Ocktoberfest Run

October 16th, 17th & 18th

Attendees: Carlos & the kids/Cherokee CJ/CJ7 GaryF & D/JK GaryS, Marleene & Molly/TJ MikeC, Herb/JK Myself/CJ7

Friday 16th - What beautiful weather for a trip! I left Fremont Friday morning heading for the hills. I stopped at the Pro Bass Shop off in Manteca for fun. When I got back to my Jeep it wouldn’t start. It sounded strong trying to turn over but just wouldn’t catch. Thanks to the detailed email CJ had sent out just before the weekend I knew roughly what time he might be passing through the area. It contained the contact info I needed too. Guess I’ll be keeping that Data Plan for my cell phone!

CJ was like a dog on a bone. He would not give up on my Jeep. And it was hot in Manteca. I decided on the last parts run that if that didn’t fix it I would hand the Jeep over to the towing service and take CJ up on his offer that I hop a ride with him up to Dorrington. Amazing! It was the last part that fixed it. The magnetic pickup in the distributor, a brand new part, less than a week old. CJ I can’t thank you enough for rescuing me! You are awesome!

It was because of me that CJ didn’t make it up to Arnold in time to organize the Friday afternoon Pine Needle Flat Trail. My apologies to all.

I stopped at the grocery store & sandwich shop in Arnold to pick up food items for the Saturday run. Then checked into my chalet at the Dorrington Inn.

Saturday 17th – At 7:00am we met up in the Dorrington Hotel parking lot. I was hesitant to take my Jeep on the run for a few reasons. I have no idea why a brand new magnetic pickup would fail, I didn’t have another one and I would have been the only vehicle without lockers. CJ offered that I could ride shotgun for him and I did. We left on time.

I see why they call the entrance “The Gate Keeper”. After airing down, we all walked up it and CJ pointed out the best line. He spotted everyone up. Mike C wanted to test his skills & vehicle on a different line and CJ spotted him through it. That JK is so dialed in it looked like he was floating over those big boulders.

The pace was nice and I got the added attraction of watching our progress on CJ’s laptop with Topo software. Pretty nice set up! I even got to enter a few Way Points to mark where the fallen trees were across the trail.

This was my first time riding through a water crossing that came up over the hubs. Right full rudder! Five degree down bubble! Dive! Dive! Dive! [I think I’ve seen too many submarine movies. But I could have sworn I heard the soundtrack to “The Hunt for Red October”.]

We stopped when spotting was necessary, at different areas to enjoy the scenery, discuss obstacles just tackled and where to have lunch. I think we reached Blue Lake around 12:10. Found a nice area with a picnic table in the shade and ample seating size rocks in the sun. A little something for everyone.

After lunch Carlos & the kids took the highway back to the RV park. The rest of the group returned via the trail. It was interesting how different the trail looked and felt going in the opposite direction. Some areas seemed easier and others more difficult.

We had a little excitement near the end when the rear driver side tire of GaryS’s TJ slide off a rock and he wound up in an off camber position. It was a perfect time for Mike C to try out his winch! We all got to see it in use. Well, maybe not Marlene, as she was sitting calmly in the passenger seat holding onto Molly [the lab] who was laying partially between the driver & passenger seat. Great job everyone!

After passing through The Gate Keeper everyone hopped out and began the duties of airing up and organizing items in the vehicles. We discussed dinner and decided on the Snowshoe Brewery.

It was a real treat for me to be riding with CJ. I had my own personal tour guide. His knowledge of the local history, sprinkled with stories of times spent at the family cabin, were wonderful.

Dinner time: Despite the restaurant being busy, we were lucky enough to be able to sit together for dinner, recapping the events of the day. I couldn’t believe it, but GaryF had already downloaded his photos onto his laptop and brought it in to show a few shots of when GaryS was in his off camber situation.

The conversation turned towards Sunday’s run. Slickrock was the plan. After the meeting time and place was determined, everyone headed off to their various abodes for a night of restful slumber.

Sunday 18th – I had planned on sleeping in and then heading home. I awoke in time to check out, drive over and wish the others a good day. Loro was there with Sierra & Alpine. I’m glad she made it as she was looking forward to the Slickrock run and missed the Deer Valley one.

My thanks to all for making it a fun event, and especially to CJ for hosting it and for rescuing me in Manteca! I’ll say it again You’re Awesome!

Sincerely, Connie 1980 Green CJ7

4 Wheel Parts Meet n' Greet

4 Wheel Parts Meet n’ Greet. Oct. 10, 2009 Thanks to all who made it out to 4 Wheel Parts on short notice. We had 7 members/prospective members in attendance. Those that made it out were, Loro, Connie, Gary S., C.J., Jim O., John R. & family, and myself.

Dusy and I arrived at 10:00 am. We were greeted by Loro, Sierra, and Alpine. We arrived with the parking lot full of rigs and several participates socializing in the parking lot. It is always a pleasure spending time talking to others about ED4 and our hobby.

Four Wheel parts provided lunch for us with one of their great taco feeds. Soon it was time for the raffle. Several ED4 members came away with prizes. The Ruiz’ family won a tow strap, and several of us won t-shirts. In some cases (Loro and Connie) won two t-shirts each. As promised, Carlos, had a drawing just for ED4 members. The prize was a $100 gift card. Congratulations to Jim O’Leary who won it.

Thanks again to all who made it out to the 4 Wheel Parts Meet n’ Greet.

Pismo Dunes!

