Monday, July 16, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
What a Day!!!
We awoke to rain in the desert, July 4, 2012, and smiled. This was going to make the day even better. Everything had been packed and loaded the night before, all that was left to do was hit the trail. We rolled out at 12:30 and made it to the trail head at Geology Trail by 1 and had a smooth decent down in to Pleasant Valley. Rommel Dog rode in the Dodge with Bill and seemed very pleased to be on the trip. After a short stop in Pleasant Valley we headed up the mountain on Berdoo Canyon road.
The trip down into and through the Canyon is where the fun really began. Wyle, the X, and The Dodge, wiggling and weaving down and through the rocks, dropping off small ledges and loving every moment! It was half way down the Canyon when disaster nearly struck. Being the lightest, I was the lead Vic. Earlier at Pleasant Valley a convoy of 3 Jeeps had passed by us and we had waited a bit to let them get some distance. But as I rounded a curve in the canyon going down a steep grade with a rock ledge at the bottom I saw those 3 Jeep stopped in the middle of the trail and worse yet, a small child standing in the middle of the trail at the bottom of that ledge staring up at my Jeep. I dropped in to first, to slow my decent and hoped I had enough to brake, thankfully I did. After a moment the parents seemed to realize what was going on and retrieved the child, climbed in to their vehicles and started back down the trail. I rolled on a few more hundred feet until the canyon opened up and found space off the trail to break until they could go further on (hopefully).
The rest of the canyon road was easier and great fun running on old road surfaces that drop off a few feet reminding you of a disaster movie and then having to climb back up to the next one. Then after 11 miles from leaving Pleasant Valley we reached Dillon road in Indio and took that to the 10 east and made our way to the park entrance at Cotton Wood Springs.
Old Dale Road runs through the park and out to BLM land and mines. It runs through the Pinto Basin, but don't let the word Basin fool you. This was the toughest 4-wheeling I have done to date! The sign at the entrance seems to over exaggerate the difficulty, but by the time you realize you are in deep, there is no going back.
We opened all 3 vics up pre-runner style down the sand road leading to the mountains, it quickly turned from a soft ride to a white knuckle drive. A steep switch back incline with boulders and sections of trail broken away. At one point Brent was stuck in his Xterra until he got her in to 4low and rocked her up and over some big rocks, a little hair raising to watch when there is nothing but air to one side. I had stopped on the trail when I realized I couldn't see him in my mirrors, and ran back down on foot (there is no room to turn around) to check on him. It was after he got going again when I climbed in Wyle e. and she wouldn't turn over until I let her drift back until she got a good grip with her rear end when she shot up and over the rock pile that initially caused the issue. Once we all reached the top it was time for another break to prepare ourselves for the next section, not as steep, but with more boulders and holes than the last. All three vics crawled their way over top and creeped along the mountain side until we saw the sign saying we had reached the park boundary!
And so it was time to celebrate! We parked the vics and grabbed a beer. Rommel hopped out of the Dodge and stretched, according to Bill he slept most of the way. The only thing we could say to each other when we made it to the top was "That just happened".
The rest of the road through Gold Crown to the camp site were simple trails, sections that were easy but you could choice a more difficult route. Our preferred camp site is next to a large depression in the desert that makes a fun mud pit when it rains or when dry a great spot to practice going up inclines and doing doughnuts. This is what Bill was doing when I yelled down to him asking where exactly we were going to set the fire pit since ours had long been destroyed. He decided to show me by jumping the truck up out of the depression and doing a doughnut showering me with sand and dust. He jumps out of the truck and says, That looks good.
The rest of the night was beer, Joe Stein Stew, and Apple cobbler in the cast iron in the fire. Rommel watched over the camp like a pro and never let anyone go off to the bathroom alone. What normally would have been a long night of drinking and stories ended early with the three of us admitting we were beat from the day.
Hell of a way to spend a day. I wouldn't trade it for a damn thing. Follow the links for pictures and video as there are too many to post here. Enjoy! And I hope you can join us next time!
Click to see pictures of the Trip!
Brent and his Xterra coming up the mountain.
