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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
 
| I will try to have enough fun for the both of us. If I cant manage, I will ask Ken to have some additional fun so it evens out. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| My status. I have the 40 in the shop with a new family cage, new trans crossmember/skid, new beefy trac bar, and a Land Cruiser dual case setup (Marlin Toybox).
I am still in the air about bringing the canoe but I think I want to.
Have to get a temp limiting strap for the rear. The REALLY short rear DS will bind at full droop, so I need to limit it until I can flip the rear springs, do a custom fuel cell, aim the rear pinion better and get a more reasonable rear DS length.
Also need to put my 22g confer aux tank in the rear and hook it up. I am using it for a main tank (trac bar precludes the oem main tank use) with a couple cans. And re-install/modify the exhaust. Truck needs a tune bad, and I wanted to desmog it, but I might not get there. At least I will have the weekend before we leave as a testing weekend.
Otherwise, anything else (dual batteries, dash box, gadget bar, canoe mount etc) is just bonus stuff. From the sounds of it below, maybe a snorkel would be a good idea.
Some reports from the TLCA Rubithon run this past weekend-
"Just got back after an exit out Cadillac this am. It took 4 hours to get from the springs to the Staging area. I had to winch myself twice, and a minitruck attempting to come in, once. All in all, not really that bad. There is some deep snow and lots of deep water, but I think the worst of the snow is over.
In our group, the only real carnage was a broken spring on a 40 on the slabs above Buck Island.
Ross is fixed and mobile with his 3rd member.
BK flopped mildly in Little Sluice and won big in the Raffle.
Mudrak ran Little Sluice-unfortunately I didn't see it.
Jim B is still sleeping and recovering from last night's Tequila tasting.
My 60 had an excellent maiden voyage.
I liked the small group atmosphere this year."
"Back in LA after a 14+ hr drive (trail & street). This was the best Rubithon I have been to yet! The snow was only found at the end of trail after observation point and it was awesome. HUGE runs through mud and water, not to mention a few 3 wheeled flop friendly situations.
A Big thanks to Tony, all the Rubithon committee members who made the event possible, and Andy (cruiserdrew) for running the Wagon run. Pics to follow"
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| Ive been watching the weather situation. Usually its getting hot during the days by this time of year, but not this year. Most of the time the mud and snow are found only at the Tahoe end. Mud right before the springs, and snow at the top of Cadilac hill. I think we will be fine at the Loon Lake end. |
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Expert
Posts: 2639
Location: Outer Mongolia | That cage looks beefy as hell!  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| Are you going to tow the 40 down with wagon? That would be cool. |
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Expert
Posts: 3199
Location: Mid-Willamette Valley | Looks good. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| Pretty slow going to tow with the wagon. I would do about 45 the whole way. It just isn't long enough and the 40 moves it a little too much to be relaxing. The 40 is built to drive distance to the trail, wheel, and drive home.
The MetalTech cage is badass. I guess if their cage is good enough for Top Gear, it should do for me... The B-C pillar tie ins are so I can still run the factory jump seats and still stay fully protected during an "event", otherwise the usual way is a B-C diagonal single piece. I need to put up pics of the trac bar and trans crossbar. They are pretty sweet too. Mark just got a CNC and I got some of the first pieces from it. No more drilling holes.
Edited by eshj42 2010-06-20 5:06 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| (another report.. they were coming back from the Springs)
"Took us 7 hours running backwards to loon. Can't remember when I've had such a challenging time on the con. Trail was was rough this year. After the ugliest possible performance in big sliuce coming out I don't think I have a straight pannel left on the runner. Boy was that fun! Really. For all of those who stayed home whith doubts of a vehicle that wasn't set up enough you made the right choice. Thanks. Great small event. Thanks to everybodys hard work to pull this thing off this year. Btw - Woody not only broke the rear 3rd member he had a total of I believe 7 total broken issues, deserving recipient of the Hard luck award. Looking forward to seeing peoples pictures they are willing to upload or link."
Edited by eshj42 2010-06-20 5:24 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| lots of pics in this thread- you may need to register to see them. quite a bit of snow. :D
http://forum.ih8mud.com/tlca-sanctioned-events/338323-rubithon-2010...
Edited by eshj42 2010-06-21 2:58 PM
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Expert
Posts: 3199
Location: Mid-Willamette Valley | that looks like fun.  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| More pics if you aren't tired of this already- http://picasaweb.google.com/mrmanny/Rubithon2010#slideshow/54853421...