Does anyone need a couple of pounds of clean beach sand? Just come vacuum out my Jeep! This run almost died due to member attrition, but Lupe, her father Frank and I met up at her house about 1pm on Friday and headed south on 101 - into a massive back up due to a grass fire. It delayed us about an hour, and took it's toll on the clutches driving stop and go up a hill in hot weather. But we had smooth sailing once past the fire, and still arrived in time for a fab sunset. We opted for dinner in town at Splash Cafe, and had some really good clam chowder an salads. Back to the sand for a campfire, and it got cold and very very damp. It was raining inside my tent.

Saturday started out overcast, but we got breakfast put away as CJ showed up with his friend (oops, should have written down his name:- { Out into the dunes with sand 101. Up dune, down dunes, and airing down. Soon we were playing follow the leader out into the deep dunes. About 10am, the wind picked up, and by 11am the overcast just started to clear when we headed back for lunch. The sand was flying and the wind was howling. My tent was full of sand, blow in under the rain fly and through the mesh! Since Lupe was still having problems with her Jeep slowing down going up some of the dune climbs, Lupe & CJ got out the owner's manual and figured out how to turn off the traction control! Really? Traction control?? After securing the tents and covering everything we could it was back out.

More dunes, and then we spotted a limping pick up way out in the dunes. Tire off the rim. I radioed to CJ to ask if we should render aid? And he headed straight over! So, Lupe was treated to a demonstration of how to remount a tire. It took about 20 minutes, and we were back on our way, the driver having offered the usual beer bonus and the praise "You Jeep people are the best!" CJ picked up a great flag out in the dunes.

The wind was still howling, so we headed back to camp to see if the tents were still there (mostly) had a quick snack (Lupe has pictures of us huddled in the wind shadow of the Jeep) and took a quick walk around looking at the toys. Then a couple more hours lost in the sand until the sun started sinking. We went back to camp, cleaned up a bit, and then headed uptown to McKlintocks. CJ's compressor and tank filled Lupe's tires up to 20# in nothing flat while we watched another great sunset. The up through town.

We put our name in and were were told "45 minutes". We spent about 30 minutes in the rest rooms de-sanding as best as possible (by now, I had sand in my shoes, sand in my hair, sand in my ears...) and got back to the lobby only to find it was going to be another 45 minutes. CJ's local expert suggested Mo's BBQ back in town, and we headed back. No wait, great Q, garlic fries, Tri-tip and home made potato chips. After deciding not to pay $2 for a nacho cheese flavored cricket, we stopped for frozen yogurt with an impressive array of toppings and sat in the nice warm store until they closed. Then split up and headed back to the beach. After another campfire that Frank miraculously lit in the windstorm, we went to bed. At least it was dry.

Sunday AM: We got about an hour of perfect Pismo weather: mostly clear skies, a gentle breeze and warm sun. So we started to pack with the idea that we might get a some time on the dunes in the nice weather. No such luck - the gale force wind came back and made packing unpleasant. Since it was 11 when we finished packing we decided to head home. We almost didn't get off the beach with the trailer and aired up tires, but made it back to pavement. It was noon by the time we got gassed up and aired up, so we took to the highway, met up with CJ in SLO and caravanned home. The drive was uneventful except for the headwind, and occasional sideways gusts making driving straight a challenge.

I have to say, Lupe's Jeep is VERY comfortable. The seats are very cushy, soft and supportive.

By the way, I still have sand in my ears! Thanks for a great run, Ellen

Safety Clinic

Trip Report: Lloyd Ohelo, For my first club event it took me about three days prep, to gather equipment around the house that I might need, an to mount my high jack. left on friday about 12 noon an arrived at area 5 about 2pm, found a cool spot an settled in. As I was getting ready to unload a jeep pulled up and I introduced myself to Ralph an we talked for about an hour discussing the clinic. He drove in from North Bay for his first event, so we had something in common.

John pulled in sometime about 6 something, an we talked about Saturday's events. Then a Bulldog pulled up an introduced herself " Soffie " and Mike at the end of a leash followed by a motorized "Kooler" speeding up to a screaching halt, ( guess what the thing has brakes ), guess who was sitting on it! Anyway to make a long story short I got my "first wine tasting invite", You can bring a bottle of wine they said, or bring 5 dollars "Bar is open". So I guess I owe somebody 5 dollars.

We gathered around the fire, Met Rich the fire god!, Wife Kathy or Cathy, an Cathy or Kathy and Darell an a few other people all tasting the wine so I followed suit. Bedtime was around 10pm.

Wakeup time was 7:30 am for me. Had a great time last night, sure wish I could have slept in but I was ready for vehicle inspection at 8:15am, inspector gave me 20 lbs on all four an Mike shuttled me off to class. In class I learned about the latest in 4wd safety rules, etc.

After class they shuttled us back to camp an we formed 4 groups of about 5-6 vehicles with colored flags, I drew "blue" an Ellen was our leader on the field, She proved to be an excellent leader and teacher too! lots of patients! I enjoyed the day, my favorite's were the staircase and the revine where the last course I got my Ist Boo-Boo, a bent tailpipe fiberglass flare. We were the last group to come in at about 6pm.

Boy was I hungry, the chefs made us an excellent dinner, meat, beans, bread etc!, cake an ice cream, we settled down to some vidio's and saw everyone participating, after that it was back to the fire an wine tasting.

After goodbuys for some on Saturday night after dinner, and Sunday, I left camp around 10am, stopped for lunch in Scotts Valley and got home at exactley 12 noon. Tahnks for a great time edfour. See you all soon!

Lloyd

Safety Clinic

-Trip Report below:

-Photos to follow in a day or two.