The Bill and our 1 ton Dodge Ram bringing up the rear
Check back for more videos as I get them from Brent!
The trip down into and through the Canyon is where the fun really began. Wyle, the X, and The Dodge, wiggling and weaving down and through the rocks, dropping off small ledges and loving every moment! It was half way down the Canyon when disaster nearly struck. Being the lightest, I was the lead Vic. Earlier at Pleasant Valley a convoy of 3 Jeeps had passed by us and we had waited a bit to let them get some distance. But as I rounded a curve in the canyon going down a steep grade with a rock ledge at the bottom I saw those 3 Jeep stopped in the middle of the trail and worse yet, a small child standing in the middle of the trail at the bottom of that ledge staring up at my Jeep. I dropped in to first, to slow my decent and hoped I had enough to brake, thankfully I did. After a moment the parents seemed to realize what was going on and retrieved the child, climbed in to their vehicles and started back down the trail. I rolled on a few more hundred feet until the canyon opened up and found space off the trail to break until they could go further on (hopefully).
The rest of the canyon road was easier and great fun running on old road surfaces that drop off a few feet reminding you of a disaster movie and then having to climb back up to the next one. Then after 11 miles from leaving Pleasant Valley we reached Dillon road in Indio and took that to the 10 east and made our way to the park entrance at Cotton Wood Springs.
Old Dale Road runs through the park and out to BLM land and mines. It runs through the Pinto Basin, but don't let the word Basin fool you. This was the toughest 4-wheeling I have done to date! The sign at the entrance seems to over exaggerate the difficulty, but by the time you realize you are in deep, there is no going back.
We opened all 3 vics up pre-runner style down the sand road leading to the mountains, it quickly turned from a soft ride to a white knuckle drive. A steep switch back incline with boulders and sections of trail broken away. At one point Brent was stuck in his Xterra until he got her in to 4low and rocked her up and over some big rocks, a little hair raising to watch when there is nothing but air to one side. I had stopped on the trail when I realized I couldn't see him in my mirrors, and ran back down on foot (there is no room to turn around) to check on him. It was after he got going again when I climbed in Wyle e. and she wouldn't turn over until I let her drift back until she got a good grip with her rear end when she shot up and over the rock pile that initially caused the issue. Once we all reached the top it was time for another break to prepare ourselves for the next section, not as steep, but with more boulders and holes than the last. All three vics crawled their way over top and creeped along the mountain side until we saw the sign saying we had reached the park boundary!
And so it was time to celebrate! We parked the vics and grabbed a beer. Rommel hopped out of the Dodge and stretched, according to Bill he slept most of the way. The only thing we could say to each other when we made it to the top was "That just happened".
The rest of the road through Gold Crown to the camp site were simple trails, sections that were easy but you could choice a more difficult route. Our preferred camp site is next to a large depression in the desert that makes a fun mud pit when it rains or when dry a great spot to practice going up inclines and doing doughnuts. This is what Bill was doing when I yelled down to him asking where exactly we were going to set the fire pit since ours had long been destroyed. He decided to show me by jumping the truck up out of the depression and doing a doughnut showering me with sand and dust. He jumps out of the truck and says, That looks good.
The rest of the night was beer, Joe Stein Stew, and Apple cobbler in the cast iron in the fire. Rommel watched over the camp like a pro and never let anyone go off to the bathroom alone. What normally would have been a long night of drinking and stories ended early with the three of us admitting we were beat from the day.
Hell of a way to spend a day. I wouldn't trade it for a damn thing. Follow the links for pictures and video as there are too many to post here. Enjoy! And I hope you can join us next time!
Click to see pictures of the Trip!
Brent and his Xterra coming up the mountain.
The Bill and our 1 ton Dodge Ram bringing up the rear
Check back for more videos as I get them from Brent!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I'm SO excited~!
In 13 hours 3 of us will be hitting the road and heading up in to Joshua Tree National Park. We spent the day getting food, drink, and gear together. Making some minor adjustments to Wyle E. like mounting two new gerry can brackets and the fire extinguisher, Rigged my camel back to hang on the passenger seat, and reconnected the CB. A quick system check found everything a go and we are set.
