One of three groups
Me – TJ on 33’s
Mike Anderson – TJ on 35’s
Dan, JD, and Josie Peck – JK on 35’s
Greg Browning with friend – MJ on 37’s maybe
Greg’s other friend – 2wd Quad
Mark Tuckish – JK on 37’s
Ed Salas – TJ on 37’s
Fueled by breakfast burrito’s whipped up by Dan and Ed, thanks guys, and a little extra sleep we hit the trails at 10:00. The late start was to allow the hunters that use the property some time to clear out. We decided to so something a little different and a little more challenging than usual so we decided to run the group of trails around the ATV staging area. I’m not familiar with that area and we only had the Big Dogs map, so after passing the big orange tank we turned right and just headed up into the woods.
We wheeled right up until 12:30 or so and took a break for lunch. I think we ran 6-A, Boulder, Horseshoe, and maybe part of Hard Rock Crawlers. The morning was pretty un-eventful, but yet a nice challenge for everyone and also something other than the usual Cobra and U-Turns route.
At some point early on Dan blew a bead on his front passenger tire, and of course you never blow a bead where it’s level and flat. There was no going back because he was halfway over the obstacle when it happened and driving forward meant driving on the rim and the flat tire. But forward it was, just far enough to get somewhat level enough to re-seat it. So a winch cable for safety, a ratchet strap to hold the axle in place, a hi-lift to do what hi-lifts do, and some high pressure air and Dan was back in business.
I needed a spot down what was to me a gigantic rock ledge (it was three feet high maybe) and left some paint on a tree on my down, and everyone else made it look easy. There was a nice little hill climb with a downed log at the bottom that gave me fits and the requisite under-cut rock ledge about three quarters up that stopped me cold. I did debate flogging it some to make it, new chromolly axle shafts you know, but just can’t bring myself to use the skinny pedal too much. So out came the winch…. Mike went next, I missed it but if you believe the stories his front wheels went three feet in the air getting up it. Then Dan, who with a little persistence, a little more skinny pedal, and a good line made it. Then Greg. Well you can’t say he didn’t make it for lack of trying J but it wasn’t meant to be and out came his winch to pull him and the quad up the hill. Then Mark and Ed who both walked up it like nothing and had a “what was the holdup” kinda look on their faces.
So after lunch we headed generally downhill when we heard Preston Crum over the radio checking in. He and Ryan Connor were hanging out at the orange tank waiting on Dan Elwing who had to run back to camp to do something….so we hung out for a bit and chatted until Dan made it back before heading back to camp ourselves to drop off the quad. From there it was a choice between V-Trail and the usual Cobra and U-Turns and Cobra won out.
I hadn’t run Cobra in a long while and forgot just how much fun it is. While giggling to myself and thoroughly enjoying my new rear suspension I heard a loud, loud bang from behind me and thought Mike had blown a bead. Nope, not a bead, a rear axle shaft. He was climbing an obstacle when it happened and Greg, who was behind him, saw both rear wheels turning, bang, and the passenger side just stopped. Mike was okay with it, the rig was okay, and Mike was okay to keep on moving with 3 wheel drive. However when we hit the first hill climb he was getting nowhere, so we decided to call it and get him back to camp while we had daylight in case he needed to fix it before the drive home. So we turned it around and Mike, Dan, and I headed back down Cobra while Ed, Greg, and Mark ran down Corum to meet us on the access road.
After a twenty minute ride back to camp Dan went to go check in at the office and the rest of us pulled up in front of our tents and called it day. Mike decided again he was comfortable riding home with the broken shaft and aired up and headed out. I did debate a late afternoon, early evening run that may have involved headlights but dinner, a camp chair, and something cold, wet, and infused with hops got the better of me. So the day ended the way it usually does after a run with good food, good conversation, and campfire shenanigans that involved marshmallows and sing-alongs. Well, not sing-alongs but there were some shenanigans. To find out what kind you need to get out and wheel ;)
Fin….
Chip
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