-October 16-18th Deer Valley Trip info email to follow in a day or two as well (I have not forgotten, just been working on some details)

Can see trip report here: http://www.cjarnesen.com/ed4/Safety_Clinic_Fall_09.html I added a GPS route of my day at the clinic to the trip report website, it should be downloadable to almost any format. Enjoy!

TRIP REPORT - CJ Arnesen

What a great clinic.

Clinic started on Friday night for me. I spent a few hours getting my Jeep packed and on the trailer, and getting things setup for an early morning departure. My buddy Jono helped me load things up. I woke up Saturday at 5am and was on the road by 545am.

Jono and I pulled into Area 5 about 7:20. and started unloading the jeep and getting ready for the day. Around 7:30 or so I took over my first job, vehicle inspections.

I had a wonderful time checking people in. My most memorable inspection was my first, it was a married couple with an old, '64 CJ5. Long story short, the jeep had been her father's, but he sold it in 2000. He passed away this march, and she tracked down the jeep and bought it back, as a lot of her chilhood memories involved the jeep. This safety clinic was its mainden voyage offroad. I heard it had some trouble with the clutch in the ravine, pretty common problem due to frame flex on those old jeeps.

The rest of the clinic went well. My only trouble was my bumpstops ripping off in the ravine. This problem was temporarily resolved with a spare set I had that somewhat helped (they were only half as long as the ones that were ripped off). With the help of Chris, and Sherry I got my spare bumpstops installed to finish out the day. I've since gone about attempting to resolve this issue. I bought new, stiffer, Bilstein shocks, to help deal with the super soft springs that I have. I bought replacement 4.5" long bumpstops, different material, hopefully will be less prone to tearing, as well as a bit stiffer. I also bought Daystar's EVS foam shock bumpstops that install on to the shock shaft. Lastly I puchased small button bumpstops to install on my shackles to prevent them from completely folding up to hit the frame. They were folding all the way up to the frame bottoming out my springs and jamming things up. So I hope this four fold effort to combat my soft springs will solve my issues, yet still give me a smooth ride, and all my flex. Time will tell, and I'm sure Pismo will quickly show me any leftover issues I may have.

So all in all as trail lead for the yellow group I managed to not get lost despite my many attempts. I think having Jono as my copiot, GPS and Topo software probably helped a bit, oh and Darrel's awesome map.

I had a relaxing evening hanging out telling stories, enjoyed a nice dinner, and a fun slideshow. I want to thank Ira for doing the slideshow, and Jono for taking photos to help out. There was no way I was going to get many good photos while driving.

I decided to pack up camp around 9:15 Saturday night and drive back home. Jono and I had an uneventful drive home. I unloaded the Jeep on Sunday and put everything away. My third timing towing the jeep went very well. I'm very happy to be a part of an awesome group of people that do awesome things. I appreciate as always, all the wonderful knowledge and wisdom that is shared on these outings, and can't wait for the next one.

-CJ

Safety Clinic

September 2009 Ed4 4wd Clinic @ Hollister: I Arrived at the Area five gate Friday around 12:00pm. Overshot the turn off by 20 feet while watching some wild turkeys. I had no idea how far it might be to a turn around and there was no traffic so....Thus begin my first attempt to back up a flat towed jeep. I managed to get-er-done but had a strange feeling that the turkeys that started this were somewhere near laughing like hell.

I was the third outfit in camp so had plenty of spots to pick from. Parked, unhooked the jeep and settled in. The weather was a warm and the pesky little flies were out in out full force.

Ole, who had been there for awhile, had made arrangements, with a park official, to tour the new not-yet-open 4wd area east of area 5. I was invited to tag along between the Park Range Rover and Ole's jeep. This was the first time in the dirt for my newly acquired Jeep but, I figured I should be able to follow a Range Rover with stock tires, most anywhere. As it turns out the new obstacle course is fairly tame even by my standards, at least when dry, but, still fun to drive. They have built a camp spot on top of one of the hills that has a great view of the valley to the east and the Tres Pinos area. It would be a great spot for the Friday nite pot luck/camp fires in the future.

Friday nites campfire and pot luck was fun as usual. A couple of the students, who arrived early joined the fire circle and wine fest.

Saturday started out with the vehicle inspections. Being a part of that crew is a great way to meet new four wheelers and encouage them to join ED4.

After the chalk talk at the schoolhouse we I headed for the obstacle course and the Star Step area. I was stationed at the top of the stair step to help people negotiate the right turn without tearing a fender off. This was a perfect place to observe the various styles of driving up a slippery rock infested hill while feeling the stare from the audience below on the back of your neck. It seems the resulting adrenalin rush can turn even the most timid person into a "make it or break it monster". The amount of air under the front tires, that was achieved in some cases, was amazing. Of course this can only lead to trouble, which it did in the case of one gentleman who littered the hill with driveline parts. On the upside his wife probably hasn't had that good a laugh in some time. She wouldn't leave the poor guy alone. They both had their own jeeps and the frosting on the cake came when she then proceeded to navigate the hill with no trouble at all. Had a great time and learned a lot about using "finesse and consistant acceleration to climb a hill" just by watching others.

A great event and looking forward to the next...but not the pesky flies.

Gary

Safety Clinic

I arrived at Hollister roughly around 7:45 in the am, and while having the top and doors off my jeep was a good idea the day before when it was hot, it was not a good idea at 7am on the freeway at 70mph, at 60 degrees. Yeah it was cold on the way there but luckily after an hour or so after arriving, it warmed up and turned out to be a nice day. I helped shuttling students to and from area 5 to the school house and all of them were very excited. After getting started I headed over to the off-camber/backdown/restart area and directed the students around the trail. All of the students had a big smile on their face when coming up, though I wish I had my camera on me to take some photos of them coming up the hill. It was nice that the groups were well spaced apart, and Brian and John did a great job at getting the students comfortable being off camber. the dinner was great! And thanks to Ollie and everyone else for preparing a great dinner. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday on the trail even though I didn't drive.