The Oh Shit bags are packed a little fuller than normal and we are being accompanied by my cast iron which will be making dinner in the camp fire. Joe Stein Stew and Apple cobbler on the menu. Bacon and Eggs for Breakfast. Camera batteries are charging, and memory cards are formatted to be sure we don't miss a shot.
My excitement is in overdrive! It is nearly 10 PM and I haven't eaten dinner yet, I keep forgetting as I double check my gear and go over my lists to be sure tomorrows adventure runs smoothly.
There are several people I wish could join us on this run, but they will be home soon and we can do it all over again in celebration of their return.
If you don't hear from me by 7 pm July the 5th, you may want to send out at a search party....
The Oh Shit bags are packed a little fuller than normal and we are being accompanied by my cast iron which will be making dinner in the camp fire. Joe Stein Stew and Apple cobbler on the menu. Bacon and Eggs for Breakfast. Camera batteries are charging, and memory cards are formatted to be sure we don't miss a shot.
My excitement is in overdrive! It is nearly 10 PM and I haven't eaten dinner yet, I keep forgetting as I double check my gear and go over my lists to be sure tomorrows adventure runs smoothly.
There are several people I wish could join us on this run, but they will be home soon and we can do it all over again in celebration of their return.
If you don't hear from me by 7 pm July the 5th, you may want to send out at a search party....
Friday, June 29, 2012
Anticipation
As the 4th of July creeps up on us, so does the anticipation for the celebration.
This year there will be no BBQ, I doubt we will see any fire works, and adventure is just a tank of gas away. Because THIS year we are wheeling through Joshua Tree national park and Gold Crown. If you are reading this and you have a 4x4 I hope you join us.
To start the run we will stage out of 29 palms visitor center and head up to Geology Tour http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/geotourMAP.pdf
Then it is time for a picnic in Pleasant Valley before we it Berdoo Canyon to take us in to Indio
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/berdooMAP.pdf
Once we get to the 10 Down in Indio we will run that up to Cotton Wood springs and hit Old Dale up in to Gold Crown where we will camp for the night before finishing up on route 62 outside of town.
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/olddaleMap.pdf
I will be sure to have lots of video and pictures of this run, I hope we get some more vehicles to go with us!
This year there will be no BBQ, I doubt we will see any fire works, and adventure is just a tank of gas away. Because THIS year we are wheeling through Joshua Tree national park and Gold Crown. If you are reading this and you have a 4x4 I hope you join us.
To start the run we will stage out of 29 palms visitor center and head up to Geology Tour http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/geotourMAP.pdf
Then it is time for a picnic in Pleasant Valley before we it Berdoo Canyon to take us in to Indio
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/berdooMAP.pdf
Once we get to the 10 Down in Indio we will run that up to Cotton Wood springs and hit Old Dale up in to Gold Crown where we will camp for the night before finishing up on route 62 outside of town.
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/olddaleMap.pdf
I will be sure to have lots of video and pictures of this run, I hope we get some more vehicles to go with us!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Apparently my Jeep is SIC!
SO! I picked Wyle E. up from the shop on Friday evening, they even did some extra little things to her they didn't charge me for, for this they got some chocolate chip cookies! I have driven NOTHING but her since and am LOVING IT! We haven't had a single issue.
IN FACT last night Meghan and I loaded up and headed to the drive in to watch The Dictator(totally worth the watch, goooood flick!). Being there early we got a prime parking spot, and a great seat for all the people watching. About ten minutes in to waiting for the movie to start a Caddy pulls up beside us, two boots were seated inside and they yell out to a neighboring car "You ever been here before???!!! How does this work??" They were given directions on how to tune their radio to 90.5, then they turned and looked at us...
Giggling like high school girls (their windows were of course down) they start talking about Wyle E. and saying over and over again "That Jeep is SIC!" It took a few moments for them to realize everyone could hear them, Meghan and I staring at them may have been a clue, they then proceed to YELL to me "Your Jeep is SIC! that is sic! Wow!" I could only laugh and reply "Yes, I know, it's mine..." I may now have to get a sticker that says "SIC" to put on her...
