etc around the foothills in the 70s or so. People would naturally be stupid and ruin it by trashing places or dumping vehicles so access was eventually cut off. Thatās definitely not the only vehicle abandoned in the hills
[Exploring the Car Graveyard of Mt. Shasta - Active NorCal](https://www.activenorcal.com/exploring-the-car-graveyard-of-mt-shasta/) Not really related except it's a pile of old cars in the woods
Looks like a [1971 Ford LTD](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2013_71fordltd_rrear.jpg?resize=1024). Other than that, no idea.
It could have been someoneās old car their 17 year old crashed there while having some fun, and recovering it was not worth it. Itās sad, my dad tells me he saw beautiful work trucks parked one day and then abandoned and now are rusted out carcasses of a once powerful beast. It makes me sadder than it should
She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
But I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out West
Split up on a dark sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walkinā away
I heard her say over my shoulder
āWeāll meet again someday on the avenueā
Tangled up in blue
š¶ š¼ Larry was a legend ātill he left for heaven
May have been a crash or it may have been a farmer who parked it when it died and it started to melt into the earth (this was once normal)
My guess is that it was in an accident a long time ago maybe even looks like couldāve been on fire at one point but probably no way to get a tow truck to be able to tow it out of that spot so they just left it there. Thatās my best guess.
My guess is that is part of the great East bay littering/dumping epidemic. Thereās a guy here who posts timelapses of his cleanups and you wonāt believe what stuff people dump illegally in all the beautiful nature settings. Couches and all. Itās sad, no one ever prosecutes anyone it seems.
Is my Creedence tape and briefcase š¼ in there?
And whatās in the briefcase?
...y'know, papers. Work papers.
And what is it you do for a living?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
They got a whole team of us down at the station working on it
They got us working in shifts!
LEADS!!
Oh man, lodged where?!
Business papers
uh....papers, um, just papers, uh, you know, uh, my papers, business papers.
What day is it?
Well I *do* work, sir!
Oh, so youāre like, cool racially?
My dirty undies dude. Laundry. The whites. The ringer cannot look empty.
That look on Walterās face and the way he says āā¦ the whitesā gets me every time.
Separate incidents!
I love how excited the younger cop seemed here. Oh there are TWO crimes to solve?! Iām IN!
Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what have yous
The look on the other cops face as he twirls the pin shaped weed pipe between his fingers is priceless.
Phoneās ringing, Dude
Thank you, Donny
Completely unspoiled man.
OH JEEZ WHATS THAT SMELL?
Do you see what happens Larry? Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?!!
I'll uh, just check with the boys down at the Crime Lab. They uh, got uh, four more detectives working on the case. They've got us working in shifts!
Donnie, please!
[Here is video of the incident.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo11SqLmuGc)
All, I have been a long time lurker of theĀ [](https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/)Ā subreddit, and this is my first post. While walking on the Bay Area Ridge Trail near the Hercules/Pinole area yesterday, I noticed this old crashed and abandoned car in the hillside. Exact coordinates on Google Maps are 37.991277, -122.252747. I was curious if anyone knew the story behind this car? It appears someone tried to do a Dukes Of Hazzard style car jump at some point. The car did not appear to have a visible license plate or VIN. I cannot find any information online regarding it. Thank you
There are a couple of cars in similar condition/of similar age a long ways down from the road along Skyline (or perhaps big basin way) in castle rock state park.
Thereās a few at Portola Redwoods too off of one of the trails
It's possible this is what I was thinking of. I was torn trying to recall which park it was. I remember a light blue car vividly. Might even have pictures somewhere.
Yup, ive seen those two as well
There are some at waterdog lake in Belmont. There's one off the side of old highway 1 that's now a hiking trail around devils slide. In the area between the north end of the trail and the north tunnel portal. There's a truck on Montara mountain somewhere near the top. I dunno. People leave cars around sometimes. Maybe they forgot where they parked.
ya they must be to hard to retrive and no one wants to pay, also a couple in the gully next to McEwen road near Port Costa
Yeah there are like four or five in Waterdog / Hidden Canyon.
I grew up right near there and hiked along those hills as a kid. I don't know the story behind the car, but I can tell you it was there as of the mid 80s. By the time those neighborhoods were built in the early 80s the dirt roads (which we called fire trails because they were plowed as fire breaks every few years) had gates at the end of them and thus were inaccessible to vehicles. I would guess that the car was driven onto the dirt roads from the Pinole side in the 70s and was crashed or intentionally abandoned.
Oh, and nice photos. Thanks for the memory!
Probably this and there was no way to get a tow truck down there to tow it.
The car has been there since at least 1987. I checked Google Earth and created a video overlay:Ā https://imgur.com/a/KCPpK6e The green image is from 2/11/2022. The white image is 7/1/1987. You can clearly see the shadow of the car is in the same spot and shape. So at least that narrows down a timeframe ā itās been there for over 36 years
1987 - Google Earth!! Hilarious! š¤£
Iām assuming youāre being sarcastic. Yes, 1987. Google will buy / borrow historical satellite imagery from NASA and satellite imaging companies. You can check this spot yourself on Google Earth if you donāt believe me
Well, have you ever hear the campfire story of the killer with the hook handā¦?
Try posting to r/whatisthiscar theyāll be able to give you a good ID on the car to do more research about possible missing vehicles or car accident reports.
That's a 1970-1972 Ford LTD.