Hollister Hills

Hello All,Irene and I arrived in Hollister around 330p on Friday to area 5. I was surprised at how many people were there. we found a campsite, unloaded, set up and then went into town to a Mexican restaurant to enjoy the early evening. Upon returning to area 5, we grabbed our chairs and gathered around the fire. What a beautiful night it was. Stars out like crazy, weather perfect and friends (a little alcohol helped, also!). Saturday morning came up fast and students were arriving early. I was part of the greeting/inspection crew and enjoyed that. Everyone got all the students in there correct groups and the students were off to the schoolhouse for their first lessons of the day. after the schoolhouse, we had lunch and then I was headed to the ravine area with Kelly, Ira and Coby (I think). The students did very well and it was fun to see the expressions on their faces when they made it through. Amazing how much they learned from the lower part to the end of the ravine area. After all the on course training, we got to enjoy a tasty supper of new poatatoes, tri-tip, french bread, beans and salad. After the excellent supper, we got to enjoy a slide show of many of the great photos Ira had taken throughout the event. Thank you ED4 for all you do for the 4 wheeling community to make it better, more enjoyable, safer, and whatnot. Thanks to all the hard working members for all they do at the clinic and everything in between that's not seen. Mike, you deserve a pat on the back (actually, way more than that) for all the organizing and logistics for a successful event. I finally got another overnight trip in and hopefully, become an official member (again!, LOL) next month. looking forward to many more acventures with all of you. Ron

Hollister Hills

Another great outing. No such thing as a bad dayof 'wheeling. Along were Ellen, Brian Ryder, Jim H., Jim O. and Monica, my dad Wayne and me. The day started out with play at the old O course the new O course and the ravine for a warm up. Jim H. made his usual bid for the cowbell at the ravine (we should just give him a lifetime cowbell award). All it took was a small tug from Brian R. to get Jim out.

We got serious about trails from there and took Fremantia and White Rock to the top of Hector Heights. Everyone did great on the steep climb up loose rocks on White Rock.

We set up camp for a real redneck picknick at the lookout. Rolled right into the middle of the other day users already there and pitched a tarp for shade. Home sweet home.

We needed at least one more trial after lunch before calling it a day. I was able to talk everone into tackling the Jungle Trail. The drive up the trail went well without any zealouts trying to take out the walls or trees along the way. Jim and Monica made a beeline for the Sycamore camp to wash off the poison oak that attacked them through their open doors.

We wrapped up the day and said our fairwells with some of the group headed to one of the local wineries for a follow on. Just wanted to say thanks to a great group of 'wheelers who came out to enjoy the day.

Brian McMinn.

Huntington Lake

Huntington Lake Summer campout trip report – July 16>19 2009 –Gary Shelgren

A great weekend started with arriving at the campground late Thursday afternoon, setting up and visiting with members already there. The Dusy group was back in camp so heard tales of the fun and mishaps. The weather was perfect and a nice change from the furnace in the Valley.

The Friday afternoon run was to Brewer Lake. Darell led, Ed in sweep position, with Coby, and myself in between. This was a moderate trail for the others but, a great learning experience for me. There were a few easy dirt (DUSTY) sections interspersed between the rock gardens. With spotting help from Ed, and much to my own surprise, I was able to navigate through most of the rocks without serious damage to the TJ. However, as we got closer to the lake the rocks grew taller and closer together until I finally threw in the towel. The last 100’ to the lake wasn’t possible for my setup without the aid of a helicopter. We were looking down on the lake at that point. After letting a couple of other jeep groups pass we about faced and returned to the campground. -- Attendees: Darell & Kathy & Friend, Coby & Alicia, Myself & Marlene, Ed & Son

A Campfire was held at Darell’s campsite and run plans for Saturday were discussed.

The Saturday Run was to Red Lake, I think. There were so many lakes in the area I lost track. This trail made the previous day run look like pavement. Mostly rock gardens, with many more adult boulders and very few smooth sections. A “more challenging, more fun…6-flags” style run. I was able, with some spotting help, to navigate the rocks, bounce, lurch and smoke the clutch along to what would become the turn around and lunch spot. Again, the last couple hundred yards to the lake was the toughest part of the run and I would not have made it up the hill. The rest of the group did get “in line” to give it a try. There was a dozen or more 4-wheelers of all kinds lined up for the last hill and more arriving all the time. It was like a pre-game parking lot party with people scattered up the hill watching vehicles thrashing their way to the top. The sounds of hooting people, crunching body metal and running gear carnage would have gladdened the hearts of parts and repair shop owners everywhere….not to mention beer distributors. Our group turned around at that point. The return trip, over the same route, was like an all new trail and tougher it seemed. At one especially nasty rock drop off, I was proud of the good job of navigating I had just pulled off, thinking I had it made through. I then realized I wasn’t able to move forward or backward. I had quite skillfully lowered the jeep down onto a large boulder and was completely high centered. With a tow backward from Jim R, some rock backfilling and finger pointing from Ed, I was on my way. With a couple of exceptions, the rest of the trip went well. I did readjust (break) a running board mount and beat the crap out of the trailer hitch but, all the stuff is on the removal list anyway. On the plus side I didn’t leave a trail of oil or gas on the road so the differentials and gas tank are still intact. Great run!