If you've never been this is a good representation of what to expect (this year at least.. trail keeps changing).
Edited by eshj42 2010-06-21 8:20 PM
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ZukiWorld.com
Posts: 1215
Location: Oregon | Oh man, I am missing that trail now...
Ready to go back...
-Eric |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| I cant wait to go. Annette is pretty dissapointed about the snow. We usually go in August and spend a lot of time in the water. I'm thinking the water may be too cold this year. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| We can go any time! Might snag a few more MVC as well. I just have a road trip mid-July thru the 1st week of August. It is pretty easy for me to reschedule vacation time.
Finished running my fuel lines and drilling out my aux tank for a sender.. should have the 40 running tomorrow morning! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| Im Back. 13 hours door to door with a wife and two kids in the car. Not bad. It was fun.
Thursday evening, we ran the first short section of trail out to the granite slabs and back and screwed around out there for a while.
Friday, we lounged around for part of the day then tried the Wentworth springs entrance since I had never done that before. It was scenic and challenging with bypass around most of the really tough parts. Ken brought his wagon in and managed to make it through with open diffs and everything. He had to get pretty creative in a couple spots, one of which required a strategically placed rock and two people standing on the rock slider to keep the rig from falling over. This turned in to a longer trip then expected and we returned to camp around 11pm. My blue sammy has rock lights which made the night wheelin easy and fun. I brought only one spare part on this trip, a fuel pump. It started growling more loudly then normal and quitting all together randomly, and had to be changed early in the trip.
Saturday was a long day of wheelin. We left camp at about 11am and wheeled our way out to Spider Lake, stopping for a while at the Little Sluice to watch people break their trucks. We played around alot on the obstacles we encountered and didn't arrive at Spider until 6:30 pm. I tried Soup Bowl but was denied and had to skip trying the Little Sluice because it was too busy. Spider Lake has always been my favorite place on the Rubicon. We always spend a couple days camping and swimming there. It is a pristine and beautiful Lake. Last time I was there they had closed the sorrounding area to vehicle and you had to walk in. Now it is completely closed to entry. Bummer. Faced with the possibility that it may take us another six hours to get back, I decided to step up the pace and bounce over the rocks I would normally crawl. We made it back to camp in 3 hours flat with sore necks. The only break down for the day was a loose power wire to my accessories (CB, Rock Lights, Stereo).
Sunday, we spent the whole day at our awesome campsite aside Loon Lake. It had been windy the days prior but Sunday was calm. We swam and my boys and I went Kayaking around the lake. I got a pretty bad sunburn. I fired up the barbecue and cooked some dogs then stoked a big fire and made smores for the family.
Next time I will definantly camp on the trail. While we ended up with a very nice campspot right on the water, I didnt like going over the same section of multiple times and missed getting a chance to overcome the obstacles of the entire trail. |
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Expert
Posts: 2639
Location: Outer Mongolia | Sounds like a good time . I want to make it to the Rubicon one of these days. |
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Expert
Posts: 2488
Location: in the garage | Sounds like I lot of fun, I really wanted to go but just couldn't make it happen. I'll make a trip down there one way or another one of these days. So Dave, after just being down there, if I had taken the white truck down there, would there have been a body left? I have had it through a lot of things that it really shouldn't fit through, but I know th laws of physics can only be pushed so far. I was just wondering how tight the trail is. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| Its not as tight as it used to be and was easier than it has been in the past. I think because there is so much traffic. There are a few spots that would be difficult, but they could be managed. The gate keeper obstacle doesnt even exist anymore. Like most areas, more people are using it and the man keeps narrowing the useage area. We used to be able to drive all over. Now you will get a ticket if you are more than 25 feet from the center of the trail. You could get the Whale through, at least as far as we went this time. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
| I would think Cadillac would give you the biggest challenge, save for all the harder route/obstacles. Low gearing and lockers would mitigate, but trucks like to roll off that hill. LWB is probably in your favor there and super wide buggies in from tahoe do it all the time.
Still on my trip, I have been bopping around the Sierras. I came down through Oakridge/KFalls to Susanville and then had to haull ass to get to Loon late Thursday. We really had the sweetest base camp (and nearly only one any more, FU The Man) you could drive into without staying at the little developed CG.