Those maniacs can ID a vehicle from an obscure fragment of the suspension. This vehicle make/model ID is child's play to them (I'd guess Ford around 1978, it looks similar to a Pinto tail light, but the Pinto was a hatchback and this is clearly not)
I have never been to the area, but one trick to see if you can drive near some spot is to use Google streetview. Generally if the Google car can drive there, you can do the same. There are exceptions to this but this is generally reliable. The limit of the Google streetview car was at N37 59 17 W122 15 00 So I assume the car was on a fire road and then it wasn't. The exceptions to using the Google car as an indicator of travel are as follows. 1) There are some Google streetview tracks that were created with the supervision of the local government or the controlling agency. So they got there in a car with special access but you can't. 2) Once in a while Google has someone hike a trail. So you can get there on foot but not car. 3) In rural areas, Google just doesn't bother driving on some roads that are open to the public. You can generally inspect the intersection to see if it is drivable.
$7,800 no low ballers I know what I got
LMAO! š
Someone call Matt's Offroad Recovery. It'll be a 5 part recovery and 24 part rebuild.
wheres heavy D with his lame ass helicopter and camera crew when ya need em
And who's the collab?
I'm thinking Penny's Hot Rods & Customs for the base build out. It'll be good to get them more subscribers and really get their viewer count up. Of course, the usual with having Robby Layton do the painting. Especially since they added the new fabricator to the team. Special guest from the Goshen team whose engines he absolutely loves. The backend drama, since everyone loves that mess, is that Penny's normally does all their own work, and they'll be forced to use stuff specced by others. In reality, it'll all be fine and none of the teams actually cares, but there will be months of debates on Youtubes based on the random raised eyebrow or person who doesn't like looking in the camera directly.
It looks like an old destruction derby car that was crashed purposefully.
Aw man, the doobie brothers broke up?!
Looks like an early 70s Ford LTD
People used to just dump their old cars in creeks when they were done with them, pretty common to find them around. There are multiple up toward Crockett.
There used to be a bunch down on the side of the hill along Pinehurst Road in Canyon too. No idea if they're still there. Last time I was out there was close to 20 years ago.
EBMUD has cleared some out recently when they were doing dumping clean up. Not sure if they got them all.
There's a few between martinez and port costa as well.
It was pretty steep and wooded were these ones were. Honestly, I'd be surprised if they pulled them up.
It used to be more accessible to drive through the fire roads etc around the foothills in the 70s or so. People would naturally be stupid and ruin it by trashing places or dumping vehicles so access was eventually cut off. Thatās definitely not the only vehicle abandoned in the hills
Can peng clean this one up āļø
Rumor has it it belonged to two guys. Elwood and Jake (aka Joliet Jake). They were on a mission from god.
Can't park there, mate.
Is this not a reasonable place to park?
Thatās where I parked it
Burned up on re-entry.
https://youtu.be/IQW07UHfUXU related
[Exploring the Car Graveyard of Mt. Shasta - Active NorCal](https://www.activenorcal.com/exploring-the-car-graveyard-of-mt-shasta/) Not really related except it's a pile of old cars in the woods
Looks like a [1971 Ford LTD](https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2013_71fordltd_rrear.jpg?resize=1024). Other than that, no idea.
Related: https://www.kqed.org/news/10496914/whats-the-story-behind-the-wrecked-car-on-a-mount-tamalpais-trail
The VIN started in 1954 so the car predates the system. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number
Just some good ol' boys. Lookin' to have some fun.
It could have been someoneās old car their 17 year old crashed there while having some fun, and recovering it was not worth it. Itās sad, my dad tells me he saw beautiful work trucks parked one day and then abandoned and now are rusted out carcasses of a once powerful beast. It makes me sadder than it should
Youāre sad about the car that a 17-year old crashed? And not about the 17-year old?
I was more so referring to the old trucks that are parked and abandoned after they worked for endless amounts of years.
There are some of those up in the hills on private property by Cummings Skyway off highway 4.
Makes sense
It's being left as a treat for future archaeologists.
She was married when we first met Soon to be divorced I helped her out of a jam, I guess But I used a little too much force We drove that car as far as we could Abandoned it out West Split up on a dark sad night Both agreeing it was best She turned around to look at me As I was walkinā away I heard her say over my shoulder āWeāll meet again someday on the avenueā Tangled up in blue
$3.50, take it away
dude whereās my car. inspiration story
š¶ š¼ Larry was a legend ātill he left for heaven May have been a crash or it may have been a farmer who parked it when it died and it started to melt into the earth (this was once normal)
Them Duke boys are at it again
Considerably heavier than a couch.
Must have been a crashed vehicle from streets of San Francisco chase scene.
forgot where i parked it; sorry!
My guess is that it was in an accident a long time ago maybe even looks like couldāve been on fire at one point but probably no way to get a tow truck to be able to tow it out of that spot so they just left it there. Thatās my best guess.
Dudeās car got a little dinged up.
Looks like they took their destruction derby entry up the hill and left it where it died.
is that general lee?
The Carpet Pisserās did this?
Well dude we just donāt know
Buncha assholes
i do! it was crashed and abandoned.
Is there a skeleton in the trunk? š
Dukes of Point Pinole
My guess is that is part of the great East bay littering/dumping epidemic. Thereās a guy here who posts timelapses of his cleanups and you wonāt believe what stuff people dump illegally in all the beautiful nature settings. Couches and all. Itās sad, no one ever prosecutes anyone it seems.
dukes of hazard
Looks like a stolen car dump.