- - Attendees: Darell, Jim H., Coby & Alicia, Dennis & Ava, John R., Myself & Marlene, Ed & Son

That evening (Saturday) a pot luck and campfire was held at Jason’s camp site. Great food, stories, and friends all around. The impromptu “So You Think You Can Dance” show bit was worth the price of admission. We need to keep that on the playbill. Now that it’s known what sort of stimulant encourages the dancing duo to ascend the car trailer stage, that shouldn’t be too hard to do.

Looking forward to more good times,

Gary

Dusy Run '09

Dusy ’09 – Trip Report (part 1)I new I was in trouble when a friend asked me if I was ready for the run and I told him that that "my Jeep never ran better". We joked that I would be jinxing my trip.

On Monday evening I made the drive to the campground from the office in Palo Alto. I snuck out a few minutes early and was able to make it through San Jose traffic without delay.

I arrived at the campground late in the evening. Was greeted by an absolutely JERK of a campground host. He was yelling at me for rolling in so late. Warning for those of you making the trip up this week. Take care to avoid the host at the front of the campground (site #1). I made camp (Thank you Jim O'leary for the site) and was at the designated meeting spot before 7:00a. There the ED4 part of the expedition was assembled.

Ed (with son David), Darell, Tom (with brother Jim and nephew Daniel) Jason.

We rolled out of camp within minutes of the schedule 7:00a time. On the long drive (53 miles) from camp to the trail head we all stopped to top off the tanks in Shaver. Drive went quickly. The scenery was outstanding. Creek crossings, fishing spots and enormous vista views.This is a shot of Courtright Lake. This is where the trail begins.

At the trail head we were met by Tad (passenger Mike) and Patrick. Patrick has an outstanding Bronco. If I could have that rig I might actually switch sides and disavow Jeep. Shortly after 10:00a we gave thanks and were rolling.

Seven rigs made quick work of the first part of the trail. We made it through Voyager Camp ground across some granite slabs to the base of Chicken Rock. All of this was in two wheel drive.

At Chicken Rock we chatted for a while as we did some Bronco trail repair. Once fixed up we started the climb. If you have not seen Chicken Rock, it is quite the sight. A massive steep up hill climb. None of my pictures do it justice. I hope that others captured it. I was pretty nervous hitting that hill. Being caburated I was worried if I stalled, I would be in trouble without brakes or steering. None the less, heart was pumping, I made the climb, kept the rpm up and made it without issue. Here is a picture of Ed making the crest. Plenty of great photo ops at the top Patrick's outstanding Bronco Father and son From the top of the rock we continued on the trail as it followed the shore of Courtright Lake. The trail goes back and forth across the Dusy Creek. The crossings are the log bridges and the rocks in medal cages that we talked about at the last meeting. All of this is thanks to the 4WD club of Fresno. At some point after these crossings we had my first break down. I snapped one of the u-bolts that hold the axle housing to the leaf spring. Thankfully Tom had a pair in his gear. We made short work of breaking off the other one and replacing the driver side. Thank you to everyone who got dirty.

As we were winding our way through the woods the Scrambler starting having trouble keeping running. Couple of times we had to jump it and couple of times it would not start. If it was running, it was running smooth and consistent. But a couple of time we had trouble.

We reached this great little obstacle that Jason handled with great ease. It was at this point we made the call that I should stop and go back. Without any confidence of the engine running and not knowing the cause of the trouble, we through it be best that I abort the trip. I wanted to cry but I did not want to do anything that would keep the guys from completing the run.

Ed and Patrick were kind enough to offer to drive with me back to the trail head. 4+ miles back out. As we made out way out I sheared the spring pin on the pass side rear axle. Ed was my hero in fabbing up a contraption to keep the axle in place in the absence of a perch pin. Here is a shot of it before we duct taped it to hell. This silly contraption held it mostly in place all the way back to the trail head.

With the new setup we hobbled back to the trail head. Actually I was the only one hobbling. I was instructed to avoid hitting any rocks with the rear tires. Easier said than done. At one rest break due to the engine stalling issue, we believe we correctly diagnosed the cause of the engine problems. My ignition equipment was overheating and we were not getting a spark. After 20 minutes of cooling off, it starts right back up and is good for another hour on the trail.

We made it back to the trial head without any further issues. We transferred dinner, fuel, water and Ed’s son David and dog Spike into Patrick’s Bronco. Patrick and David started back on the trail to make camp at Voyager Campground. Ed drove me back to camp (53 miles) after another stop for fuel. Then we put Ed’s Toyota on my trailer for the 53 mile trip back to the trail head. We got to the trail head just after midnight. I gave Ed a huge hug. He turned on his rock lights and headed into the darkness to find Voyager camp, his son and Patrick. I crawled into the back of my truck to cry a little bit and to sleep for the night. Drove home this morning.

Ed and Patrick hope to catch up with the larger group by night fall today. I hope they make it. The larger group has most of the food.

I owe an apology to the whole group for slowing them down. It was unacceptable to have the Jeep not in top running order. I did not anticipate these issues and did not have the proper equipment with me.

Thank you to everyone who helped me through the day.

Thanks to Darell and Ed for planning out the event Thanks to Jim O’leary for the camp site. Thanks to Tom for the very expensive u-bolts (get me a part number and I will replacement them) Thanks to everyone for lending a hand Thanks to Patrick for escorting me out of there Huge thanks to Ed for rescuing my ass

I owe Ed and Patrick a day of their lives back. I hope the rest of the trail run is uneventful.

Story is to be continued, by someone else…

-- david grubman

Dusy Run '09 Cont'd - Cont'd

Dusy Trail -Trip Report part 2 by Ed Lorenzen.