I pretty much relaxed at camp a lot and wheeled the Wentworth loop for a day. The wagon has badges on each side of front and rear armor, and sliders. A little ding in a wheel well and a smashed exhaust, but I got off light considering the package I attempted to drag through. Oh and a shock mount that I'd previously bugger welded and hadn't gotten around to replacing. I bet most the damage came after dark when I lost my wheeling mojo. Don't recommend doing that trail in something as incapable as my truck, unless you feel the force is with you.
After leaving Sunday, I decided to drive the Morman Emmigrant trail out of Placerville. It is a high altitude highway for about 50 miles that winds through the mountains. Lots of forest access and I think access into OHV trails. California has TONS of OHV trails, thanks to all the "jeepin'" back in the day. I stayed the night on a creek at the bottom of a valley. Wasn't that far off the main road and I camped on a gravel bar with only a single 4runner seen the entire evening. The next day I headed back north into a very lakey region.. literally lakes every few hundred feed. This is near Bassetts. A few years back a friend (the guy that built my rear bumper) recommended Sardine Lakes. There is an OHV trail up to the upper lake that gives 3 sole campspots. I opted to go further up to the larger Gold Lake with a pretty good OHV trail and... DESIGNATED 4x4 CG at the end of it (I don't think Oregon has one of those). Along the route I was stopped by 2 sheriffs and a CHP SUV blocking the trail. Back at Bassetts Station store a guy came in and mentioned his daughter hadn't come back and had saw the 3 police vehicles headed up the road with their lights on. It turns out this isn't what they were about. After a while the officers, 8 in all, returned to their trucks. Evidently they were on a man hunt for a guy that was armed and dangerous, drugged, and had shot at a sheriff earlier. I got a fuller story later. They turned around and headed out, giving the impression that everything was over. It was not.
I got to the campground only to find Toys On The Rocks camping, and being a known land cruiser chapter out of Placerville that camps at Gold Lake every 4th, I got to reacquaint with guys I'd met on the TLCA Rubithon event and meet new ones. There are 100s of trucks on the event and you can't meet anyone. So the story goes that the guy the police were hunting had camped just down the way further into the CG. The wife of the guy I knew had walked their dog and ran across this guy and his pitbull. Before she was able to yell out if the pitbull was safe, it viciously attacked her dog. She (unwisely) tried to pull them free, and he ended up pulling his pitbull off even though the pitbull in turn started biting his arm. I think after that was when he had fired at a sheriff in his camp and had been in hiding during the day. We all talked about it around the campfire that evening, when all of a sudden we see him walking down the road toward his camp, past ours. I knew right away it was him given what the sheriff and my friends gave as a description. I could see he was off just by his gait. Didn't see a gun in his hand but it was likely on him. More from Toys On The Rocks 4x4 had just left the way he'd come and we CB'd them to alert the police that he was returning to his camp. The sheriffs had previously evacuated his girlfriend/her daughter by boat and the camp was empty. There were probably 30 officers in and around his camp and in the woods at one point. After we saw him and relayed that he was likely at his camp a CHP SUV drove up to our camp and parked, the officers got out and pulled their weapons. There were already officers around his camp waiting for his return so these were likely backup. About 20 minutes later the officers returned and said it was over. A little too exciting for a relaxing camp trip but it was fascinating watching LEOs in action in a dangerous situation.
Today I have been wandering around the area. There is a neat mining ghost camp with cabins (one restored and private) up on the mountains so Max and I spent a few hours up there looking around and shooting pics. After that was a trip to a historic state park with a lot of original mining camp buildings and equipment (kind of like Jawbone Flats). A little too developed for my tastes but cool none-the-less. I told one of the volunteers about Fort Rock's museum and she seemed to be interested in heading up to Christmas Valley. Pretty much just a lot of driving and a lot of amazing mountain and lake scenery. Now I am mostly headed to the Bay area to stay with friends and hit a land cruiser swap meet in Petaluma before heading home.
I think I prefer the armed/dangerous situation over a bear encounter. Ready to return to the "gentile" country though. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 822
| BTW Ken, I have your axe. |
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Expert
Posts: 2639
Location: Outer Mongolia | Invincible - 2010-07-07 6:04 AM
BTW Ken, I have your axe.
He could have probably used it with a crazy guy running around! |
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Location: salem | I'm glad you guys had fun and didnt break. I so wanted to go. I did get moved into my house.
so next year for sure. |
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Rubicon?