It was at this point however I realized the radio station was not coming in. I withheld the urge to bang my head off the steering wheel as I recalled disconnecting the radio antenna for the CB antenna. NO PROBLEM! HOORAY FOR SMART PHONES! In moments I was able to find and download an FM radio app to turn my droid in to a receiver, plug it in to the aux port on the radio and we were good to go!
Jeeps, SIC proof that you can do a lot with a little.
IN FACT last night Meghan and I loaded up and headed to the drive in to watch The Dictator(totally worth the watch, goooood flick!). Being there early we got a prime parking spot, and a great seat for all the people watching. About ten minutes in to waiting for the movie to start a Caddy pulls up beside us, two boots were seated inside and they yell out to a neighboring car "You ever been here before???!!! How does this work??" They were given directions on how to tune their radio to 90.5, then they turned and looked at us...
Giggling like high school girls (their windows were of course down) they start talking about Wyle E. and saying over and over again "That Jeep is SIC!" It took a few moments for them to realize everyone could hear them, Meghan and I staring at them may have been a clue, they then proceed to YELL to me "Your Jeep is SIC! that is sic! Wow!" I could only laugh and reply "Yes, I know, it's mine..." I may now have to get a sticker that says "SIC" to put on her...
It was at this point however I realized the radio station was not coming in. I withheld the urge to bang my head off the steering wheel as I recalled disconnecting the radio antenna for the CB antenna. NO PROBLEM! HOORAY FOR SMART PHONES! In moments I was able to find and download an FM radio app to turn my droid in to a receiver, plug it in to the aux port on the radio and we were good to go!
Jeeps, SIC proof that you can do a lot with a little.
Friday, June 8, 2012
The longest wait on a birthday gift ever!
Well, I am no longer staring out the window at Wyle E. sitting in the yard, I don't see her now unless I drive towards base. It will be a full week now she has been at the mechanic. It seems we having finally found the TRUE issue as to why she stalls. The root of the problem boils down to the distributor cap. However NOTHING is ever so simple with a CJ. And so now coils and modules need replacing which were damaged by the mistake in the distributor cap. But, I am not too worried, little by little we have whittled away at what problems she may have and to be honest there are not many parts left on her to be replaced.
I am just hoping that my birthday present from two years ago will be driveable by this birthday. What would be even better is to have a #SuicideSunday this week...
I am just hoping that my birthday present from two years ago will be driveable by this birthday. What would be even better is to have a #SuicideSunday this week...
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Never look under the hood of a gift CJ!
And so we have spent an entire winter with Wyle E. parked in the back of the driveway. Old gas tank and sending unit tossed to the side waiting to be taken to scrap. Skid plate laying in the bed, wondering what it's future holds. And on Thursday morning she learned her fate as she was hooked up to the back of the truck and hauled down the road to a shop with a mechanic that spent years working at the jeep plant in Michigan. Her new tank, sending unit, and lines were ordered and they gave her a good once over to determine her to be in good health as far as they can tell, up to getting her running. I then received a phone call being told she will be back in my hands by Monday.
Up to this point I have spent countless dollars and hours, mixed unknown amounts of my own blood with oil, and left all the skin on my knuckles on her in one place or another. All in the effort to not only bring her back to life, but for her to be a reliable daily driver. However, I never wanted to see her "upgraded". I didn't want a CJ body with a different motor and transmission. I wanted a factory CJ. Now, with time, money, and being stubborn I will have what I have always wanted: My Own Original CJ5 that is reliable! (for now anyway...)
Up to this point I have spent countless dollars and hours, mixed unknown amounts of my own blood with oil, and left all the skin on my knuckles on her in one place or another. All in the effort to not only bring her back to life, but for her to be a reliable daily driver. However, I never wanted to see her "upgraded". I didn't want a CJ body with a different motor and transmission. I wanted a factory CJ. Now, with time, money, and being stubborn I will have what I have always wanted: My Own Original CJ5 that is reliable! (for now anyway...)
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