Timeline: 12am – 8am Wednesday

After leaving David and his Jeep Scrambler in the parking lot of Courtright Reservoir just after midnight I headed to the Dusy trail head. Basically the main group has a 14-hour head start on me now. Patrick and my son David were waiting for me at Voyager Camp about 3 miles in. Things were going very smoothly until I came upon a huge granite slab. At this point you loose all sight of where the trail goes! I drove across the slab to the tree line on the other side and could not find the trail opening. As I was looking around I saw some rock stacks so I started following them and found an opening I the trees. I drove another 20 minutes or so and all of a sudden I was on pavement. My thoughts were what the heck??? We never crossed any pavement earlier in the day while on trail. I turned around and headed back to the dirt where I saw a sign that read Dusy Trail, Voyager Camp 3 Miles, Thompson Lake 11 miles and Kaiser Pass 31 miles. I’m now scratching my head thinking to myself “Cow Bell” you dumb ass. We teach our students not to wheel alone and now I’m doing it! Since I figured out that I did a complete circle and was back at the trailhead, now the big decision is do. Bed down for the night or try it again?? I decided I would go again because I new the mistake was made on the granite slab. This time when I got to the granite I dove into the middle and stopped! I got out of the rig with my trusty flashlight in hand and started panning the tree line. All of a sudden I saw a red flash up in the trees. The flash I saw was a red reflector about 12 feet up in the trees. I new that must be the trail opening so I got into the rig and off I went into the darkness. It was not much further down the trail that I found Patrick’s Bronco and two tents set up.

It is now shortly after 2am. Patrick and David broke camp and we were on trail again about 2:30am. This means we need to travel another 8 miles to catch up to the group. As we were winding through the trees and small rock gardens all of a sudden I stalled my truck. When I went to restart it all it did was click, click, click. I turn my lights on and off to catch Patrick’s attention. With my lights now off Patrick made his way back. The problem was my lights were drawing to much power and the alternator could not keep up with the demand. After I got a jump-start I just used my normal headlights the rest of the night. Things were all going very smooth until we came to Thompson Hill. Thompson Hill is a long steep hill with both large and larger rocks that you must climb up. Patrick in his Bronco just cruised up it like it was a paved highway. By the way it was now about 5:15am and was getting light so I could see what the hell I was getting into. I made it up about ¾ the way and then got stuck. With Patrick up at the top I got out of to see what I needed to do. Well I got stuck another 3 times and was VERY tired! On my lust stuck job I was finding it hard to get in and out of the truck. So instead of getting all the way out I thought I would just open my tube door and hang my head out and see what was hitting under the truck. The next thing I new I was laying in the rocks on my back. Being totally exhausted I called up to Patrick and asked for help. He walked down the hill and stacked some big rocks for me and I made it up the hill without any other problem.

At about 7:30am we came across Daniel, Jason and Tad on the trail. They said they new were coming because about 6:00am they were able to here the roar of Patrick’s V-8 coming through the valley. Jason and Daniel ran back to camp and Tad climbed in with Patrick.

We arrived into camp about 8am to the others cooking breakfast. We ate and talked about our nights adventure. As other were cleaning the kitchen and reloading their rigs I retired to my drivers seat for a nap.

To be continued by others

ED

PS: Special thanks to all. Everyone than came on this trip made this trip! Good and bad the memories will be lasting and will be talked about for years to come.

Dusy Run '09 Cont'd

Sitting here fishing w/ Tom and his brother Jim and nephew Dan on Huntington lake. 32 catch and release trout so far. The weather is great, the trail was awesome, and the camaraderie is priceless! The Dusy is a great trail. Not too hard, but definitely a black diamond trail. It is similar to Blue Lakes trail w/ a long winch hill just before Thompson Lake and some very challenging rock gardens throughout the trail. 35" tires and a least one locker is a must. 33 miles long, your rig will take a beating!! Besides Dave's unfortunate situation, we had a few cool trail repairs: Tad - transfer case bolt, and driveline U joint. Darell - transfer case shifter tie down to keep it from poping out of gear. Tom - transmission mount bolts backing out. Welded a new bracket on. Jason - broken fan blades due to a rubber shroud coming lose and falling into the fan blades. Ed and Patrick - no mechanical issues.

The Dusy is the most scenic trail I have been on!! We had a great 3 days on the trail.

More to follow when I sit down in front of my computer.

Cheers,

Jason

Adopt-a-trail

Sunday, June 28:CJ & Susanna, Dennis Holler & Ava Moore, Loro, Sierra & Alpine Valarie & Rick Arnesen, & Moke. (Sorry if I got the name wrong? I was not very awake this morning) Met at the Corral Hollow trail head at about 9:30am, and ran the trail up to Bear Valley by about 12:30 with a stop for a short hike to the high point. The trail is completely open, with easy passage through the snow banks. I'm happy to report the Grand Cherokee is gone.

After an ice cream break at Bear Valley, CJ led his parents, Dennis & Ava & me to lunch on the banks of the creek on Slick Rock Trail. After lunch, I headed home uneventfully other than the blistering hot weather. The rest headed down the trail! So, more news to follow...

Also, I got a photo of a fungus I've never seen before, even in the mycology books. Looks like a white ball with spikes on it! If anyone knows mushrooms, let me know and I'll send a photo.

Thanks to Sherry for organizing the trail opening!

Ellen

Adopt-a-trail

Hello All, Here's a trip report for the Saturday and Sunday runs. This was the first time for Ava and I to run any of these trails and it was an awesome weekend to do them.

Actually, neither Ava nor I had ever been to the Horse Gulch campground so before we checked into the Lodge we drove in to see where it was on Friday evening. We found Ellen and Connie already set up in camp and talked to them for awhile, then went into Arnold for the evening.

Run #1: Early Saturday morning (8AM!) we all met back at camp to start out on the Mattley Ridge trail for cleanup. (Others have listed the participants). Ellen led us through both loops of the trail. Mostly it was cleaning up debris, but we did move some branches around to detour around a bypass due to a fallen log. None of us had a chainsaw, so that's the best we could do at the time. It had been a long day so we all dispersed to relax for the evening.

Run #2: Sunday morning, we slept in and met at 9AM at the Corral Hollow trail head. This time it was CJ and Susannah, Rick and Valerie Arneson (and Moke), Loro and Sierra and Alpine, Ellen, and Dennis and Ava. CJ led the way through the trail. We stopped at the cabin (which was occupied by campers) and also stopped at the top of the trail just across the valley from the Bear Valley Ski Runs. Loro and the dogs, Dennis, Ava, and Rick hiked the 1/4 mile to the high point -- which is the highest point in Alpine County. We continued on to highway 4 where we drove up to the gas station/store at Bear Valley. There we rested, (some had ice cream!) then we continued to a lunch spot at the falls on the Slick rock trail.minus Loro who decided to drive home with her ailing Bronco (I hope she made it ok.)

Run #3: So, three runs in two days! I had heard quite a bit of talk about Slickrock and have wanted to try it for a long time. After we had lunch, Ellen headed for home and the Arneson's made a Toyota sandwich with their CJ's on the trail. This was an awesome trail, and showed me that I had made some good choices on the mods to the 4Runner. I had no problems running this trail and got considerably less damage than the Deer Valley run several years ago. I broke in the sliders!!! The lockers worked great and the crawler gears really made the going much easier. Below is a link to a picture of CJ guiding me up the stair step at the end of the trail. I had a wonderful time all weekend.

http://i654.photobucket.com/albums/uu270/DKHoller/AdoptaTrail09/P6280149.jpg

Adopt-a-Trail

Hi All, Just wanted to send out give out a big "Thank you" for all the voluneers who worked on the Adopt-a-trails for both the Mattley Loop Ridge and Corral Hollow trails. Just this Saturday, June 27, Ellen lead the group of us to open or finish opening the Mattley Loop Trail. Jason and his group did a great job the prior weekend. Thanks Jason for the great e-mail.

For this past Saturday, the list of volunteers is as follows:

* Ellen Layendecker,

* C. J. Arnesen and him mom, Valarie Arnesen,

* Loro Paterson,

* Dennis Holler & Ava Moore,

* Carlos Fuchen and his family.

* Connie Wilson,

* Susanna Dergee, and

* myself (Sherry)

Ellen lead our group of 13 volunteers. 7 vehicles. Thank you Ellen. Valerie pass around some delicious bread, that we all enjoyed prior to us leaving for the trail. Our work day on Saturday was pretty much uneventful, the group did work on a slight re-route of a section of the trail, back to the original trail. We did pick up lots of trash/shooting stuff. Same place as last year's trash pick up, but less...So I think we are making an impact. Good job all. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Sherry Stortroen

Run Report for June 18, 2009, Corral Hollow Trail

Jason Green lead the group of 9 volunteers, as follows:

* Tom Vella,

* Ed Lorenzen,

* Ole Stortroen and myself,

* Mike Phorn,

* Ron Gustafson,

* Jim O'Leary and

* Chris Means.

This year on the Corral Hollow Trail offered up lots, I mean lots of snow. We did encounter 3 downed trees, one really large one, that had fallen against itself, accross the trail and empaled another tree on the opposite side of the trail. It was something to see. This downed tree offered our chainsaw guys (Jason & Ole) a slight challenge, but with the help of their chainsaws, lots of winching, the downed tree didn't have a chance.

Jason, Jim, Tom & Jim Vella, Mike P., Chris and Ron did run the Mattley Loop Ridge trail, or most of the trail on June 18. Thanks a bunch for all that tree clearing.

If I have missed someone, please let me know. Again, Thanks Much for your help. Sincerely, Sherry Stortroen

Adopt-A-Trail

ED4, As Sherry mentioned, 9 of us (Ole, Sherry, Jim O., Tom V., Mike P., Ed, Ron, Chris, and myself) opened the Corral Hollow Trail on Thursday. A couple very large trees across the trail, one suspended 6+ feet in the air resting on a 8" diameter tree, and 4-5 feet of snow made this one of the toughest years by far. Everyone pitched in and we had the trail cleared by 4pm.

With our goal completed, we decided to tackle the Mattley Loop Trail on Friday. We ( Tom V., Jim O., Jim V., Mike P., Ron, Chris, and myself) met with Lonnie at 8:30am to give him an update on the trails and then we went to work. We began on the "tree side" of the loop, as opposed to the "snow side". Only 1 large 40" diameter tree (I know this because my 3' bar did not cut all the way through) and a handful of smaller trees across the trail. We flew through the first section and made it to the 7N-09 intersection in less than an hour. We proceeded down the rocky section and missed the right turn down the hill to the steep off-camber section of the trail. The trail that we were on was well traveled and very nice. This was a new trail for everyone there. It led us to a gravel road and we turned right to get back to our original trail. We quickly found the bottom of the steep, off-camber section and headed up it. That was a blast. All of the drivers got real serious going up that hill! We had a few more trees to clear and we popped back out on the main trail and headed back to the 7N-09 intersection for lunch right around noon.

After lunch we decided to tackle the "snow section" from the bottom up. Nobody ever claimed that we were rocket scientist!! After a 15 minute dusty cruise down the gravel road, we headed up the trail. I just need to say, the meadows up there right now are really breath taking!! After a leisurely drive up the trail, crossing the meadow, we ascended to the first of 4 big snow drifts. Everyone grabbed a shovel and we cut a trench to keep our vehicles on the trail. Jim O. was the lead and had to winch through to break trail. From that point, everyone else strapped each other through. This continued as we slowly progressed up the trail. It was a lot of work, but everyone had a smile on their face. We cleared the top of the hill around 2:45pm and headed back to camp to clean up and head home.

So, if you have read this far, the Mattely Loop Trail is open!! There is no need to head up there next weekend and work. I know this will be exciting news to some people and a disappointment to others who were looking forward to heading up there. To the people who were looking forward to getting out of town next weekend, I say keep your plans and leave your shovel and work gloves at home and go enjoy the trails!! It is flat out awesome up there right now and I hear the fishing is pretty good at Lake Alpine. The work weekend just became a relaxing weekend. There are a lot of other trail down from ours to explore as well. The possibilities are endless........

Regards,

Jason

Adopt-a-trail

Corral Hollow and Mattley Ridge Loop By Chris Mains

Wow, what a fun 2 days.

I arrived at Horse Gulch campground on Wednesday night. I had the whole place to myself until about 11:30 pm or so when Jason, Jim, Ron and Mike arrived.

The next morning after everyone was fed and rigs were prepped we headed out to begin the opening of the Corral Hollow trail. In addition to Jason, Jim, Ron, Mike and myself were Tom V, Ole and Sherry. It was pretty uneventful until after the cabin. We found a couple of trees that needed to be cut up, so out came the chainsaws.

Ole and Jason made short work of the trees and the rest of us pushed them out of the way. A short time later we came to an area that usually has some snow in June and boy did we find snow….and a very stuck and abandoned Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Grand was blocking the trail so with a little digging and a tow strap it was soon moved to the side so that we could attempt to continue on. It was tough going getting past the first couple hundred or so feet, but with Jim’s and Tom’s winches everyone was through in short order. We came across a little more snow up at the top which turned out to be not much of a problem and then we stopped for lunch at a spectacular view spot.

After lunch we began our descent towards Hwy 4, but soon came across a huge fallen tree that was suspended above the trail. It was an extremely dangerous tree to remove, but after much discussion and planning the group managed to lower the tree to the ground, cut it up and move it without any injuries. The remainder of the journey was uneventful.

Day 2 was the Mattley Ridge Trail. We had 4 rigs with me, Jason, Jim, Mike, Ron, Tom and his brother Jim in attendance. We decided to start out on the side that we knew would not have snow. Actually, there was very little that needed to be done. I believe we had to cut one fairly large tree early on and then drag a few smaller ones out of the way.

I guess at some point we missed a turn that would have taken us onto a difficult steep off-camber trail. So, we ended up on a trail that was new to me. It was very tight in spots but not too challenging. Eventually we ended up on a gravel road that we thought might take us back to 7N09, but in actually put us at the bottom of the steep off-camber trail. So, of course we decided to go up it. That was very cool. The off-camber stuff definitely keeps my attention. Couple that with some really tight spots, very steep climbs with a poor traction surface and you have some serious fun. We have to do that again. After that excitement we stopped for lunch. After lunch we decided to tackle the other side of the trail from the bottom up. Gravity was not helping us. We shoveled, winched and strapped our way to the top with Jim leading the way. It was epic. In the end the trail was opened at we headed back to Horse Gulch to pack and head home. A hot shower was waiting.

Summer Campout Pre-Run

This past Friday, Ed and I made a trip up to the campground area to check things out. Here is what we found. The campgrounds are very clean, they have 3 camp host on site.

There is overflow parking for trailers within the campgrounds.

There are pit toilet restrooms with lights in them.

There NO SHOWERS in the campground, however there are water faucets at various locations throughout the campgrounds.

There are no hookups.

There are Bears in the vicinity, bear boxes are provided at each campsite to store your foods in. Food left out, $300.00 fine.

Lots of trees at every campsite.

Fire wood is $8.00 per small bundle, be sure to bring some fire wood if possible. It is OK to gather wood in this forest, however no power tools are allowed in the campgrounds. This means cutting the wood with hand saw only.

Gasoline and diesel are available at the Huntington Rancheria store. Regular was $4.20 and diesel was $3.89, but it was available.

Low price Gas and Diesel was at Prather, $3.03 gas, $2.79 diesel. This is approx. 40 miles before Huntington. Gas is also available in Shaver Lake.

Upon arrival, you need to check in at the Campgrounds Headquarters. The campgrounds are on the left side of the hiway, but the check in is accross the big bridge and make a right turn. You have arrived at the Campground checkin.

Fire permits are available at the Ranger Info center next to the Campground Checkin. Fire permits are required for any kind of flames, BBQ, stove, campfire, or propane powered cooking stoves.

The trailhead for the Friday run is about 12 miles paved from the campgrounds. Trailhead for the Saturday runs are about 10 miles pavement and another 6 miles gravel/dirt.

I know that I have left out some other information, but if you have any other questions or concerns, Ed and I can provide answers.

Darell

Adopt-a-trail Photos

ED4, Here are the photos from the Adopt-A-Trail June 18th and 19th. http://flickr.com/gp/19001911@N08/BYjr84

Ole and Sherry, could you please forward this link to Lonnie?

Have a geat 4th everyone!!

Cheers,

Jason